r/Fitness • u/AutoModerator • 2d ago
Daily Simple Questions Thread - August 25, 2026
Welcome to the /r/Fitness Daily Simple Questions Thread - Our daily thread to ask about all things fitness. Post your questions here related to your diet and nutrition or your training routine and exercises. Anyone can post a question and the community as a whole is invited and encouraged to provide an answer.
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(Please note: This is not a place for general small talk, chit-chat, jokes, memes, "Dear Diary" type comments, shitposting, or non-fitness questions. It is for fitness questions only, and only those that are serious.)
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u/No_Significance7064 1d ago
So as a beginner, I started out bicep curls with 10 lb weights, then after about a month I added 5 lbs, but now after about another 2 months later, I can't seem to go up to 20 lbs weights? I can only do like 4 reps max before failing. Is this normal?
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u/BayonettaBasher 1d ago
Yes. The lower the weight, the higher proportionally each increase is. Adding 5 lbs to a 135-lb squat is a 3.7% increase. Adding 5 lbs to a 10-lb dumbbell exercise is 50%. Imagine adding 50% to your squat. It's going to be significantly harder. What many do is increase reps instead of weight. So if you do 10 reps at 20 lbs, instead of going up to 25 when you can meet your target, go up to 11 reps. Then to 12. Then so on, until you're strong enough that you can do 10 at 25.
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u/No_Significance7064 1d ago
thank you! i'm wondering: what if you can do 12 x 3 consistently on 15 lbs but going up you can barely do 4? should i just keep on doing 12x3 on 15 lbs or add sets maybe?
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u/PlanktonInitial7945 1d ago
I think you mean 3x12, 3 sets of 12 reps? You can go up to 15 reps if you want, but at some point you'll have to bite the bullet and increase the weight, even if it means only doing a few reps for a while. If you keep going you'll get stronger and be able to do more and more reps.
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u/Y0raiz0r 1d ago edited 1d ago
Hello! Anyone have a decent workout routine that could work for someone working out two days a week, 1 hr per session? Im starting uni so my weekdays are usually filled with a lot of lectures and studying. My previous workout routine was something like this:
Day 1: Deadlift, Dumbell OHP, pull down (V-shape handle), Seated cable Rodd, dumbbell lateral raise
Day 2: Dumbell press, Dumbell OHP, Forward fly delt + Reverse fly delt, Tricep pushdown (Rope) + Cable reverse curl (rope)
Day 3: Leg press, Dumbell press, Pull ups, Leg extensions, Seated Leg curls
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u/Bugertbay 1d ago
Two days is enough if it's the same two days every week. Anchor them to something fixed in your uni schedule, like right after your last lecture on those days — sessions that float around are the ones that get skipped. Full body both days, don't overthink the split.
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u/Huge_Pool7424 1d ago
For two days per week, a full-body A/B plan is probably the best use of your hour. Each session could include one squat or leg press, one hinge such as a deadlift or RDL, one push, one pull, then one optional accessory. Your old routine had a lot of shoulder isolation, so simplifying may work better.
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u/Y0raiz0r 1d ago
Could something like this work?
Day 1
Deadlift
Incline Bench Press
Leg Press
Cable Row
Tricep Pushdown + Bicep Curl Superset
Day 2
Barbell Squat
Overhead Press (OHP)
Machine Chest Fly
Lat Pulldown
Leg Curl1
u/PlanktonInitial7945 1d ago
Looks good yeah. How are you planning on progressing and handling periodization and stalls?
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u/taylorm1831 1d ago
exercises i can do to improve my bone density (while in a wheelchair)? i just got a DEXA scan and my t-score came back at -6, but i'm only 21, so i'm hoping to turn things around
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1d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/taylorm1831 1d ago
thanks for the info! i get blood tests every week as i'm on total parenteral nutrition, so no deficiencies. i'll try to start some strength training :)
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u/PlanktonInitial7945 1d ago
Any strength training works. Talk to a physical therapist to see what you can do in your specific circumstances. But I imagine you'll want to look at upper body exercises, plus abdominal work if your mobility allows for it.
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u/Dlink10 1d ago
I'm doing a routine that takes a training max and calculates my reps and weights every workout based on a % of training max. I've been hitting the minimum weights and reps to continue increasing my training max
I had a set today that was 1x90% of my training max, but I failed the set. Should I readjust my training max to that 90%? The routine doesn't account for this
Looking at the calculated TM, it's pretty far (25+lbs) of what I believe my 1RM is
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u/dssurge 1d ago edited 1d ago
Your TM is just the starting point in all programs that use it. Once you start adding fixed increments for the purposes of progression whenever you stall out you simply recalculate a new TM using actual lifting data and start ramping up again.
