I've been hitting the gym for maybe 2 months now. I'd been dieting for about a year or so before that and lost around 50 lbs, but now I'm so discouraged. I don't see much results anywhere accept for my arms and legs, and it's pretty small for my legs. For half of my exercises, I don't know if I'm really "feeling" what I should or if I'm doing it right. I hurt my lower back doing barbell squats yesterday. I consistently feel dizzy and nauseous around 3/4 into my exercises, ESPECIALLY after using an assisted pull-up machine. My pants aren't getting any looser, my weight's hardly changing, I try to track my calories, and I don't have the money to buy the groceries for those 2000 Cal meal plans you make every week. I live at home still, I'm in college (soon graduating), and I have an internship that may eventually become a full-time job, but I don't make that much since I can only work 15-20 hours a week max. Idk if my work-out schedule is sufficient, and I want to try a plan from the sticky (but I don't know which one to go with).
>treadmill: 1 minute 3.5, 5 min 6.0, 1 min 3.0 >3x10 barbell squats >Just started doing 3x15 barbell calf raises since the calf extension machine didn't seem to do much >3x10 Viking press >3x10 seated military press >3x10 leg press where you push your legs down (machine) >3x10 leg press where you push your legs up (machine) >3x10 assisted pull up >3x10 bicep curl, recently started using some machine >3x10 pullover skull crusher
I do this every other day, so 4 times a week I'm supposed to do hard cardio in between weight training days, but I've slacked on that for the past week or so
Carson Anderson
I'm using the cable pulley bicep curl machine, not the preacher curl-like one.
Juan Sanders
Why do you have so many leg exercises? Just do squats and deadlifts, maybe calf raises if you must.
Where did you get this routine? I'd probably just scrap it all and stick with a standard program - SL, SS, Texas Method, whatever.
Don't use machines when you can use barbells or dumbbells
You need to get at least a flat bench press in there. I'd also replace viking press and seated military press just with a plain old overhead press.
Robert Richardson
Why not free weights my man
Jack Reed
I got it from the PT for the Planet Fitness I go to. i have no idea what I'm doing. I know almost nothing about exercise. :(
Brayden Parker
There's your problem. Just throw that shit in the garbage.
I tried to do free weight preacher curls, but I didn't know if I was doing it right. I'm just kinda doing what I'm suggested to do by the PT. I'd love to try one of the sticky exercises, but idk which one to do. I don't know how to do half of that stuff, and I have a hard time finding the middle ground between being too easy and too hard on myself. I don't wanna fuck my body up. This is the second time my lower back has gotten fucked up from squats.
Austin Baker
Just keep the weight low at the beginning, user. SL advises just starting with the bar. It tells you to add 5 lbs each time you lift, but if you feel like your form is off, take the time to get it right first.
Leo Rivera
>I consistently feel dizzy and nauseous around 3/4 into my exercises At least this part I can help with. Had the same problems. 1) more sodium, that'll fix dizzyness 2) more water, that'll fix nausea
Sebastian Lee
I thought I was drinking too much water desu. I start to throw up water in my mouth after a while.
Jace Anderson
Yeah, I'm looking at the app. The starting weights are pretty low... Planet Fitness only has a smith machine, no free barbells. Should I still use those weights, or should I increase at all?
Isaac Gutierrez
...
Nathaniel Sanchez
Okay, if you're drinking a lot it might not be related to hydration. Diet maybe? Try eating more/less before working out.
Brody Hill
You should really quit PF and go somewhere with a power rack. I'm sure you can make some sort of gains at PF, but it won't be nearly as efficient.
The starting weights are low for a reason. It's so you can learn the form and adjust as the weights go up.
Owen Phillips
Hmmm... I'm going to PF because it's cheap. I'd consider somewhere else if I made more, but PF's price is comfortable for me. I'm mostly worried about slimming down, for now, but some gains would be nice.
Nicholas Wright
Ok, well it's definitely not ideal. Since you're at PF, I'd probably look into a PPL routine.
Use machines for leg exercises since you won't be able to squat or deadlift without barbells: Leg Press, Leg Curl, Hamstring Extension, etc.
Everything else you can probably get away with with dumbbells for now, but you'll likely outgrow them quickly.
Robert Morris
Idk how I'm supposed to do half of those exercises without barbells. I've looked into some dumbell alternatives before, but I felt so dumb trying to do them myself.
Jace Taylor
No Smith machine or barbells seems to really mess with the 5x5 workout. What routine would you recommend, then? Anyone opposed?
Bentley Richardson
A dumbbell and machine (not Smith) based PPL or Full Body routine. There's not really any other alternative I can think of.
You probably won't really make any progress on it, but maybe you can stall your muscle loss from the cardio.
