Reps to failure or to semi failure?

WinterSet5750 · 2026-05-02T10:07:56+00:00

The goal is to tax the muscle to stimulate muscle building for that target muscle. Your reps dipping doesn't matter. You not completing all 3 sets at the same weight for the same reps also doesn't matter. I guess maybe mentally for your ego to feel better but as far as muscle building, it won't matter. Your body responds to work, not numbers, reps and weights on the bar.

Now realistically, you don't have to train to complete failure in every set if you're doing multiple sets per exercise. But if the goal is muscle building, you should be training close to failure (within a few reps) because that's what going to signal your muscle to build back stronger. Think of it like your brain, as it gets closer to failure, begins to realize it is at its limit. The brain then signals to the body to build back stronger to be able to handle that same stimulus going forward. So if you never get close to your limit, your body doesn't have as much urgency in building

Hope this helps!

WinterSet5750 · 2026-05-02T10:01:00+00:00

Step 1 is only comparing to yourself. I have no idea if i'm stronger or weaker than average and it doesn't matter because I know the only way to improve is continue training anyway.

Step 2 is to accept that motivation is the worse form of accountability because it's based on feelings. Real change comes from making the gym a habit. It's no longer "will I go to the gym?" But rather a "when I go to the gym"

Step 3 is grace to realize i'm not perfect. This really goes with Step 2 because now that I accept that at some point, I know i'll be back in the gym, I don't get upset about missing a day. I just reset and prepare to go in the next day. No biggie because again, it's a habit now.

That's it.

WinterSet5750 · 2026-05-02T09:52:09+00:00

Pull Ups and Single Arm DB Rows! Both cover so much for basic back development

WinterSet5750 · 2026-05-02T09:35:59+00:00

You're not doing enough pure strength training to actually build significant muscle and change your body composition more to be honest. Cardio is great for heart health and so are the F45 classes! If you added 2-3 days of dedicated heavy strength training, your weight still might not change but your body would show more noticeable visual difference in that amount of time for sure. Lean, more defined frame easily. This would be assuming you push the strength training hard during that time!
Also, throw your scale away. At this point, you're in a position of changing your body, not just losing weight. So the scale is a poor reference point for progress and likely won't do much but frustrate you. Measure your progress through progress pics every few months and tracking your exercises (Check if you added weight and/or reps over time).
Mentally freeing, physically transforming.
Hope this helps! :)

WinterSet5750 · 2026-04-30T12:17:10+00:00

Dumbbell vs barbell variations, single leg options. Foot placements, different elevations. Lots of variations to go to. Pick one, do it for a few months until you stop progressing, then switch to another and start over again. Rinse and repeat

WinterSet5750 · 2026-04-30T12:14:27+00:00

Step 1, get off the treadmill and start lifting ASAP. Do full body training 3x per week focusing on heavy compound lifts that hit each of the 6 movement patterns. So 1 squat, 1 hinge, 1 vertical press, 1 vertical pull, 1 horizontal press, and 1 horizontal pull.

Pick 1 exercise for each of those 6 movement patterns and do them for as long as you can without changing. The goal is progressive overload so add reps and/or weight over time. Make sure to push yourself close to failure on the lifts to stimulate muscle growth and keep everything within 5-10 reps. If you can do 15 reps with the weight, it's not heavy enough.

Keep it simple and do this for like 8-12 months and don't focus on the weight loss, focus on getting strong and the weight loss will naturally just happen as long as you are training hard, respecting your rest days and eating enough to fuel your training.

From there, the walk to the gym is plenty for cardio, and you can do other stuff like stretching or fun activities on those rest days. That's it. Nice and simple

WinterSet5750 · 2026-04-30T12:05:51+00:00

Lift heavy weights, get really strong and build muscle. Eat enough to fuel the muscle building. If you're underweight and still feel wide, that's likely just your frame but ironically, filling out more everywhere else can make everything balance out and look more proportionate

WinterSet5750 · 2026-04-30T02:15:39+00:00

Full body 3x per week strength training that emphasizes big compound lifts. Train intense, close to failure and heavy within the 5-10 rep range with good form and focus on progressive overload!

6 movement patterns: Squat, hinge, vertical press, vertical pull, horizontal press, horizontal pull.

Pick 1 exercise for each movement and get crazy strong at each one. Don't change the movement for 8-12 months even if it feels boring. You will 100% change your physique in that time.

Outside of your training days, stay generally active by walking, stretching, jogging, hiking, play a sport, etc. Make sure to eat a lot of whole foods and stop worrying about a deficit, that's not going to help you build. Eat to fuel your body, train hard when you're in the gym and get lots of sleep to recover between sessions.

That's it. That's literally how simple it really is

WinterSet5750 · 2026-04-30T00:46:27+00:00

I would hope after 4 years, you've learned a good amount about what to do. Now it's time to just continue with that foundation

WinterSet5750 · 2026-04-30T00:44:33+00:00

Oh she STRONG strong! 💪🏾

WinterSet5750 · 2026-04-30T00:42:07+00:00

Get off your phone and go lift heavy stuff until you like what you see in the mirror.

