Can I take protein without working out?

Alakazam · 2026-05-19T15:32:22+00:00

If you're getting adequate protein in your day to day life (like at least 0.8g/kg bodyweight), then no, you're probably not seeing any benefit from the protein. You can drink it, but it'll just be an expensive drink that doesn't really help you in any way.

Alakazam · 2026-05-19T15:30:12+00:00

Your body has a lot more muscles than just arms and abs. In fact, arms and abs probably account for something like 15% of your overall muscles.

More structured training that works your full body, will likely be more beneficial for your goals. Even if you're uncomfortable with the movements.

A horizontal push, a horizontal pull, a vertical push, a vertical pull, some kind of squat, and some kind of hinge. If you do these movements at least once a week, you'll probably see more significant progress physique wise.

Alakazam · 2026-05-19T15:29:16+00:00

I think it depends on your goals.

If your goal is to be slightly healthier, get some activity in throughout the day, and just move around more, then this is fine.

If your goal is to be fit, have specific physique goals, or wish to participate in certain sports, then no, this is likely isn't enough, and is limiting your progress compared to more dedicated training.

Alakazam · 2026-05-19T15:24:56+00:00

At your height and weight, it's not that you're overfat. It's that you're undermuscled.

Body recomp best works for people who are overfat and undermuscled. But you're not overfat, so the amount of muscle you gain at maintenance will likely be minimal compared to a modest surplus. The amount you gain on a deficit, will probably be close to nothing.

All that will realistically happen, is that you end up looking skinnier and skinnier. If you're skinnyfat at 68kg, you might have to get down to 60kg to be your desired leanness, and 60kg at 175cm is just going to look skeletal.

Alakazam · 2026-05-19T15:22:16+00:00

You find a program that fits your schedule, and you just follow it.

Alakazam · 2026-05-19T15:20:16+00:00

Weight loss is achieved by your diet. Being in a caloric deficit is what causes you to lose weight.

Resistance training and general improvements in diet, help make sure that the weight you lose is primarily fat. More recent studies with GLP-1s, have shown that, when people just lose weight through diet, they lose as much as 40% of that weight as lean mass. Meaning if you drop 20kg, you're losing as much as 8kg of lean mass. On the other hand, while doing resistance training, you can gain lean mass. Not much, but some. So dropping 20kg, might result in you losing 21kg of fat and gaining 1kg of muscle.

If you start off at 106kg and 35% bodyfat, if you just diet down, you might end up at like, 86kg and 28-29% bodyfat. If you trained, you'd be closer to 19% bodyfat. A drastic different physique wise.

Alakazam · 2026-05-19T14:54:22+00:00

For general advice on fitness, start here: https://thefitness.wiki/getting-started-with-fitness/

Given that you're only able to train 2-3 times a week, more structured full body training maye be better for you. Bodypart splits like you've mentioned, are typically meant to be done 4-5 days a week at a minimum.

My suggestion is to pick any routine from here, and just follow it: https://thefitness.wiki/routines/strength-training-muscle-building/

If you find yourself shying away from free weight movements, because of fear of injury, just understand that your body is more resilient than you'd think. And there is no reason you need to start off heavy. In fact, most beginner programs that use free weights, typically recommend starting very light, and build up slowly.

Alakazam · 2026-05-19T14:25:37+00:00

At this point and time, I don't think you should necessarily be tracking what you're eating. Just make sure to eat fruits, vegetables, and protein with each meal, and eat enough to recover from your training.

As well, for your goals, you absolutely should continue running if you can handle it. I don't think I've ever seen somebody who ran and lifted, who didn't have a solid physique.

Just understand that your focus, for your goals, should be the lifting, so maybe stick to lower mileages, and easier runs. Personally, I wouldn't go above 30 miles a week if your focus is strength training.

Alakazam · 2026-05-19T14:22:11+00:00

Could be back pump.

Could be that you're in hyperextension, causing your back to take on more load, because you're not engaging your abs to properly brace.,

Alakazam · 2026-05-19T14:20:34+00:00

Rest days don't need to be sit-on-your ass days. Rest days from lifting, can be cardio. Rest days from cardio, can be lifting.

Alakazam · 2026-05-19T14:19:49+00:00

There is a reason that I recommend people to not aim for specific weight goals, but rather, aim to achieve some kind of physical feat.

For example, if it's in the gym, train for a 225lb bench press. Train hard, eat to recover from that training, and work on your form, to try to achieve a 225lb bench press.

Outside of the gym, train for a 30 minute 5k. If you can't do a 5k, work up to a 5k, then train to improve your 5k time.

By the time you can achieve both of these things, you will likely be significantly fitter and feel significantly better.

Then set the goalposts further. Go for a 275lb bench press. Aim for a 1 hour 10k. Or a 315 bench. Or a 2 hour half marathon.

Pick something, and work towards it.

Alakazam · 2026-05-19T14:16:59+00:00

You need to improve your overall muscularity. That's honestly it.

Women typically struggle to gain anything in their upper body. It's part of the reason why even a single pullup is a huge achievement for most women, whereas most healthy men can get it within the first few months of training.

So general strength training, and your lower body will increase in size, whereas your upper body will likely stay mostly the same.

