r/bodyweightfitness

I’ve been really heavy back in the gym since mid February. But over the last 3 weeks, I’ve been feeling incredibly drained incredibly quickly. This is frustrating because I feel as though I should be beginning to really feel myself coming into shape at this point. It has been a short time, just a few months but I feel out of a groove and regressing. A few days a week I do calisthenics or weightlifting session mid day and cardio in the afternoon. Other days I do cardio.

But during the calisthenics and weightlifting, I run out of energy what feels like immediately. This includes lightheadedness and seeing stars. On the walk back from the gym I am about ready to fall asleep.

Anything I should be considering here in terms of nutrition or hydration?

I used to think calorie tracking was bullshit because my estimates were always “close enough.”

They weren’t

Once I actually started weighing food properly for a few weeks, I realized I was underestimating calories by a LOT.

Mainly from stupid small things:

• oil while cooking
• sauces
• random snacks
• “just one bite”
• peanut butter

The craziest one for me was smoothies. I made one that I thought was healthy and light… it was almost 900 calories.

I think this is honestly why so many people feel stuck with fat loss. They’re not lying when they say they don’t eat that much. Most people genuinely don’t realize how fast calories add up.

Especially with foods that are considered “healthy.”

Hey everyone,

I'm currently recovering from a lumbar spine herniation. After more than a year of being kinda scared of getting back into shape, i found some success with calsthenics. progress is great in everyting but lower body

I’ve managed to progress from regular squats -> assisted single-leg squats -> ctual pistol squats.

after hitting the pistol squats, I started noticing my lower back aching again. In hindsight, I probably wasn't paying enough attention to "butt wink" at the bottom of the movement.

I’d love to get some insight from the community:

• whats the next difficulty after squat that you found most success with
• For those who suffer from back pain/herniations: what specific lower body variations or cues helped you progress safely?

Thanks in advance!

Hi,

I am going through recommend routine and in the hinge progression we have deadlifts (the gif link is broken),

I do not have access to the barbell and want to perform this using body weight only can buy resistance band if needed, as gif is not there I am not use if we, where should I start for the hinge progression without any equipment? I got bit confused in that part as I thought that wiki only focused on the body weight workout, I am just starting so need to start from beginner level and might not be able to perform hard forma yet.

Thanks

I'm working on a gas station "12 hours per shift"

After that I travel to my home for about 30 min "and 30 min to go to work"

I help my parents with some home work "1 hour"

I sleep for 7-8 hours and I study for programming with c++ for the rest of my time

I don't have time even for walking "I have 2 - 4k steps in good days"

I don't have treadmill to walk at home or a cycle, I mostly do normal workouts and I really like train everyday, when is possible

I mostly struggle with my knee and triceps

I accepted any critical thinking

idk if this is the right place to post this but im currently cutting for the first time so that i can bulk

i started 5 months ago and i dont know anything about fitness but i weighed 80 kilos, started counting my calories two weeks ago and i dropped to 78 which was too fast for my liking

i will try to drop a kilo in two weeks instead of one till i drop to 75 kilos. also i noticed that i can still increase a rep on most lifts every other session on some lifts and every session on others.

i want to start a bulk from 75 kilos to the weight i will end up with in the end of the year if i was on a constant caloric surplus that would make me gain 250grams each week, i think it would be like an extra 12 kg on me give or take. when i log my food i only log food and not exercises which i think is maybe why i dropped weight fast these two weeks.

i wanted to ask, from your own experiences, do you end up feeling too bloated on the end of a bulk? or do you just cut before that point? i dont have any good sources on how to do a bulk and a cut and i am worried i might gain more fat than i would muscle.

I have been doing bodybuilding for a pretty decent time, and recently i have been wanting to learn some calisthenics skills, but i don't know how to organize that or if that actually is worth it

I still want to primarily do bodybuilding every week a decent amount of times, so should i incorporate calisthenics in my workout routine, and if yes, how could i do that?

I have a pretty flexible schedule, so my problem isn't really finding time to incorporate it into my routine, and I'm mostly interested in calisthenics for the endurance and strength benefits.

Genuine question because I feel like everyone who trains has that one person they look at and think yeah that's where I want to get to.

Mine changed a lot over the years. Started with the classic unrealistic stuff then slowly got more realistic about what's actually achievable naturally and what timeline that requires.

Curious who yours is and why specifically that person. And if you don't have one I'm actually more curious about that — do you just train for yourself with no reference point or does it not matter to you?

After doing a workout routine, do you think it's necessary to immediately consume protein or do you just go about the rest of the day and just make sure to reach a certain amount before going to sleep that night? Or do you think that it's just a matter of getting in a certain amount by the end of that week?

