I've been in a bit of a rut, and frankly almost for about over a year now. I am getting sick and tired and frankly disappointed in myself of just goofing off and not giving myself my 100%.

I'm in my own head about stuff like 'my genetics aren't good enough', all while I do dumb shit like reduce my volume and intensity in the gym, and then fuck around and binge drink every so often.

Anyways, I have been looking for some good content/videos to devour that show you what just true passion and determination and grit can do for one's physique, regardless of their genetics and other limitations.

I've been there before, just been in a funk for a while now and would like to add more content to my library. More around the lines of those with amazing work ethic, beating 'against all odds' and 'not the best genetics' would be more what I need I think.

I got into running during the pandemic and I fell in love with it. Bought running shoes and everything. Made me feel sooo good. My mental health was top notch. I felt really good.

Fast forward a few years later and I’m like 20lbs heavier now with a lot more muscle. Anyone here run? How do you balance it? I’m pushing it pretty hard in the gym, like today my leg day was brutal. 18 reps on the leg press at like RPE 100... 2+ rep pr. I can’t even imagine running a day or two after this. Any thoughts?

Has anybody tried fasting during a cut?

My daily calorie limit is 2100.

I don't eat all day until I get home from work at 5pm. Have a 500kcal snack and hit the gym. Then eat 1300kcal meal after the gym and 300kcal protein shake before bed. I dont feel hungry during the day.

U know all those rumors about protein going to waste if you eat too much of it in one sitting or short amount of time? Although studies proved it's not exactly true it's still recommended to only eat 100g max per meal.

So whenever i do my chest days whenever i do any sort of incline movement, wether that be incline smith or incline machine press,

i can feel my collarbones as i press, and some front delt activation too admittedly but no matter how much i change my form or grip/ hand position i just can’t shake off the sensation of my collarbones flaring up

Ive been training for 2 yrs but this started around like 5 months ago is but i just assumed it would go away.

I don't recall exactly who or where, but I think it was Dr Mike or other source I heard saying you shouldn't do any sort of cardio/walking after leg day, and should just get home and rest.

However to which extent is this true? I think the argument was it messed up with the muscles adaptation to the workout.

Like after a leg day I have to walk home from the gym like a 30 min walk. What I personally notice is it helps mitigate that feeling of having your quads cooked after some heavy pressing ,probably due to the blood flow, and when I get home my quads barely feel sore after.

So will this affect my gains/recovery in any way or am I just focusing too much on the wrong things lol

So as the title says, I am facing the issue where the pressure to do more reps or weight than the previous week has been affecting my training. I sometimes find myself cutting range of motion short(not a lot) or making the exercise easier someway in order to beat my previous numbers.

Since progressive overload is such an important factor to drive hypertrophy, I don't feel fulfilled if I don't hit better numbers in someway than previous week, especially in a surplus. This is elevated by the fact that I take all sets to failure. So if I did say 10 reps week 1 at rir1 then I know I can just get that extra rep next week by just going to failure. But that's not the case since I am going to failure every week. It also comes with an anxiety to hit more reps or weight every week.

TL;DR: How do you guys handle log book pressure.

Hi, so people talk about sets per week but I was curious about how that transfers into sets per day.

I’ve recently started to do a few sets of bicep curls at the end of my leg says but was wondering how much benefit it is? Using PPL as an example, is doing an extra 3 sets of curls going to help me see any improvement or is a realistic minimum stimulus (correct word?) needed to really see progress in a workout on a set day?

Hope this makes sense.

There are a few different approaches people have and while it is dependent on the individual, i'm curious what your personal approach is to peak week water intake. I'm 4 days out and I have a great coach. In my past whenever ive cut water, or even decreased my water the day before the show, it seems i hold onto it. Even going from 2-3 gallons a day, to 1 gallon the day before the show, you would think 1gal was still sufficient, but i always notice my veins fade a bit, i have this flatter softer look. Even with 1 gal!

So i am just asking for opinions is all, im curious of other peoples approaches. I know the "just listen to your coach" will be the most favored response, which im not saying i wont do. I just have some concerns which i only seem to be worried about.