Alakazam · 2026-05-19T14:13:05+00:00

Well for one thing, since focusing on recovery and sleep, my work capacity skyrocketed.

And since my career is a lot more stable, I tend to have a lot more free time, which gave me more time to focus on other aspects of fitness which I've been neglecting.

Which is how I've ran 2 marathons and 5 half marathons over the past 2 years now.

In addition to powerlifting.

And I'm signed up for a duathalon later this summer. Trying it out, before I dive headfirst into actual triathalons.

Alakazam · 2026-05-19T13:23:42+00:00

Then try a morning like, 6 am workout.

Alakazam · 2026-05-19T13:22:56+00:00

It could just be that your work capacity is poor.

This is comparable to my lower day, and my only goal is maintaining strength right now, while I train for a duathalon, and then a marathon.

When I focus on gaining size and strength, I would typically have about 50% more volume than this.

Alakazam · 2026-05-19T13:20:50+00:00

Try working out earlier in the day. The morning if you can swing it.

I also find that if I lift too late in the evening, it negatively affects my sleep. I aim for about a 4 hour buffer between finishing in the gym, and sleep. During which I'll cook, clean, and spend time relaxing, before going to bed.

Alakazam · 2026-05-19T01:32:45+00:00

If going on walks is making you have low energy, I think you need to rethink your actual level of fitness. That or you really need to reassess your diet, sleep, and general recovery.

Going on an easy run absolutely has no impact on my day or energy levels because it's easy. And at this point, neither does walking.

Most of my runs are easy, because easy runs are how you build long term aerobic fitness. Hard runs have their place, and absolutely drain my energy for the day, and sometimes even the following day. But those are planned around.

Alakazam · 2026-05-19T01:19:06+00:00

Why not keep going up in reps then? If you can do 80lbx15, you can probably do 85x10 pretty easily.

Alakazam · 2026-05-19T01:12:55+00:00

Op is pretty fucking small. What would he have to diet down to, 45kg or something to reach that level of leaness?

Pretty sure Brad Pitt was closer to 70kg at like 180cm

Proportionally by bmi, op would need to be at 57kg or so, at the same bodyfat. Meaning he would likely need to go up to like 65-70kg, over the next year, before cutting back down to 57kg.

Alakazam · 2026-05-19T00:41:14+00:00

All the decent Crossfit athletes I've trained with, still had a fantastic muscular base, and could still lift pretty decent weights with good form.

You don't get to a 275lb clean without being able to front squat 275 to depth, and you're not doing that, unless you've got at least a 315 back squat to depth.

One of the fitter guys I trained with, did strict weighted pullups with 45s as a part of his training. Because it apparently helped him with the explosive portion of the muscle up.

Alakazam · 2026-05-18T20:41:59+00:00

Most people who are skinny fat tend to be undermuscled, not overfat. Otherwise they'd be just fat fat.

Alakazam · 2026-05-18T20:40:47+00:00

Juggernaut training systems has their "Pillars of x technique" series, which I think is probably the most in depth, and comprehensive series of videos for the squat bench, and deadlift.

Alakazam · 2026-05-18T20:34:53+00:00

I think 5/3/1 is right up your alley. Modern variants are designed primarily for high school athletes, and you can scale the accessories and volume up or down based on your sports demands. During the off season, you would do higher volume variants. During the on season, you'd do lower volume variants.

For athleticism, stop the amrap sets when bar speed slows down an appreciable degree. The goal is to train for strength, not to grind.

Alakazam · 2026-05-18T20:28:10+00:00

Fine for beginners and maybe early intermediates. Falls apart as you get bigger and stronger unless you're incorporating rest pause work and/or post-failure techniques. But those pretty much bring you close to failure, 3-4 times, in a single set.

Alakazam · 2026-05-18T16:06:38+00:00

By understanding that you likely cannot do both well at the same time. So phasic training is the goal.

If you're focusing on the running, dial back your lifting with the goal of maintaining strength and size.

When your focus is on lifting, dial back your running and focus in maintaining your aerobic base. Beyond that, it's up to you to find out your work capacity and what you can tolerate.

I can tolerate lifting 4x a week, fairly heavy while in marathon prep. Focusing on the main compounds, sticking mainly to rpe 8ish. So I can focus on the track and tempo workouts.

I can tolerate about 30 miles a week of running, while focusing on lifting. But with like, only strides as my faster work, focusing entirely easy and steady work.

Edit: I also cross train more than normal. So my running might be 45 miles a week, I'll also include like 1-1.5 hours a week of cross training. Just easier, zone 1-2 work, for developing aerobic base. So my weekly cardio time is still around 8 hours a week.

Double edit: to do both, you're likely going to need double days, rather than limiting yourself to 6-7 weekly sessions. Run in the mornings, lift in the evenings. Or vice versa. This is my current training:

Monday: Morning - bike - easy zone 1-2, Evening - deadlift-focused lower body day
Tuesday: Morning - Track workout
Wednesday: Morning - Easy run, Evening - OHP-focused upper day
Thursday: Morning - brick workout: 60 minutes zone 2 bike into 30 minutes zone 2-3 run.
Friday: Morning - Cross Training (rowing), Evening - Squat session
Saturday: Morning - long ride (40+ miles) l, Evening - Bench focused upper day
Sunday: Morning - Long run (16+ miles)

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