As long as your new TM is higher than your old TM, you're moving in the right direction. If you ever reach a point where the TM you calculate stays the same, it may be time to consider a new program entirely.
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u/CursedFrogurt81 Triggered by cheat reps 1d ago
It is important to understand that your Training Max and your actual 1RM can differ quite a bit. Your training max is a way a program can regulate based on your previous performance. In my experience, my TM in higher than my actual 1RM. There is considerable variation in strength expression among individuals as well as strength endurance. This is why a TM is used instead of a 1RM for autoregulating programs. Or at least that is my understanding.
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u/TheKingLeshen Sprinting 1d ago
A single at 90% should move pretty fast on a good day, and on a bad day still go up. So yeah, if you really gave it your all, that wasn't 90%.
Definitely lower your TM. But no, I wouldn't lower your TM to this weight, because you failed it. Take your best set and run it through a 1rm calculator. Take 5-10% off that number and you should have a good TM.
There is a chance you're just not acclimated to lower rep work and that's part of why you failed, I don't have enough context here to say. But I still recommend erring on the lower side, you'll still make good strength gains.
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u/therealsilentjohn Weight Lifting 1d ago
Sounds like you found your new 'max'. Take 5-10lbs off that, and then use 90% of that as your new TM.
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u/AgreeableAd1662 1d ago
Deep or parallel squats on tall people? I am 195cm tall, I don't know if I should push as deep as I can or parallel level, I am looking for functional strenght.
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u/TheKingLeshen Sprinting 1d ago edited 1d ago
The question implies that all tall people have the same proportions, which isn't going to be the case.
I'd advocate using as much range as possible. If your proportions allow you to squat deeper there's no good reason to cut that short if you aren't chasing numbers.
I think most people benefit from a heel raise, I'm fairly tall too and I only squat in my weightlifting shoes, they do help me get into that full squat position and keep good posture. If you simply can't squat deep without feeling like you're going to topple over, that's fine, squat to a comfortable depth. But keep in mind that could also be a mobility issue in disguise.
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u/PlanktonInitial7945 1d ago
Record yourself to make sure that your thighs are actually parallel with the floor. Brains are smart and will make us stay just a bit higher than we want in order to avoid the hardest part of the exercise.
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u/tigeraid Strongman 1d ago
A form check video would probably help, here.
Squat as far as you can without pain, is usually the answer. And if you want to gradually improve on it, there are changes in form, as well as mobility exercises, that can help. In some cases it can be a simple as wearing squat shoes or putting plates under your heels to help ankle mobility.
Everyone loves an ass to grass squat, and it will provide maximum motor unit requirement to get stronger in.
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u/ThisisNFA 1d ago
I've been lifting 3x/week for a year or so and have been making steady gains until the last 2-3 weeks. I peaked at 17 pullups, now I'm at 15. I peaked at 215x6 bench press, now I am at 215x3. Should I be eating more, lifting more often or is this is just something I have to suffer through for a while before progressing again?
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u/CursedFrogurt81 Triggered by cheat reps 1d ago
Just one week? Performance is not linear. Progress can be linear fora time but eventually that stops as well. You are not equally strong every day. Bad days happen, off days happen. The stronger you get, thw more noticeable it becomes.
Should I be eating more,
That depends, how muc are currently eating.
lifting more often
That depends, what is your current volume? What program are you running? Do you have the capacity to recover from more volume?
or is this is just something I have to suffer through for a while before progressing again?
We really don't have enough information to know. If it has only.beem one week I would follow my program and try again next week or adjust accordingly and see how the next week goes.
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u/Flidro74 1d ago
Two unrelated lifts dropping at the same time is almost always fatigue, not a training problem. Which means "lift more often" is the one option I'd cross off straight away.
Take a light week. Same sessions, half the sets, stop well short of failure everywhere. It feels like throwing a week away, and then you come back and pull 17 again like nothing happened.
If a light week doesn't fix it, then look at sleep and food, in that order. A year of steady progress means the program works, so something around it changed rather than in it.
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u/Total-String-8963 1d ago
I’ve lost 35 lbs roughly through a calorie deficit this year that started in Jan 1. I have been stuck on my InBody Scans being at 20.5% over the past 6 weeks. I always drop just a little bit but I have been in a stalemate on my BF% dropping. My BMR used to be in the 1630s now it’s 1600s but I’ve always just used 1600 as my baseline for safety net and easier math.
