Your Fitness Journey and Progress

[GoggleGirl17]

Share your workout routine, things you're trying out, struggles, setbacks and successes, tips, questions, fitness channels you watch, etc.

About a year ago I purchased a barbell setup for my home and started lifting heavy and focusing on progressive overload and compound lifts. I got myself a whiteboard where I wrote down the weight and number of reps/sets I am able to perform for each exercise within the hypertrophy range (3-4 sets of 8-12 reps), and tried to work my way up in one of these areas every workout, or at least perfect my form more each time. I also use it to keep track of my workout days and rest days, as well as my calorie consumption for the week.

Currently I am doing an upper/lower body split (upper, lower, rest, upper, lower, rest...) On lower body day I will do squat, deadlift, and hip thrust, followed by some accessory dumbbell exercises such as Bulgarian split squats and lunges, as well as banded kickbacks. On upper body day I will do bench press, overhead press, and bent-over row, along with more accessory exercises like lying tricep extensions, tricep kickbacks, bicep curls, Arnold presses, and dumbbell rows.

I'm interested in reading what everyone is doing, and hopefully we can help motivate each other and figure this fitness thing out and what works for us and our goals!

 

[yeghor]

My routine

10 minutes warm up on threadmill or cross machine

Loop A - 3 times
-Benchpress for chest 9 reps
-Dumbbell curl for biceps 15 reps
-Dumbbell delt raise for delts 15 reps
-Dumbbell overhead raise for delts 20 reps
-Face pull for rear delts 15 reps

Loop B - 3 times
-Lat row for back and lats 20 reps
-Pull up for back 5 reps
-Tricep rope pushdown for triceps 18 reps
-Benchpress again with 20 lbs taken out 9 reps

10 minutes cool down on threadmill or cross machine

Gym in my apartment complex doesn't have free weight bars so cannot do deadlift. There's a squat rack but I don't do squat, I run outside on some days instead when it's not too hot or too cold. Dumbbell weight range is limited in the gym so I cannot decrease the reps as I like. I try to arrange the reps for each exercise such that I stop when I feel slight burning in the muscle or I feel that the muscle is about to be fatigued.

If you are not gonna be a pro, I think it is best to keep the exercises simple and try to cover as much muscle groups as possible. I used to split the exercise plans into upper body and lower body but nowadays I just follow one whole body plan.

And deadlift is great for back muscles and thighs but a bit risky with heavy weights and fewer reps, maybe you can try assisted pullups with rubber bands first and then move on to unassisted pullups, it works the back muscles just as the same but doesn't work leg muscles. You can also look into an e-z bar to do biceps curls and overhead presses.

 

[The Cat]

Started a program by Nataleebfitness. for lower body building.
Havent been to the gym since covid, but my job is fast paced, and physically intensive as well.
I like to bike, also working on a couch to 5k for running.
learning to do some home yoga, and I do a lot with resistance bands. trimming/toning stomach building booty, legs, thighs etc.

Been clipped while waiting for a hernia surgury though so...its gonna be another month or two before im medically cleared to get back to it. Im interested in toning my upper body, but dont want to get bulky up top going for as much of the as I can manage healthily.

 

[Luminous]

Started a program by Nataleebfitness. for lower body building.
Havent been to the gym since covid, but my job is fast paced, and physically intensive as well.
I like to bike, also working on a couch to 5k for running.
learning to do some home yoga, and I do a lot with resistance bands. trimming/toning stomach building booty, legs, thighs etc.

Been clipped while waiting for a hernia surgury though so...its gonna be another month or two before im medically cleared to get back to it. Im interested in toning my upper body, but dont want to get bulky up top going for as much of the as I can manage healthily.

I recently started using resistance bands. What exercises do you do with them?

I've been trying to lose weight for several years, but most of what I've done hasn't helped (aerobic exercise or belly dancing for up to an hour daily). I try to keep track of about how many calories I'm consuming in my head, but am somewhat afraid of being more stringent in measuring things because of my history with disordered eating. Belly dancing strengthened my core a lot, but didn't lead to weight loss.

I'm now planning on trying to incorporate more strength training (and I intend to also do aerobic exercise) via resistance bands for upper body (as I've injured myself trying weights previously) and squats and similar for lower body, for which I've found some YouTube videos. I'm trying to focus on upper body one day, then lower body the next, not doing the same workout two days in a row since I know that's one way I end up hurting myself. I'm trying (but not entirely succeeding) to do the calorie count my nutritionist recommended (1500 daily [actually 1200 to 1500 but I'm not doing 1200 because that would be plain unhealthy for me and I'd be in a state of hanger most of the time]).

