I've been training with a personal trainer once a week for around 18 months, but I still don't feel confident working out independently.

I've learned a handful of exercises, mostly machines, but I struggle to remember enough exercises to put together a proper routine that covers my whole body. I want to be able to walk into the gym, follow a plan, and know I'm working everything I need to without having to figure it all out myself.

My trainer is also the co-owner of a small gym, so I don't know whether putting together a written routine is something he'd normally do, or whether he'd have the time. I'm also embarrassed to ask because I feel like I should know more after this long.

The gym recently moved to a new location, and the new space is much more open plan than the old one, which has made me feel even less comfortable training independently.

Would it be reasonable to ask my trainer to help me put together a written routine with exercises, sets and reps that I can follow independently? And for those of you who train with a PT, how much are you normally expected to learn about programming your own workouts?

I'm autistic, and anxiety about getting things wrong and feeling watched makes training independently particularly difficult for me, if that's relevant.

I'd appreciate honest opinions and advice.

How much difference does consuming plant protein instead of whey protein make for recovery? Specially for someone who has a very fast metabolism.

So I went into this not knowing what to expect, I went after 6 hours of sleep and a full day of work and only a salad at lunch…slammed a pre workout and went to the mile in my Oxford work shoes lol. First time ever doing any sort of HiiT thing too.

Some background is I am a strength and hypertrophy trainer, I can lift pretty good weight (also fully natty) and do cardio maybe once a month, stairmaster for 45 mins at speed 4-5 is my usual cardio once a week. Max bench is about 305-315, squat idk.

Now to my times, as I said Oxford shoes, 20 mins in I was 1 mile and 60 pull-ups in thinking I’m good, no it got real bad real fast and idk how I didn’t collapse, just pre workout and determination pushed me through. At the 60 minute mark I was left with .25 miles and 200 air squats… I finished the .25 and 200 air squats in 13 mins and ended at 73 minutes. Just slammed 150 air squats no stopping.

My question is, is 73 minutes good? Considering all the factors, I feel like it was pretty bad, I wanted under 45 mins (LOL) that didn’t happen. Then 60 mins and also didn’t happen so failed 2 personal goals.

Hi everyone! What are some good exercises to achieve an hourglass figure, and how much should you eat to support that goal?

I’ve seen women with a flat stomach and wider hips and thighs, if that makes sense. I’d love to achieve a similar shape, but I’m a bit confused about the best approach.

A friend of mine who used to be a fitness instructor told me not to lift too heavy, to eat more, and to do a lot of Pilates instead. Is that actually good advice, or would weightlifting be more effective?

I’d love to hear your experiences and recommendations! 😊

Are doing cable crunches and leg raises affective for growing abs for me I still need to lose another 5-10 pounds of fat but I was curious if that would be good enough 2-3 times a week

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I(30 M,172 cm height)have been taking a calorie specific balanced diet for almost 1 year with a regular workout.

For protein,I have taken 300g chicken chest boneless 95% of the days in the past year(other days it would be fish or protein powder).

I have been fed up with eating chicken daily,so I'm thinking about changing this into 70-80% protein powder and other 20-30% chicken and fish.

Is protein powder healthy enough to be taken in the long run?

Here is my complete story for those who are interested

I have been a slightly introverted,non athletic person in my whole life.So i rarely used to engage in athletic games with friends or peer group.I also didn't eat much nutritious food in my childhood (it's not because parents didn't give me!I didn't eat!!),also I have inherited mostly my mother's genes(she is not a strong person)

So sums up when I grow up and when I get my teenage era,I started to get conscious about how lean my body is and started to go to the gym and started to improve my food slightly.

I first went to the gym to make my body transform at the age of 15 and couldn't continue because of the school studies and there wasn't much improvement in my body and to the period of 15-21 years of age i went to gym irregularly

At the age of 22-28 there was a cycle where i have been hitting the gym for a period but I quit it when I saw no visible results in my body or muscles.

