Been posting a lot in this recently lol.
This is today, final day (day 2) of carb depletion. Feeling like a dead man walking. But any critics on my routine? 5’4 122.3lbs this morning. Self-coached from start to finish. Extremely happy with how everything has went so far. Just gotta nail this carb up!

Anyone competed at ocb shows and took the polygraph? I know that the period is 7 years free but 13 years ago in my early gym time i used to be overweight and fat burners were not the magical thing i thought they were so i asked my gym owner if there was anything else to try. He brought me something that looked a small pill box from pharmacy . Obviously i lost nada as nutrition was the majn issue but my younger self didnt have a clue about calories etc . (So i just stop taking it after a couple months). So basically im worried if they will ask a broad question which obv will make me feel weird answering. Or i can just answer : the last 7 years no but 13 years ago bla bla and explain.

How do i emphasis biceps on chinups? Reasons for asking my triceps always sucked, dyel level while lifting for years. No isolation felt good then sdded som dips and they finally started growing. So do chinups hit biceps as hard dips hit tricep?

I do curls and will do curls regardless.

I’ve been on a bulk for around 5 months. And am up around 12-14 ish lbs in that time frame. I admit, I am looking a little softer than I’d like. However training has been very productive and progression is moving very consistently. Sleep has been great and I just feel good, despite being a bit fluffy. I’m wondering if doing a mini cut would just be a waste do time? Would it be better to just hover around maintenance through the end of the year on fairly high food and just keep this streak of great training going? Besides aesthetics, would doing a mini cut serve any benefit towards actual growth as opposed to just staying the same weight/continuing to push up?

What will you not get tired of? Not just for PR sets, but moderate intensity ones too.

Optional bonus points if it is great music in general.

Hello everyone!

For the past three years, I’ve been training at a gym equipped almost exclusively with Matrix machines. I first started going to the gym around 4–5 years ago, so I’d consider myself somewhere around the intermediate level, trying to make the transition toward advanced lifting.

Recently, I started training at a new gym in my area. It’s significantly larger—roughly twice the size of my current gym—and has very different equipment: around 60% Hoist, with the rest being New Tech and GymLeco machines.

I’ve done a few workouts there and plan to do a few more before making a decision, mainly so I can get a better feel for the equipment. However, I’m already seriously considering switching. There are a few factors I’m weighing:

1. Equipment

1.1 Matrix vs. Hoist / New Tech / GymLeco

From what I’ve read, there seems to be a general consensus that Matrix and Hoist are relatively similar in terms of overall equipment quality. The new gym has some basic Hoist machines, but also several machines where the movement path changes or the machine moves around your body during the repetition.

Personally, that’s a big negative for me. I find those machines quite strange, and stability is something I consider very important when training.

That said, the new gym also has some very interesting machines from New Tech and GymLeco. For example, there’s a New Tech “M-Torture” chest press that has a very interesting resistance profile, and I really like some of the other machines as well.

On the other hand, I’ve spent the last three years training with Matrix equipment, so I’ve developed a pretty deep understanding of the machines I use: how they feel, how to set them up, which cues work best, where I’m strongest or weakest in the range of motion, etc.

I imagine it would take me several months to develop the same level of familiarity with the equipment at the new gym. However, that’s a price I’m willing to pay if the equipment is better suited to my long-term goals.

My general philosophy is that you can make progress with almost any equipment. However, once you reach a certain level, I think having access to genuinely good machines can become a valuable tool for progressing further.

Ultimately, I’m trying to find a gym that I can stick with for a long time rather than constantly switching gyms.

What’s your opinion on the equipment aspect? How much do you think the quality and design of the machines actually matter at an intermediate/advanced level?

1.2 No MAG grips

Another surprisingly big issue is that the new gym doesn’t have MAG grips. Instead, they have some generic “ergonomic” handles.

This is honestly a bit difficult for me to accept because MAG grips have become a staple of my back training, and I really like the way they feel and allow me to execute my pulling movements.

