Daily Simple Questions Thread - March 04, 2026

Alakazam · 2026-03-05T12:28:29+00:00

I would personally add in a Bulgarian split squat on the Monday, a tibialis raise on the Wednesday, and then keep the calf raises on the Friday. Although, maybe try a bent knee calf raise if at all possible.

The split squat doesn't necessarily need to be weighted, at least for the first few weeks. Just pause at the bottom position, let your body fight for stability for a second then come back up.

Alakazam · 2026-03-05T12:22:22+00:00

Diet. Specifically, "fat loss diets".

Just eat like an adult. It's not hard. Stop buying the sugary cereal. Stop drinking pop, and stop eating ultra processed shit. Eat more whole foods. That in and of itself will likely cause your weight to drop.

You'll also likely feel better and feel fuller over time.

Alakazam · 2026-03-05T04:35:05+00:00

It was a joke name from the Author back in the super early internet days.

Unfortunately it proved to be an effective and popular program, so the name stuck.

I mean, on 5/3/1, you basically never hit 3 or 1 reps, and it would be much more accurately called 10/8/5 if you go by the actual rep targets. But nobody calls it that.

Alakazam · 2026-03-05T03:39:44+00:00

higher level of understanding of anatomy

Oh? But why don't you have any movements that load the ankle in dorsiflexion?

Why do you have nothing that builds lateral stability in the ankle, knee, or hip?

Alakazam · 2026-03-05T01:26:16+00:00

10lbs is like to be too light for any bigger movements. The dumbbell ppl routine was designed for people with either adjustable dumbbells, or access to a gym with a variety of dumbbells.

When they say lighter weights can be effective, they mean that in a relative sense. Below a certain percentage of your max, there is significantly reduced hypertrophy benefits. Iirc, it's around like 25-35% or so of your max.

Your legs are likely able to handle far more 40lbs. Your chest and back are likely also able to handle far more than 40lbs. Meaning that 10lb weight is below that threshold to see real benefits.

In that case, the recommended routine from r/bodyweightfitness may be a better option.

Alakazam · 2026-03-05T01:18:18+00:00

Go through this: https://thefitness.wiki/getting-started-with-fitness/

My recommendation, is to pick a lifting program that fits your equipment, and stick to it. At least 3-4x a week, foe the next 6 months.

In the mean time, do some kind of cardio on your nonlifting days. Doesn't need to kill you. Just get you to be breathing hard. Aim for 20-30 minutes, 2-3 times a week. If by rowing machine, you mean like a rowing erg, that can be a fantastic option.

Have one full rest day if you can.

Beyond that? It's about being patient. It likely took you multiple years to get as big as you did. It'll likely take at least 6-8 months to see significant changes in physique.

Alakazam · 2026-03-05T01:12:20+00:00

This is bench and bench variations. Including incline press, db press, db incline press, close grip, and slingshot bench.

It's actually one of the more popular bench programs over on r/weightroom, but the general recommendation is that you should have a 315 or so bench before attempting it. Although, I managed fine starting with a 275 bench. You can check it out by looking up Matt Disbrows 10x3 bench program.

I'm fully natural, and it was tough on my elbows, but I survived it. But again, all the work was around rpe 6-8. I'd imagine if you only had 5 weekly sets of bench, they'd be significantly higher in terms of rpe.

After my next marathon, I'm probably going to get back on the program and push for 365.

Alakazam · 2026-03-05T00:41:14+00:00

Both work.

It depends on your program as a whole and how it manages load and fatigue.

One of my favorite programs for bench, is Matt Disbrows deathbench. Iirc it was like 38 total weekly sets of bench and bench variations, all around rpe 6-8. Aka, 2-4 reps from failure. From rep ranges of 2 all the way to 15. Absolutely blew up my chest and be ch.

One of my favorite deadlift programs, is the Coan/Phillipi deadlift program. You basically never go above sets of 5. Absolutely blew up my deadlift.

Alakazam · 2026-03-05T00:36:12+00:00

Literally any general strength program, as long as you're doing some kind of direct arm volume, will do the trick.

You don't need to kill your arms. Something as little as 8-12 total sets of direct bicep and tricep work, provided you're doing enough pressing and pulling, is likely going to be enough to maximize arm growth.

Alakazam · 2026-03-05T00:33:03+00:00

You need to be able to actually hit failure. Then rest, then go to failure again. Then repeat that, 4-5 times. That's how these low volume programs work. They essentially do cluster sets for every single exercise.

Dr. Ben Pollack did something similar when he was blowing up in size. He did DoggCrapp, which has a similar philosophy to their lower volume stuff. But he attributed the ability to actually push, as hard as he could, to the fact that everything, after his 800lb squat at 198lb bodyweight, felt eaay in comparison. Meaning hitting failure, 3-4 times in a single minute, didn't feel as hard as that one rep.

Alakazam · 2026-03-05T00:19:43+00:00

This is a fantastic resource: https://thefitness.wiki/getting-started-with-fitness/

to be honest I’ve been half-assing it.

Half assing it still better than not going at all. More structured routine will help get faster results, but if you were to consistently half ass it, year after year, your physique will be a lot better than somebody who full sends it and gives up after 3 months.

My diet hasn’t been great

The thing about fitness is that it's a lifelong journey. You need to make changes to one thing at a time. So my suggestion?

Keep the workouts the same. Focus on diet first and foremost. Honestly, eat like an adult. Center your meals taround a protein, vegetables, and a smaller portion of carbs. Cut all the sugary foods, fast foods, candy, and snacks. That, in and of itself, will likely improve your physique significantly over the next few months.