I was relatively fit when seen in clothes but I had a belly with weak body

That's when I thought about hiring a nutritionist to find exactly why I'm not gaining any muscle.

He looked at my photos and told me that I had a lot of fat to be lost so that we can understand the exact amount of muscle mass underneath

So I went on a calorie deficit diet with a balanced diet which contains enough protein,carbs,fibre and fat.

I went to 66 kg to 55 kg in a period of 6 months with body measurements

Bodyweight-66.35,Waist-86.50 above navel,Chest-95.00 cm,Buttocks-86.00 cm, Thigh-57.00 cm,Arms-32.50

To-55.8, 75.50, 89.00,80.50,50.50,27.00

That's when I realised I have very less muscle mass in my body!!

After the cut,I have been increasing my calories from 1800 to 3300(currently-170g protein,370 g carb,100g fat)over a period of 6 months and I'm currently 68.5 kg,85, 95.5,88.5,58,34.5

I have been consistent with my diet and workout for the past year and I'm planning to take a mini cut to 62-63 kg now since the belly fat has been coming back pretty much and need to know if my muscles mass has increased

My goal is to achieve a lean body at 65-66 kg within the coming year

Wish me luck !!!

I am 22 y/o, 190cm, weight 95kg and when doing pushups on a scale, I saw that when pushing, I lift around 69kg, which is consistent with the amount I saw online (that a pushup lifts around 69% of bodyweight).

I can do between 25 and 30 bodyweight pushups, and I can do around 10 pushups with 28kg added (weight in a backpack).

I recently switched to a gym and I thought that logically, a 100 kg bench was already in the bag, but I struggled to get 10 rep of 60kg. For context, I have almost never done bench presses in my life, the latest one was once maybe a year ago.

I was therefore wondering how can there be such a gap in strength ? Is it a matter of getting used to the exercice ? Do pushups just don't translate the same way ?

Thank you

I feel like my shoulders are uneven horizontally and vertically. When working out I never feel like I am stable and I have less power on one side. Have visited physios but never really got help? They just massage my shoulder and say yeah you're so stiff and then they tell me I should be better after the weekend. Never really happened? Any advice how I get my shoulders to feel aligned?

Thanks for the help

You work a nine-to-five and want to get fitter, but after work even deciding what workout to do feels like another job. You're a beginner or returning gym-goer: you overthink each session, try a few weeks, then stop because you can't tell whether it's working. Training at home could remove the travel and equipment costs, but you still need a clear routine and a way to see progress.

I'm researching this problem before building anything; nothing is for sale and no money is being requested.

If there was a 4-week home plan with a fixed workout each visit and a way to track progress, would you pay for it? What would make you buy it today?

Please explain the reason behind your answer, rather than just yes or no—for example, what you'd need to see in the progress log, exercise guidance or weekly structure. If free workouts already do the job for you, that reason is useful too. Think 20-minute sessions with no exercise equipment to buy.

Like I guess I overdid it

almost 9 sents of biceps 2 warm ups and 5 till failure
Triceps overhead extension 4 sets 2 from dumbbell and 2 cables
And triceps push down 4 sets

I need advice before hyrox 🥲

Due to my strange working schedule I've really struggled to find a program that fits into my shift pattern as I alternate days and nights and work 12hr active shifts, as such I've made my own program but would just like some opinions to see if it's any good, any feedback welcome.

https://www.boostcamp.app/users/RD9qf1-eillos-recomp-plan-1

I'm considering weighted walking to improve my endurance, but I'm not sure how much difference adding weight actually makes.

For those who have tried both, did weighted walking noticeably improve your endurance or did regular walking work just as well?

recently i’ve seen different styles of training increase in popularity and people applying these methods or exercises more into their workouts to improve athleticism, mobility, power, etc. however i feel like what has been the common route for people who start strength training is to have a more hypertrophy-focused conventional gym workout (which was my case). but im intrigued to vary more my workouts and learn more about strength training beyond hypertrophy. so, i was wondering, how exactly do you guys split your week or plan your training to incorporate equipment/exercises such as kettlebells, plyos, olympic weightlifting, landmine exercises, etc? how do you discover new exercises and incorporate them? personally, i have previously trained both kettlebells and crossfit (which incorporates a bunch of what i mentioned), but i only ever did classes with workouts written down by the coaches. so, just wondering, in general, what do think about when planning workouts or whats like a general training “philosophy “?

