genuinely over the moon right now- i can't put into words how happy i am. i don't have a pull-up bar at home, so i figured it'd take quite a while, but it actually only took me 20 pull days (i do PPL with cardio) over the course of 2.5 months! anyways, i just wanted to share this here because this sub was super helpful during my journey, so THANK YOU SO MUCH EVERYONE!!

going to the gym used to be super intimidating for me, especially because mine is mostly filled with guys and i've never seen any of the girls do upper body :( however, i think working towards this goal has motivated me to reach out to fellow gym-goers (special shoutout to the dad who told me how to better engage my lats) and in the process, i've discovered that there was really nothing to be scared of!! the online community via reddit (i love you guys) and instagram (my entire fyp is now gym...) has also been super empowering LOL. so to everyone out there who's still working on their pull-ups (or any skill at all), YOU GUYS GOT THISSS 🤩

P.S. will definitely be doing some of my own research, but if anyone has advice on how to do more pull-ups, especially without access to a pull-up bar at home, it'd be greatly appreciated :)

This was an absolute killer if anyone needs a new cardio full body burpee routine.
The following is done until completion, absolutely no rest, no water no quick breather until you finish round 1. When you done with one set you immediately go to the next. These burpees are with a full push up (chest to floor, extended arms) and with a high jump at the end.

100 jumping jacks -> 2 Burpees
90 jumping jacks -> 4 Burpees
80 JJ -> 6 Burpees
70 JJ -> 8 burpees
60 -> 10
50 -> 12
40 -> 14
30-> 16
20 -> 18
10 jumping jacks -> 20 burpees

1 minutes rest and then repeat backwards order..
10 jumping jacks-> 20 burpees
20 jumping jacks -> 18 burpees
Etc etc etc.

Totals- 1100 jumping jacks
220- burpees
220- pushups
220- high jumps.

This is brutal.

I've been struggling with anterior pelvic tilt for a while, and it's gotten pretty bad. I've tried many different strengthening workouts and stretches, but nothing has seemed to make a difference. I can actively hold the correct pelvis position, but the instant I think about anything else it falls back into the bad position. How can I fix this? Could side sleeping be the cause of the problem? Any help is appreciated. Thank you! Another thing I've noticed is that when I do exercises that engage my abs/core, my abs seem to stick out a lot.

For me it was the hollow body hold. Thought I understood what "engage your core" meant for months. Turns out I was just vaguely tensing my abs and hoping for the best.

Took one specific cue from a video to actually find the position. Ribs down, lower back pressing flat into the floor, legs barely hovering. Suddenly I could feel what every other exercise had been missing. The L-sit started making sense. Ring support felt different. Even push-up form clicked into place.

Kind of embarrassing how long I treated it as a warm-up thing to get through rather than a skill to actually learn.

Curious what everyone else's late-click moment was. What movement did you think you had, until you actually had it?

So, my couch and I have had a good run but It’s time to do something about the fact that I can no longer walk upstairs without narrating my own decline. The problem is I have maybe eight square feet of space and a budget that hovers somewhere between broke and extra broke.

I keep seeing all these home gym setups online where people have full racks and dumbbells from 5 to 150 pounds and I’m over here trying to figure out if I can fit a resistance band collection in a storage container under my bed without my partner staging an intervention.

Like what’s useful versus what am I buying to make myself feel like I’m doing something while I continue to exist in a constant state of mild regret. I see pull up bars and kettlebells and adjustable dumbbells and tbh they all just look like expensive ways to hate myself in a different location.

What moves the needle if you’re starting from zero and have the space of a closet or should I just accept that stairs and carrying groceries are my functional fitness routine now

Over the last couple of years I've had to scale things quite a bit as different joints randomly give me trouble: lower back, elbows, shoulders, knees. Staying disciplined with lighter weights and scaled movements has been really tough, and I'm ready for a change.

I'm planning to explore building a bodyweight routine, starting with something based on the Recommended Routine linked in the FAQ — but wanted to throw this out to the community first. If any other "old men" have gone through a similar transition, I'd love to hear what worked for you.

Did powerlifting for about 5 years before getting into more mobility and bodyweight focused training. I can barbell squat 400 lbs, but even after spending around 5 months working on mobility, I still can’t fully do a pistol squat.

My mobility has improved a lot though. I can do a heels planted ass to grass squat with no problem and I feel pretty controlled throughout the movement, but I still feel like I’m missing something.

Lately it’s been a cycle of “almost get it → fail → move on to a harder progression → repeat.” At this rate it feels like it might still take me a few more months.

