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[killatopak]

Hello everyone. Total beginner here.

I was hoping for some advice while I’m still new so I won’t fuck up my body.

I basically only have dumbbells at home so I made do with it and plan on getting a gym membership on January so I’ll be with the new year people.

Anyway I’ve trained for a month with the goal of weight loss but I heard newbie gains are really good so I might as well do them both while I’m still new. My goal is to lose 5-10kgs.

The problem that I’m dealing with is I basically trained just upper body for the whole month everyday with no rest day which I found out was bad. I mean I didn’t have any lingering pains the day after so I thought it was fine. Pump and some soreness after the workout is there but not the day after.

I was doing circuits. With 4 circuits of everything here.

10 reps dumbbell row
10 reps of kettlebell swing but with dumbbells.
10 reps of lateral raises
10 reps of bicep curls
10 reps of overhead press
10 reps of bench press
10 reps of chest flies.

I do fine on all of them except for the bicep curls and overhead press. My left arm fails around 9-10 at the 3rd or 4th circuit and once I increased the weight once it fell back to 7-8. The right arm was still able to do the complete set but I don’t really want to have imbalanced arms.

I don’t even know their names. I just googled them just now to know. About my form, I just asked my sister who goes to the gym to correct me.

I do 9km walks once a week.

I just eat once a day since I’m on intermittent fasting and generally don’t feel hunger so I’m good with that. My meals though are just whatever my family has cooked up and two scoops of whey for protein. 50g of protein for 144g of the powder.

I do cheat on my diet in a form of iced salted caramel coffee and a piece of cream cheese waffle at coffee shops twice a week at most.

I know I need rest and change my routine. I just don’t know what to replace it with.

 

[Aces High]

With circuits you mean sets? So you do 4 sets of rows and then move on to the next exercise? Or do you do a set of everything and then move on to do a set of everything again?

Because I would recommend the former.

Getting a gym membership is highly recommended since it allows you to do multiple different exercises per muscle group.

At your experience level, you'll make progress with almost any routine. However, during a fat-loss diet:

- Reduce frequency (how often you train a muscle)

- Lower volume (how much work you do in a session)

- Increase intensity (push to muscle failure while maintaining perfect form)

This approach helps preserve muscle while dieting.

You could do an Upper Lower split like this:

Upper:
Incline Bench Press 55°: 2 sets with 5-8 reps.
Lower dumbbells until they are on eye level. Think about bringing your biceps together while pushing up. The inner ends of the dumbbells should never go closer together than shoulder width.

DB Rows: 2x 8-10
Pull your elbow towards your hip, not your chest. Keep back straight.

Lateral Raises: 2x 12-15
Sit on bench. Lean forward very slightly. Thumbs point inside towards your body throughout the movement. If your thumbs point forward (or even worse: upward) the weight is too heavy. Imagine pushing walls away left and right of you.

Reverse Flys: 2x 8-10
Lay down on chest on 20° bench. Then perform as described with lateral raises after that.

Incline Bench Preacher Curls: 2x 8-10
Lead the movement with your little finger. Elbow never leaves the pad of the bench.

Diamond Push Ups: 2x as much reps as possible (AMRAP)
Elbows close to torso. Don't flare elbows out.

Lower + Abs
Bodyweight Squat: 2x AMRAP
Try to aim for 5-10 minutes of squatting. Go down slowly. Watch out for buttwink (watch videos on that). Hold at the lowest point. Then drive up explosively. Bodyweight squats are a great way to get used to the movement. Most people start with bar + weight and they usually have terrible form.

Single-leg RDL with DB: 2x 15
Watch videos on this.

Single-leg Calf Raises with DB: 2x 15
5 seconds down. Hold 5 seconds with stretch. Explosively up. Hold 5 seconds with full contraction. Don't use momentum.

Vacuum planks: 2x AMRAP
Do a plank and suck in your belly as hard as you can. Don't forget to breath.

Those sets are worker sets. You can add a warm up set for each exercise with 12 reps and 50% weight to get blood pumped into the muscle.


You can do these workouts alternating:

Mo - Upper
Tu - rest
We - Lower
Th - rest
Fr - Upper
Sa - rest
Su - rest
Mo - Lower
Tu - rest
We - Upper
Th - rest
Fr - Lower
etc

Make sure that you apply the principles of progressive overload:

Let's say you have a rep range of 5-8. If you achieve 8 reps in both sets, increase weight by the smallest possible amount next time. So after 4 weeks you'll get in weight ranges where both sets are going to be very tough. Once you go below the lower number in one sentence, in this case 5 reps, you reduce weight again because you're not strong enough yet.

One meal a day is not optimal because this way you'll have problems getting in enough proteins. So maybe try two meals with 20 hour fasting and 4 hour eating window. Breaking your fast with 50g whey is great. Maybe mix it up with milk so you get even more protein in. 150g protein per day should be your daily goal. Choose slow digesting proteins like beef.

 

[killatopak]

With circuits you mean sets? So you do 4 sets of rows and then move on to the next exercise? Or do you do a set of everything and then move on to do a set of everything again?