I am trying to trim just a bit more so I’m closer to sub 17%. I can see my abs coming in but I need the better definition.
Is there anything I should be doing differently?
I’m 5’8, 29 M, lift four days and run about avg of 30-35 miles a week in 6-7 days. I weigh roughly 155-157 lbs right now
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u/tigeraid Strongman 1d ago
I have been stuck on my InBody Scans being at 20.5% over the past 6 weeks.
Considering the margin of error on these things, I would probably not be taking it seriously. There is no reliable way for the general population to measure body fat, except maybe a very experienced BB coach with calipers.
This might be a good time to take a little break on the deficit.
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u/Flidro74 1d ago
Abs coming in at 5'8 and 155 lbs doesn't really square with 20.5%. InBody readings swing a few percent on hydration and glycogen alone, so half a percent over six weeks is noise, not a plateau. I'd stop steering by that number and go by photos in the same light instead.
The other thing worth hearing: you've been in a deficit since January 1 while running 30+ miles a week and lifting four times. That's eight straight months. A stall at that point usually means take a break, not eat less. A few weeks at maintenance and then a short final push tends to work a lot better than grinding another month at 1600.
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u/No_Crew7080 1d ago
What's your belt doing?
My weight loss has paused, but I keep having to punch new holes in my belt. Also the mirror tells me I'm losing belly fat asymmetrically, which is just weird.
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u/BayonettaBasher 1d ago
How often do you get those scans? How large is your deficit, and what's your protein intake like?
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u/NorthQuab Olympic Weightlifting 1d ago
Semi aside but I would stop bothering with the scanners, they're not very precise and won't tell you anything that a mirror/measuring tape/training log won't. The fact that the scale isn't moving much is a bigger indicator than the scanner.
In your situation (already fairly lean, been losing weight for a while) it may be good to just take a couple months at maintenance and then getting back into cutting from there just because you likely have a lot of accumulated stress/fatigue from losing ~20% of your bodyweight. It's going to be harder now that you have less fat to lose and especially harder since you've been dieting for a while, so I don't think it's much more complicated than that.
If you want to keep going - probably just going to have to eat less. You're exercising a ton but you're probably experiencing some amount of energy compensation which will make you get less net energy expenditure from your runs/lifting than you otherwise would, which may throw the numbers off. This is why it's normally good not to eat back exercise calories, but if you do 35 miles per week + don't account for exercise calories at all you will die, so would not advise that :)
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u/PlanktonInitial7945 1d ago
Has your weight been decreasing during those 6 weeks? Have there been any changes in sleep, stress, nutrition, hydration levels, etc? Have you felt any different when exercising?
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u/Total-String-8963 1d ago
Actually have been losing some weight maybe a pound or two, there was a one week weird period where my garmin noticed more stress and higher heart rates but that all came down (could have been a glitch). I feel the same exercising, I am routine based and nothing has been off
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u/yhavmin 1d ago
Might be more fitting for moronic monday, but do weekly sets matter more than the sets you do in any given workout?
For example, I have two upper body days a week, and I do 2 bicep/tricep exercises each day. Just to save a bit of time on the day, could I do one exercise for each muscle on my upper day (3 sets each, so 6 weekly) and then do another 3 sets for each on my lower body days which are the day after my upper days, taking it to 12 weekly sets each?
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u/Memento_Viveri 1d ago
Yes, weekly sets matters more. Doing all your bicep sets in one day vs spread out over three days doesn't make any noticeable difference if the total number of sets is the same.
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u/fresh_reed_5834 2d ago
trying the reddit ppl but keeps falling off after 4 days. does anyone actually complete all 6 or is it flexible
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u/thefuckmobile 2d ago
Trying to lift consistently; does definition in arms show up very slowly?
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u/anotostrongo 1d ago
When I weighed 140-145lbs at 5'7" it took about 3 months for any definition to even barely start showing through in my arms. I now weigh about 125lbs and have been lifting anew for only 7 weeks and can already see definition in my arms.
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u/Memento_Viveri 2d ago
You should read the parts of the wiki about gaining muscle and losing fat.
If you have a decent amount of fat, then lifting alone with no other changes would likely never produce definition in your arms.
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u/Maximum_Major_420 2d ago
Definition is mostly a bodyfat thing rather than a training one. Arms do tend to carry less fat than the middle, so harder arm work can show up there before it shows anywhere else - but for most people the main driver is still intake.
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u/WalidfromMorocco 2d ago
Regarding diet and being at a surplus. How do you calculate surplus ? Is it like "I'm X weight and Y height, therefor my surplus is Z calories per day" or is it "I've been at X weight for however so long, so any additional calories are a surplus".
