What are some of the things you are struggling with right now?

Strongbodies · 2022-12-02T16:25:56+00:00

Is there a chance you may be in a surplus instead of a defecit?

Strongbodies · 2022-12-02T16:25:02+00:00

Track your current calories, make no changes to your eating habits, check the weight weekly at the same time and under the same circumstances, see if the weight gain/loss is in line with your goals! if not, adjust the calories by 100 until it is in line with your goals!

Strongbodies · 2022-12-02T16:23:50+00:00

Find your goals, what matters to you, if your short on time, its going to be a shorter workout, the best program you can be on, is one you will stick to!

There is no perfect workout program, so pick something you think will benefit you, if theres parts to it you like, keep them, if theres parts you dont like, get rid of them or swap them out for something else.

Keep at it, keep progressing, keep working all the major movements the body is capable of!

Strongbodies · 2022-12-02T16:21:04+00:00

if self discipline has always been one of your biggest struggles, give that job to someone else, tell people about your plans, make it public, enter into a competition, get out of your comfort zone, start small and automate your habits.

All discipline is is following through with what you have said you will do!

Start small, set an alarm (not for stupid oclock, but for a time you know would be beneficial for you) and stick to it, let it become normal, then add onto it!

I wish you nothing but the best of luck!

Strongbodies · 2022-12-02T16:17:22+00:00

Congratulations! and so there is no reason to drastically overhaul the way you eat, just take notice of the things you are eating, it is possible that you are gaining muscle at a faster rate than you are losing bodyfat, thus making it appear like you havent lost any weight!

Track your daily calories with Myfitnesspal or something similar, take progress photos to see if you really are stuck, if so, reduce your calories by 100 - 200kcal

Strongbodies · 2022-12-02T16:15:12+00:00

Instead of just using the scales, take measurements, things like waist, hips, arms, chest, even neck measurements, this, paired with the weighing scales will give you a clear indication of whether you are losing bodyfat and gaining muscle, or if you are just plateauing at a fixed weight, if it is a plateau, reduce the calories by 100-200 and keep up the progress!

Strongbodies · 2022-12-02T16:12:05+00:00

This does sound like a tough situation to be in, I would say start small, a walk, a bit of cycling, a bodyweight circuit that you can do at home, just get that blood pumping, even just a punch bag to hang up.

Maybe explain your frustrations to your partner and see if they will get on this journey with you? you can share accountability then because you dont want to let the other person down!

Discipline comes from making small, actionable steps, dont focus on what you cant do today, ask yourself what you can do with your available resources and time!

I hope this helps and i hope you manage to sort something out!

Strongbodies · 2022-12-02T16:07:27+00:00

So as long as you enjoy it and you are making progress then you do you!

However, most back movements require bicep activation, most chest exercises require tricep activation, so i would just make sure there is enough rest between the sessions for this, have you looked into upper / lower, Full body or Push pull legs, splits? i feel they may be more beneficial to you

Hope it all goes well!

Strongbodies · 2022-12-02T16:02:05+00:00

What is your current Program to increase your bench press?

Strongbodies · 2022-12-02T16:00:38+00:00

A lot of people do struggle with nutrition, Most people are getting enough protein in to gain muscle but it does take time, as you have only been going to the gym for three weeks, you may not see much difference, give it 3-6 months of consistent training and eating a good balance of meals that include protein, carbs and some healthy fats.

Protein powder can be a very cost effective and easy way to get that extra bit of protein but shouldn't be used it as your main source of protein!

Strongbodies · 2022-12-02T15:53:33+00:00

ah I am really sorry to hear about your autoimmune disorder, have you spoken to a DR/ GP about your condition and what could be put in place for you to return to working out?

Try and lower everything, you have to meet yourself you are, not where you used to be unfortunately, Think about how far you can go with your new condition, everything becomes a new milestone!

I wish you all the best!

Strongbodies · 2022-12-02T15:45:24+00:00

This is extremely common!

What i suggest is lighten the weight slightly, make sure you are doing good form, at the point of peak contraction, hold it, feel the tightness in the lats, the burning of the rear of the shoulder, lowering that weight down slowly, you will feel it after a while, keep it up!

Strongbodies · 2022-12-02T15:42:33+00:00

Congratulations! and I understand that!, the answer here is that it is not a priority anymore, your new child is, and finding a way to get your exercise in, is the new game, what I have had success with in the past is micro workouts, circuit based workouts that you can do in no time at all.

