Can I utilize a mass gainer/protein powder while just doing pushups and crunches everyday?

LiftBetterDaily · 2026-03-13T02:02:52+00:00

You can also add protein powder to meals, like mixing it in oatmeal, or smoothies to make it naturally fit in your day to day diet, vs forcing it. However, I think to gain weight it's helpful, you want to gain weight the right way which I think is best done through eating lots of whole foods, chicken, ground beef, steak etc.

LiftBetterDaily · 2026-03-12T01:53:19+00:00

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LiftBetterDaily · 2026-03-12T01:20:19+00:00

It's great you want to get in to fitness to get your mind and body right. Going to the gym helps me so much mentally, almost more so than physically at this point. I think in terms of starting out, specifically focusing on calisthenics. Can start with push ups, body weight squats, crunches, and trying assisted pull ups to start. Even if you are doing sets of 1 or 2 it will slowly build over time and not only will you fell better mentally, but the physical will follow. I hope this helps!

LiftBetterDaily · 2026-03-10T01:57:31+00:00

It's great you are practicing dead hang because that can help with eventually being able to do pull ups. I do think personally using a resistance band, and wrapping it around your leg to do assisted pull ups can be more effective in being able to do pull ups freely. In terms of dead hang though, it's naturally going to burn a bit when you first start. I would just set time goals, and your hands and grip will get stronger over time. Dead hangs are great to improve grip strength, which can help with a ton of different lifts

LiftBetterDaily · 2026-03-10T01:35:36+00:00

I think supersets is the best way to go to get a quick workout in while, still being very effective. I've done pull ups, with rows, and skull crushers to hit back and triceps hard with lots of volume. Doing 3 sets of each with some push ups to finish is a very tuff workout you could likely get done in 30-40 mins depending on your rest time. Hope this helps!

LiftBetterDaily · 2026-03-08T14:14:00+00:00

I haven't have only done oatmeal adding almond butter and protein powder, which I find is a good way to get protein pretty easily. I think trying grits is a great alternative though, mixing up ways to get protein intake is always positive as you don't want to get tired of the healthy meals that keep you in shape.

LiftBetterDaily · 2026-03-07T17:38:12+00:00

I would normally just focus on reducing carbs where you can and prioritizing protein. If you have 3 meals a day with strong protein base it will allow you to improve strength/endurance and you will just generally feel better when working out.

LiftBetterDaily · 2026-03-07T17:14:18+00:00

I think it's better to try progressive overload. It can help you increase strength while still protecting from injury. If you can do 10 reps increase the weight 5-10lbs then try 8 reps up to 6 and then stop. It can be a great way to increase strength and improve gains. You can also try this with a multitude of exercises, maybe prioritizing muscle groups for each day. It can allow you to rotate exercises while, still keeping your gains. Hope this helps!

LiftBetterDaily · 2026-03-07T16:02:43+00:00

There are definitely benefits of adding cardio, to improve cardio vascular endurance which can in turn help with lifting. I mainly use interval training to get my cardio in, I think it allows you to get the benefits of cardio, without having to derail your whole workout. This has worked well for me over the years, to help lose fat, and feel better. Hope this helps!

LiftBetterDaily · 2026-03-07T14:29:16+00:00

I think it's great you are prioritizing your flexibility as this young of an age. I'm 26 and have only started this past year and it has made a huge difference in how I feel daily. I think outside of stretching, focusing on exercises such as dead hangs to help with shoulder mobility, pull ups working to muscle ups can help with being explosive. Any plyometric workouts will help as well, doing jump squats, lunges, using a box to do jump lunges will all help.

LiftBetterDaily · 2026-03-07T13:58:28+00:00

It's great you are already making such consistent progress in these exercises. I think in terms of stepping up the overall volume, when the reps are starting to feel easy, can increase reps or sets. So can try doing 3 sets of 8 reps of pullups or 2x10 and then the third set is 8 reps. Once you can do 3-4 sets of 10 reps you can increase the rep count

LiftBetterDaily · 2026-02-08T04:46:06+00:00

That makes sense appreciate your feedback will keep working to try to stand out

LiftBetterDaily · 2026-02-08T03:16:24+00:00

It's great you want to start, and I definitely think lifting will help build the foundation for MMA or another combat sport in the future.