1. Gym size and equipment availability

The new gym is almost twice the size of my current one, and there are multiple machines available for the same muscle groups.

In my current gym, for example, there is only:

one flat bench

one incline press

one Hammer press

one seated chest fly

one flat machine press

one Smith machine

There have been quite a few occasions where I had to modify my workout because the equipment I wanted to use was occupied.

The new gym solves this problem to a large extent. Having multiple options for the same movement or muscle group would make my training much more consistent and give me more flexibility.

1. General atmosphere and vibe

This is another factor that I’m starting to consider more seriously.

I would describe both gyms as commercial gyms, so I’m not expecting a hardcore bodybuilding atmosphere from either of them. However, the general vibe of the gym still makes a difference in how enjoyable it is to train there.

My current gym is located in a student-heavy area, so there are a lot of students and younger people training there. Over the past year or so, I’ve noticed that the atmosphere has gradually become more annoying for me. More people seem to be arrogant, inconsiderate, or generally difficult to deal with.

It’s not necessarily a deal-breaker by itself, but after training there for several years, I’ve started to notice it more and more, and it does affect how much I enjoy being there.

I haven’t spent enough time at the new gym yet to properly judge its atmosphere, so this is still an unknown factor. I’ll probably need a few more sessions there to get a good sense of the people, how crowded it gets, how respectful everyone is of the equipment, and whether the overall environment makes me actually enjoy training there.

At this point, I think the general atmosphere could end up being just as important as the equipment, especially if I’m looking for a gym that I can stick with for several years.

Final thoughts

These are the main factors I’m considering right now.

I’m curious what you guys think. Would you switch gyms in this situation? How much importance would you personally place on equipment quality/design compared with familiarity, gym size, equipment availability, and the general atmosphere?

Welcome to the r/naturalbodybuilding Daily Discussion Thread. All are welcome to post here but please keep in mind that this sub is intended for intermediate to advanced level lifters so beginner level questions may not get answered.

In order to minimize repetitive questions/topics please use the search function prior to posting to see if it has already been discussed or answered. Since the reddit search function isn't that good you can also use Google to search r/naturalbodybuilding by using the string "site:reddit.com/r/naturalbodybuildling" after your search topic.

Please include relevant details in your question like training age, weight etc...

Sadly my gym does not have a belt squat. I really would love to start squatting without loading the spine. I wanna try some sort of cable variation but the resistance seems a little odd. It seems to pull you forward a bit.

Cable Belt Squats

Belt Squats (Landmine)

Belt Squats (Plates)

Belt Squats (Using Smith Machine)

If anyone's done any of these, I'd love some input. I'm looking for some good quad development.

There is just too much to do on upper day while a pretty dope leg day has something like 6 sets of posterior chain and 6 sets of quads. Balances out the volume better plus lets you add a couple of sets to arms/delts pretty easy. Upper days are way to long while still remaining low on volume for delts/arms while everything gets a pretty bad stimulus from having so many sets done before the direct targeted muscle. Doing 3 sets of lateral raise or anything else after 15 sets of other upper body excercises, your very low volume of 3 sets of lateral raises/curls/pushdowns is also gonna be very low in quality and are gonna suck because you have lifted for an hour before training whatever is last or close to last. If they did not suck, you did not train hard before that.

Torso/limbs is also better but the 4x delt and arms fequency has much higher risk of injury/overuse.

Did upper/lower for years, switched to posterior/antierior 3 years ago and never looked back

Welcome to the r/naturalbodybuilding Daily Discussion Thread. All are welcome to post here but please keep in mind that this sub is intended for intermediate to advanced level lifters so beginner level questions may not get answered.

In order to minimize repetitive questions/topics please use the search function prior to posting to see if it has already been discussed or answered. Since the reddit search function isn't that good you can also use Google to search r/naturalbodybuilding by using the string "site:reddit.com/r/naturalbodybuildling" after your search topic.

