QTDDTOT

Are stomach vacuums a meme or they help reduce waist size and help in the way abs look?

Thanks . I will focus on strength in this case. I will shift on a split routine when I'm an intermediate .

Im only deadlifting 225 lbs right now. Should my first warm up set be 135?

My hips hurt when I squat (pic related)
Is this normal or I'm doing something wrong?

I think the way abs or any any other muscle looks is largely genetic. A muscle can get bigger or smaller but shape is predetermined at birth. Correct me if I'm wrong

meme

i'd start with 95 on boxes if u need it, srs.

does it feel like bone, muscle, or soreness?

Is LA fitness any good?

No, over expensive, they have the hot chicks tho, but gym chicks aren't really good.

Should I go with 24 hour then?
Both are equal distance

>does it feel like bone, muscle, or soreness?
Like muscle/tendon. Only hurts while i squat, the more reps I do more pain I feel...

24 hours is a scam too, i suggest if ur a beginner goto planet fitness for 6 months(if they wont let u do 6 then forget it) if u can find one for $10 (srs) or find a lifter oriented gym where they have stuff like deadlift bars and 150lb dumbbells they usualyl cost around 25/month and will usually work with you on pricing, been fucked over by both LA fitness(it's actually not terrible just bad atmosphere srs) and 24 hrs(literally worst payment dispute i've ever had)

you need to rest, depending on how server the pain you may need to take anywhere between 2 weeks to even a month or more off from squats and working w.e area hurts...

srs

Big nig you look massive these days, def mirin. Any advice for getting past a squat plateau, I'm at 2 pl8 and I cannot get more than 3 reps with 10lbs more for the life of me. Should I just do a lot of reps with lower weight for a few weeks or should I squat more? Routine right now is AxBxAxx

A: squat 3x5
Ohp 3x5
Dumbbell bench 4x8
Accessory work (usually leg extensions)

B: diddly 1x5
Pullups 4x8 (should probably add weight now)
Row variation 3x5
Accessory (usually another row or some curls)

Thx QT

how do i take better progress photos?
>finally looking juicy under gym lighting
>look okay under own bathroom lighting
>look DYEL in picture

>shape

kind of, look up muscle bellies if you need reference, Kai vs Phil heath is a good reference, Phil has better "aesthetics" because he has small muscle bellies, smaller clavicles, diffrent arm shape, Kai has almost always been bigger in every way but smaller muscle bellies look full easier, smaller frames get filled faster, and a guy with smaller arms can look more full easier but he will almost never be able to be as actually big as Kai but he can still look bigger....

Ok thanks, will rest.

pic related is an example, decent lighting, proper pose and proper camera angle... oh and ALWAYS be PUMPED TO THE MAX and never be PUMPED FULL OF WATER OR CARBS...oh and the more ripped you look the bigger you actually look, i'm literally way smaller in this pic vs
>pic inc
but I don't actually look much bigger(probably around 35lbs bigger with slightly more bf)

when I DL I only do 2 things
~5rm for 5 reps, 5 sets
and
>literally warmup very incrementally to my max
bit harder for low weight deadlifters since I was doing over 7 plate so I got in 7 sets but try doing incremental for 5-6 sets to max, just take ur time and don't worry if your increments seem small!

atleast +30lbs(probably atleast ~20lbs muscle) w/bad lighting, bad posing, slightly higher bf%, not as pumped as first pic and not as "dry"

thanks for the tips
so i guess when you wake up would be the best time to try to take a pic?

can you elaborate a little more about the water and carbs thing?
i thought people loaded on carbs or water before a show to look bigger?

again also posing for pics you just have to accentuate your strong points, which you don't get to choose and likely don't really want as much as if you could have a different strong point but just learn to like your body man...

I'f I had to give myself tips about the second pic I'd say more shoulder flare, show traps more like in 1st pic, get proper lighting and might look decent like this

btw these picture are taken about the same time... unfortunately I was trying to show bi in the last one and I just don't have big bi's but I do have a good chest(minus gyno lol) and good shoulders and traps/lats

also dat lighting

lol, bodybuilders know exactly when and how much to take and have it down to a science.... they never load water hard and if they do it's because they are on gear and gear makes it go to your muscle, on a normal person it goes to fat, btw they usually do the opposite and take diuretics!

also depends on what your strength is, if you are trying to look big, morning is good, eat ENOUGH carbs night before and limit water for about a day and get a GOOD PUMP AS SOON as you wake up is my recommendation! because it sounds like whatever your diet is might be causing some bloat which will hide muscle, although that is normal

forgot to quote sry

I've been feeling extreme pain and tightness in my hip flexors and rotators for about 2 months now, haven't squated or deadlifted in 25 days and it's driving me crazy, my hips feel much more flexible but I still feel crazy tightness, what the hell do I do?
Been stretching for a while now (both dynamic and static) and it has not helped at all.
(the tightness was caused by me squatting ATG paused for about 4 months with bad mobility)

isn't the point of progress photos to measure progress/not look as good as possible?

baka lad.

just take a normal pic in consistent lighting with consistent pose.