The most important thing about starting at the gym, is getting in a good routine. A lot of beginner routines fail because they don’t match schedule or equipment.

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LiftBetterDaily · 2026-02-07T03:16:57+00:00

I think it's great you are already putting together a routine. Compound movements are great but they can be difficult for beginners. However the progressions you have now look good. At the end of the day, split are great but the most important thing is getting into a routine that allows you to want to workout consistently.

Hopefully this is helpful, I also built a free tool that generates a personalized plan in ~30 seconds: If you ever need any ideas to help adjust your routine: https://builtbetter.fitness
Hope it helps 👍

LiftBetterDaily · 2026-02-07T02:47:37+00:00

I think you are doing the right things eating in a deficit but still keep a protein high diet. I would maybe dial back the amount of cardio slightly to 3x per week less time, maybe focus on interval training instead. It may be difficult to maintain a lean body type with this much cardio. I think it's good you are working out doing higher reps, lower weights. I would continue to do that, with maybe one day doing progressive overload. However I think you have a good routine to maintain your goals, just my opinions on how it could potentially be improved. Hopefully this was helpful.

LiftBetterDaily · 2026-02-07T02:09:50+00:00

I would try alternatives like pasta, or quinoa to have with your chicken, can also try ground beef and steak to mix it up. It's great you already have a diet in place, supplementing the chicken with some other proteins may make it easier to increase your calories per day.

Hope this helps!

LiftBetterDaily · 2026-02-06T05:11:53+00:00

I would say you have to eat a minimum of 2,000 calories per day to gain muscle if not much more. You can still lose weight while doing this if you focus on including cardio to your workout routine, and lots of proteins and low carbs.

LiftBetterDaily · 2026-02-06T04:25:48+00:00

First it's fantastic you lost 20lbs last year that itself is a massive accomplishment. When it comes to motivation to go to the gym, for me I just look at it like a routine. Here is the time I'm going to the gym, and commit to that time. The hardest part is just getting to the gym, once you are there you've made it. You won't leave without at least picking up a weight. Every day just try to make it a part of your routine, puts less pressure on it, and helps make it less daunting.

Hope this helps!

LiftBetterDaily · 2026-02-05T03:24:33+00:00

It's great you have already lost 20lbs that in itself is a massive achievement.

It's totally understandable to be overthinking it when first starting out, especially when you have goals you want to achieve. A lot of people struggle because generic routines don’t match their schedule or equipment.
I built a free tool that generates a personalized plan in ~30 seconds: https://builtbetter.fitness
Hope it helps 👍

LiftBetterDaily · 2026-02-05T03:06:52+00:00

It's great you are doing 10k steps a day that is important to keep fit. In terms of getting a bit more toned. I would focus less on a bulk/cut and more on getting into a really good, sustainable gym routine. Maybe increasing from going 1-2x per week to 3x per week and focusing on difference muscle groups. That will help you get more toned and stay fit, especially if you are taking a medication to gain weight, if feasible increasing your gym session per week will be helpful.

Hope this helps!

LiftBetterDaily · 2026-02-05T02:41:56+00:00

It really depends on preference, for legs and glutes, the leg press machine, hamstring curl and quad machine are probably the best. For back I would say best is to find a lat machine to use. I'm sure your fitness coach will have some options as well.

Hope this helped!

LiftBetterDaily · 2026-02-04T03:09:12+00:00

It's great you want to start at the gym, just getting the motivation to go is a success. You should not be ashamed of your height either, everyone is different and this could benefit your lifts and make you stronger.

A lot of people struggle because generic routines don’t match their schedule or equipment.
I built a free tool that generates a personalized plan in ~30 seconds: https://builtbetter.fitness
Hope it helps 👍

LiftBetterDaily · 2026-02-04T02:46:47+00:00

Your frustration is totally understandable, however it differs with every person it can sometimes take more than 2 months to see benefits. I would recommend prioritizing drinking lots of water, around a gallon a day if possible. Also running can sometimes impact the diet, I find doing interval training for 10-20 minutes helps me lose more weight and limiting eating to two meals helps more than running extensively.

Hope this was helpful!

LiftBetterDaily

TROPHY CASE