I'm asking because last year I used to down protein shakes and meals immediately after my routine to try and not only recover my calories faster but also bulk too. But since then, I have done my routine over the span of a month without intaking protein right after and noticed that I was still building muscle seemingly just the same if not better.

So I'm trying to figure out what ultimately matters for building muscle from my workouts.

guys hello from childhood I have been playing some game or another, always active i can't remember a day when I was at home during evening hours doesn't matter if it was Sunday Saturday or anything till I was 17 years old...all of my friends were like me very enthusiastic about sports so I kept doing it enjoying and having fun.....

then I got admission in medical college with classes from 8 am to 5 pm. the place I am at isn't close to any sports facility. none of my friends are much interested in sports, all of them go to gym which I can't do (no medical issue but since I have always played games outside I can bear of doing same reps and sets at a place) and gradually over years I have lost my body weight and muscle mass so much.

now I am 22 years old so roughly 4 years since I have entered a sedentary lifestyle. Food is not that great so I keep cutting food.....no exercise

seeing myself like this now I feel pathetic....I want to get back in shape can you guys help please, any routine any schedule would help

I’m not looking to get huge or build a ton of muscle or anything, I just want to look a bit more toned and feel a little stronger overall. I’m already pretty lean, but I’d describe myself as slightly skinny fat, so I mostly just want a bit more definition and muscle rather than losing weight or dramatically changing how I look. For context, I’m an 18 year old female, around 103 lbs and 5'1, and I feel like even a small amount of muscle would probably make a noticeable difference in both how I look and feel.

There are also a few specific areas I’m kind of self conscious about and hoping to improve if possible. I have a bit of what looks like armpit fat that I’d really love to reduce, although I’m aware it could also just be breast tissue or anatomy related, which I know probably isn’t something exercise can directly change. I’m mostly just mentioning it for context because I’d love to feel a bit more confident in tops that make that area more noticeable. I also really dislike how soft or flabby my lower back feels, so building some muscle and looking a little tighter overall is something I’d genuinely like to work toward.

The biggest challenge is that I’m starting college, so my schedule is going to be pretty busy and inconsistent. I realistically don’t think I’ll be someone who can commit to super long workouts, spend hours at the gym, or follow a really intense routine every day. I also don’t have access to a gym or weights, so bodyweight exercises are pretty much my only option for now. I’m hoping for something simple, realistic, and flexible, maybe exercises I can do on a whim whenever I have a bit of free time, that would still help me slowly build strength and a little muscle over time. Even if progress is gradual, I just want something sustainable that fits into a busy schedule and helps me feel stronger, more toned, and more comfortable in my body overall.

I’ve also been thinking about strengthening my TVA/core for posture and stability reasons, but that’s kind of a separate conversation for now.

Hello! Apologies if this isn't the right place to ask this.

For the past 3ish months I've been doing some of Caroline Girvan's strength training workouts and absolutely loving it. I've lost about 32 pounds so far and I'm getting strong! But I'll be working at summer camp from end of May to August, and I won't be able to go to a gym or use weights for that time. How can I make a simple workout to keep my strength up (besides the work I'll be doing at camp)? I figured stuff like pushups, situps/crunches, planks, squats, lunges, pull ups if i can find a spot. I'll also be walking a TON which will be great!! The "workout" can't take a long time either since I don't have a lot of breaks and they aren't long when I do. Is there just a basic set of exercises I can do like every other day? Thank you so much for your help.

Im not sure if this is the right sub, but I am a teenage girl who wants to build muscle in order to gain strength and weight. (Underweight)

I don't have access to a gym, but I've been working out with a single 5 kg dumbell I have at home. I've found myself struggling to use it for things like bicep curls for more then 1 set, and frankly I'm really embarrassed and ashamed about this.

What alternative could I use? My weakness is really de-motivating me.

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I started working out 2 months ago, I'm trying to get into calisthenics. I train everyday, I do 10 pushups (I progressed from knee pu), 5 pistol squats (I progressed from bss), i do some pulling training with resistance bands and I do some compression work, I'm working towards the l sit, I can do tucked l sit now.

Is this enough workout? I'm trying to keep it minimal so I can stick to it since I'm still new and I have a busy schedule..

Is there anything I need to change or add?

Any easy calisthenics skills I can work on now?