The latter. I just find my workout being faster that way with less rest in between each routine.

Although I’ll try to follow those schedule, I don’t know if I’ll be able to do it to a tee. I’m afraid if I do that much rest days, I’ll end up not doing any exercise. Maybe I’ll end up doing 1-2 rest days instead of 4. Like exercise is habit now for me and I’m afraid of losing that habit if I rest too much.

 

[Aces High]

The latter. I just find my workout being faster that way with less rest in between each routine.

Although I’ll try to follow those schedule, I don’t know if I’ll be able to do it to a tee. I’m afraid if I do that much rest days, I’ll end up not doing any exercise. Maybe I’ll end up doing 1-2 rest days instead of 4. Like exercise is habit now for me and I’m afraid of losing that habit if I rest too much.

The funny thing is that there are random gym goers who often train more than professional bodybuilders.

Because pros understand that resting is part of the job.

I highly recommend you try out as much as possible. Especially in January when you have the chance to train in a gym. Having fun is the most important part.

Just make sure you train with perfect form so you don't get injuries.

 

[TaroYamada]

Has anyone here been able to increase the size of their calves substantially? If so, please share your routine. Much appreciated!

Mine have been made bigger. Calf raises, heavy weight, 200 reps a week.

 

[Aces High]

The tendons in your lower leg (such as Achilles tendon) work like mechanical springs.

Some people have very strong tendons in their lower legs, which gives them immense mechanical advantage. They can run faster, longer, and jump higher. Think of Michael Jordan or Usain Bolt.

But this comes at the cost of muscle size.

Since these people use the mechanical spring effect to generate momentum for movements, they have underdeveloped and slim calf muscles.

So, if you're a person that has naturally slim calves, you need to bypass the spring mechanic of your legs.

You achieve this by training with perfect form and without any momentum whatsoever.

Do this for calves:

5 seconds lowering the weight (eccentric).
5 seconds hold in stretched position.
Push upwards explosively (concentric).
5 seconds hold in flexed position.

Train calves two times per week.

Do 2 worker sets with 15 reps to muscular failure. That's plenty of stimulus if your form is correct.

Alternate between seated and standing calf raises if possible, as they engage muscles in different ways. You can do 2x 15 reps standing on Monday and 2x 15 reps seated on Friday.

Don't do heavy standing calf raises if you have back problems.

 

[killatopak]

I finally trained legs.

They feel like wet noodles. I can stand up straight but the moment I try to bend my knees to walk, I just collapse

 

[Aces High]

What did you do to train them?

 

[killatopak]

What did you do to train them?

I couldn't do your recommended exercise with dumbbells because I have mismatched weight dumbells. And if you're wondering how I use them, I train one arm at a time and use the lighter one for lateral raises and flys.

So instead I did the Squats, 4 sets of 15 rep Reverse Lunges, Wall Sits and Calf Raises. All just with my bodyweight.

Honestly, I didn't even do the Wall Sits and Calf Raises. My legs was already shaking after the Squats and Lunges.

If there was any way you can convince me of rest day, it was leg day. I am now fully convinced.

 

[Aces High]

I highly reccommend you check out the vacuum planks. It's the only ab exercise you'll ever need.

Vaccuum planks train your transversus abdominis which is one of the most important muscles in your body. It gives you core strength, slim waist, and helps with general wellbeing in everyday life.

Don't train your legs as long as they're sore. It can fuck up your progress for months.

Once you hit a real gym, you can do a more sophisticated plan.

 

[tamago84]

Knocked out conv 500lb dl. Weight around 162-163. Im prly done on strength..need to work on stamina a bit.

 

[killatopak]

Anyone know how to fix this clicking in my elbow? Happens when I do overhead press. Specifically, in my right elbow. The funny bone area.

Honestly feels like its a bloodvessel moving left and right and the hump it's going over is making it feel like a click.

It doesn't really hurt but it's kinda annoying. I don't have it in my left elbow but I did break my left elbow as a kid which is weird that it's not the arm that has this issue.

 

[Aces High]

Anyone know how to fix this clicking in my elbow? Happens when I do overhead press. Specifically, in my right elbow. The funny bone area.

Honestly feels like its a bloodvessel moving left and right and the hump it's going over is making it feel like a click.

It doesn't really hurt but it's kinda annoying. I don't have it in my left elbow but I did break my left elbow as a kid which is weird that it's not the arm that has this issue.

Sounds like elbow snapping:



The doc in the video says to train with less range of motion, but I would reccommend you use completely different exercises that don't cause problems.

- Front raises isolate your front delts.

- Lateral raises target your lateral delts. This is the most important shoulder exercise for aestethics.

- Dumbbell Upright Rows target front, lateral, and rear delts. Correct form is important to prevent injury.

 

[Donald mac Ronald]

After years of neglect I've decided to stop slinging burgers and go gym.
Always found gyms boring especially on my own so never bothered

I've hired a personal trainer who basically works me until I'm burnout. Can't lift my arms afterwards but feel great.

Actually for anyone who knows alot more.

