After being overwhelmed with where to start I decided to just start with something easy and makes sense. I may have assigned myself too many reps but so far I feel totally fine, I just do not want to strain myself.

All I have been doing is bicep curls 4 sets of 8 reps and hammer curls, also 4 sets of 8 reps. This is with 25lbs dumbbells and I do it every other day. I feel like I've improved and have been doing it for approximately 3 weeks.

I appreciate the help!

For reasons of getting bullied when I was younger, I swore off all forms of sport and exercise when I was ~8 (which I now regret 🥲). Anyway, some unhealthy eating choices combined with this lack of sport led to me reaching a peak of ~80kg/175lbs in April of this year, so I started dieting aggressively.

I've lost 11kg/24lbs since then, so I decided for the first time in my life to work toward overcoming my fear of exercising and do a workout. I started with a light beginners YouTube workout that lasted only 15 minutes, and I struggled being able to coordinate all the movements.

It's now 2 days later and I've been completely sore ever since 😭 It hurts to sit down, stand up, move around 😭 Am I completely cooked??? I'm only 20 and I seemingly can't even do 15 minutes of a light workout 🥲 Am I supposed to keep exercising through this pain?? Or let myself recover?? How long does it take before I'll be able to do more than 15 minutes of this without hurting?!? 🥲

For several months, if not years, I had been focusing more on fitness but less on nutrition. And even I know you can't out exercise a bad diet (or in my case just eating in surplus - I eat healthy).

It doesn't matter if you eat all healthy, if you eat more calories than you need... you gain weight.

So I thought I'd share my story and what worked.

Does this resonate? You’re focused on getting through the days and taking care of everything and everyone else that when you take time to look at a recent pic and you don't recognize your self.

And it hits… you’re not taking care of you.

I’ve been there. Actually, recently.

And I didn't like it. I didn't feel comfortable or confident. Which is kind of important for my job.

Over the past 2 months, I lost over 3% body fat and dropped 10 pounds to prove to myself that in my 40s, I can be amazing shape and look fit (because yes, vanity does matter).

What’s the secret?

4 things… and only these.

There are no short cuts to results that last.

1. A consistent workout routine. Not every workout has to be a banger but you should be showing up and doing what you can that day, even if it's only 10 minutes. Sometimes it would be a quick 10 minute AMRAP of bodyweight squats and pushups. But on workout days, there was always a workout.

2. Nutrition that can be morphed to your current habits. Instead of trying to completely change what you eat, just make a few tweaks to what you’re currently eating to support your goals easier with less shock. I hate AI but I did find it useful for this. I told it my goal calories and macros as well as what I typically eat each day (again, I was already a healthy eater) and it helped put a daily plan together for how much to eat at each meal. Then I just stuck to that. Boring works.

3. An active life. Even if you workout an hour every day… if you sit for 12 hours the rest of the day, that’s not active. Fitting in small walks, mini exercises, and being intentional about daily movement is not only important for how you look but your health. Plus, non-exercise activity is a great way to increase metabolic needs without increasing hunger. So I upped my daily step count to over 15,000 a day. I know that's a lot but I was already getting a good amount. Just up where you're at now. If you get 5000 steps on average, try getting 7000.

4. Rest is not optional. You can not run on empty. Gone are the days that getting 5 hours of sleep is a flex. It’s not and it affects how you feel, how you look, how your body stores body fat, and even food cravings. Want to look and feel your best? Sleep. I wake up at 5am every morning but I make it a point to be in bed by 9:15 each night to get at least 7 solid hours of sleep.

When you do these 4 things consistently… your body can’t help but respond.

It’s science.

If you have questions, I'm happy to answer anything.

So I'm extremely new to the gym and started going about a month ago. I'm still very nervous when I go but slowly getting the hang of it, but frequently need to glance at my phone to see what machine i should use and the weight that I currently do.

The gym I go to is more upscale, and because of that 70% of the people are wealthy elders. Today between a set i'm logging my exercise until the guy next to me taps me on my shoulder. I take off my headphones and all he says is "are you just gonna sit there on your phone all day?" I don't hear him and ask him to repeat himself, he says it again with a PISSED looking face. The rest was maybe three minutes max, I was about to do my next set. I'm extremely caught off guard and just say "no..?"

After this he walks away... doesn't ask to use the machine i'm on.

So a few things. Is it that rude to use your phone between sets since it wastes time, or was that guy truly just being rude? I was under the impression being on my phone between sets wasn't a big deal. I just feel like someone much older in a place they're familiar with saying that is such an entitled thing to do. I truly want to get stronger and continue going to the gym but am genuinely unsure of how to defend myself in these kind of situations.

