At home/limited equipment workout resources

I’m a 30yo woman looking to start strength training, and I think it would be so much more motivating and fun to do it with a group of like-minded women. I’m not sure where to start, though, and I’d love your advice!

There is one women-only gym near me (GFIT) but they only do HIIT training, which I don’t enjoy.

I’m currently a member of my local YMCA, but I’m not sure how to meet women my age there.

I’m open to canceling my Y membership and joining a different gym, but I get the impression most people are at the gym to be left alone and wouldn’t appreciate me trying to befriend them.

How did you meet other women to work out with? Are there specific gyms, classes, or groups that cater to women interested in strength training? Have any of you used apps or online platforms to find workout buddies?

I just started going to the gym for the first time in a couple of years, and I’m talking several different type of group lessons; running, spinning, strength/core classes, yoga and pilates about 3-5 times a week. I have always had an issue making working out a habit because I often find it very boring, but by doing several different things I get less bored and I don’t dread going to the gym to work out. My goal is to get in better shape in general, I know it’s a diffuse goal, but right now I’m in very bad shape and I don’t know yet what I want to focus on as a more specific goal. I often hear that you need to create a good workout plan to see results from exercising and everyone seem to focus on one specific kind of workout and goal, i.e «I want to run faster/longer», «I want to lift heavier», «I want to become more flexible» etc.

My question is wether I will be able to see results/get in better shape by doing all these different type of workouts, or if I should focus one type, like running for example.

I feel like I’ll always be new to fitness and working out. I started strength training last summer with a personal trainer, going two times a week. My goal was to learn and be independent when in the gym. By the end of it I kinda felt like I knew what I was doing, but I’ve always struggle with consistency and getting up. My goal is to go 3 times a week.

Motivation especially dips/disappear one week before my period and then the first three days. Which means I have maybe two good weeks of exercising every month, and then 1,5 weeks of no motivation at all. I really want to become stronger both physically and visually, but sometimes it seems impossible.

Is there anyone out there who can relate and maybe has some advice for a forever newbie?

Welcome to our Daily Simple Questions thread - we're excited to have you hang out with us, especially if you're new to the sub. Are you confused about the FAQ or have a basic question about an exercise / alternatives? Do you have a quick question about calculating TDEE, lift numbers, running times, swimming intervals, or the like? Post here and the folks of xxfitness will help you answer your questions, no matter how big or small.

Welcome to our daily discussion thread! Tell stories, share thoughts, ask questions, swap advice, and be excellent to each other! Though we all share fitness as a common hobby or interest, the discussion here can be about any big or little thing you choose. The mods ask that you do mind the Cardinal Rules as they relate to respecting yourself and others, calling out any scantily clad photos as NSFW, and not asking for medical advice.

Hi everyone.

Long time reader, first time poster. Considering a walking pad for work, would really appreciate any insights from anyone who's implemented it successfully. What max speed, pad width, etc. is actually necessary to walk while clicking things on a PC without toppling over?

I get there must be a learning curve to this, but equally, if I don't plan to use it as a treadmill some fancier settings must be a bit superfluous? TIA!

ETA: Any tips for determining whether it's (distractingly) loud without buying and returning a bunch?

so for context: I used to powerlift, do a ton of running and strength training, and only go to yoga/pilates classes if they were intense or physically demanding. this lasted about 3 years.

I stopped doing all of it for a few months, and ever since ive tried to go back into it, I hate it. I'll be in the gym and feel my body literally beg me not to lift heavier, or run harder. the only activity I can do seems to be low intensity (walking, yoga flow, easier pilates).

I know there's a little bit of info out there that talks about the health benefits of low intensity exercise in AFABs. is it normal for me not to want to do intense exercise now that ive gotten out of the habit? or am I just being lazy and not pushing myself enough?

Need a recommendation for protein powder? Not sure if your macros look quite right? Have a killer recipe to share or just want to show off your meal preop? This is the thread for you!

Welcome to our Daily Simple Questions thread - we're excited to have you hang out with us, especially if you're new to the sub. Are you confused about the FAQ or have a basic question about an exercise / alternatives? Do you have a quick question about calculating TDEE, lift numbers, running times, swimming intervals, or the like? Post here and the folks of xxfitness will help you answer your questions, no matter how big or small.

Welcome to our daily discussion thread! Tell stories, share thoughts, ask questions, swap advice, and be excellent to each other! Though we all share fitness as a common hobby or interest, the discussion here can be about any big or little thing you choose. The mods ask that you do mind the Cardinal Rules as they relate to respecting yourself and others, calling out any scantily clad photos as NSFW, and not asking for medical advice.

Your place to talk about anything fitness shopping and style. Whether you want to ask where to buy the best gym leggings or most supportive sports bra, which shoes or belt to get for your favorite activities, the latest on headsets and sports watches, how many times you should wash your hair when you're working out lots, how to deal with body odor, any skincare questions, or how to stop your makeup running when you sweat through a spin class. This thread can include photos of you in your favorite fitness outfits, or requests to find the perfect app, playlist, or fitness technology so you can kill your workouts.