This morning I was still feeling some ache and pains in my muscles from Monday. Mainly on my triceps and abit of my chest. As the day went on and I was working, my job can be quite physical and I was using my arms etc for some mediumish lifting. By the end of the work day my arms were killing me and I could barely lift my arms up without pain.

I'm back with the trainee tomorrow and I don't think I'll be recovered. Is this normal or have I pulled a muscle already lol

 

[Aces High]

After years of neglect I've decided to stop slinging burgers and go gym.
Always found gyms boring especially on my own so never bothered

I've hired a personal trainer who basically works me until I'm burnout. Can't lift my arms afterwards but feel great.

Actually for anyone who knows alot more.

This morning I was still feeling some ache and pains in my muscles from Monday. Mainly on my triceps and abit of my chest. As the day went on and I was working, my job can be quite physical and I was using my arms etc for some mediumish lifting. By the end of the work day my arms were killing me and I could barely lift my arms up without pain.

I'm back with the trainee tomorrow and I don't think I'll be recovered. Is this normal or have I pulled a muscle already lol

Sorry for answering so late. Forgot about the question at the end of your post.

Did the pain start during or immediately after training? Then it's an injury.

Or did the pain start 12 hours later? Then it's most likely delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS).

Important to understand:

Soreness is never good. It's a sign that your body is not nearly strong enough for the stimulus which with it was confronted. Soreness has no positive effect. It only limits your progress and can eventually cause injury.

It's important to start very easy. A best practice is to do the first three workout sessions with reduced volume and intensity.

A typical starter training would be something like this:

- Incline Chest Press 1x 10 reps
- Supinated Pulldowns 1x 10 reps
- Reverse Flys 1x 10
- Leg Press 1x 10
- Abs 1x whatever

You would do this workout three times over the course of one to two weeks. After this breaking-in you start with your regular training schedule.

Soreness is a sign that you did too much. If you get it once or twice at the beginning of a mesocycle, that's not optimal, but your body will get over it. Just make sure that you don't train sore muscles.

If you get soreness every single training, your training routine is not good for your level of experience.

 

[Donald mac Ronald]

Sorry for answering so late. Forgot about the question at the end of your post.

Did the pain start during or immediately after training? Then it's an injury.

Or did the pain start 12 hours later? Then it's most likely delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS).

Important to understand:

Soreness is never good. It's a sign that your body is not nearly strong enough for the stimulus which with it was confronted. Soreness has no positive effect. It only limits your progress and can eventually cause injury.

It's important to start very easy. A best practice is to do the first three workout sessions with reduced volume and intensity.

A typical starter training would be something like this:

- Incline Chest Press 1x 10 reps
- Supinated Pulldowns 1x 10 reps
- Reverse Flys 1x 10
- Leg Press 1x 10
- Abs 1x whatever

You would do this workout three times over the course of one to two weeks. After this breaking-in you start with your regular training schedule.

Soreness is a sign that you did too much. If you get it once or twice at the beginning of a mesocycle, that's not optimal, but your body will get over it. Just make sure that you don't train sore muscles.

If you get soreness every single training, your training routine is not good for your level of experience.

Cheers bro.

Hmm Ive definitely not been hitting it light. I did a intro session then my sessions started with the trainer on Monday . The intensity was quite high.
3 mins warm up on bike with resistance in legs and arms.
3 mins rowing machine.
10 reps with dumbbell squat position to above head. Each arm.
15 reps bench press
15 reps pull up machine sat down hands onwards
Same again but hands outwards.
10 reps on some thing I lean back holding some rope that splits into two handles and I pull towards the top of my head.
Same machine but pulling it down and spreading that works your triceps.10 again.
30 crunches
30 crossing my legs like scissors

Now he had to help me alot especially on the later reps because my muscles were getting tired. I was completely burnt out and couldn't lift my arms afterwards. He says after a few times my body will get used to it .

So yeah you're right Doms. Is more likely what I had my muscles were tired but I did feel sore. On the Tuesday I couldn't really set up a pair of ladders and needed help.
On Wednesday I felt sore and must have over exerted my right arm with my work. By end of work day my right arm couldn't lift it without being in pain. I can't pull my right arm to my chest, lost the range of motion and it really hurts if I try. If I tense the arm, my tricep hurts. I can't even brush my teeth with my right arm .

Im convinced I've pulled the muscle.
Tonight I was supposed to go but had to cancel due to my right arm. My left arm is fine today not 100% maybe 80 but I could work it.

 

[Aces High]

Cheers bro.

Hmm Ive definitely not been hitting it light. I did a intro session then my sessions started with the trainer on Monday . The intensity was quite high.
3 mins warm up on bike with resistance in legs and arms.
3 mins rowing machine.
10 reps with dumbbell squat position to above head. Each arm.
15 reps bench press
15 reps pull up machine sat down hands onwards
Same again but hands outwards.
10 reps on some thing I lean back holding some rope that splits into two handles and I pull towards the top of my head.
Same machine but pulling it down and spreading that works your triceps.10 again.
30 crunches
30 crossing my legs like scissors

Now he had to help me alot especially on the later reps because my muscles were getting tired. I was completely burnt out and couldn't lift my arms afterwards. He says after a few times my body will get used to it .