So I started training again in march after a long laziness pause.
I have little time so I went with a minimal push pull legs routine.
I could still do 5 clean pull-ups from my last workout spike. I’m lucky enough to have a pull-up bar close so I thought I’d do GTG style pull-ups when I come by the bar as my pulling work. I tried to be very careful not to over do it. Did maybe 5, max 8 pull-ups spread over a full day - 1 each time I come by the pullup bar. No progressions for 4-6 weeks, ate all the protein, had enough sleep.
Bam! recently been feeling discomfort in my right triceps/shoulder region. I think it’s is overuse, probably at the lat insertion.
This is so frustrating.
I wanted a minimal routine that I can just do routinely and consistently. Now that will put me out of pulling commission for god knows how long. And even then, how am I supposed to continue? Do a year of tendon conditioning before. attempting pull-ups again?
Probably won’t do that because it is so boring.
So frustrating!!!

/end of rant

I workout at home and will often do my first set, then go off and do something for maybe 5 mins until I feel fully recovered and then go again, and repeat. But I see lots of people saying the ideal rest time is closer to 1 minute. Am I hurting my progress by doing this?

When I wait longer like this, I can do pretty much the same # of reps each set or maybe even increase by the end. If I only wait 1 minute my # of reps til failure decreases pretty rapidly… But maybe that’s still the ideal way to do it?

I would appreciate advice but also explanation as to why one way is better than the other (or not)!

As a 46 year old man, who's just looking to keep in genreral health and shape, the below routine has seen me through.

This isn't about getting big, just something that could be done for the next 40 years, keeps me feeling and looking good.

I believe it covers all movement patterns.

2 sets of each, 2 minute rest between sets

Performed 4 times a week, so workout A Monday, B Wednesday, C Thursday, A Saturday. The following Monday would start with workout B etc etc

Workout A

Pull Ups

Dips

Bodyweight Squats

Dead bugs

Workout B

Chin Ups

Elevated Push ups

Split Squats

Kettlebell Swings

Workout C

Kettlebell Clean and Press

Kettlebell Rows or High Pulls

Push Ups

Farmers Walk

Along with this 8-12k steps per day plus intermittent fasting.

Ands that it, nice and simple.

Hey everyone,

I’m a 41-year-old dad with a stressful teaching job, fragmented sleep because of the baby/toddler phase, and limited recovery capacity. My main goal right now is long-term health, consistency, and staying fit.

I plan on starting to do:
- 2x/week Zone 2 cardio (30–40 min)
- 2x/week full body training (~20–30 min)

My minimalist full body routine approach is basically:
- Bodyweight squats 5x10–15 or as many as possible
- Push-ups 5x10–15 …
- Resistance band rows 5x10–15…

Do you think this minimalist setup is enough long-term for:
- maintaining/building some muscle
- cardiovascular health if done consistently for years?

Or would you strongly recommend adding more movement patterns (hinge/core/vertical pull etc.) even in a low-stress “minimum effective dose” approach?

Would love realistic opinions from people balancing training with family/stress instead of optimized fitness lifestyles.

Just a thought: What’s to stop me using GtG protocol for my whole body?

GtG advice is always “only do this for one movement”. Choose one exercise you want to increase your reps/strength in, do an easy but perfectly executed 50% effort set, roughly every hour, throughout the day, roughly every day, completely separate from your more traditional resistance training regimen for all other body parts.

But rather than just doing, say, 5 pull-ups every hour, why not do 5 pull-ups + 5 hanging leg raises + 5 pike pushups + 5 Cossack squats?

If it works for one thing, and supposedly doesn’t accumulate CNS fatigue, why wouldn’t it work for all things concurrently?

I get that this protocol is about mechanical or neural efficiency, essentially, so it’s certainly not for hypertrophy. That’s fine, I’m 48, I have zero free time to indulge in satisfying immersive workouts (2 small kids), I have zero appetite for force-feeding protein, I have a classic hardgainer body that’s only ever known glacially slow progress despite consistent exercise my entire adult life. New gains on my mediocre (but good for my age) physique might be off the table regardless! So I’m now only chasing longevity, ideally through an idiot-proof habitual practice. One that frequently gets me up out of my working-from-home office chair for a couple minutes at a time.

Anyone out there ever tried to grease up their entire groove?

I used to smoke while trying to stay fit. At first, I thought it didn’t matter. I would drag myself to the gym, but halfway through a run or even during basic sets, I was out of breath. My recovery felt slow, and some days I couldn’t push as hard as I knew I could. Lifting heavy weights became exhausting, and even small improvements in my strength felt impossible.

Eventually, I realized the cigarettes weren’t just affecting my lungs they were holding back every part of my fitness. I decided to quit. The first week was tough, but within a few weeks, I noticed a huge difference. I could run longer, lift heavier, and recover faster between workouts. My stamina improved, and workouts actually started to feel enjoyable instead of a struggle.

Quitting smoking didn’t just make me healthier it made me stronger, faster, and more consistent in the gym. Now, I look back and realize that every cigarette I smoked was a roadblock to my own progress.