Sorry if anything typed is unclear, I'm a little shooken up as I havent been approached like that in public before.

i want to at least go for a walk but my legs get so itchy when i do. i want to cry, scratch, dig into my legs and just bawl. it's terrible.

any advice?

i've heard some people say its your bood vessels not used to it but it's so hard to continue when i feel such pain

I am 174cm tall and weigh around 117kg. I try to look stuff up but the amount of content is too overwhelming for me to even look up where to start. I aim to lose around 45-50 kg in around 12-15 months and want to keep loose skin and stretch marks to a minimum. I would appreciate any help that I can get

EDIT: I need to walk to and back from the gym, it takes around 30 mins one way

Day 3: walk ✅ diet ✅ exercise ❌

Day 4: walk ✅ diet (cooked for myself todayy)
Exercise ❌

Hi all, im looking to get back into the gym and im wondering where i can find a good routine for my goals? My goals are gaining muscle, with minimal fat gain (maybe even fat loss).

Looking for that lean hourglass look, I feel like i have a wider ribcage than the average so maybe something to combat this? Idk to be honest lol.

After compiling a list I came up with this but im honestly not sure

• Mainly want to build (upper); back shoulders, chest, tri/biceps

• Mainly want to build (lowet); glutes, hammies, quads

• Gym 4x a week (mon/tue/thu/fri)

• Upper/ lower/ REST/ upper/ lower/ REST/ REST

• At home streches/ pilates 1x or 2x a week

• Warmup before every lift

• Cardio after every lift

It'd be amazing if anyone has any workout routine recommendations (online or ur own) tips, their own personal routines or creators online with such. Thanks for all the help!

Edit:: Im a 16yo female, 5'4 and 120lbs (ive been trying to lose weight and been eating 1200 cals for as long as i can remember, I have a small issue of gaining weight but ik ill have to, to gain muscle, the scale and eating scares me a bit im ngl)

For anyone who’s been exercising for a while, what’s something you know now that would’ve saved you time, frustration or confusion when you were starting out? Could be training, nutrition, recovery, motivation or anything else you wish you’d known sooner.

Hey everyone.

Hope all is well.

Im a 37M skinny build weight around 160lbs. I been going gym on and off. Just kind of doing random exercises mainly been focusing on upper body.

I want setup a routine exercise. I normally go to gym for 45min at least 3 days.

Here is what chatgpt told me do. 3x 8-12 reps for each exercise. What do you guys think.

My main goal is get stronger, upper body and improve my back as i have an office job.

Monday
Leg Press 🟢
Flat DB Bench 🔵
Lat Pulldown 🟢
Seated Cable Row 🟢
Plank ⚪

Wednesday
Barbell Deadlift 🔵
DB Shoulder Press 🔵
Lat Pulldown 🟢
Leg Curl 🟢
Suitcase Carry

Friday
Goblet Squat 🔵
Incline DB Bench 🔵
One-Arm DB Row 🔵
DB Reverse Lunge 🔵
Farmer Carry 🔵

I’m new and wanna body recomp

what are the most effective starter weights and workouts?

Are there any affordable personal trainers in the Bay Area? Anyone have recs for trainers that charge no more than $100/per hour?

These $150-$200 an hour trainer aren’t sustainable if you want to meet with them at least once a week. We’re not all rich techies 🥲

I started lifting in June, three days a week, full body each session. I'm fine after upper body stuff but squats leave me limping down stairs for two days and I've skipped my Friday session twice this month because of it. I've read that soreness fades as you adapt and I'm not expecting to feel nothing, I just want to stop losing a session to it every other week.

How many weeks in did leg day stop costing you the next two days?

I’ve recently started taking fitness seriously and I feel like there’s SO much information out there that I have no idea what actually matters 😭

Was just wondering tbh

Title says it all really, I do a full workout in the morning before work and depending on how busy I am I do extra sets while I’m at work. Am I doing too much here? I got a bit obsessive and I just started wondering if I’m hurting more than helping. I do different exercises but same muscle group.

Hello, got this video from pinterest, ans for somome its unsettling.

I googled but nothing showed up about her.

https://pin.it/37tYMZXON

Little do i know, she posted it and thats it.

If anyone could help on it find her so that could help.

A month ago, I decided to stop waiting for "motivation" and just built a simple daily routine. No complicated systems, no extreme measures—just basic consistency.

Here is what actually worked:

1. 10 Minutes of Morning Sunlight & Movement: Getting light and moving right after waking up resets your focus faster than coffee.

2. Daily Physical Challenge: Pushing your physical limits (even a solid 30-minute workout) builds mental tough resistance for the rest of the day.