So yeah you're right Doms. Is more likely what I had my muscles were tired but I did feel sore. On the Tuesday I couldn't really set up a pair of ladders and needed help.
On Wednesday I felt sore and must have over exerted my right arm with my work. By end of work day my right arm couldn't lift it without being in pain. I can't pull my right arm to my chest, lost the range of motion and it really hurts if I try. If I tense the arm, my tricep hurts. I can't even brush my teeth with my right arm .

Im convinced I've pulled the muscle.
Tonight I was supposed to go but had to cancel due to my right arm. My left arm is fine today not 100% maybe 80 but I could work it.

That routine has some weak points.

The personal trainer might has considered that you're working overhead with your hands so he did no dedicated shoulder exercise on purpose. On the other hand, we could argue that your squat involves some kind of shoulder work since you're holding dumbbells over your head. But I can't see a good reason for that. Squats and shoulder exercises are complex. Adding even more complexity by doing them in one single exercise is not optimal, especially for a beginner.

There's no hip-hinge movement which is crucial for long-time injury prevention. But maybe he does an A/B routine and next time you train with him, you're gonna learn it.

Intensity is an extremely hard to grasp concept for most. Go to any gym in the world and you'll see 99% of people train with too little intensity. Even if you tell a guy with 5 years experience to train more intense, they often can't do it because they're overwhelmed with the task motorically. Doing a perfect muscle contraction with multiple joints involved while under high weight loads is a matter of pure concentration. Like a circus artis juggling with balls. The weakest body part of most gym goers is not the muscle, but the brain. Always remember this: if Arnold Schwarzenegger had control over your body, he would do much more reps with much better form than you because he has the mental fortitude to bypass pain and achieve maximum concentration in the face of pure exhaustion.

Intensity is essential. But the forced reps are definitely not okay at your level. That's just stupid.

My recommendation:

Wait until your entire body feels well again before you approach your next session. Give it time to make the right adjustments. Even if this takes 10 days or more. Tell your coach about your muscular problems. Ask for hip-hinge and shoulders. If he does the same shit again, get rid of him.

 

[killatopak]

Beginner question.

Probably gonna get my gym membership early and ditch the dumbbells at home to do some bench press with barbells. Do I use the same weight for barbells as I did with the dumbbells but multiplied by two or is it easier to lift heavier? I don’t really want to injure myself.

 

[Aces High]

Beginner question.

Probably gonna get my gym membership early and ditch the dumbbells at home to do some bench press with barbells. Do I use the same weight for barbells as I did with the dumbbells but multiplied by two or is it easier to lift heavier? I don’t really want to injure myself.

You will most likely be stronger with barbell (bar + weight) than dumbbells.

Dumbbells are superior for muscle building, though. They're more safe in terms of injury potential, allow for better range of motion, involve more stabilizing muscles, and are easier to handle if you're training alone.

The best approach is to rotate exercises. I recommend you do not think in exercises, but in movement types.

Here's a routine that works exceptionally well for most naturals to explain what I mean:


Pull:

1. Row Movement
Pick a single exercise from all possible row movements that you can do at your gym. This could be machine rows, cable rows, T bar rows, bb rows, db rows. Grip could be supinated, neutral, pronated, shoulder width, close, wide, etc. Pick one. Next Pull workout you do a different row exercise. Then a new in the workout after that, and so on. Keep rotating.

2. Vertical Pulldown
Same principle: pull ups, chin ups, lat pulldown, wide grip, narrow grip, etc. Keep rotating as much as you like

3. Rear Delts
Chose from db reverse flys, machine reverse flys, cable reverse flys, etc.

4. Biceps Isolation
Preacher curls, concentration curls, spider curls, etc.


Push:

1. Chest Press
Flat press, incline press, with db, with bb, machine, etc

2. Shoulder Press
This is tricky for you since you can't do shoulder press variations with your arm situation. Maybe do front raises.

3. Lateral Raises
With db, or cable, or machine.

4. Triceps Isolation
Triceps dips, cable pushdowns, skull crushers, etc


Legs:

1. Squat movement
Bodyweight squats, bb squats, leg press variations, etc

2. Hip Hinge
Romanian deadlifts (RDL), single leg RDL, etc

3. Calf Raises
Standing, seated

4. Abs
Vacuum planks, leg raises, side plank rotations, ab wheel, etc


Sequencing: on, on, off, on, on, off

Like this:

Monday - Pull
Tuesday - Push
Wednesday - rest
Thursday - Legs
Friday - Pull
Saturday - rest
Sunday - Push
Monday - Legs
Tuesday - rest
Etc

Warm up sets to get the blood pumping:

1x 12 very light
1x 6 light

Worker sets:

1x 5-9 very heavy
1x 10-15 heavy

Priority:
1. Don't add volume
2. Perfect form
3. Progressive overload


There's a myriad of other approaches, though. This is just what I would do if I were in your shoes. Try things out and have fun.

 

[killatopak]

You will most likely be stronger with barbell (bar + weight) than dumbbells.

