r/strengthtraining

Hello! Hope y'all are having a fantastic day. I am a beginner lifter (20F) looking for advice, critique, and suggestions on my current lifting routine. I have been lurking around the gym for a few years but have only been consistent for the past two months. Really excited because I finally feel like I look forward to the gym every day and I can feel the mental health benefits. I have never followed a dedicated program and figured now is a good time to get advice on what I am doing.

My goal at the gym is to get leaner and stronger. I am at a healthy bodyweight, but I think putting on muscle would be the best for me healthwise. When I first started this journey, calisthenics really interested me but at the moment I feel like I need to work on basic strength in order to get there someday. Can't even do a pushup (and forget about a chinup/pullup).

I've been doing push/pull/legs/push/pull/legs/rest every week. Added my current reps and weight to give a general idea of where I am strengthwise.

Push day:

• Bench press 3x5-8 @ 55lb (this one is a STRUGGLE. slowly working on adding reps...)
• Tricep extension on cables 3x5-8 @ 22.5lb
• Dumbbell seated overhead press 3x5-8 @ 20lb
• Skullcrusher 3x5-12 @ 20lb (fixed barbell; on the second push day I do the machine tricep dip instead)
• Iso-Lateral chest press 3x5-8 @ 17.5lb (second push day is chest fly)
• Lateral raises 3x5-12 (been doing dumbbell and machine and neither feels right...everything is going to my traps. really want this exercise to work as I'm trying to get bigger shoulders for a more androgynous look but not sure how to fix it)

Pull day:

• Bent over barbell row 3x5-8 @ 75lb
• Incline curls 3x5-8 @ 15lb
• Bent over one arm dumbbell row 3x5-8 @ 35lb (on second day I do one arm seated cable rows)
• Lat pulldown 3x5-8 @ 75lb
• Dumbbell preacher curl 3x5-12 @ 10lb (been a struggle to go up on weight. feel like I can get a lot of reps with 10lb but barely any at all with 12.5lb)
• Reverse fly 3x5-8 @ 50lb

Leg day:

• Barbell squat 3x5 @ 95lb
• Leg extension 3x5-8 @ 120lb
• Seated leg curl 3x5-8 @ 95lb
• Smith machine standing calf raise @ 135lb
• Bulgarian split squat 3x5-8 @ 17.5lb (why do these SUCK?! sweat like a pig every time)

I've been experimenting with cable glute kickbacks, back extensions, barbell RDLs, and goblet squats for leg day. Not sure which ones I should do and leg day already feels so tiring.

In general I'd like to add resistance band assisted chinups and pushups and some more variety on leg day, but I'm not sure what to cut and add. Feel like I have a good amount of exercises (I'm able to complete everything, and feel like I hit a stopping point at the end) but I don't know if I've chosen the correct exercises or if I should do different things on the different days.

Any advice y'all have would be helpful! Love this community <3

Hey everyone, i need some exercise advice. So I have a split that works well for me. One of these days is dedicated to legs. Currently I'm doing Single leg extensions, leg press, hamstring curls, and calf raises. After a few months, I am not really big on doing leg presses. I feel like it's not a very beneficial exercise. I feel like it's a movement that nearly everyone can load a lot of weight on for show, and just doesn't really do much for me. Now ik what you're thinking. "Do squats". And that's the problem. I use to. I loveddd doing them. Unfortunately my body was not meant for it (sciatic nerve). The amount of times I've killed my back (and i mean 10/10 pain just trying to roll over in bed because of my sciatic flare up) has been too many times. I've wore belts, done them on the smith and had trainers watch my form. It's just not possible without sever injury. I've tried platform belt squats and despite it not feeling very comfortable and a slight ache in my back. I like hacksquats but my one gym location doesnt have them. What is a good exercise I can do that i can easily overload it, and wont kill my back?

Trainers and Fitness instructors seem to love the deadlift. I can't seem to do it right. I never feel it in my hamstrings, just my lower back. I'll check the mirror and it looks right, but never feels good. My back will ache. What am I doing wrong? Is this such a foundational lift that I should keep working on it or should this exercise be left for professionals?

TDLR: Down below my idea of a new training schedule. Is this a good schedule? Please explain why it is or isn't and am I hitting every muscle enough for strength and growth?

Hey there new to this sub. I would love to know people's opinion about this.  I used to be quite fit around 7 years ago. Think kickboxing with a little lifting with music in a group class.

Side question I improved IMMENSELY on my legs but I am NOT sore at all. Week 0 I could squat 30 kgs for 10 reps. Week 8 I can squat 100 for 2 reps. I thought soreness was a sign of hypertrophy so I've been told.

Now I am back into the game but never tried a "gym split". So I thought:

Lower, upper, lower, upper

But the upper days were taking so incredibly long that I started to take a look at Push Pull Legs (with legs to start because that's my fav day. Yes I'm a female, how cliché. 

Here is how I thought I'd do it, since I wanna hit PPL (and a focus on core) twice a week without going 6 days a week. I rather go 4 longer sessions. 