3. Hydration First Thing: Drinking water before checking your phone prevents early-morning brain fog.

4. The 2-Minute Rule: If a task takes less than two minutes (making the bed, putting things back), do it immediately.

5. Evening Wind-Down: No screens 30 minutes before sleep to ensure actual recovery.

Nothing ground-breaking, but executing these daily made a massive difference in my drive and mindset

What’s one small habit that completely changed your daily routine? Let’s talk below! 😊

Im obese. I have been obese my whole life even with losing 60lbs twice. I gain it back gradually every time. The thing that holds me back from consistency is the pain and soreness I ‘achieve’ after a work out. Doesn’t matter if it is a simple walk, something always hurts the next day. Even if I’m consistent for months. It sucks. Now I have a baby and even lifting her all day, I’m so sore that I can’t get comfortable in bed. Am I missing something?

(27f) I'm 155cm and weigh 88kg. Since I was 14 years old my weight has been stuck to 80 and in past 3 years I gained 10 more highest I hit was 93kg. I've been heavy all my life even in kindergarten. Recently I had surgery for ectopic pregnancy and just couldn't take it anymore. I've been actively trying to lose weight for 2 years now but every time I hit 85 my weight is stuck. I've stopped sugar completely for over a year now, I hardly eat outside only once every 2 weeks but in moderation. I'm currently on thyroid medication.

I been doing 1.5 hours cardio every single day with strength training. I can't run because my ankles start hurting so I do incline walk and resistance cycling. I can do a 30kg leg press but my arms have no strength, I can't even hold myself for more than 5 seconds.

2 months ago I tried 15k steps every single day with 3 meals a day roughly 1800 calories but instead of losing weight I gained, I started at 85 and ended up at 88. So now I don't understand what exactly am I doing wrong! I feel extremely frustrated and demotivated.

If anyone went thru something similar or have any tips please let me know. I ll genuinely appreciate your help a lot.

I hate leg day, so I wanna make this as simple and fast as possible. What are the bare essential exercises I need to do to hit everything. I don't want to become a crazy body builder, just don't want chicken legs. So I don't expect to go nauseating heavy.

Here is my leg day right now. What things can I remove or sets/reps I can adjust. Thanks.

Romanian Deadlift 3x5

Barbell Squat 5x5

Leg Press 3x8

Lying Leg Curl 3x8

Leg Extension 3x8

Seated Calf Raise 3x8

Sounds small but I've started and quit like four times over the last two years. Usually I'd go twice, find a reason to skip, then never come back. Last week I just went, did a short thing each time and left. Nothing impressive, 30 mins on machines and some walking. Mostly posting this so I've got something to look at when I want to skip this week.

I’ve been trying to train my back more consistently, but I feel like I can never get the movement right.

Whenever I do rows or pulldowns, my arms and shoulders seem to take over, and I barely feel anything in my back. I’ve tried lowering the weight and slowing down, but I still feel like I’m using the wrong muscles.

Did anyone else struggle with this at first? What helped you actually learn how to engage your back properly?

Back in 2016 I cut sugar, started walking, took up roller derby, lost 77lbs. I was immensely proud of my appearance.

In the years since then I've had a lot happen in my life and gained back a lot of weight - and then some. I'm now the heaviest I've ever been. I can't look at myself anymore.

I've finally got my mental health back in check and already taken some huge steps to improve my overall health and fitness. It's hard getting back into the exact same mindset and drive I had a decade ago. I've done it before - I know I can do it again.

For the past month, every Wednesday morning I've been attending 1hr boxing classes. I've been loving it! My body begins to ache while I'm at work, but by the next morning I'm no longer in pain. I think I'm ready to begin incorporating more into my weeks.

I've noticed my overall energy levels have already improved. I have dreadful cardio and breathing patterns. I've tried to build myselt up to doing walks again, but I live in a much warmer humid climate than I did back in the day. It sucks.

I have a family friend who has offered his old boxing bag so I may have more opportunities to practice at home. So I wanted to come here and ask for guidance from others who started out similar to me. What should I be tackling for now? What drills should I be chipping away at? I kinda need some pointers to help spark something.

Apologies if this post isn't really allowed here. Thanks in advance.

I’m going to start my postpartum weight loss journey. I’m the heaviest I’ve ever been in my entire life. I’m one year postpartum with baby 3!
What workout programs are you following? I don’t have the ability to leave for the gym in the am (my husband leaves SUPER early for work) and im spent after work. SOO I’m looking for at home workouts/guides/programs. The heaviest weights I have right now are 8lbs BUT I plan to buy 10,15&20!

Also- where do I start with macros/calories? 😵‍💫 how do I know what works and what doesn’t?!
I’m 5’4” and 34 (almost 35) for reference 140 lbs.

Thanks!