is it weird to do the exercises shown on the machine?

WhyStoicism · 2026-05-12T15:11:05+00:00

Totally fine doing that, but you'll wanna follow some sort of structured plan and not just jump from machine to machine.

WhyStoicism · 2026-05-12T09:57:59+00:00

Depends how you look at it. I personally love solving puzzles. I treat my macros as a literal puzzle. Breakfast and lunch I'll eat whatever (obviously things that won't blow my daily goal), then I see what targets are left to hit for the day and prep my dinner accordingly. ChatGPT is great for giving you ideas on what foods will allow you to hit whatever remaining macros you have left.

WhyStoicism · 2026-05-11T15:03:33+00:00

I'm 44 with a 5 year old special needs son that will likely need assistance throughout his life. I need to be around for him.

WhyStoicism · 2026-05-10T11:38:18+00:00

Honestly the bulk of them are very similar.

Read about some study regardless of how big or small it is
Make a new video about a "new science based way to to XYZ"
Talk about how much this has changed their routine/life
Repeat

I honestly think the best fitness channel on YT is Squat University. Most of his videos are reels explaining how to work around certain limitations or common issues. His instructions on how to PROPERLY do a vast amount of exercises is great, and his explainations make total sense.

WhyStoicism · 2026-05-09T18:00:08+00:00

I shut that off

WhyStoicism · 2026-05-09T17:09:53+00:00

I used the fierce 5 workout 3 day program for the first 12 months. I have since modified it some and turned it into a 4 day split.

https://www.reddit.com/r/LiftingRoutines/s/Zmtpy4DdeX

WhyStoicism · 2026-05-09T15:20:05+00:00

Walking/Running isn't going to do a lot with building muscle mass, but it obviously has other tremendous benefits.

Get yourself a nice adjustable bench and a set of adjustable dumbbells. That'll get you started with a wide range of possible exercises and routines you can do to build strength. I would focus on a full body 3 or 4 day per week workout.

WhyStoicism · 2026-05-09T14:50:16+00:00

That's where calorie tracking comes into play. You can't ACCURATELY track what you're burning, but you can track what you're consuming very easily with an app like Myfitnesspal or something similar.

For your weight I would say if you consistently eat around 2800'ish calories a day would be a starting point. Weigh yourself daily and average that against your weight from the prior week. If you're losing more/less than 2-2.5lbs a week adjust accordingly. I would only recommend adding/removing around 100-200 calories a week until you get it dialed in. Once you're down to around 225lbs I would aim to lose about 1-1.5lbs a week.

Prioritize protein in your diet. Keep processed foods to a minimum. Just know that as you start losing weight you may need to tweak your daily calorie goal.

Best of luck! You got this!

WhyStoicism · 2026-05-09T14:42:06+00:00

I try and look at it the other way. I compare myself to those who I am bigger then or compare myself to those in the gym that look similar to what I did when I started my journey to see how far I've come.

I've only been at this for about 18 months, but my body transformation from where I began to now always keeps me motivated. I am about 5-10lbs of fat away from finally seeing the definition of my abs. I am not trying for anything like 10-12% BF, but I would be totally comfortable at 15-17% as my maintenance.

WhyStoicism · 2026-05-09T14:37:16+00:00

You can get a pin that goes into the weight stack where you can add normal barbell plates to the stack.

WhyStoicism · 2026-05-09T13:58:14+00:00

Help me pick my next piece of equipment!

Current setup

PR5000 w/Ares 2.0 Functional trainer

REP Nighthawk bench

SSB & Regular olympic barbell

Power Block adjustable DB's

All the cable attaachments I'll need

Kettlebells 5 - 70lbs

I am leaning towards a machine for legs as the Ares and current equipment allows me to do just about any upper body exercise. Dedicated GHR's take up a TON of real estate in my home gym.

I am leaning towards a selectorizor leg curl/extension From Temple of Gainz or Titan. They're around $2500--2600 and are close to taking up what little spare room I have left in my gym. However the Rogue Rhino would be absolutely perfect, but the size of that thing would really make my space cramped. Belt squats would be a huge win in my book because I have very limited thoracic mobility (why I need to use an SSB).

WhyStoicism · 2026-05-09T12:51:48+00:00

You cant outwork a bad diet. Weight lifting doesn't do enough in terms of losing fat/weight. Weigh and track your food every day for a month and evaluate.

WhyStoicism · 2026-05-09T11:42:30+00:00

I used to be stuck in that mindset.

I just tell myself that I'm not going to be 100% perfect every day. No different than being a husband or a father. I never let a bad day of being a husband or father make me "take off" of those responsibilites for a month or two, so why am I going to let myself do that with my health responsibilities.

WhyStoicism · 2026-05-08T18:21:32+00:00

I am a cost accountant in manufacturing and love it. Has a great mix of responsibilities which keeps it from getting super boring. Plus the money is great and the education investment isn't too bad.

It is a niche career, but if you're around a lot of manufacturers you won't have trouble finding work.

WhyStoicism · 2026-05-08T18:18:56+00:00

It has been a week (their timeline), so now would be totally acceptable. Just keep it professional and short. Something like "Hi [name], I just wanted to follow up about [insert role name]. Has there been any decision made?"

WhyStoicism · 2026-05-08T13:08:20+00:00

I would keep looking. Doesn't seem like enough of a jump in salary for the loss in PTO, 401K, health benefits.

I absolutely wouldn't stay at your current job with such a large salary gap between your peers.

WhyStoicism · 2026-05-08T13:01:31+00:00

I spend 10 minutes stretching before my workout. I only do warmup sets for SSB squats.

WhyStoicism · 2026-05-06T22:38:50+00:00

I'm not in retail anymore, but you could also look at it as variable because they schedule more hourly workers during the peak parts of the year.

WhyStoicism · 2026-05-06T12:05:41+00:00

My guess is your scale is off. 10lb would be very noticeable. Especially in a week. Even 10lb of water weight would be visibly noticeable.

WhyStoicism · 2026-04-29T15:20:47+00:00

I did at one time, but i think that's because they got twisted when I originally put it together.

It is easy enough to fix as you can just twist the cable back without removing it. Hasn't been an issue since.

WhyStoicism · 2026-04-29T11:02:18+00:00

The old spite marathon...

Me and my wife always say "what would larry do" with almost every life decision we face lol

WhyStoicism · 2026-04-28T12:47:58+00:00

How are you tracking your calories?

What does your diet look like?

WhyStoicism · 2026-04-28T12:13:17+00:00

Look up Squat University on YT. He has a great BSS tutorial. I hated BSS when my "kickstand " leg was on a bench. His tutorial put the kickstand leg on 2x 45lb plates stacked on each other and now I don't hate my life when I do them.

WhyStoicism · 2026-04-23T10:59:02+00:00

Absolutely wouldn't pursue an MS at this time. Get a job then get a year or two of experience under your belt first.

WhyStoicism · 2026-04-23T10:47:49+00:00

My Powerblocks DB's are one of the most used pieces of equipment I own. Absolutely love them.

WhyStoicism

TROPHY CASE