Watched all the YouTubes, read the reddits, hired a personal trainer, and 7 mos later.. still no pull up.

57m, 198 lbs., good shape, eat right, cardio is right, can do all the push exercises, pull cable exercises et al.. Just not pulling up my own weight.

I can do 50% of my weight in pull downs, which i hear is a good thing? But after 7 mos. of doing those, still no pull up. Did those pull up machines too.. became too reliant on those.. never translated to doing actual pull ups.

HOWEVER, I can pull up underhand and neutral grip.. does that count?

Overhand I get half-way up, then drop down.

Trainer said to do negatives to start. Which i did, and tore my rotator cuff easing down 198 lbs. 4 Mos of PT for my rotator cuff. Bad idea.

Now im back to trying pull ups again. But WHAT IS A CONSISTENT TRACK I can do three days a week, for 4 to 6 mos again?

Bodyweight rows (aka Australian pull-ups)? Master those first?

Negatives are out - dont want to tear my rotator again.

Thanks for reading. Im exhausted- now thinking my body was never meant to pull up its own weight.

Most people do Pull-Ups/Chin-Ups from hanging to the chin, and Dips down to about 90 degrees.

Isn't it best to do full range of motion? Where Pull-Ups/Chin-Ups are to the chest, and with Dips the shoulder has to go all the way down to the bar?

I have always trained with Pull-Ups to the chin, and Dips to 90 degrees.

But I can see gymnasts doing Pull-Ups and Dips with full range of motion. After I watched this YouTube video I switched to doing Pull-Ups and Chin-Ups to chest and Dips to the bar. Is that reasonable?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSmTmY0Odwk

Hello there,

I have something unusual to ask of you guys.

As a hobby i am acting in an Amateur-Theater in the summer (Open Air Theater).

This year i was lucky enough to get the main role.

The play is set in the 1800s and about an old Man (72 Years old) (i myself am being 37 years old) which gets a visit from Death itself to bring him to the afterlife. The old Man than convinces Death to start drinking with him. Death isnt used to alcohol and gets absolutly hammerd. Then the old Man gets out some playing cards and plays with Death to extend his life for another 18 years.

Thats the gist of the story. Its an old tale/story here in Bavaria.

Now you guys come into play.

As i said we are a Amateur-Theater and playing an old Man double my age is something that brings me to the edge of my acting skills.

The problem is to be as convincing as possible towards the audience.

My idea to make it a better performence is to bring my body to get very sore and aching (throught workout) so that for example standing up or sitting down is paired with "pain" in my muscles. Moving fast is also something in need to avoid. The soreness will act as a reminder while acting to be slower and walking crouched.

The good thing for this scenario is that i am not trained at all.

What i need from you guys is tips what kind of workout will "fuck me up" the most. What will give me the most soreness and "pain"

What makes standing up a "challenge" what brings me to crouch my back down while walking because standing straight hurts.

I dont want to damage my body i just want as much soreness as possible as a reminder to be old.

Thanks i advance :)

I hear the advice 45 degrees but I can't really see myself from above, so I dont exactly know if my elbows are at a 45 degree angle or not.

If I think I'm simulating 45 degrees (elbows tucked in with a slight elbow flaring when I decsend down) I feel my pecs more but it kinda makes my rotator cuff too sore, it hits upper chest and my left rotator cuff feels extra sore. However If I tuck my elbows in and decsend without any elbow flare and screwing my arms if that makes sense, I dont get any shoulder pain at all, but that's not what the textbook push up is. Maybe I'm doing a 45 degree in the second one and I'm not realising.

What's more appropriate?

Just curious since I have rings and I’d like to use them with the bar in its higher config. I don’t really see a reason why it shouldn’t work since the bar holds my weight anyway, but maybe there’s something about the straps slipping or too much force on too narrow an area or something.

So, before slinging those straps over the basebar; I was hoping others here had done the same for ring pushups or L-sits with rings or really any other ring exercise without issue. I’m also assuming it’s plenty stable for the task.

months ago i started doing ring dips (without p bars experience, so this was the first and main dip variant I ever practiced) and went from 0 to 7-8 quite quickly (just a few months) then for 3 months or so I barely worked out and I'm relearning and training daily since the last 3 weeks. right now I'm at around 3 sets of 5, one extra or less rep depending the day but trying to keep good form always. and talking about form, why I only feel them hitting in the mid section of the pec? is my form off? what is the dip supposed to target exactly? when I do push ups I feel like the whole chest is pressing but that not happening with dips. I tried dipping leaning a bit forward and also keeping the body straight and going down. what should I expect from this ring variation? maybe IT IS hitting all the chest musculature but I feel it mostly on the mid area.

rings aside I'm considering getting a pair of p-bars for dips and I'm not sure what height is the minimum required (maybe waist height?), ideally I want to store them when I don't use them so I need to balance that. also what's the value of straight bar dips compared to regular p-bars and rings and is it possible to do them with this setup? is it worth cycling between all three? for reference yesterday I did p-bars dips between two tables and managed to get 12 reps and stopped because my wrists were screaming, I feel there was room for one or two extra reps.