So I was born with a cleft right hand and my right arm is shorter than my left. I'd like to start working out and was wondering if anyone had any thoughts on how I could go about strengthening that arm?

I am 27m, my normal life was very sedentary and my day job is desk-bound, and I did not do any exercise or cardio or sports in my daily life. I am a skinny guy with little muscle mass.

So I started going to the gym recently (for about 1 month now) to try and improve my overall fitness. I currently go to the gym 2-3 times a week, doing weight training.

However I have been getting pretty frequent muscle cramps, both during and after workout sessions, that are painful but goes away in a matter of minutes. It happens to many different muscle areas, like hamstrings, glutes, chest area, shoulder area.

I usually do a 5 minute warm up before my workout, and I also drink 3-4 litres of water a day consistently. I do 5-6 different exercises per session, with 3 sets each. I don't think I am lifting too heavy as most of the exercises I am doing 8-12 reps.

Are these frequent painful cramps normal? I am thinking maybe because I was too sedentary in my daily life before, and now my muscles are just not used to the workout intensity, or could it be due to something else?

And can I expect these cramps to go away completely with more time at the gym?

Any help is appreciated, thanks!

26M 6'1" and 152lbs atm. My target weight was 160lbs but I'm still losing weight.

I run 3 times a week and follow couch to 5k but I also do bicep curls and triceps along with crunches for abs and some lower/upper back workouts.

My goal is so build more muscle mass, but I feel like my cardio is just burning too many calories, and yes I am eating a lot of protein.

Should I stop doing cardio maybe as much or less intensity? Or even altogether?

Does anyone have recommendations on exercises for mid to lower back I feel as if I have a good upper back but my lower back is lacking idk if that’s because I still
Have some fat or what

Wondering if anyone else has experience with this. For the last 2 months every time I work out legs I get some numbness in my right leg. The first time it happened my leg was completely numb and it took many days to get better. I have gone to physio and got a few exercises to do to strengthen my glutes. I have been doing them and overall I haven’t had debilitating numbness since then, but I still get numbness after working out legs. I stopped doing RDLs because I think that was triggering it but squats also seem to be doing it. I want to gain muscle and progressively overload but it’s hard when my leg gets numb after. Don’t know if it’s a big deal or if I’m just sensitive to minor discomforts.

And how did you get it back?

Hey, so I’ve been on a fitness journey for the last three years. I’ve been on and off and struggled to actually gain any kind of muscle. I am trying to get enough protein in my diet but I often fail. I hate the taste of most protein shakes, I eat about 100g a day in meat of various types. but it is not enough. Often, I feel like I’m stuffing my stomach to get the required amount of protein and I feel like at the end of eating I often want to throw up. 100 g a day is not enough given that I am a 83 kg man. I have tried many different methods of getting protein in my diet had protein powder protein shake and to me they all taste disgusting but I know if I don’t eat enough protein daily I’m not going to get bigger muscles. Is there a protein shake or another way of getting protein that is actually pleasant to ingest? LOL

What if I never pick it back up again?
What if this is the last time I ever walk into a gym?
What do now?

I'm 21F, and I had planned to spend 2026 bulking and focusing on building muscle. Instead, I've spent most of this year dealing with one injury after another, and I genuinely don't understand what's going on with my body anymore.

I had a great time lifting from january to april, in january my bulk started.

Then at the end of april, it started with ulnar nerve irritation. I had to stop training completely for about 4–5 weeks, and I couldn't train push exercises for around 6 weeks.

After that, I finally started training again. I was extremely careful and increased the weights very gradually. It took me about two months to get back to my previous strength levels.

And then I injured my back while doing pull-ups.