Right now im drinking 2-3 gallons a day, i wake up looking dry and separated. Last week we did a practice peak where he increased carbs over 3 days, and the last day i had only a gallon of water. Sodium stayed the same. I swear i looked the best after the 150g and 225g days with a bunch of water. The day after the highest carbs (275g), and 1 gal of water its as if i could feel my body holding onto subq water, i just felt flat. I was told i looked perfect and that we would be following the same protocol.

this will be my 9th show, so i know my body pretty well

And my thought process is, If i wake up looking great the friday before the show, after moderate carbs, 2-3 gallons of water, Why would change ANYTHING? Why would i increase carbs more, and cut back water? It just doesnt make logical sense to me. A big risk for a possible little reward, or disaster

I reached a plateau in building my physique, and was considering supplementing if there's any cheap options available out there?

I thought eating tons of lentils / chick peas would do the trick, but I'm not getting the gains I thought I would.

What are the cheapest stores (in Europe) for Protein + Creatine? Or any general advice to get bigger through dieting please.

Hi. Do you think a home gym is worse than a commercial gym? Is a home gym equipped with basic equipment such as squat racks, a bench press, a pull-up bar, a barbell, and sufficient weight (enough to progress) is worse if it comes to building physique compared to a gym that also has machines and other stuff?

From your experience, I was wondering if facepulls are an equal substitute for either of the two exercises listed above?

M, 40s, 6'2", sw 345, cw 325, endomorph.

Started making drastic changes about 2 months ago, down 25 lbs, then up 5, down 2 up 3, etc. Went down 2 sizes, looking more fit, but scale is merciless. I feel more energetic, eat best I've ever eaten, cut out all junk, 90% cut in carbs, mostly weight lifting with some 6mi walks or bike rides, intermittent fasting 1x every week or two, almost no drinking.

Workout 4-6 times a week for 1-2 hours but I find that lower weights don't even make me sweat, yet higher weights are possibly keeping me stuck at my current weight. I may be losing fat, but I want to also lean the fuck out, being an endomorph.

I am not into heavy cardio yet (crossfit, running, or derivatives thereof). Planning to increase cardio when I drop into 2xx club, to keep the motivation and enjoyment, while increasing the endurance.

Told I may have sleep apnea, which I understand can mess with weight loss.

Trying to shed about 100lbs. What changes should I make and what are the realistic markers and timelines to measure progress?

Ever since i was kid I’ve had trouble eating but I’ve always really wanted to bulk so I took a break from sports and started counting calories. For the past month I’ve managed to barely clear my calorie goals everyday but I really miss cycling. If I decide to get back into cycling I would have to eat even more to stay on a calorie surplus which I dont know if i can manage. Should I quit cycling permanently or is cycling not that bad? Sorry if im in the wrong sub Also can an ectomorph get a bulky physique

I keep seeing videos of PHD experts in the field of lifting talk about the 52 set study. Could someone explain why it’s such a hot topic?

Thread for discussing the basics of bodybuilding or beginner questions, etc.

Please include relevant details in your question like training age, weight etc...

Say you’re returning to the gym after not working out for a year. What would you do your first leg day?

Do you guys train rear delts directly? Im currently prioritizing arms and that includes shoulders. Do rear delts really contribute to a big shoulder look?

My back movements and rdls fry my rear delts. I also dont have enough time to train the directly.

Like for chest do you like to do chest/back/chest/back in a session or do you prefer to chest/chest/back/back. What about for arms? Bi/tri/bi/tri or Tri/tri/bi/bi? Theres the argument of resting so you can do more with your set by alternating, but there is the argument for enhanced acute fatigue on a muscle group by training it all back to back with nothing in between. Some may like to alternate to save time by needing less rest but then again you may have to warm up more the other way.

Curious to see the responses. I'm someone who does 2 sets for my exercises but I assume forearms needs way more

If so, did you notice a difference in energy or muscle development? I’ve been eating a lot of meat for a while now, it’s been going great but it’s pretty expensive and people talk about the impact that can have on your health. I’ve been thinking about switching to a plant based diet, but I don’t want it to wreck my gains. What are your experiences?

I’ve been lifting now for about 2 years and have spent that time trying to train as optimally as possible. I have been able to progressively overload every muscle group consistently week to week apart from my chest which has hardly gotten stronger in months. Ive made sure my nutrition, technique, intensity is all in check. I’ve tried adjusting volume, rep ranges and excersise selections.