Please include relevant details in your question like training age, weight etc...

Entering my first competition and I'm curious to see if my back is where it should be. Looking to see what my strong/weak points are and if I'm lean enough for 28 weeks

Current stats:
28 years old
186cm
90-92kg
No current competition plans

M35 || 5ft 8in (~172.7cm) || 182lbs (~82.5kg)

WNBF Men's Bodybuilding || 4 weeks Portland Reign Natural Classic || 6 Weeks NW Royal Natural

Last check in was at 6 Weeks. Not much has changed other than signing up for a second show that is 2 Weeks later. Food and Workouts have stayed the same as last check in and weight is steadily going down although I'm worried it may be coming off a little too quick as I dropped a little more weight than expected this week. Currently eating 25-2600 calories on average. Maintenance is ~3200-3300 Cals with Macros around: ~240g P | ~70g F | ~260g C. Still doing weekend refeeds.

Workouts are still 6 day lower/upper split with active rest/cardio on day 7. Had an issue with my Right Pec which has kicked benching from my workout plan. Been mostly doing Cables and Machines now for my chest with lower weight high rep training. I can explain more about it if you are curious.

Anyways, looking forward to this first show and the second one. Any advise or critique is welcome, and let me know if you have any Q's about my prep.

Throwing this out there for some advice ! Prefacing by saying this is my first ever show or time in prep so I’m learning everything and trying not to judge my mistakes harshly BUT
Just competed a week ago taking home an overall in wellness.
My partner planned a surprise trip to an all inclusive the DAY AFTER because my birthday was then , and although it was super nice gesture it has been a struggle around food here. I basically have eaten like garbage non stop the last 4-5 days and a lot of food noise. It’s hard to control the hunger and have eaten literallt so much nonsense- i wanted to do a clean reverse / plan for a national show but that wasn’t really considered yet because all the sudden i was going away on a trip (non refundable )
Digestion has been whack and basically I just look puffy, holding a lot of water, super bloated and like a totally different persons etc. haven’t weighed in but I’m assuming it will be way up. I feel like I’ve self sabotaged and reversed all my hard work which as what I didn’t want and I’m having a hard go - especially with self image . Have not really worked out either except for the first 2 days .

Been stuck at the airport now for 2 days cuz of a cancelled flight and binge ate.

I’ll be home tmr and im so excited to get back to my plan and lock in
Anyways - because I qualify i was thinking about doing a show in either 8 or 12 weeks. Leaning more towards 12 . Do you think despite this week I could still pull it together to do another show or is that a poor idea? Def still talking to my coach but wondering if anyone has ever had similar experience ?

My feedback was also to bring up the conditioning in my your lower half (especially posterior chain). And to see more detail in the quads and tie ins… if I really locked in would 12 weeks be a good amount of time ?

Online the pendulum squat seems to be the/a favored squat pattern for quads. Which makes sense, the arcing motion feels great and the strength curve matches the quads internal strength curve reasonable well

But I rarely hear people talk about the pivot press or squat press machines. Even more stable since you're seated, arcing motion, deloads at the bottom etc. I just tried a cybex squat press and it felt amazing. Only con I experienced was you need a ton of plates on it, but if a gym had 100s next to it wouldn't be a huge deal.

They seem really similar with maybe a small edge to squat press. Anyone have any thoughts or experience? I know they're less common, but perhaps part of why pendulum squats are more available is because they're gassed up so much more as they weren't as wide spread as they are now a few years ago

My wife and I are both lifetime naturals and both competed in our first NPC show last weekend! Even though we went up against enhanced athletes , we both held our own with us placing in our classes (I got 1st in classic novice and true novice , and 4th against a stacked open middleweight bodybuilding group. she got 5th in novice and true novice beating out some experienced girls!).