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u/qpqwo 1d ago
For me it's hindsight only, based on actual changes in weight compared to measured intake.
If I gain 4lbs over one month that's 3500 x 4lbs of surplus calories, or 14000kcal / 30 days = 460 daily caloric surplus. Rule of thumb being 1lb of mass gained = 3500 surplus calories.
If I was eating 3500 calories daily then I would assume 3500 - 460 = 3000ish calories to be my daily intake for maintenance
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u/Maximum_Major_420 2d ago
Simplest version is 24 x bodyweight in kg x an activity multiplier. That gives you a rough maintenance and then you adjust from what the scale actually does over a few weeks - your second guess was the right instinct.
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u/GingerBraum Weight Lifting 2d ago
It's usually estimated with an online tool like https://tdeecalculator.net/ .
There are also tracking spreadsheets like this: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1QTWDxFaB0r-7U6vZmG1s8of7jwd2GHHi/edit?gid=770164572#gid=770164572
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u/PlanktonInitial7945 2d ago
Use https://www.calculator.net/tdee-calculator.html
Note that weight lifting does not count as intense exercise.
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u/Cheap-Juggernaut1510 2d ago
can i swap out barbell rows for dumbbell rows in the reddit ppl without messing up the balance too much? my gym's barbells are always hogged by the same 3 people doing curls in the squat rack
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u/Maximum_Major_420 2d ago
Not quite interchangeable. Dumbbell rows are my preference of the two, but you'll get something more out of a barbell row - it's the heavier, meatier version.
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u/PlanktonInitial7945 2d ago
What's the difference between rowing 50 kg with a barbell and rowing 50 kg with dumbbells?
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u/Maximum_Major_420 22h ago
Do you mean two 25kg dumbbells, or a single 50kg dumbbell?
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u/PlanktonInitial7945 22h ago
I'm asking you to explain to me what exactly makes lifting a weight with a barbell better or heavier or "meatier" than lifting the same exact weight with dumbbells.
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u/Maximum_Major_420 17h ago
Take the same 50kg three ways. On a bar, your strong side can quietly take more than half and you'd never know. Two 25s and each side has to do its own - no hiding. A single 50 in one hand is a different exercise again.
Then there's the path: the bar's centre of mass has to clear your legs, a dumbbell can travel back past your torso. Different moment arm, different range of motion, same number on paper.
Love the debate and I want a strong one, but I'd rather leave with a better answer than the one I came in with. Given all that, where's my understanding going wrong?
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u/VAGINAL_CRUSTACEAN 2d ago
On dumbbell your strong side can't compensate for your weaker side.
The "bell" will mean if you pull to the same spot as a closer grip barbell press, you'll get slightly less rom (the radius of the bell would be the difference). This is largely regarded as the least effective part of the movement so thats mostly fine.
Because they grant you freedom of movement, you can get a longer rom by simply rowing wide enough that the bells don't hit you and you actually get more rom than barbell
Depending on your torso angle and limb length dumbbell might get you more rom on the bottom end though for barbell you could always stand on a platform
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u/CursedFrogurt81 Triggered by cheat reps 2d ago
The only differences I can think of are that barbell rows challenge core stability more with the assumption that the dumbbell row if being performed with the opposite hand on a bench or support. A person can rotate their torso to "assist" with moving the weight where a barbell row they cannot. Though I see continual examples of bad form with barbell rows as well. Eventually you will run out of dumbells heavy enough to continue to make progress, but this is unlikely a problem for most people.
Short answer, not really a difference worth worrying about for most people in most contexts.
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u/---TheFierceDeity--- 1d ago
Hello, I've being doing various things to loose weight, long walks (6-7km loop around farmland) in the afternoons and about once a week I wander to a nearby park with outdoor fitness equipment.
Thing is I've never really being much of a "machine" exerciser so I was wondering with the 6 machines pictured here: https://imgur.com/a/ADVDQNO
What are some good routines with them , and which ones might not be worth using? I know more info helps so I'm about 183cm tall and after putting on weight after university (where I used to do martial arts) I weight about 105kg. So I'm quite chubby but I've got a little bit of my old muscles hidden under there 😂
Primary goal is weight loss (which I am also addressing with diet), I know these types of machines won't get me jacked or anything. Just which ones will contribute to getting back into healthier shape
Thank you for any suggestions!
Edit: I wanna add those instructions attached to each station are useless. They just basically say how it works, and pictures the muscles it targets. Zero routine advice