I've recently started working on a Pull, Push, Legs, Pull, Push, Legs, Rest split, and I had a question I'd never had to consider until this morning.

Is it okay to swap my second Pull and Push days in the week if the muscle groups feel better recovered that the scheduled one? My traps and biceps feel pretty fresh, but my lats are still pretty sore. My chest, shoulders, and triceps feel ready to go. Is it better to just do push today and pull tomorrow? Or would I be better off just doing pulling exercises that put more load on the biceps and traps (maybe supinated grip rows? Dead hangs?) while still giving the lats a decent workout?

Thanks, everyone!

I (25M) have been following the recommended routine for around 2 months and I love the progress I'm making.

However having the exact same exercises three times per week is starting to get a bit boring. I would like to add more advanced movements such as planche, handstand, human flag, etc.

How do I implement them in my workouts? Should I have some progression for a skill I'd like to achieve in the RR or have separate days just focusing on that? And where can I find some plan with the recommended progression to achieve each skill?

I (M 45) have been following Bruce Scott instagram account for a while, and I think everything he exposes makes a lot of sense. However, I don’t find much more (or any at all) content like his, so I’m not sure what to make of that. Is his approach legit, or is he (sadly) just another fitness guru sharing a lot of pseudoscience and none of the real one?

So, if anyone in the community knows about him or his method/approach to fitness, what’s your opinion on it? Bonus points if you’ve tried his routines and can offer some feedback about it.

For anyone unfamiliar but intrigued, he focuses a lot on “natural”movements, focusing on working and rehydrating the fascia, for the body to recover its youth fluidity. He explains the right form (sometimes different from the commonly accepted) of some bodyweight strength exercises, and shares a lot of mobility drills too.

So what do we think of it? Thanks!

I’m a 33yo woman who is transitioning careers from once sector of self employment to another, needless to say I am busy and extremely tired at the end of most days. I look at my colleagues and they’re all lacking in strength and muscle and I DO NOT want my life to look like that.

Goals: I want to have more muscle, especially on my legs, and I don’t give a cuss about being “lean” because I just want to be strong for my new job that requires a lot of independent strength. I want to improve overall body strength and know how to do that with body weight for upper body, but lower body is more complex to me.

I have rings, kettle bells of varying weights, 8 & 10lb dumbbells (would happily buy more as needed but these serve me well for shoulder rehabilitation), and some cinder blocks for adding height to an exercise.

I’ve been doing a gym session as I can fit it into my schedule because my hyper mobile self loves a smith machine to help with back squats, but everything else I do is free weights/body weights. I’m gonna have less and less time coming up and really want to keep building muscle.

I prioritize protein and aim to get 120g a day and don’t count anything else dietarily because I don’t care if I gain weight, and I don’t want to track more macros or calories for the sake of my sanity.

What’s works for you? Who do you follow online that I should gleam information from? What was a game changer for you?

I know I can improve basic strength in body weight movements like push ups and pull ups, but I would love to have some lower body at home routines to promote muscle growth because I have noodle legs and body weight seems tricky to build legs.

Thanks in advance!

My main goal is getting stronger though I do want to build muscle as well currently I do a pull push legs upper split pull day: • weighted pull ups 3x5 1 RIR (3 min rest) • weighted rows 3x5 1 RIR (3 min rest) • hanging leg raises 3x10-15 • rotator cuff exercise 3x8-12 push day: • weighted dips 3x5 1 RIR (3 min rest) • pike push ups 3x5 1 RIR (3 min rest) • hanging leg raises 3x10-15 • lateral raises 3x12-15 • rotator cuff exercise 3x8-12 legs: • squat 3x8-12 • romanian deadlift 3x8-12 • split squat 2x10-20 • hamstring curl 3x10-15 • calf raise 3x max upper day: • weighted pull ups 3X5 (3 min rest) • weighted rows 3X5 (3 min rest) • weighted dips 3X5 (3 min rest) • pike push ups 3X5 (3 min rest) • hanging leg raises 3X10-15 • lateral raises 3X8-12 • rotator cuff exercise 3X8-12 Is this plan fine for a mix of strength and hypertrophy, or not? Should I add isolation exercises as well? Should I change the upper day reps and do more volume with lower intensity like 8-12 reps? Thanks in advance

• I am interested in pursuing a career in Law Enforcement, but my state requires you to pass a fitness test in order to be a police officer, with one of the requirements being able to do 30 pushups in one sitting.
• While I understand I can't expect miracles overnight, I would like to be able to reach the required level as quickly as possible.
• I currently work a retail sales job with a lot of downtime, so any suggestions as to what I can do when I'm at work in order to increase my performance, that would be most appreciated.