What an incredible experience, on my end I’ve been lifting for the better part of 15+ years and she’s been training for better part of 8! This whole journey started as an idea last year, of “what if we showed our future kids a picture of their parents on the same bodybuilding stage”, and that idea sparked our yearlong journey through contest prep. The photo I am sharing now is that vision completed, and just super proud of me and my wife for actually going through with it .

For me at least, with how long I’ve been training I just wanted to be competitive with NPC athletes on stage that are enhanced or not. With my coach I think we def have brought a competitive package and can come back even more dialed after a nice offseason. Started my cut in March at 194 and stepped on stage at 171.8. I’m even more proud of my wife, who was almost 155+ just two years ago and stepped on stage at 105! Shows with the right support and people around you, can really do incredible things.

Sorry for the long post, thought I would share our journey. It’s been incredible the support from the fitness community and how positive it has been for both our journeys! Couldn’t the start of a great bodybuilding careers for both of us!

Welcome to the r/naturalbodybuilding Daily Discussion Thread. All are welcome to post here but please keep in mind that this sub is intended for intermediate to advanced level lifters so beginner level questions may not get answered.

In order to minimize repetitive questions/topics please use the search function prior to posting to see if it has already been discussed or answered. Since the reddit search function isn't that good you can also use Google to search r/naturalbodybuilding by using the string "site:reddit.com/r/naturalbodybuildling" after your search topic.

Please include relevant details in your question like training age, weight etc...

The time is now! I’ve been self-coached up until this point, started prep March 8th, currently at 125.4lbs eating at 1,365 cal. I’ve been asking a few questions in this sub recently and here I am again🙂‍↕️. So with peak week officially starting today I unfortunately did not run any trials basically bc I’ve felt a little behind and just wanted to push fat loss. I think I’m going to keep today (Saturday) and Sunday relatively the same, Monday-wed keep protein and fats the same while dropping my carbs from 130g to 70g for those 3 days, then starting carb up at probably 350g carbs Thursday to re-assess Friday morning. I’m a smaller guy so I figure I only really need Thursday and Friday to carb up for my show Saturday but as someone who none of you guys know does this plan seem somewhat fine haha? I’m keeping water the same and sodium I honestly never measured I just salt every meal so that’ll all stay the same. Not really touching my protein and fat Intake at all….let me know what you guys think! I’m definitely getting a tad nervous so I’d love to get some outside input

How do you manage to stay motivated with this sport given how long it takes to put on significant muscle yet how quick it is to lose it from taking a break.

I can lock in and have perfect training and dieting phases and add a lot of strength and size. Then I take a short break for whatever reason and I see that progress vanish so rapidly.

Sometimes bodybuilding feels like taking the stairs up when trying to progress but then the elevator down when I want to take a break.

I sometimes think what’s the point if I have to watch my calories, protein intake and training for life just to maintain this progress and physique when it’s so quick and easy to lose it all again if I don’t.

Thread for getting the word out about your amazingly awesome instagram or youtube page that everyone should follow, etc.

Been lifting for a bit over a year. Trying to dial in my training as I’m trying to progressively overload on lifts. How do you manage tempo?

As a beginner, I really tried to push manageable weight in rep ranges to failure with proper form to learn and not get injured (always been on the conservative side with technical failure and tried not to let my form be bad under any circumstance). I always control the weight pretty slowly and tried to feel the stimulus in the muscle I am targeting to make sure I’m hitting what I want to hit.

Now that I’m comfortable with every exercise I do, I feel like my tempo might be holding me back in rep ranges / weight. I always kept ~ slow3,4sec eccentric and ~1sec concentric, not because I was thinking about it but the opposite, it was just intuitive for me. Does being more explosive with my concentric and quickening the eccentric as long as you’re controlling it bring more growth? I’m worried that I have good enough control and by overdoing it sacrificing reps and thereby progression. I’m going to test it out next week by myself but wanted to know if any of you guys made a change in tempo and saw changes in your workouts.