Does anyone have any other recommendations for sites or videos?

 

[Tomb1]

I mainly do a high-intensity (no reps left in the tank), lower-volume, low-reps, higher frequency routine...finally got 315 for 3 reps (all legit) on the flat bench about a month ago. I am also fixing up a house so found a way to make the house into like a second gym. Took out about 2900 square feet of hardwood flooring with a pry-bar....got all the glued tiling out of the kitchen as well with the same pry bar which involved forcefully stabbing into the edge of the tiles with the flat edge of the pry bar. Currently turning a closed room design into an open room design with the use of a Sledgehammer and also pulling up the boards of wood (nailed into the subfloor) that the kitchen tiles had been glued on. That is more of a workout because the wood is so rotted and crispy (goes back to '69) it just splits apart if I get under it with a pry-bar and lift....oh yeah, also spent nights scraping cracked paint off the Cedar Barn Siding and it did not come off easy. It is basically the equivalent to a lower intensity, higher volume routine but without the amenities of Central Air or overhead fans (not there anyway).

 

[SD45T-2]

I've had ups and downs over the years. I was at my heaviest around the mid 2010s. Then I started going back to the gym and lost something like 15 lbs while getting to be about the strongest I'd ever been. Then when the pandemic hit I couldn't go to the gym. I lost some more weight after that just from atrophy and perhaps some reduced bone density too. I kept doing some exercise at home. Then around the end of 2021 I was getting too fat from all the holiday food and decided to be somewhat more disciplined and structured in my eating. I'm doing a fairly physical job and cycling when the weather permits. So now I'm 25% smaller than when I was at my largest 5 or so years ago, I just can't lift anything very heavy. But it's neat fitting into old pants I hadn't worn for ages.

I recently started using resistance bands. What exercises do you do with them?

I've been trying to lose weight for several years, but most of what I've done hasn't helped (aerobic exercise or belly dancing for up to an hour daily). I try to keep track of about how many calories I'm consuming in my head, but am somewhat afraid of being more stringent in measuring things because of my history with disordered eating. Belly dancing strengthened my core a lot, but didn't lead to weight loss.

I'm now planning on trying to incorporate more strength training (and I intend to also do aerobic exercise) via resistance bands for upper body (as I've injured myself trying weights previously) and squats and similar for lower body, for which I've found some YouTube videos. I'm trying to focus on upper body one day, then lower body the next, not doing the same workout two days in a row since I know that's one way I end up hurting myself. I'm trying (but not entirely succeeding) to do the calorie count my nutritionist recommended (1500 daily [actually 1200 to 1500 but I'm not doing 1200 because that would be plain unhealthy for me and I'd be in a state of hanger most of the time]).

Does anyone have any other recommendations for sites or videos?

I'm no expert, but 1,200 calories sounds pretty extreme, unless you're like 4 feet tall and totally sedentary. Do you have any idea what you're supposed to be shooting for regarding macros? I do something in the ballpark of 160 grams of protein, 80 grams of fat, and 300 or so grams of carbs, and I try to make sure it's primarily complex carbs with a decent amount of fiber. I've actually become fond of grape nuts not only as something to be eaten conventionally (where I like to let them sit in milk for about 5 minutes to soften up ), but also as something I can throw into other things (like chili or soup) to reach the total amount of calories I'm shooting for in a meal and do it in a way that helps keep me full longer.

 

[yeghor]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1557997930602192898

 

[Luminous]

I've had ups and downs over the years. I was at my heaviest around the mid 2010s. Then I started going back to the gym and lost something like 15 lbs while getting to be about the strongest I'd ever been. Then when the pandemic hit I couldn't go to the gym. I lost some more weight after that just from atrophy and perhaps some reduced bone density too. I kept doing some exercise at home. Then around the end of 2021 I was getting too fat from all the holiday food and decided to be somewhat more disciplined and structured in my eating. I'm doing a fairly physical job and cycling when the weather permits. So now I'm 25% smaller than when I was at my largest 5 or so years ago, I just can't lift anything very heavy. But it's neat fitting into old pants I hadn't worn for ages.