We also allow sharing promotion codes and sales for fitness-related stuff, keeping in mind that our rules on self-promotion and affiliate links still apply.

I started weightlifting a couple months ago and it's just not enjoyable. Like at all. I know the benefits and would love for this to be a form of exercise I keep doing, but I'm wondering when the endorphins might kick in or if I should anticipate it being kind of miserable forever and maybe find something else to keep fit that I enjoy more. A friend of mine who started around the same time says she gets a bit of a high feeling partway through her workout. I get a bit of a panic attack partway through mine (heavy breathing, overly fast heartrate, feel like crying). (I did check with my doctor who said there's nothing medically wrong and it's likely mental, just to be clear). But I guess I would love to hear if anyone had a similar experience at the beginning when they started lifting, or if anyone has advice on what to expect as I keep going with it?

For context, I'm 28, have never consistently worked out but haven't ever technically been overweight or unhealthy (I say technically bc while I look pretty fit and have always been able to keep up with the activities I do, I do think my body fat percentage wasn't/isn't great and definitely have noticed an improvement in my stamina/breathing during cardio since starting to lift.) I want to be active, I just don't know enough about working out to feel confident about saying "weightlifting isn't for me" (or saying "it sucks now but it'll get better").

Welcome to our Daily Simple Questions thread - we're excited to have you hang out with us, especially if you're new to the sub. Are you confused about the FAQ or have a basic question about an exercise / alternatives? Do you have a quick question about calculating TDEE, lift numbers, running times, swimming intervals, or the like? Post here and the folks of xxfitness will help you answer your questions, no matter how big or small.

Welcome to our daily discussion thread! Tell stories, share thoughts, ask questions, swap advice, and be excellent to each other! Though we all share fitness as a common hobby or interest, the discussion here can be about any big or little thing you choose. The mods ask that you do mind the Cardinal Rules as they relate to respecting yourself and others, calling out any scantily clad photos as NSFW, and not asking for medical advice.

...and that price is usually coordination or social etiquette. Post your fitness and related fails to this thread.

I work out at the gym in university. I'm a woman, and I mostly do ballet exercises & deep stretches in the mat area. However, I feel uneasy going too deep into hip opening exercises (e.g., happy child pose) because I feel like others would think that not only I'm showing off, but also being indecent by opening my legs this wide in a public place.

Also, it is my first time working out in a mixed-gender gym because I just moved to the UK (gyms at my home country were not mixed-gender).

I wouldn't feel like this if others were also doing the same thing, but most of the time I'm the only one doing flexibility exercises.

So I guess what I'm asking is that is it appropriate to do these poses in gym? What is the social etiquette & social perception in this context?

Welcome to our Daily Simple Questions thread - we're excited to have you hang out with us, especially if you're new to the sub. Are you confused about the FAQ or have a basic question about an exercise / alternatives? Do you have a quick question about calculating TDEE, lift numbers, running times, swimming intervals, or the like? Post here and the folks of xxfitness will help you answer your questions, no matter how big or small.

Welcome to our daily discussion thread! Tell stories, share thoughts, ask questions, swap advice, and be excellent to each other! Though we all share fitness as a common hobby or interest, the discussion here can be about any big or little thing you choose. The mods ask that you do mind the Cardinal Rules as they relate to respecting yourself and others, calling out any scantily clad photos as NSFW, and not asking for medical advice.

hi all,, need some pull up advice so I have been doing the assisted pull up machine and I can do it from like -9kg. I'm also doing pull ups with resistance bands right now. the current band I have says it provides a resistance of 7-15kg which is the lowest resistance band available at my gym. btw my weight is 52kg.

q1. how much resistance/assistance does the band actually give ~ since it's a range I really don't understand that part. q2. how to progress further? should I continue with the assisted pull up machine and go down to -5kg? everyone says that the machine doesn't really help? q3. since I don't have any other resistance bands, what else can I do now? should I start doing negatives?
thanks!

Share your fitness victories, big and small, from this week with the folks of xxfitness and revel in how awesome we are!

Welcome to our Daily Simple Questions thread - we're excited to have you hang out with us, especially if you're new to the sub. Are you confused about the FAQ or have a basic question about an exercise / alternatives? Do you have a quick question about calculating TDEE, lift numbers, running times, swimming intervals, or the like? Post here and the folks of xxfitness will help you answer your questions, no matter how big or small.

Welcome to our daily discussion thread! Tell stories, share thoughts, ask questions, swap advice, and be excellent to each other! Though we all share fitness as a common hobby or interest, the discussion here can be about any big or little thing you choose. The mods ask that you do mind the Cardinal Rules as they relate to respecting yourself and others, calling out any scantily clad photos as NSFW, and not asking for medical advice.

I'll tell you what grinds my gears. WHEN PEOPLE DON'T POST WHAT GRINDS THEIR GEARS! This thread is for vents, rants, frustrations, bitching, and the like about all things fitness related.