Dumbbells are superior for muscle building, though. They're more safe in terms of injury potential, allow for better range of motion, involve more stabilizing muscles, and are easier to handle if you're training alone.

The best approach is to rotate exercises. I recommend you do not think in exercises, but in movement types.

Here's a routine that works exceptionally well for most naturals to explain what I mean:


Pull:

1. Row Movement
Pick a single exercise from all possible row movements that you can do at your gym. This could be machine rows, cable rows, T bar rows, bb rows, db rows. Grip could be supinated, neutral, pronated, shoulder width, close, wide, etc. Pick one. Next Pull workout you do a different row exercise. Then a new in the workout after that, and so on. Keep rotating.

2. Vertical Pulldown
Same principle: pull ups, chin ups, lat pulldown, wide grip, narrow grip, etc. Keep rotating as much as you like

3. Rear Delts
Chose from db reverse flys, machine reverse flys, cable reverse flys, etc.

4. Biceps Isolation
Preacher curls, concentration curls, spider curls, etc.


Push:

1. Chest Press
Flat press, incline press, with db, with bb, machine, etc

2. Shoulder Press
This is tricky for you since you can't do shoulder press variations with your arm situation. Maybe do front raises.

3. Lateral Raises
With db, or cable, or machine.

4. Triceps Isolation
Triceps dips, cable pushdowns, skull crushers, etc


Legs:

1. Squat movement
Bodyweight squats, bb squats, leg press variations, etc

2. Hip Hinge
Romanian deadlifts (RDL), single leg RDL, etc

3. Calf Raises
Standing, seated

4. Abs
Vacuum planks, leg raises, side plank rotations, ab wheel, etc


Sequencing: on, on, off, on, on, off

Like this:

Monday - Pull
Tuesday - Push
Wednesday - rest
Thursday - Legs
Friday - Pull
Saturday - rest
Sunday - Push
Monday - Legs
Tuesday - rest
Etc

Warm up sets to get the blood pumping:

1x 12 very light
1x 6 light

Worker sets:

1x 5-9 very heavy
1x 10-15 heavy

Priority:
1. Don't add volume
2. Perfect form
3. Progressive overload


There's a myriad of other approaches, though. This is just what I would do if I were in your shoes. Try things out and have fun.

Thank you! This is worth so much to me.

 

[killatopak]

Finally tried out the gym. Honestly, I wasn’t able to do any exercises previously mentioned cause I was kinda shy to the whole thing in the gym. I had no idea how to do them. I was just doing cardio when I introduced myself to someone and he pointed me to another guy to help me out as a beginner.

Obviously, I’m not gonna get an individualized program from some random gym goer but he just instructed me to do some exercise and how to do it which is good cause I have no clue how to do a lot of these stuff and if my form is correct.

All in all I did

40 mins of walk/light jog on an inclined threadmill.
4 sets 10 reps of standing shoulder press with a squat
4 sets 12 reps of lateral pulldown 3 times with either a different grip position or a different handle. Those long curved ones and that triangle handle. Basically 12 sets.

I was thinking I can do more but he told me that should fine for a beginner. I listened. Throughout the day I thought he was wrong but I just woke up and my triceps are sore right now. Not the whole tricep but nearer the armpit. Below the delts.

Question. Why is my triceps the one that are sore instead of my back and is this a case of DOMS?

 

[k1m1d4n]

Finally tried out the gym. Honestly, I wasn’t able to do any exercises previously mentioned cause I was kinda shy to the whole thing in the gym. I had no idea how to do them. I was just doing cardio when I introduced myself to someone and he pointed me to another guy to help me out as a beginner.

Obviously, I’m not gonna get an individualized program from some random gym goer but he just instructed me to do some exercise and how to do it which is good cause I have no clue how to do a lot of these stuff and if my form is correct.

All in all I did

40 mins of walk/light jog on an inclined threadmill.
4 sets 10 reps of standing shoulder press with a squat
4 sets 12 reps of lateral pulldown 3 times with either a different grip position or a different handle. Those long curved ones and that triangle handle. Basically 12 sets.

I was thinking I can do more but he told me that should fine for a beginner. I listened. Throughout the day I thought he was wrong but I just woke up and my triceps are sore right now. Not the whole tricep but nearer the armpit. Below the delts.

Question. Why is my triceps the one that are sore instead of my back and is this a case of DOMS?

Hello friend I've been following your adventures for some days now. Congratulations first of all.

It's possible that what hurts you may be the latissimus dorsi muscle as it has an insertion in the "front" of the delts and comes through the arm pit.
This muscle is some times responsible for rounded shoulders on some people.
But of course, huge grain of salt on this one. Would need to see you doing the exercise and also see the exact point where it hurts to be sure

Aces High your thoughts?

 

[killatopak]

Hello friend I've been following your adventures for some days now. Congratulations first of all.

It's possible that what hurts you may be the latissimus dorsi muscle as it has an insertion in the "front" of the delts and comes through the arm pit.
This muscle is some times responsible for rounded shoulders on some people.
But of course, huge grain of salt on this one. Would need to see you doing the exercise and also see the exact point where it hurts to be sure

Aces High your thoughts?