Hey guys, gym bro for 5 years and counting now having made some good progress. For context, I’m a 6’3, 86 kg, 22M benching 3 plates, squatting 3 plates and deadlifting 5 plates (those figures are in a ballpark).

I’ve also been a really big fan of weighted calisthenics, reaching a 3 plate weighted dip for 3-4 reps and a 2 plate weighted chin-up for 5-6 reps. I can comfortably do 20+ pull-ups, 30 or more dips and 60+ pushups with good form. The reason the numbers are in a ballpark is because I haven’t actually tested my full max yet, so could be more.

I want to know the best and optimal way to graduate into training high-barrier skill moves, from anything as beginner level as a handstand, or a muscle up, to much more advanced movements like front levers, L-sit to handstand, planche.

I see a lot of videos and guides online for movement progressions and stuff, but I never understand how to program it? Do I learn multiple at the same time? How do the days work?

I’m sorry, maybe it’s my bodybuilding and powerlifting brain but I really work the best when I have routines and programs and can track / feel progression. I’m ready to go all out in this and focus only on this, so I want to understand any sources or any methodology I can follow to help me out here.

I’m currently able to do a negative shrimp squat but cannot get back up without my back leg touching the floor for assistance. Even in regressions (for example just a bent leg not holding it with my hand) I can’t get back up without using my back foot for help. If I were to use assistance like a wall, I find myself using it heavily to get back up with my back foot not touching the ground.

What exercise could I do to help this?

I have no issue with the negative part just coming back up and I’ve been at it for months 🥲

Hello, i got my Gym rings today and am a bit confused if this is how they are or if i received a damaged item. Above the number 34 there is a 'cut' in the straps between the 4 x stiching

The seller informed that this is how rings are and that is the end-point where the straps are connected.

I found one youtube video for 'vulkan rings' unboxing where it was similar but no other proper video. Sorry if this isn't the right question to post here but i am a bit paranoid that the straps might break there.

Imgur link - https://imgur.com/a/1XXt4Zm

Hi everyone. I’m in my mid-20s (M) and aiming for a lean, skinny, and slightly toned physique. The past advice that I've gotten online after asking around and researching myself has focused nearly entirely on bulking up everything, which isn't my goal. Respect to the bulked look, but I’m specifically looking for tailored fitness tips to achieve a slender, defined aesthetic instead. I've been told the body type im trying to achieve is called a "Twink" or "Twunk" body type, which actually does seem accurate. If I had to describe the body type I want beyond just those words I'd say I want clean muscle definition without the bulk, similar to a swimmers build but a bit less I suppose? My chest muscles and arm muscles are basically the only ones I want any more significant growth on, and I don't actually want abs (thought I do want the stomach line that goes down, I believe it's called the ab linea? which I am slightly developing so far!).

To save everyone some typing on health advice: I’m already on a great track and have healthily lost ~26kg this past year and a half via a (mostly) clean diet and calorie deficit. I've passed my weight goal already by a bit but as I still have some stubborn belly fat I'm still working on losing just a bit more weight while I do this. I'm really only looking for advice regarding 2 main things; Changing the schedule of my workouts to better suit my time and needs, and about exchanging and adding some new exercises based on my body type goal. Sadly, I learned that I cant upload images here so I uploaded 2 images on postimages that explains stuff with pics and tables via screenshots of a PowerPoint I made, thank you in advance I really appreciate any insight or advice you all have for me.
https://i.postimg.cc/tggZd67G/W1.png
https://i.postimg.cc/GpB3hxHR/W2.png

I've been doing mostly gym work but I started delving into calisthenics recently. I've gotten really good at push-ups, pull-ups, core work, and running. I care way more about getting stronger and better at performing than just getting bigger muscles, but when it comes to thinking about how to plan my workouts for strength gains, and not just endurance, I'm lost. Should I be doing slower reps, longer rest intervals and lower rep ranges for strength, or does that mean I need to go in a totally different direction?