#1 tip is make sure you get your entire body in frame. If you bulk hard you can end up looking smaller due to not being as dry but if you have your hips/legs/calves to compare to you can see considerable increase in size.

Is rowing a good supplement to weight training?

first off stop stretching, from what you're telling me you kept doing squats and dead lifts even when it hurt, that has most likely only made it worse, if you have insurance I suggest you go see a doctor for anti-inflammatory and muscle relaxers, otherwise don't do anything that uses the muscles that hurt whether it's lifting or not, if walking uses those muscles walk as little as possible etc, and if other exercises trigger those muscles don't do it, it sounds like you may just need rest but the fact you kept doing thinks when it hurts and that you said rotators makes me think you may actually need/want pills

not unless you plan on rowing an actual boat or by rowing you mean weighted cable rows...

the benefits you get as an aerobic exercise outweigh the potentials of muscle/strength gain for most males that you have from not using your arms for aerobics... if you're a girl then go at it tho...

srs
(but that's just my personal opinion)

if you actually wan't progress pics the important thing is to have the same conditions each time, but still you should try to look your best, displaying the muscle you have best not only makes you look "better" than not but it also allows you to see and determine more of your progress senpai

Should I be adding sugar to a post workout shake?

if youre looking to add calories why dont you throw in peanut butter?
high calories, good source of healthy fats

90% of gains comes from doing the following three
>eating
>lifting
>sleeping

can you share some tips for autists like me that want to obsess over the last 10%?
supplements
>creatine, vitamin d3, fish oil, multivitamin, zinc, magensium, melatonin

Spained my ring finger yesterday. There's bruising on the palm side near the knuckle, and obviously it's sore when I close my hand.

Can't afford to see Doc; NEET.

Was reading online that 'weakness' could be a damaged nerve, which I'm scared of cause that doesn't sound like something that would heal on its own. Also, I get a sharp pain when I put lateral force on the finger. I can make a fist with a stress ball and I dont get the sharp pain, but if I just press anything against the finger laterally, I get sharp fucking pains.

Anyone had anything similar? OR have I actually got nerve damage? The 'weakness' is really scary, it's hard for me to even use enough force to close my hand :(

Oats

forgot to add
>beta alinine, citrulline malate

creatine works but barely
vitamins i recommend but not for lifting but for good health
i have literally eaten 3 tubs of protein powder over my entire lifting career

other than that the only other things that will help are steroids and besides that SARMS maybe and both are "cheating"

if you wan't my opinion though you only need to workout about 3 times a week(unless you are on gear) and try to go steady, the longer you maintain a steady path the faster you will get there imo, working out to much, dieting to hard whether its related to calories or some weird gross diet and doing to much cardio or even mind set, obsessing to much over lifting will burn you out, that is the real 10% for me and for everyone else it plays a bigger role than they realize, so many people get burned out, even some of the best lifters and bodybuilders... pace yourself, also use punctuation so you won't be like me!

Should make the jump from 25$ a month 24 hour gym with 1 power rack and half rack to 40$ a month powerlifting gym with dedicated power lifting gear?
I was thinking of doing it once I hit 4/3/2/1

I never really did shakes, but what I did do is a lb of some type of mean EVERY DAY atleast, but for perspective i'm 6'5' 260+lbs so maybe tone it down a bit, maybe 12oz

if the "bruise" is purple or blackish or is/was any of those colors it sounds like you may have actually torn the muscle, if I understand correctly you hurt it during some type of lift and it wasn't an injury from blunt force, so yeah if there is a bruise and that much pain you will need specialized help, have never torn a muscle sorry, would say doc but not sure if there are other remedies....

That depends entirely on if the rack is constantly in use when you want to use it

If it is in use constantly, then switch

If you go to the gym when you can reliably get that power rack, then save your shekels

forgot to quote -_-

if the powerlifting gym is closer and in a month the difference in gas/transportation is less then immediate yes...

in general if you have been working out for more than a year, go with the PL one

and if one will make your lifting experience better go with that one...

and probably just go with the PL gym desu.....