Generally around this area

Spoiler

Not my pic btw

It’s just super minor on the back part and is more pronounced on the upper tricep area. Very near the armpit. It’s not exactly hurting like if I stay in neutral position. It’s just if I stretch it out then it’s kinda sore. Like imagine I’m doing a lat pulldown. It’s sore when my arm is stretched either up like the end of a rep and when it’s pulled into my chest. Those positions are when I feel it the most. Like say reaching for an object at the top of a cupboard or sitting while leaning on your back with your elbows as the support.

 

[Aces High]

Finally tried out the gym. Honestly, I wasn’t able to do any exercises previously mentioned cause I was kinda shy to the whole thing in the gym. I had no idea how to do them. I was just doing cardio when I introduced myself to someone and he pointed me to another guy to help me out as a beginner.

Obviously, I’m not gonna get an individualized program from some random gym goer but he just instructed me to do some exercise and how to do it which is good cause I have no clue how to do a lot of these stuff and if my form is correct.

All in all I did

40 mins of walk/light jog on an inclined threadmill.
4 sets 10 reps of standing shoulder press with a squat
4 sets 12 reps of lateral pulldown 3 times with either a different grip position or a different handle. Those long curved ones and that triangle handle. Basically 12 sets.

I was thinking I can do more but he told me that should fine for a beginner. I listened. Throughout the day I thought he was wrong but I just woke up and my triceps are sore right now. Not the whole tricep but nearer the armpit. Below the delts.

Question. Why is my triceps the one that are sore instead of my back and is this a case of DOMS?

Well that's a really, really shitty routine.

Also, 12 sets for back in a single session is way too much for a beginner. That's pro level territory. If you did 12 sets of back at your experience level, I can guarantee you that you didn't do a single set correctly.

The location of your soreness is the long head of the triceps. During pull movements, delts need to be stabilized a lot. Triceps long head is involved during pulldown movements for shoulder extension and shoulder adduction. That's why it's recommended to do Pull before Push in a PPL setup.

Your triceps seems to be weak and your execution in pulldown movements is not optimal.

Is there gym staff who can show you correct form?

 

[Aces High]

Generally around this area

Spoiler

Not my pic btw

It’s just super minor on the back part and is more pronounced on the upper tricep area. Very near the armpit. It’s not exactly hurting like if I stay in neutral position. It’s just if I stretch it out then it’s kinda sore. Like imagine I’m doing a lat pulldown. It’s sore when my arm is stretched either up like the end of a rep and when it’s pulled into my chest. Those positions are when I feel it the most. Like say reaching for an object at the top of a cupboard or sitting while leaning on your back with your elbows as the support.

The upper red circle is triceps long head.

The lower red circle is teres major. Beginners who fail to hit their latissimus dorsi end up hitting teres major. Keep your elbows in front of your body during pulldowns.

 

[killatopak]

Well that's a really, really shitty routine.

Also, 12 sets for back in a single session is way too much for a beginner. That's pro level territory. If you did 12 sets of back at your experience level, I can guarantee you that you didn't do a single set correctly.

The location of your soreness is the long head of the triceps. During pull movements, delts need to be stabilized a lot. Triceps long head is involved during pulldown movements for shoulder extension and shoulder adduction. That's why it's recommended to do Pull before Push in a PPL setup.

Your triceps seems to be weak and your execution in pulldown movements is not optimal.

Is there gym staff who can show you correct form?

It’s a local gym. I think the only staff present was the owner’s daughter. I was told the owner and coaching staff would appear around noon. I went at like 7am.

You’re absolutely right that my form is the probable culprit. I’m watching some youtube shorts on lateral pulldowns and hopefully I’ll be able to fix mine.

 

[Aces High]

It’s a local gym. I think the only staff present was the owner’s daughter. I was told the owner and coaching staff would appear around noon. I went at like 7am.

You’re absolutely right that my form is the probable culprit. I’m watching some youtube shorts on lateral pulldowns and hopefully I’ll be able to fix mine.

Here's my recommendation:

Stick to the routine I posted above. That's 4 exercises per workout. That's 4 YouTube videos you have to watch before your workout. Write down the cues in your smartphone. Use medium weight and just try to do it correctly. Don't train for progress. Just try to hit the target muscle. Do one set medium heavyish and one set medium lighter. Do two warm up sets as described earlier. Control the pull movements with your elbows, not with your hands.

 

[killatopak]

Working out really feels good.

Leg workout no longer makes my legs into spaghetti afterwards.

Really the only issue I have is the diet. I’m playing around 500-800 calorie deficit. I’m constantly failing to meet my protein goal of around 130-150 grams. I always hit around 100 grams. The problems is I feel full the whole day. Changing my diet to high protein really took away my hunger. Now I can’t eat more or I’ll feel super bloated.

Like I eat like 6 boiled eggs, a can of tuna or whatever meat and vegetable my family has prepared and maybe a cup of rice and I’m like done for the whole day. I even have to supplement it with two scoops of protein powder.