Welcome, everyone! Here is your place to discuss, question or relate to everything about weight loss, weight gain, cuts, bulks and diets. Standalone posts regarding these topics will be removed and redirected here or either of the daily threads.

Here are some useful links from our comprehensive FAQ and otherwise to help you get started:

• Nutrition 101
• Cutting/Weight Loss 101
• Bulking/Weight Gain 101
• Getting abs/a flat tummy
• r/gainit
• r/loseit
• r/BulkOrCut
• r/Fitness
• Fitness Wiki

Welcome to our Daily Simple Questions thread - we're excited to have you hang out with us, especially if you're new to the sub. Are you confused about the FAQ or have a basic question about an exercise / alternatives? Do you have a quick question about calculating TDEE, lift numbers, running times, swimming intervals, or the like? Post here and the folks of xxfitness will help you answer your questions, no matter how big or small.

Welcome to our daily discussion thread! Tell stories, share thoughts, ask questions, swap advice, and be excellent to each other! Though we all share fitness as a common hobby or interest, the discussion here can be about any big or little thing you choose. The mods ask that you do mind the Cardinal Rules as they relate to respecting yourself and others, calling out any scantily clad photos as NSFW, and not asking for medical advice.

I went from zero to full fledged Gym Rat 7 months ago. From the start I’ve been pushing myself and applying progressive overload. As soon as I knew I had my form down, I made sure I was pushing within 1-2 reps of failure if not right up to failure.

But I’m literally never sore in the days after. The only other people I know who lift are men, and they all say that if I never get sore then I’m not pushing hard enough. That logically makes sense to me, but if I hit a point where I have exhausted the muscle so much that I physically cannot complete another rep how on earth am I supposed to push harder? I raise weights as soon as I can complete 3 sets of 10 reps. I’ve been focusing a lot more on slowing down the eccentric recently. I’ve added drop sets to a few lifts. And I definitely get exhausted (currently couch rotting after a 1.5 hour leg day), but the muscles all feel just fine.

I feel like my progress has been pretty decent for 7 months too. I’m at 290lb working weight for hip thrusts, 150 for RDL, 120 for lat pulldown, 25 for dumbbell shoulder press and bicep curls. The lack of soreness is really only getting to me right now because I do feel like I’m plateauing and I’m struggling to push through. Is there anything to the idea that if you’re not feeling muscle soreness, you’re not actually training as hard as you could be? Should I try changing up my programming to engage my muscles in new ways? Or do I just have weirdo muscles that can grow without me feeling it?

Hi folks!

I am a 34yo, 6' tall, 330lbs.

AKA I am tall and fat. But that is not what I want to be.

I WANT to be a warrior. If that makes sense. I want to be muscled and strong, physically. A muscle mommy? Perhaps. A powerlifter? Probably. I am not interested in competitions. Just being a barbarian of a lady. :]

So some background.

Through middle and high school I was an athlete. Volleyball, basketball, badminton, swimming, track and field, wrestling. Around senior year (07-08) I was caught by world of warcraft and my body has been in a slow decline since. I can tell I am not very strong anymore, at least compared to how I was. And I don't like it at all. I think I was getting by on the athlete body of my youth and now that I am mid 30s that's starting to dissolve. I also have a child now (5 years ago). That definitely changed things too.

So why I am here.

To ask you folks how you would recommend I proceed. I do not have the time for a gym membership but I do have some funds and a space to have my own equipment. (Not a lot of funds but enough for some.)

What absolute NEEDS are there for a beginner, home lifting situation?

I am looking into getting a power cage, barbell, weight for barbell, and a bench.

The only equipment I have currently are a few resistance bands from physical therapy (so the thin ones) and a set of 9lb dumbbells.

I cannot afford a personal trainer, you tube will be my guide for that. At least for now. But if you all could give me some must haves for a home gym and if any of you have gone through a similar situation and have tips I would appreciate them!

Oh another note is I do have a nutritionist (going to a weight loss clinic in hopes I can get healthier before my families diabetes trends get me) I am honestly on the verge of getting a surgery (gastric sleeve or whatever)

I know gaining muscle can help, so that's a side benefit.

I will be honest and say the weight loss is secondary. I just want to have the body of a warrior woman. And muscles are key!

Now that I have given far too much info (sorry mods) please divulge your collective knowledge on me!

The place for all of your fitness based interpersonal encounters (is someone being creepy at the gym? Is your family telling you you’re getting too muscular? Do you want to date your personal trainer?), but also the place to talk about motivation, self-esteem and body image, and all the ways fitness affects your life.

Want to ask how mothers juggle family and fitness? How to structure Intermittent Fasting? When to work out when you do night shift? How to deal with being the only person in your friend group who works out? If you're feeling emotional, want to up your mental game, or need ideas for how to juggle everything on your plate, this is the place for you!

Welcome to Check Me Out Tuesday-flex-. The place for shameless selfies, physique questions, accountability, and small progress posts that aren’t detailed enough for a standalone post.