I'm no expert, but 1,200 calories sounds pretty extreme, unless you're like 4 feet tall and totally sedentary. Do you have any idea what you're supposed to be shooting for regarding macros? I do something in the ballpark of 160 grams of protein, 80 grams of fat, and 300 or so grams of carbs, and I try to make sure it's primarily complex carbs with a decent amount of fiber. I've actually become fond of grape nuts not only as something to be eaten conventionally (where I like to let them sit in milk for about 5 minutes to soften up ), but also as something I can throw into other things (like chili or soup) to reach the total amount of calories I'm shooting for in a meal and do it in a way that helps keep me full longer.

Congrats on your weight loss and wearing old pants!

I think the nutritionist just recommended I do whatever the American Heart Association guidelines are (so that would be something like around 30% or less fat, 15-30% protein, and the rest carbs, I think). Eh, fiber is great for weight loss, I think, though unfortunately, I hit the limit on that already... in fact, I think I was getting too much fiber with eating Fiber One in addition to granola, a lot of broccoli and cauliflower, beans, etc. The plain Fiber One are pretty good, I think. I added some on top of other cereal for a long time.

Here are a couple of the videos I found:

 

[Lexicon]

I recently started using resistance bands. What exercises do you do with them?

Does anyone have any other recommendations for sites or videos?

This is the brand resistance band I got in PT. Their site has really good exercise videos for the bands.

Exercises & Exercise Videos | THERABAND

www.theraband.com

 

[The Cat]

I recently started using resistance bands. What exercises do you do with them?

I've been trying to lose weight for several years, but most of what I've done hasn't helped (aerobic exercise or belly dancing for up to an hour daily). I try to keep track of about how many calories I'm consuming in my head, but am somewhat afraid of being more stringent in measuring things because of my history with disordered eating. Belly dancing strengthened my core a lot, but didn't lead to weight loss.

I'm now planning on trying to incorporate more strength training (and I intend to also do aerobic exercise) via resistance bands for upper body (as I've injured myself trying weights previously) and squats and similar for lower body, for which I've found some YouTube videos. I'm trying to focus on upper body one day, then lower body the next, not doing the same workout two days in a row since I know that's one way I end up hurting myself. I'm trying (but not entirely succeeding) to do the calorie count my nutritionist recommended (1500 daily [actually 1200 to 1500 but I'm not doing 1200 because that would be plain unhealthy for me and I'd be in a state of hanger most of the time]).

Does anyone have any other recommendations for sites or videos?

I'll send you what I have.

 

[Lexicon]

I have hip dysplasia & ligamentous laxity resulting in chronic pain (labral tear & overloading the joint space) to work around, so my routine is adapted for that. It’s pretty light.

Goals:
- longterm pain management
- hip preservation surgery “prehab” strengthening to support myself properly through recovery/recover faster overall
- longterm health


I don’t go to a gym; I use what I have at home: stationary bike, gym mat, dumbbells, a kettle bell, & resistance bands. Routine was originally set up by my physical therapist. I’ve been doing this routine since early 2017, initially 6 days a week. Then that decreased as my hip got a lot worse. Hip arthroscopy 2019 there was another drop off as I recovered from that (it didn’t resolve everything, but did improve some pain/range of motion). Built back up to my current routine over 2021, with another break for almost all of March 2022 after re-tearing my labrum in a different place (injury not related to exercise; I helped my friend move & carried stuff I really shouldn’t have).




My routine:

4x a week minimum I do the following in one session:

30-60 min on the stationary bike. 30 min I get 6 or 7 miles in. 60, about 12. I used to do anywhere from 16-20, but that leaves my hip sore. It’s a standard upright magnetic resistance bike that goes up to 8 max. It folds for easy storage & cost me $150 at Walmart. Each month I’ve been increasing resistance as my joint allows. Right now I’m at 5/8. I’d planned to be at 6 by now, but the hip socket gets too painful. So, 5 it is, for now.

*with my 30-60 counting, basically if I spend an hour on the bike, that’s my “long” workout day, & all exercise reps are 60. 30 min bike is a short workout day, & all reps are 30.

Then I do some stuff on my gym mat:

30-60 of each:

- knee pushups
- pelvic tilts
- glute bridges (sometimes I can raise 1 leg up during these for added resistance)
- crunches
- clamshells w/resistance band
- bird dogs

Off mat, 30-60 of these:

- triceps dips
- hip abduction/adduction side leg raises w/my resistance bands. I’m on the 2nd to last highest resistance on that (silver THERABAND)
- lat pull-downs w/silver THERABAND
- monster walks w/blue THERABAND
- weighted side bends w/25lb kettle bell
- biceps curls w/15 lb dumbbells
- modified squats w/25 lb kettle bell. Modified in that I can’t squat low w/the hip issue; I get a chair about knee-height to bounce my butt off of as I did in PT.


