r/beginnerfitness

21M, 230lbs, 6ft 2.

I've been in the gym for a month but haven't gained any strength in my arms at all. I started with 10kg dumbell press and I still cant do 12 reps of a 12.5kg dumbell press.

The thing is, my arms have gotten noticeably bigger, I've been on 5g creatine daily for a month and I eat a minimum of 150g protein a day (i have had days where I couldnt reach that, but most lf the time I did reach it).

My leg strength has went up, and my back and chest are stronger too. I went from 40kg leg press to 100kg for reps.

Its just so demotivating that I want to quit. I've changed my diet and cut out all these bad habits for what feels like no reason. I've put so much effort in yet I've got hardly any of the benefit that I wanted. I dont mean to whine. Its just how I feel at the moment.

Any help?

I just got a personal trainer so I can get back into shape, learn how to use the equipment, and maintain proper form. Today was my second session, and I left the gym hating myself even more than I already did.

Everyone in there was in fantastic shape. Beautiful people. Meanwhile, I’m fat as hell struggling to do basic workouts. I’ve never felt more embarrassed in my life. I saw how I look in the big gym mirror and almost puked because of how bad I look compared to everyone else. I feel like I don’t belong in there because I’m so far below everyone else.

How do I get past this? The gym is supposed to be good for mental health, but it seems to be making mine worse.

Thanks for reading, sorry for the long post.

This could be a stupid question but i'm genuinely looking for advice. I'm new to the gym but am trying to build muscle mainly legs and core. I have had bad experiences with weight in the past and wonder how i can maintain around the same weight but reach my gym goals.

This might be a really stupid post but please bear with me 🥲 I started going to the gym a week and a half ago, and I like doing EZ bar preacher curls. I do 7.5kg each side for about 8 reps, then try doing the same weight again for my next set. When I do this, I can’t get past 3-4 reps, and consequently have to lower it to 5kg on each side, after which I can smoothly do at least 6 reps for 2 more sets.

Thing is, I can usually bang out at least 2 sets with the same weight in the 6-10 rep range for every other exercise, so is it normal to be like this for preacher curls?

just started working out at a new gym which has co-ed rest rooms / changing rooms. i personally think that is rather awkward so i am usually a come and leave in gym attire person.

i wanted to go before work tomorrow instead of after, which means i’d need to shower and get ready/do my makeup at the gym. how does this normally work?? am i just meant to wrap yourself in a towel and walk from the shower to a private changing room? i’ve scoped out the area and it doesn’t look like your clothes would be safe from getting wet if you took them into the shower room so it doesn’t seem like that is an option either.

i feel like i’m missing something obvious so please help !! 😅

I'm 160cm / 54kg. I'm skinny but I carry most of my fat in my lower belly and I want to make it flatter. I'm currently in a caloric deficit.

My question is: I train upper body and lower body on different days, but I never do specific ab exercises. I don't enjoy doing them at the gym and it makes me uncomfortable.

Since I don't want defined abs and I know they won't show unless I lower my body fat percentage, is it okay to skip direct ab work? My point is, is it necessary to train abs if I only want a flat stomach?

I'm curious to know how people actually stay consistent towards their goals. Newbie gains are so motivating but as I get past that stage and plateau a bit I find myself losing motivation and gradually stopping entirely then starting again in 6 months after feeling like crap.

What methods has people tried to stay motivated?

Should I use a workout logging app to keep track of progress?

Sup guys, just like the title say im trying to build my fitness plan because i wanna build more muscle and strength aside from rock climbing and bouldering that i already do..

I was thinking about using these exercise but idk how to build a routine with it. ( Also i climb 2 times per week and ideally i should get 1 to 2 days of rest per week. )

For biceps i was thinking about doing:

- chins ups / hammer curls / and concentrated curls

For the triceps :

- some kind of overhead extension with a dumbbells / dips / 💎 push up

For the chest :

- decline push up / déficit push up / dips

For the forearms:

- reverse curls / hammer curls / wrist curls

For the back:

- mainly weighted pull up and im also learning one arm pull up but idk how to implement it in the plan.

For shoulder:

- lateral raise / pike push up or handstand / reverse fly

For legs:

- single leg squat / bulgarian split squat / and some hiking

For the core:

- abs wheel / Russian twist / leg raise.

That's basically all the exercise that i could think of, i mainly use bodyweight exercise and dumbbells since that's all i got. Idk how to make a routine with all that and idk how much set i should aim for.

Thanks in advance and sorry if my english is kinda bad its because im French 😅

hey everyone.

i’m 26 years old. 185 cms (6’1) and 76 kgs (167 lbs).

