Interested to hear what’s best helped comrades improve their workouts.
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Hydrate throughout (water, coconut water, watermelon water)
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stretch before and after thoroughly
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Perform warm up and cool down cardio respectively at the beginning and end of your workouts
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do not drink energy drinks before or during the workout the sugar will dry you up and the caffeine will overdrive your heart which is your job, taking caffeine for your workout is like driving a standard in 5th gear always; you can’t build enough energy as you have no necessity to speed up - your heart rate is already there thus limiting you from being able to accelerate.
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Carbs should be eaten before workout for energy, protein should be consumed after workout to build new muscle in the cracks you’ve just made by working out. Carbs should be consumed >20 minutes before beginning cardio to avoid cramps and ensure processing of carbs (also take note of complex vs simple carbs…just eat pasta if you’re not sure). Protein should be consumed within 20 minutes after your workout.
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High weight low reps is for building muscle, low weight high reps is for definition.
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LEG DAY IS FOR MALES TOO, everyone needs to be able to squat lift and carry your comrade out of danger or being able to run tree lines.
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Nutrition is just as important as exercise.
Warm up and cool down cardio is something I really need to start doing.
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Buy one of these bad boys to roll under your feet. It really helps you relax after a work out or even just a regular day. It greatly improved my constantly sore feet.
You might have flat feet or another impediment if they’re constantly sore!
Smart move. I do a ton of foot baths, and it has a similar thing inside it.
If you are tired or the weights feel heavier than usual, try warming up a bit longer. If you’re confident that you’re fully warm but everything is still heavy, do not push yourself. Do less weight. This works whether you’re focused on strength or hypertrophy.
If you feel lethargic but your sleep was good and you hydrated properly, don’t be afraid to eat some candy or a sugary drink during the workout.
It’s OK to feel some soreness or aching the day after you do a muscle-building routine. That’s how you stimulate hypertrophy. To a point though… if the pain is debilitating your daily functioning you may have injured yourself. And no matter what, always stay hydrated. That is a threat.
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This interesting because i felt like I was killing myself working out Mon thru Thursday with a heavy workout.
But found recently if i break it up into my week it feels better. Like Mon to Tuesday and then Friday to Saturday
My personal workout schedule is 4 days a week
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Honestly i fell off the wagon from work and school and have to start again
Always do a warm up set. Not just lifting though but mobility stretches. I walk a mile or so then stretch for 30 minutes. The do a warm up set of reduced weight to get the muscles back to “lift mode” after “stretch mode” and it does wonders. Drink a bunch of electrolytes. I have been taking BCAAs with extra electrolytes before/during my lifts and I can feel a significant difference in my energy levels.
Bigger muscles don’t ALWAYS mean stronger muscles BUT bigger muscles will allow for more strength in the long run. Higher rep lower weight is the best way to get bigger muscles. Make the muscles big THEN go for strength training. The swap back if you start to plateau.
Also get proper gear. If you can afford them, het a lifting belt, get knee braces, get gloves. They don’t have to break bank and will help drastically at reducing injury. If I don’t use knee braces my knees are fucked within a few weeks of squatting regularly. I will never squat or deadlift without a belt. Some padded gloves makes all the difference when grabbing the bar.
If you fear your form is about to break down, stop. Just stop. That last rep isn’t worth it. If you think, “I legit don’t know if I can make one more” then don’t make one more. It. Is. Not. Worth. An. Injury.
And don’t punish yourself if you don’t progress every week. Sometimes life takes a dump on you. Sometimes you have a bad bout of sleep, or you are under a lot of stress, or whatever other bullshit the universe throws at you. Shit happens. Not then end of the world.
Focus on compound exercises.
Which ones of those do you suggest?
My favourites are deadlifts, squats, pull ups, bent over rows, incline bench (flat bench is good too if one’s shoulders can take it), overhead press / clean and press. Dips are good, too, if I’m allowed to claim them as a compound movement.
If you’re gonna take supplements: Creatine, Beta Alanine, and L- Citrulline
Drink lots of water
- technique and form over weight
- nobody is actually looking at you
- weed before weight training feels like a bad idea but actually isn’t
- find a buddy and track each other on some app, competition does wonder for consistency and progress
- drink a shitload of water
- get a timer and actually track your pauses inbetween sets
- there is no best exercise. Some objectively suck, but in most cases the best exercise is the one that suits best your skeleto-muscular layout. Don’t get lost in the “uhhrr duhrr a supenated retroflexed grip provides a better stimulus to the bottom 4 fibers of the latissimus dorsi”, that’s for kynesiologists - you’ll get better results by sticking to what feels good
To emphasize on what others have already said : do not push yourself above and beyond, it does not worth injuring yourself. Human body have tons of systems intended to warn you from harming yourself. Trust them.
Breathing patterns are important for any exercise. For warmups, for heavy exercise, endurance, long distance running, cooldowns, EVERYTHING! If you take any supplements, unless they specifically say not to: drink plenty of water, even if you feel like you have to go to the bathroom a few times, I’d rather play it safe than sorry. Being dehydrated while exercising is very dangerous and limits how effective you will workout in the first place.