I train chest twice every 8 days, currently doing 6 sets a workout ( tried lower and higher volumes ) Flat press x 2 - Incline press x 2 - Cable fly x 2

I take every set to failure or 0 rir with controlled ecentric and full rom. But I’m just not getting stronger. For reference current strength levels from last workouts. Db flat press - 25kg 8-12 - Db incline press - 25kg - 5-8 - Bb flat press - 55kg 12-15 - BB incline press - 50kg 8-12

I've been with my posing and nutrition trainer now for over a year now. Long story short, he stopped my prior 6 week cut (started at 7.6% BF) after 2 weeks in and said "I'm as good as a natural can get" then set me on a maintenence only dropping my carbs two weeks out in order to "dry me out". I'm sitting at roughly 3-4% bf now, but got totally demolished at an NPC event (it was insanely stacked and I did much better at my prior NPC show even though I was bigger and leaner at this show). I'm the only one on his team not on gear, the other guy on the team (who's on all sorts of stuff won the show, and he should have, he looks like a Greek God and has been working out his whole life lol) but I can't help but feel like because I'm all natural he either doesn't want to push me further, doesn't want to/ trying to push me to explore TRT, or doesn't know how to properly push me further (And neither do I...). Am I overthinking this? What advice do you have? I just started my peek week for my INBA show which he's supportive of and thinks I'll "crush" but, again, having doubts with him.

6' 162 lbs 3-4% bf

Thread for discussing things related to upcoming shows, contests in general, prep week, post contest transition, prep updates, talk about organizations, drug testing, posing routines/music, discussing other competitors, shaving, tan, mandatory posing, peak week training/Nutrition, reverse dieting, posing suits, etc..

If you are planning on competing in the future let us know so we can add you to the sidebar!

Thread for discussing quick/simple topics not needing an entire posts or beginner questions.

If you are a beginner/relatively new asking a routine question please check out this comment compiling useful routines or this google doc detailing some others to choose from instead of trying to make your own and asking here about it.

Please do not post asking:

• Should I bulk or cut?
• Can you estimate my body fat from this picture?

Please check this post for Frequently Asked Questions that community members have already contributed answers to (that post is not the place to ask your own questions but you may suggest topics).

For other posts make sure to included relevant information such as years of experience, what goal you are working towards, approximate age, weight, etc.

Please feel free to give the mods feedback on ways this could be improved.

Previous Weekly Threads

How do you handle you arm sets, also do you include forearms in them? i currently do 18 sets per week (9 per biceps, 9 per triceps), would you add 1 day for forearms?

Besides building a balanced physique, do you invest in cardio, mobility, "functional" stuff to become a more complete athlete, or do you just care about building muscle? And why? Interested to see how many here is in what camp. I personally just care to bodybuild.

I'm about to go into the fourth week of Jeff Nippard's Pure Bodybuilding program (PPL variant), although it's more like week five or six because every "week" is ten days.

Nippard includes three sets of adductor work on all leg days, for which I chose cable hip adduction.

I don't really hate the movement and I'm pushing it hard, but I've also heard Dr. Mike say that adductor work is overkill if you're doing any leg pushing movements, including squats, hack squats, and leg press.

Has anyone found adductor work to be beneficial for improving legs?

So the other day at the gym, I needed a 45lb plate for my machine and the only available plates I saw nearby were some weights at the side of the squat rack(not on the bar). The squat rack was being used by someone, but the plate was not, so I took the plate and brought it to my machine. He was also not mid-set when I took it, so I didn't distract him or anything.

Then 10 minutes later, the guy at the squat rack comes over to me and says: "can I take back my plate that you stole?" and proceeds to grab the plate off my machine and bring it back to his squat rack.

Was I wrong to take the plate from his squat rack even though he wasn't using it? He was visibly angry at me and was pretty snappy when he took his plate back.

Like while I was mid set, someone else took a plate off my machine that I wasn't using and I didn't think much of it. So I was surprised that he was giving me so much sass.

I dont have the locking machine for t bar rows but i swear ive seen people set up t bar rows with just a barbell and the narrow grip attachment, how do you guys set it up?

I really need advice, I'm trying to grow my triceps. And no matter what I do they never get sore. Biceps I just finish up my back day with a a set or two of curls and it kills them. Every muscle gets sore the day after except for Tris. I can't figure it out.

I've tried low rep heavy weight, tried 20 reps with lighter weight.

Tired two exercises with 4 sets

Tried 4 exercises with 3 sets

Any advice is greatly appreciated, thanks for you time