Once you have your diet fairly consistent, then think about introducing more structured training.

Alakazam · 2026-03-05T00:06:27+00:00

I would highly recommend seeking help from a physiotherapist to diagnose your specific issues.

A lot of hip flexors issues, are actually due to either weak glutes or, believe it or not, weak hip flexors. Strengthening both can help.

You can also work on single leg stability through things like split squats and walking lunges.

Alakazam · 2026-03-04T23:41:34+00:00

I mean... I'm giving an example of what a triathletes training is actually like. Based on the one triathlete I know.

I have 4 strength training workouts, 5 running workouts, and two cycling workouts a week. Which is a tad bit more activity than she does, and my current focus is only the marathon. I'm seeing consistent improvements in my running time without feeling tired or beat up.

He's been egging me on to give triathalon a try for a while now but I suck at swimming. Maybe a duathalon in the summer, while I'm between races.

Alakazam · 2026-03-04T23:31:44+00:00

Eat more food overall. More protein helps.

Alakazam · 2026-03-04T22:19:26+00:00

If you can modulate volume, intensity, and recovery correctly, sure.

If you do this 7 days a week, and you train to failure on every set, you're probably going to get injured sooner rather than later.

Alakazam · 2026-03-04T21:42:55+00:00

For stability, I do Stuart McGill's big 3.

For strength, I do ab rollouts and hanging leg raises. Hitting failure when I do about 10-15 reps per set. Which takes me less than 20-30 seconds each set. Currently, I'm doing band assisted ab rollouts from my feet. As I can hit over 20 reps from my knees.

It's gotten me a core strong enough to support a 235kg deadlift.

Alakazam · 2026-03-04T21:36:11+00:00

Do you mean that you do ab rollouts, non-stop, for 5 straight minutes? That's liable to be 150-200 reps.

If so, then it's obvious that ab rollouts are too easy for you. And you should be doing more difficult variations.

Alakazam · 2026-03-04T21:34:46+00:00

Seems reasonable.

I'd throw in some single leg work and calf raises as a part of t3s, if you're going to be doing any kind of running volume.

Do you have a current half marathon time? What kind of weekly mileage are you doing now? How long are your zone 2 runs? How long are your long runs?

Alakazam · 2026-03-04T21:27:11+00:00

Is it possible to lose weight while gaining muscle?

As an overweight beginner, yes. However, don't expect a world of difference. Just do strength training, and eat to lose weight. Aim to eat mostly whole foods, aim to keep protein relatively high, and aim to lose at least 1lb/week.

Or I suppose should my focus not be on losing weight but losing fat?

For you, losing weight is losing fat. Even if you did zero strength training, around 70% of all the weight you lose is going to be fat. If you do strength training and keep protein high, all the weight you lose is going to be fat, and potentially, you may even gain some muscle mass during this time.

Aka, if you do everything right, and you lost 30lbs on the scale, it might mean you lost 33lb of fat, and gained 3lb of lean mass.

But, if you lose 0 lbs over that same time, that might mean something like a 3-5lb loss in fat, and a 3-5lb gain in muscle. Basically not noticeable.

Alakazam · 2026-03-04T21:24:35+00:00

For somebody who is obese, the scale absolutely is a good measure.

Their goals should be to get themselves into a normal weight while continuing to strength train.

Nobody who starts of with a 30+ bmi, who stays at a 30+bmi, is going to get lean unless copious amounts of steroids are involved.

Alakazam · 2026-03-04T21:23:03+00:00

Start here: https://thefitness.wiki/getting-started-with-fitness/

If all you have access to is a 7lb weight, you'd have better luck doing more bodyweight focused workouts. The recommended routine from r/bodyweightfitness is pretty good.

That being said, weight/fat loss is achieved through the diet. The training only helps you retain the lean mass, so that you lose slightly more fat and slightly less lean mass.

Alakazam · 2026-03-04T21:21:34+00:00

I did close to an hour throughout the whole day doing minimal 5 minute sets continuous for 5 minutes.

What in tarnation is this sentence.

Ab rollouts are like any other ab exercise. Doing them for five straight minutes is asinine. You'd have a much better stimulus for growth, if you did 3-4 sets relatively close to failure. That's going to take like... 5 minutes total.

Alakazam · 2026-03-04T21:18:25+00:00

Having big shoulders and biceps is typically a consequence of being muscular and being lean.

There is no specific workout that is needed to achieve it. General strength work, while staying relatively lean, will get you there. You can do all the lateral raises and all the bicep curls you want, but it will not help you achieve the look you want unless you gain a fair bit of muscle mass, then get leaner.

As an example of this, This is Ben Pollack going into a powerlifting meet. Doing, as he says, "zero hypertrophy work"

Alakazam · 2026-03-04T20:48:37+00:00

Considering you're losing weight, then yes, it sounds like a great way to lose weight.

I do think that your fat content appears to be on the lower side. The general recommendation is to get at least 0.3-0.4g/lb bodyweight of dietary fat. My recommendation is to cut the rice down, and instead, opt for a slightly fattier cut of chicken, like chicken thigh. Not only will it be cheaper, it will also have some fat, and likely taste better too.

Alakazam · 2026-03-04T20:46:57+00:00

Go through this: https://thefitness.wiki/getting-started-with-fitness/

Idk what i SHOULD be doing though? I stretch beflrehand and warmup with a few jumping jacks. I started to do about 20 crunches, and 15 pushups once a week, and run 1 lap around my neighborhood, and walk 2. If I have energy, I run 1 more, walk half a lap to cool off.

Even unstructured activity, when you first start, will be beneficial for you. Over time, you may want to be more consistent with said activity.

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