This is what I thought out:

GYM ROUTINE

Monday - Legs + Push

Tuesday - Pull + Core

Wednesday - Rest

Thursday - Legs + push

Friday  - Pull + Core

Saturday - rest

Sunday - rest

Legs:

1. Hip thrust

2. Squats

3. RDLs

4. Hip abduction

5. Hip adduction

6. Bulgarian Split Squats

Push:

1. Bench Press

2. Incline Dumbbell press

3. Shoulder press

4. Lateral raises dumbbel

5. Overhead tricep extension

6. Tricep pushdown

Pull:

1. Seated cable row (narrow grip)

2. Lat pulldowns

3. T bar row

4. Delt fly

5. EZ bar bicep curl

6. Hammer curl

Core:

1. Ab wheel

2. Plank

3. Side plank

4. Ab crunch cable

5. Cable ab rotation

6. Hanging leg raise

I just turned 18 recently and decided to end my sports career instead of doing it in college because it deteriorates my body. I'm pushing 200lbs at 6'1 with some body fat. I lift around 275 on bench and squat (mostly because I've been training for raw athleticism), but these lifts have gone up substantially since sports ended. My deadlift is unknown and I'm not sure what technique i should use since conventional feels weird, assuming because of longer levers. Just wondering what standards for my age would be and any advice.

Edit: My body isn't actually deteriorating, it was just an exaggeration. My knees and ankles just get cranky if I don't warm up properly.

Hi everyone, 52f here. I’m wishing to increase strength and muscle tone at home but am unsure of what kind of training routine to use. Can anyone please recommend any apps or YouTube tutorials? Not looking for gym equipment workouts, just free weights.

Tia

If you wanted to focus on getting stronger, what would you do? Building muscle / looking is great, but my main goal is that I’d like to be strong.

I’m talking:
- Bench 225+
- 15-20 pull-ups
- Deadlift 315+
- Squat 315+

I (30M, 5’10, 175lbs) am getting back into strength training after falling out of it. My goal is to get stronger and build true strength. About 10 years ago I was an avid lifter. Shredded, but never really “strong”.

Hello all!

I'm a 6'3, 120kg man, I have been going to the gym for a year and a half now but I've noticed my bench press doesn't move up much in terms of weight or reps...every other lift is getting higher and higher in numbers throughout the weeks, going from such as 30kg skull crushers to 60kg currently and my most impressive being 80kg seated shoulder press (machine) - 200kg currently (yes, I'm rather proud of that) so why on earth is my BP PR only 140kg for 2?

How do I grow my chest and move more weight?

Feels as though my chest is lagging behind compared to the rest of my lifts :(

I have a female colleague that started lifting 3 months ago. Shes telling me shes already putting up 120kg (264lbs) for 10 reps on hip thrust after 3 months.

Shes weighs 62kg (136lbs). I checked strength standards on strengthlevel and her lift for her bodyweight puts her at advanced level already?!

Does she have elite genetics or something or is strengthlevel off with its standards?

Just how impressive is her lift, im curious.

For people who keep a real training log, what do you write down besides the basic set data?

I am thinking about things like:

• top set vs backoff
• warmup notes
• paused/tempo/variation details
• commands practiced
• rest times
• bodyweight
• sleep/food notes
• equipment
• technique cue for the day
• whether a set moved better or worse than expected

What has actually been useful when you look back weeks or months later, and what ended up being clutter?

What is your goto place to log them? I have dabbling between typing on phone, writing and sometimes when i get lazy i even just take voice notes. Pretty hard to be consistent.

Hi friends! I've been weightlifting for awhile. Apologies in advance for the kind of lengthy post...
Currently I have been doing planks, side planks, crunches, scissor kicks, and push ups mon-friday.
I've also been doing
Monday: Dumbbell curls, dips, concentration curls, and triceps extensions.
Tuesday: Lateral dumbbell raises, shoulder press, and dumbbell shoulder shrug.
Wednesday: Russian twists, hell taps, heel touches
Thursday: Incline Dumbbell bench press, Flat dumbbell bench press, Incline dumbbell fly, and Incline delt fly.
Friday: Dumbbell suitcase squat, dumbbell calf raise, dumbbell sumo squat, dumbbell deadlift.
Last night I was chatting with gemini to get a decent idea in regards to if what I'm doing is actually best for growth and increasing strength. Gemini basically said I should make these adjustments

• Monday: Back & Biceps (Pull)

Bent-Over Dumbbell Rows or Pull-ups (3 sets of 8-12 reps) [CRITICAL ADDITION]

Dumbbell Curls (3 sets of 10-12 reps)

Concentration Curls (3 sets of 12-15 reps)

Dumbbell Shrugs (3 sets of 12-15 reps)

• Tuesday: Chest & Triceps (Push)

Incline Dumbbell Bench Press (3 sets of 8-10 reps)

Flat Dumbbell Bench Press or Pushups (3 sets to failure)

Incline Dumbbell Flys (3 sets of 12 reps)

Dips (3 sets of 8-12 reps)

Tricep Extensions (3 sets of 10-12 reps)

• Wednesday: Core & Cardio

Russian Twists (3 sets of 20 reps)

Crunches (3 sets of 15-20 reps)

Scissor Kicks (3 sets of 45 seconds)

Heel Taps / Heel Touches (3 sets of 20 reps)

• Thursday: Shoulders & Rear Delts

Dumbbell Shoulder Press (3 sets of 8-10 reps)

Lateral Dumbbell Raises (4 sets of 12-15 reps)

Incline Rear Delt Flys (3 sets of 15 reps)

• Friday: Legs

Deadlifts (3 sets of 5-8 reps)

Suitcase Squats or Sumo Squats (3 sets of 10-12 reps)

Calf Raises (4 sets of 15-20 reps)

My question is... Do you all agree? Is this enough? Should I really cut out the planks, side planks, crunches, scissor kicks, and pushups daily?
Thank you in advance!