I tried to do biceps curls w/my 25 lb kettle bell the other day, but it wasn’t happening. My wrist and elbow felt all... unhinged. It was gross/painful. I can pick up objects that are heavier than that during activities of daily living, but the particular exercises like biceps curls I have to build to. I’ll just keep increasing rep count with my lighter dumbbell, since I can’t seem to increase the weight, yet. That’s one of the issues w/very lax joints— you have to increase weight/resistance frustratingly slowly or risk injury/setbacks.

On days I’m not working out, I’ve tried to utilize my friend’s condo complex pool this summer, whenever possible. Just freestyle laps for 20-60 min, broken up. Also side leg raises in the water/holding the side, 60-count. I’ve managed to do that at least 1-3x a week since the end of June.



Overall I’m happy enough with my progress, but my hip pain does slow me down, sometimes. It can be really demotivating, but I always feel better once I’m moving for a bit. “Motion is lotion,” as they said in PT.

The pool has helped a ton with pain. I’m a month away from PAO surgery, so I’m really gonna try to do something every day at this point to strengthen, no matter what.




Within 30 min of my longer workouts, I try to make sure I consume at least 20g protein of some kind. I recall reading somewhere that it can help with muscle development/recovery to do so, but I may have misread. I’m usually hungry afterward, anyhow.

I make a big smoothie, usually, as a post-PT lunch:

- 3/4 to 1 cup Dannon Oikos Triple Zero (Vanilla or Strawberry) Greek Yogurt
- 1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cold green tea
- 1/2 cup frozen spinach
- 1/2 frozen ripe banana
- 3/4 cup frozen strawberries

 

[yeghor]

I mainly do a high-intensity (no reps left in the tank), lower-volume, low-reps, higher frequency routine...finally got 315 for 3 reps (all legit) on the flat bench about a month ago.

So your 1 repmax is around 335 lbs for benchpress. How does that compare to your bodyweight?

 

[Tomb1]

So your 1 repmax is around 335 lbs for benchpress. How does that compare to your bodyweight?

1 rep max is higher than that. At 315 for 2 reps my one rep max was 340. At 315 for 3 reps my one rep max would be closer to 345-350 but I have not tested it as of late. Pretty confident though from how i moved 340 back then I would hit 350 at peak strength.

I am 225 give or take a few pounds, so comparison-wise a 345 max would put me at about an advanced strength level for natty benchers. 415-420 bench at 225 would be considered elite strength. On deadlift I am only about intermediate due to my physical build giving me less leverages with that movement than on bench or military press. Max deadlift at peak strength is 405 with no wraps and no special grip (just grabbing it overhand) which is better than the average gym-goer but small potatoes in the world of natty deadlifting.

 

[yeghor]

1 rep max is higher than that. At 315 for 2 reps my one rep max was 340. At 315 for 3 reps my one rep max would be closer to 345-350 but I have not tested it as of late. Pretty confident though from how i moved 340 back then I would hit 350 at peak strength.

I am 225 give or take a few pounds, so comparison-wise a 345 max would put me at about an advanced strength level for natty benchers. 415-420 bench at 225 would be considered elite strength. On deadlift I am only about intermediate due to my physical build giving me less leverages with that movement than on bench or military press. Max deadlift at peak strength is 405 with no wraps and no special grip (just grabbing it overhand) which is better than the average gym-goer but small potatoes in the world of natty deadlifting.

So you are around 1.5 Body weight for benchpress and 1.8 body weight for deadlift.

How were those ratios when you first started weightlifting and how long did it take you to improve them and reach a plateau?

Any supplements or special diet?

 

[Tomb1]

So you are around 1.5 Body weight for benchpress and 1.8 body weight for deadlift.

How were those ratios when you first started weightlifting and how long did it take you to improve them and reach a plateau?

Any supplements or special diet?