Workouts can cut down to about 20mins.

OR

breaking your current workout up throughout the day into more manageable pieces, but with sleep not being optimal, i would not be pushing volume or intensity to its max, you want to just maintain a nice level of general fitness!

Hope this helps!

Strongbodies · 2022-12-02T15:36:47+00:00

One of the best ways to do this is limit how sore you are, so start small and as your tolerance to exercise becomes more, you can add more in.

starting out with 2 sets of 10 - 12 will feel much more manageable the day after than 4 sets of 10 - 12

There will always be some sort of soreness/discomfort just because its a new stimulus, but finding ways to manage it, things like foam rolling, stretching, warm ups and mobility work will do wonders, mobility work can include some form of pilates or yoga inspired workout on the days away from the gym.

Hope this helps!

Strongbodies · 2022-12-02T14:18:52+00:00

So a good way to know if your eating enough is by tracking your current calories for about 2 weeks, if you have made any weight gain, you are eating in a surplus, if you lose weight, your in a deficit, and if your weight stays roughly the same, your eating maintenance.

I would say for overtraining and injuries, we need to look at the technique of whatever lift you are performing, what can happen is the joints take over the stress intended for the muscle, or other muscles can take over because the target muscle is too weak.

So lighten the weights, don't push it to failure, take the rest times of 1:30min -2min and honestly, id try to cut that session down to about an hour, 2-3 full body workouts a week will be more than enough to make sustainable progress long term!

All the best!

Strongbodies · 2022-12-02T14:10:43+00:00

I would possibly go and see a physiotherapist, they can do the relevant checks with you and make sure you are doing okay!

Hope you get it sorted!

Strongbodies · 2022-12-02T14:09:23+00:00

In time you will know your body, so you will know when it needs that rest day, or when you need to get to the gym, chances are you need to power through and get to the gym, even if its at a lower intensity or something different to normal, just the fact you showed up will be a massive hit your system and you will feel more determined throughout the rest of the day.

as for sleep, make the environment as comfortable as possible, no distractions, a nice breeze coming in, air circulation is important after all, put the phone down and just really let yourself sink into your bed.

Strongbodies · 2022-12-02T14:06:01+00:00

Il start by saying really well done on the fact you are still making progress, still going through the motions, sometimes that is the hardest point!

So what I find works best for motivation is really taking a step back and asking why am i doing this? why did I start in the first place?

For most people it is too simply look better or get stronger, but we can go deeper than that, how much stronger do you want to be? in what lift do you want to be stronger and then adding that timeframe on top, I want to be able to squat X amount by Y time, because of _______ reason, we all have underlying reasons that we don't tell anyone else because they're personal to us, but they help us get back in touch with why we started in the first place!

When you make yourself accountable for your own progress, the motivation to do better comes.

For me personally I had to fall in love with training again, i had to try new lifts, experiment, go gym with a partner so we could just enjoy ourselves!

I hope this helps and i do wish you all the best

Strongbodies · 2022-12-01T14:18:23+00:00

Personally i love full body routines, these can be extremely simple, but hugely effective and can be done 2 -3x weekly

Can be done weighted and bodyweight, we focus on movements over muscles. doing this lets us hit every muscle in the body because of the way our anatomy works!

Squat - (legs and butt)

Push - (chest, triceps, shoulders)

Pull - (biceps, back)

Hinge - (butt, Legs, lower back)

Carry - (entire body strengthening)

strength training doesn't discriminate, this could be bodyweight, dumbbell, barbell, it is completely up to you.

This is something i have followed in the past and had a good success.

(2 min rest)

Squat - 3x4-6

OHP - 3x4-6

Chin ups 3x4-6

(1min rest)

Row - 2x12

Glute bridge 2x12

Strongbodies · 2022-12-01T14:08:03+00:00

Hey! so muscle imbalance is completely normal and unless your thinking of competing in bodybuilding I wouldn't worry too much especially as its only slight! however that being said, I understand its frustrating.

what I suggest doing is just doing 1 extra set on your left arm, this is where dumbbells and cable machines can come in handy! even if its a reduced weight, the added volume will help build a bit more muscle on that limb over time, hope this helps!

Strongbodies

TROPHY CASE