I’ve been going to gym for 4 months. I can only manage going to twice or three times a week. each session I try to do a full body workout. I can’t do the ppl because my schedule is very inconsistent due to my work and I believe working out full body is better.

this is my program

upper body:
arm extension

arm curl

shoulder press

pectoral machine

cabled chest fly

cabled press

back:
vertical traction
low row

OR

low pull
high pull

legs:
leg extension

leg curl

These are the things that I try to do every session. Sometimes I add a few kettlebell exercises, sometimes a few dumbbells for my chest. And I try to do kneeling chin dip. I do whatever I am feeling like to do.

First month was my trial and error month. 2-3rd months I set the weights trained with them. And this month I added a few more kilograms to these exercises to keep the growth going. I already see a bit difference but I always think like if I’n doing the right program, can I add more stuff? Should I change the rotation? Should I also add barbells? how do I decide these? Can someone help me?

Hey all looking to see if my plan would sound to help look me build body fat currently between 5 foot 4 - 5 foot 6 with weight flustered being 102 kilo and 104.5 kilo being going to gym for years but really getting bored where I could do about 95-97kg but with a bit of tough year leading in boozing most weekend because of it gained up to 102-104.5 kg went 4 weeks of the booze the weight hasn’t really dropped but feel a lot stronger and slimmer despite not dropping weight but at the same time get bored going into the gym and just lifting weight and going on treadmill or bike for 30-45 mins a week so dont know if below will help keeping from getting bored in gym

Monday

1 hour morning boxing session
1 hour evening ji jitsu session

Tuesday
50 min morning boxing session into 1 hour ji jitsu session as gym next door

With 1 hour in the gym to lift weight

Wednesday
1 hour 30 minute gym weight session morning

2 hours ji jitsu session in evening

Thursday

50 min morning boxing session into 1 hour ji jitsu session as gym next door

Or either rugby training 90 mins session or lift weight in gym

Friday

Morning 90-120 cardio and weight session or split in to 60 min session evening

Saturday day off

Sunday

2 hours cardio gym session cardio and weights

Can i exercise away at least one if not 2 chins? If yes, please advise exercises?
Thanks

hello! I’m a college freshmen who is 175 lb and 5’4 (F) and I’m looking to come back down to 120 lb within a a year or less. I mostly want to lose body fat and appear more toned rather than muscular. Was wondering if there are any exercises/routine you all would recommend. Thank you!!

i am looking for some realistic advice on my physique and where to go next. I am currently stuck in a brutal mental loop regarding my nutrition, and the physical exhaustion is starting to catch up with me.

My current stats are 5'11" and around 180 lbs, down from 211 lbs. My measurements are 46.5" shoulders, 36" chest, 15" biceps, a 30" natural waist, a 36" lower stomach/love handles, and 40" hips.

For my weekly workload, I lift weights 4x a week with a heavy focus on my quads, hamstrings, upper back, and shoulders. I also do cardio 4x a week and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu 2x a week. Right now, my current calories are restricted to around 1550 to 1650 per day while keeping my protein high at around 167g.

The problem is that my ultimate goal is to build a solid, blocky, masculine frame and fill out my upper body to balance my lower half. Spherically, my shoulders are broad, but because my chest is only 36" and my hips are structurally 40", I feel like my frame looks narrow or slightly hip-dominant in the mirror.

edit: the cardio is low intensity 3.8-4.0mph walk for 50 mins

Because I have a history of being heavier (260lbs when i was 14-13). I am absolutely terrified of fat gain. The idea of eating more makes me incredibly anxious that any extra calories will immediately go straight to my lower stomach and love handles.

However, because my activity level is maxed out and my calories are so deeply restricted, I am completely exhausted.

I feel completely stuck. If I keep cutting down to 170 lbs to flatten my stomach, I am worried my upper chest and shoulders will keep deflating, making my hips look even wider by comparison.

Given my measurements, is it a mistake to keep cutting down to 170 lbs? I feel like I wont be sastified because I genuinely want to build my back and chest to fill out this "space".

Hi everyone. Any recommendations on wrist support products for someone who has carpal tunnel? I enjoy lifting and doing reformer Pilates but recently have been having wrist/hand pain due to carpal tunnel.

to be clear: i do probably have some health anxiety and this might be that (i sure hope it is) and not something truly wrong.

i’ve been lifting for around a month, i go 3-4 times a week. today i did push, im sure my form was correct for every thing because my brother is a trainer and he checked. HOWEVER, when i was done with my last set of cable rope pushdowns, my arms felt almost..numb?

i stretched and did 15 min of cardio like normal. it’s been at least an hour now but my arms still feel somewhat numb. im not sure how to describe it, they’re not the typical ‘tingly’ numb like when your arm falls asleep, it’s like i can feel them and feel whatever i touch, but it feels slightly numb and disconnected.

im hoping this is because i maybe didn’t rest enough, or went too hard. or maybe it’s just anxiety/dissociating (although ive never rlly felt this way before). has anyone else experienced this or something similar? :(