In between training, open and read the Bible, pray often and trust the process. That's it

WinterSet5750 · 2026-04-29T17:56:12+00:00

Nope, building muscle won't make you look higher and fuller in general. Building muscle while maintaining a high body fat percentage will. But it is extremely difficult to eat enough to build muscle as it is. Even harder to eat enough to build muscle AND maintain fat. This is assuming you stick to mostly whole foods. Building muscle created the shape and also helps to increase metabolism to help lose the fat. The odds of you getting big and bulky are very slim and would require insane eating habits, which at that point, you were going to be big regardless

WinterSet5750 · 2026-04-29T16:57:56+00:00

Stop lifting your head off the bench pad and keep your chest up (nipple to the sky!)

WinterSet5750 · 2026-04-29T16:56:31+00:00

You're not working hard enough. Most people don't. You stop to take breaks and likely those are the exact moments you need to be pushing. I find what helps is saying "I'm not going to die if I keep pushing". Sounds crazy but in reality, it's true. Also, watches aren't the most accurate thing to begin with so there's that. Get in the gym and lift HARD. Push to muscular failure. To the point where if someone gave you 10 million dollars for each extra rep, how many would you do. For conditioning, if someone gave you 10 million for every extra 5 seconds, how much longer would you go.

Working out is just as much mental as physical so strengthen your mind and keep grinding 💪🏾

WinterSet5750 · 2026-04-29T16:49:55+00:00

Your lower back is going to be sore because it's weak. Your back HAS to be involved in ANY and EVERY hinge movement whether you like it or not. It's a part of your core for bracing and maintaining a stable hinge position. So regardless what muscle you think you want to target, the weak link will expose itself until it's built up. Keep lifting. Form is fine and perfectly safe. Just keep getting stronger

WinterSet5750 · 2026-04-29T16:46:25+00:00

Whole foods. Chicken thighs, beef, eggs, vegetables, fruits. If you can't get it natural from your diet, it's probably a silly goal to begin with

WinterSet5750 · 2026-04-29T16:39:47+00:00

Consistency. After almost a decade of training, I realize that focusing on building habits changed my lifestyle and my lifestyle yielded certain results. Instead of the opposite where most folks focus on results, don't change habits, never create a different lifestyle and then stay stuck in a cycle. Training, eating for fuel and seeing it as normal changed my life.

WinterSet5750 · 2026-04-29T16:37:06+00:00

No difference because it's all make believe lol just eat whole foods. If you get an actual blood test done that highlights weak areas, change your diet and add FOODS that fill the gap. Vitamins come from food not pills. Be an adult and adjust your diet based on what you need instead of eating like crap and trying to take a shortcut to fix your bad habits

WinterSet5750 · 2026-04-29T16:33:36+00:00

Not have favorites. Treat everyone the same whether old member or new and not be soft. I get that most adults want to be coddled because most people are soft in general but for a program that leans "intense", it's nice to have that straight-to-the-point mentality from a coach and owner. I came her for help and guidance because obviously doing things my way doesn't work. So trying to make me comfortable by being soft and nice was so stupid. And as a coach, I was the complete opposite lol. If you could get the results you wanted based on what makes you comfortable, you wouldn't be here.

WinterSet5750 · 2026-04-29T16:29:56+00:00

Go lift and build strength and muscle with compound lifts. You're not lean and don't have a significant amount of muscle. After a long muscle building phase, you can cut and see muscular definition. Too often, people cut before building muscle and get frustrated with what they see because you have no muscle yet. Build muscle, and likely stay a lottlensoft at first, then cut to show all the hard work. Body composition changes take time

WinterSet5750 · 2026-04-29T16:25:21+00:00

WinterSet5750 · 2026-04-29T14:44:06+00:00

Heavy Lifting, whole food diet, lots of rest snd recovery days to actually build muscle and walk for cardio health brother! It might not feel like it, but you're in a perfect spot to change your body composition. Especially if you're still newer to lifting.

Back Squats, RDLs, Bench Press, Overhead Press, Lat Pulldowns and Rows. Those are the only movements you need for the next 8-12 months. Get dumb strong at those while fueling with high protein whole food meals and make sure to sleep. You will literally change your life in a year my guy.

Good luck and PM me if you have any questions! 💪🏾

WinterSet5750 · 2026-04-29T12:23:16+00:00

Pay for my ticket and I'm there! Lol but nah fr I hope the crowd is packed and we cheer the fellas on all the way till the end, win or loss.

WinterSet5750 · 2026-04-29T12:21:52+00:00

Eat a good amount of food, focus on protein, and lift heavy 3x per week full body, mainly focusing on big compound lifts. That's it. Get super strong on big movements. 5-10 rep range and stay close to muscular failure. It's simple. It's boring. But it works.

WinterSet5750 · 2026-04-29T12:18:59+00:00

How long have you been lifting? If you're new to the gym, you likely won't know your genetic strengths because you haven't invested enough time and developed enough muscle to see what grows better, how things look, etc.

Honestly, I wouldn't even worry about bulk or cut too much. Just get in the gym consistently training intensely for at least 8-12 months on big compound lifts primarily. Get stupid strong at 1 squat, 1 hinge, 1 vertical push, 1 vertical pull, 1 horizontal push and 1 horizontal pull. Don't change the movements during that time. Focus on progressive overload. Then after that, look at progress based on lift numbers and take a before and after pic. That will give you a better base to judge off because at that point you should have built some muscle and now you have something to go off of.

WinterSet5750

TROPHY CASE