November 24, 2020 note on my cellphone reads "185 reps 3". Then there is a gap in my notes and it jumps to July 26, 2021: "275 8 x 3" (8 sets at 3 reps) and "5 minute rests between sets." In between, I was steadily gaining through a progressive overload approach. By October 11, 2021 I am at "305 x 3"..... November 15th I hit 315 for 1 rep. November 18th I decided to cut body fat...my numbers go down as my body weight drops. By February 2, 2022 I am back up to 315 x 1 at a lower body weight than in November. May 2 2022 I am at 315 x 2 and can't hit 3 reps. May 16 I dropped back 310 for 2 sets of 2 reps and can't hit 3 reps at 310. Same on May 30th failed to hit 3 reps at 310. I dropped back again another five pounds...on June 6th 305 x 3. On June 13th 310 x 3 (picking up momentum). Then on June 20th I hit 315 x 3.

No supplements or special diets (just 3 regular meals a day give or take sometimes eating on the fly), but when I was cutting back in the winter of 2021, I mainly just ate smaller portions which I surmised to be less in calories just through common sense...like one less pancake in the morning type of thing. I wasn't weighing food on a scale or anything.

 

[yeghor]

November 24, 2020 note on my cellphone reads "185 reps 3". Then there is a gap in my notes and it jumps to July 26, 2021: "275 8 x 3" (8 sets at 3 reps) and "5 minute rests between sets." In between, I was steadily gaining through a progressive overload approach. By October 11, 2021 I am at "305 x 3"..... November 15th I hit 315 for 1 rep. November 18th I decided to cut body fat...my numbers go down as my body weight drops. By February 2, 2022 I am back up to 315 x 1 at a lower body weight than in November. May 2 2022 I am at 315 x 2 and can't hit 3 reps. May 16 I dropped back 310 for 2 sets of 2 reps and can't hit 3 reps at 310. Same on May 30th failed to hit 3 reps at 310. I dropped back again another five pounds...on June 6th 305 x 3. On June 13th 310 x 3 (picking up momentum). Then on June 20th I hit 315 x 3.

No supplements or special diets (just 3 regular meals a day give or take sometimes eating on the fly), but when I was cutting back in the winter of 2021, I mainly just ate smaller portions which I surmised to be less in calories just through common sense...like one less pancake in the morning type of thing. I wasn't weighing food on a scale or anything.

185 lbs to 305 lbs in 1 year is very impressive. You must be mesomorphic.

My benchpress 1 repmax is stuck around 240 lbs, i.e. about 1.2 Body weight. I have an ectomorphic body type though so I don't try to bulk my muscles, just exercising to keep a fit and functioning phsyique now in my 40s.

 

[Tomb1]

185 lbs to 305 lbs in 1 year is very impressive. You must be mesomorphic.

My benchpress 1 repmax is stuck around 240 lbs, i.e. about 1.2 Body weight. I have an ectomorphic body type though so I don't try to bulk my muscles, just exercising to keep a fit and functioning phsyique now in my 40s.

Keep at it. I give anybody credit whose pushing themselves physically....whatever numbers they are putting up or wherever/however they are doing it. the fact they are there in the fight and stepping up to take on the challenge counts more to me than the result especially in the day and age of creature comforts

 

[yeghor]

I ran today for the first time. It was pretty pathetic, basically just around the block vs the mile I told myself I was going to do. Almost immediately I lost my breath and my chest was pounding so I walked for a bit and then ran another few seconds before feeling immediately winded again. So pathetic.

Don't lose heart. It takes weeks to months to get a good conditioning. There used to be some free or paid running apps that create a running plan for you based on your current sustainable pace and coach you during the runs. I use free version of strava now, the paid version might have coaching options. Nike, adidas etc also have their own running apps.

 

[GoggleGirl17]

Bumped my frequency back up to 4-5 days a week after a period of taking an extra rest day in between workouts and now.. workouts themselves feel so much easier, I'm progressing again, and I don't dread my lifts nearly as much as I was when I was lifting less frequently and was at a plateau, despite the fact that I was still doing full-body 2-3 times a week, which I had heard was adequate, but for me it wasn't. I also now do my isolation work on rest days and just focus on 3 heavy lifts on my non-rest days.

Also rather than listening to music during my workouts, I love to listen to fitness-related videos. MissFitAndNerdy is one of my go-to creators.

 

[GoggleGirl17]

Another thought that maybe some others can relate to: What motivated me to get myself back on track was thinking about my vision of the person I wanted to be, how I wanted to act, and how if I were in the body I wanted I would get to express that person without inhibition. I've been there before, and I was starting to feel like I wasn't myself. I truly do feel like your physical body is tied to the freedom of the self.