I don’t really know how to cook meals that aren’t just frying, boiling, or microwaving stuff. I don’t have an issue with food variety though. Like people in the gym keep telling me eating boiled eggs gets old really fast but I’ve been eating plain old boiled eggs without any seasoning for two months and I still love the stuff.

 

[Aces High]

You don't want to go for a high caloric deficit from the start. Instead you want to gradually decrease caloric intake over time and then gradually increase them in a reverse dieting phase.

Example:


Week 1: 2700kcal
Week 2: 2700kcal
Week 3: 2700kcal
Week 4: 2400kcal

Week 5: 2300kcal
Week 6: 2200kcal
Week 7: 2100kcal
Week 8: 2000kcal

Week 9: 1900kcal
Week 10: 1800kcal
Week 11: 1700kcal
Week 12: 1600kcal

Week 13: 1800kcal
Week 14: 2000kcal
Week 15: 2200kcal
Week 16: 2400kcal

Week 17: 2600kcal
Week 18: 2800kcal
Week 19: 3000kcal
Week 20: 3200kcal

Week 21: 3300kcal
Week 22: 3400kcal
Week 23: 3500kcal
Week 24: 3600kcal

Week 25: 3700kcal
Week 26: 3800kcal
Week 27: 3900kcal
Week 28: 4000kcal

And then repeat the cycle.


That's a cookie cutter framework with a progressive caloric reduction phase and a progressive reverse diet phase. These are example numbers, though. Will they work for you? Don't know. They could be too aggressive or they could be too mild depending on your individual situation. There's a lot of factors that come into play: Your age, your job, training intensity, height, etc. Some people might need more calories. Some less. At higher body fats, you might need more time to diet down, or even multiple diets with regenerative phases in between. But I think you get the concept. This can help you understand how to approach dieting and bulking systemically and how to make your own diet plan.

Here's a quick explanation of the numbers above:

You start with 3 weeks of clean eating at maintenance calories. This phase ensures that your metabolism works with full speed and your digestive system isn't overworked from bulk eating.

In week 4, you reduce daily intake to initiate fat loss (300kcal in this example). From this point on, you reduce daily calorie intake every week (100kcal in this example). Your metabolism will try to adapt to the reduced food intake. So you always want to be one step ahead to keep burning body fat.

You might think that fat loss ends after week 12 because that's the lowest daily calories number. But your body will continue to burn fat through weeks 13 and 14 as well. Insulin sensitivity, thyroid hormones and leptin levels play a role. Nothing of interest for you now. Your physique will probably peak around the end of week 14 because that's when you most likely have lowest body fat with full looking muscles.

It's important to do a proper reverse diet so your metabolism gets the chance to catch up with the higher caloric intake. Otherwise there is a high chance you end up fatter than before the diet. You probably heard of the yoyo effect? It's real. Avoid it at all costs. During this reverse diet, you will very likely make great gains because you primed your body to suck in nutrients like a sponge. Just keep training hard and the gains will come. But you also need to understand that you will look like shit the more you eat. It's unavoidable. This is very very important information: You can't keep the lean physique if you want to grow muscles. You peak with aesthetics and then the cycle starts again. Your body will store water, which you will confuse for fat. Just ignore it and keep getting stronger.


I highly reccommend you take supplements during a fat loss diet, because they can make things much easier.

- A good multi vitamin/mineral - to make sure you're body is getting in the nutrients. Garden of Life Vitamin Code Men is a good one, it's expensive though.
- Vitamin C - Use powder. It's dirt cheap. 1000mg daily split into 500mg morning and evening.
- Magnesium Bisglycinate - Will help a lot with sleep and regeneration, which can become a problem after a couple of weeks of dieting. Between 500-1000 mg daily.


Macro Nutrients:

Protein: At least 150g protein from high quality sources. So for this you don't count trace proteins from oats, nuts, or veggies. Just from high quality sources like eggs, chicken, fish, beef, etc. It's often recommended to make calculations based on your body weight (e.g. 2g protein per kg bodyweight, don't know the imperial calculations), but keep in mind that's done with lean body weight which might be significantly less than your current weight. If you have problems with protein intake, you might want to do a stomach acid test with baking soda. If you fail, you can take supplements with enzymes like Betaine. They're cheap and will help you with protein digestion.

Fats: 75g is a goog place to start. Fats are important for your hormone levels. So TRT guys can go much lower. Age plays a key role, because the older you are, the higher the chance that you get low T symptoms during a long diet. 75g should be fine for most naturals. Use fats from extra virgine olive oil, eggs, avocado, almonds, walnuts, fat fish, coconut oil.

Carbs: Protein and fat intake stays the same during your entire diet. So you fill in carbs until you hit your daily caloric goal. Try to have your carbs around training so you can train harder and regenerate better. Rice, pasta, potatoes, whatever you enjoy most. Stay away from sugars and sweets.

Eat veggies for fiber, preferrably in the evening, so they don't give you bloated stomach during training.