I had been working towards my first pull-up and was SO close to finally getting it. Instead, I ended up with pain around my lat and upper back that lasted for ages.

I couldn't train my back because pulling movements hurt. I couldn't train push either because bench pressing and shoulder pressing aggravated it. Even squats and deadlifts hurt my back. So basically, almost my entire training routine was affected.

Eventually, I started doing zercher squats because they felt better on my back.

And that's when I injured my right thumb.

It started tingling during the exercise, and later, while I was typing at work, my thumb became swollen. The tingling continued for weeks, so once again, I had to take a break from the gym.

When I eventually returned, I started with extremely light weights. Just like after my ulnar nerve irritation, I was very cautious and increased the load gradually.

Then, during a workout where I was using less weight than I would normally use for my warm-up sets, my right thumb actually felt okay, but suddenly my left thumb started tingling.

So once again, I had to drastically reduce my training.

I bought lifting cuffs so I could train without gripping anything or putting much stress on my hands. Eventually, the symptoms improved quite a bit. My back was also finally starting to feel better.

For the first time in a while, I thought I might actually be able to return to normal training. I started gradually increasing the load again.

But then the tingling in my thumbs, which had improved but never completely disappeared, developed into what appears to be tendinopathy in both thumbs.

Now I'm wearing thumb braces, and basically everything hurts.

I even tried training with cuffs, but my forearm muscles still tense up during the exercises, and that seems to aggravate my thumbs.

I can't really train legs either. My gym has a leg extension and a leg curl machine, but almost all the other leg machines require me to carry and load weight plates, which I can't do with my hands right now. And honestly, I don't really want to go to the gym just to do leg extensions and leg curls.

So at this point, I basically can't train at all.

I've tried resting. I've tried reducing my training volume. I've tried changing exercises, using lighter weights, buying cuffs, and gradually building back up instead of rushing things.

Every single time I start making progress again, something else happens.

It's honestly been affecting me mentally quite a lot. Watching all my progress disappear while constantly having to start over is exhausting. I probably wont be back to my old weights that I was at in april until end of december. And thats if my thumbs dont take too long to heal up.

I went to a doctor after both my thumb tendons started hurting, and he ordered blood tests. Im still waiting for the results.

Has anyone else gone through a period where they kept getting injured over and over again?

Did you ever figure out what was causing it? Was there an underlying issue, or did things eventually improve? Or do I just have to accept that I'm extremely injury-prone and that my body apparently can't handle training the way other people's bodies can?

And yes, I wrote this with AI. I'm currently wearing thumb braces, and typing hurts, so I used ChatGPT to help put this post together.

Hi everyone, hope yall doing well.

So I’ve been in and out of the gym multiple times over the years and I either give up within a week and just relapse for months, or I’ll go for 2-3 months, see good progress, and then still relapse and not keep the momentum going, eventually leading back to square 1.

I’m done giving up and want to see actual consistent change. What can i change or do, to see actual progress? (Yes sometimes I set unrealistic goals, but I’ve realized that doesn’t work and have started breaking them into smaller more realistic ones, but still hasnt helped)

I’m a 21 year old 6 feet 115kg man (primarily fat)

my gym split is generally push pull rest legs, but still open to suggestions.

I’m a vegetarian, so that makes my protein intake situation a little difficult as well.

I need to know what I can do to make any kind of change. Any and all input is welcome.

Thanks!

TLDR; I need advice in losing weight as a 115kg 21 year old man who’s consistently been inconsistent at working out.

Hello,

I am about to start a lean bulk phase which I honestly plan to ride out for about a year. I have been pretty stagnant for over a year now in my gym progress. I have a couple of questions:

How much of a surplus is ideal for a lean bulk?

-of course i will be watching my weight and can make adjustments if needed-

What is the most ideal calorie calculator?

Of course when gaining weight, your amount of calories needed will change. About how often do you revisit this? Only when progress begins to become stagnant?

I am currently 22f 5'11 about 180. I want to add size and strength.

Any additional info/tips that would pertain is greatly appreciated.

TIA!!