I am well aware that this could be a little too advanced for you. And in a perfect world you would adjust calories based on trends in your physique which is even more complicated. But I think it transports some valuable information that might help you on your journey. If you have too much problems doing a bodybuilding-style diet, you can always do a regular diet with just cardio as most adults do. But keep in mind that these are not optimized for aesthetics and a big part of weigth you will lose is muscle mass. So the chance that you get yoyo effect is very high. Bodybuilding dieting is tough. You will feel like shit. In the end, it all comes down to mental fortitude and how much your mind is focused on your goal.

 

[tamago84]

years back i remember when i was so attentive and meticulous on diet routine shit where it eats up your lifestyle and schedule...thank goodness thats gone. unless you're actually gunning for bodybuilding shows or actually need to lose/change weight by a large margin, just eat wholesome foods and make sure 1/2 of it is good quality protein. discipline, consistency, and moderation over anything else. no one progresses substantially overnight (unless you're doing steroids ofc), just enjoy the journey.

 

[killatopak]

Thank you, everyone.

I’m really enjoying the process of working out so far. The gym I went to was very friendly and I have made a few friends already so I don’t think I’ll have an issue staying consistent at least in the near future. Aside from that I do have motivation to work hard as I’m attending a wedding in March so at least for three months I’m good to go. As for the long run, there’s a couple of older gentlemen working out at the gym that are 50-60 years old but look like they’re in their early 40s. That’s definitely something to strive to and their advice was just to stay consistent and that working out was their hobby.

Aces High I really am thankful for your technical tips. You’re just a well of knowledge.

T tamago84 Thanks! I definitely thought about using steroids way back when I was just watching random fitness videos on youtube but I happened upon More Plates More Dates channel and actually learned about the long term side effects. Definitely turned me away from it. Half the people around my gym are actually doing competitive powerlifting so drug abuse is definitely not a consideration where I work out.

 

[Raven117]

Knocked out conv 500lb dl. Weight around 162-163. Im prly done on strength..need to work on stamina a bit.

Absolutely fantastic.

 

[Raven117]

Working out really feels good.

Leg workout no longer makes my legs into spaghetti afterwards.

Really the only issue I have is the diet. I’m playing around 500-800 calorie deficit. I’m constantly failing to meet my protein goal of around 130-150 grams. I always hit around 100 grams. The problems is I feel full the whole day. Changing my diet to high protein really took away my hunger. Now I can’t eat more or I’ll feel super bloated.

Like I eat like 6 boiled eggs, a can of tuna or whatever meat and vegetable my family has prepared and maybe a cup of rice and I’m like done for the whole day. I even have to supplement it with two scoops of protein powder.

I don’t really know how to cook meals that aren’t just frying, boiling, or microwaving stuff. I don’t have an issue with food variety though. Like people in the gym keep telling me eating boiled eggs gets old really fast but I’ve been eating plain old boiled eggs without any seasoning for two months and I still love the stuff.

glad you are enjoying it! It took me years of hating the gym to finally like it.

Aces has you covered, but keep in mind the following: You won’t grow in a caloric deficit (Ie muscle gain… though you will get a little stronger in the beginning). To get bigger, you have to eat more. You will have to put on a little fat. It’s unavoidable. But you can try and limit that, but going about 300-500 over maintenance. Bulking is a good thing. When you are ready. (Ie, know that you will hang around a gym long enough to the cut the excess fat off).

You are in a fat loss phase, so it’s not critical that your programming for strength/size be absolutely perfect. But once you cut enough weight and are ready to get a little bigger/stronger, you need to give some thought of how you want to go about that. (Ie, a body building route, a strength route, etc)

 

[tamago84]

Absolutely fantastic.

 

[Raven117]

Hell yes! I was hoping you would post it. Great form. Went up smooth. Absolutely killer lift for that body weight. Congratulations man. That’s a hell of an accomplishment

 

[killatopak]

Being friends with a gym employee is amazing.

I get to hear all these stories of new year resolutioners asking weird workout questions like which workout can make their boobs bigger lmao.

As for me, I thought I was already pushing myself hard but sometimes it takes a nice gym member to push you harder. Had this older gentlemen keep on pushing me and generously spotting me on my exercises. I'm hitting new PRs weekly and improving my form.

He's a retired competitive body builder in his 50s and he still looks jacked.

 

[Raven117]

Being friends with a gym employee is amazing.

I get to hear all these stories of new year resolutioners asking weird workout questions like which workout can make their boobs bigger lmao.

As for me, I thought I was already pushing myself hard but sometimes it takes a nice gym member to push you harder. Had this older gentlemen keep on pushing me and generously spotting me on my exercises. I'm hitting new PRs weekly and improving my form.

He's a retired competitive body builder in his 50s and he still looks jacked.

There is no question that weightlifting is influenced by the type of gym you go to.

Glad you are hitting some PRs

 

[RagnarokIV]

Anyone had very bad tendonitis and gone back into lifting after it?

 

[Aces High]

Anyone had very bad tendonitis and gone back into lifting after it?

I had tendonitis in my wrist and I got rid of it by exclusively using neutral grip on lifts for some weeks. So I didn't even stop lifting.

It was caused by Charles Glass type front raises:



So I never went back to them and never got wrist tendonitis again.