What is this cancer and why is anyone asking some random attention whoring nigger for advice?

Doing ss on cut is killing me. Gonna have to adjust it a lot. I can't squat 3 times a week and took out the middle session. Also I am starting to realise I can't dead lift after squatting my legs are just done after. Is it to shitty to just dead lift on that middle day. So it would be squat dead squat? Is that making ss to shitty? Only for another month or so?

What does fit think of PHAT?
I have a few questions/concerns..
1. It hits tris waaaaay harder than bis. Why is this?
2. when can I incorporate deadlifts? This site said I should switch them out with squats every 2-3 weeks but that would be 1 day after doing weighted pull ups, bent over rows, etc. Why wouldn't I switch them out with the bent over rows instead?

That's literally greyskull and it's perfectly fine. As a matter of fact, that's to be expected after some time on SS

Yea I just fixed the days I do squat with power cleans. Then deads on the middle day. I try to go up 10 lbs since only dead lift once a week. Squats and bench already stalled but deads still climbing thanks user. Them squats rape everything my body has

Because it is fun to role play.
Personally I'm pretending to be a plantation owner, who is enjoying watching my stud Mandingo break in my eldest daughter before she marries Jethro. I hate jethro's father because he married my childhood sweetheart, and I want his son to never know the joys of a tight southern belle.
Also, it isn't harvesting season, so I need to keep the help busy with some activity.

suddenly experienceing sharp pain in left knee when i completely lock my leg out as much as possible. on the top of the knee where it connects to quad. pls halp. jumped on larger volume sheiko program recently, might that have to do with it

Just stick with it.

It's only a month or so.

Eat an extra egg and have another glass of milk. You'll be fine, if you man up.

What are the results of your ancestry test

dunno, i'm just a nigger :S

SS and cutting don't really go together just because the people who train for strength shouldn't be cutting! prioritize your goals and pick one!
sounds like it's a tendon, if there is no bruising it's probably not torn but may be close, take it slow and probably should rest it

50% Hungarian
50% Ghanian

Don't need a test my fathers mom escaped the Nazi's and he went and married my mom in Ghana, only thing i never talked with pop about is his dad, but he was shot when he was young...

What other program should I do though? Gonna fail everything eventually will cutting and trying to make some strength gains.

3 day split...lol

if you start feeling your big three aren't where you want them to be do supporting exercises first then big lift for he day, it may seem backwards but you need to remember weight is ego, as long as your pushing near failure whatever your weakest link is will get stronger

Is it possible to be natty with a 6-4 pack at 6 feet tall, 205lbs, while maintaining a 225x10 barbell bench, 315x5 squat, and 400x4 deadlift.

Basically is 12% body fat at 205 lbs, 6 foot possible natty? and if so, how do I get there from 215lbs and 20% bf?

Hmmmm ok quads seem to be holding my squat back. I failed at 170lbs but no prob deadlifting 275.

those lifts aren't even impressive, yes very possible natty

that weight though is pretty possible natty...

First thing to do is keep lifting for at least 2 more years srs, desu most people overestimate how lean they are, I doubt if you are really 215lbs @ 20% you would be asking question but basically if you are close stay on track lifting properly and maintaining BF% for about 2 more years and when you cut you should be right around your goal(assuming your estimation of your bf% is close to reality)

but overall very possible natty

I really only squat ATG or if I'm going parallel go heavy but i am constantly told I have legs that don't match upper body which is funny bcus 700lb deadlift and 550lb+ squat....

>tl:dr pick strength or mass only if you want to advance fast and if you pick strength you will be strong AF but ppl will pester you to workout your legs because amatuers

yo what's your insta bro, mirin hard

>thinking about reactivating but dun wanna get doxxed

The confusing thing is I'm a pretty advanced lifter. I've been lifting seriously for almost a decade now, 24 years old.

BF estimations are hard, but right now you can't really see my abs at all, and I have a slight muffin top that fucking sucks. Bicep and neck veins are visible however.

215lbs right now, 6'
275x5 barbell bench
275x3 Squat (ATG)
400x1 Deadlift

I'd like to keep the numbers, and keep my arm and chest size, but have a 6 pack. I eat a ton, and sleep a ton.

no troll man, have you gotten test levels checked?

if you don't have symptoms of low T the only thing I can think of is that you have literally been training wrong/ineffectively this entire time and if you have been lifting 10 years thats pretty scary :S

try my DL suggestion to anonhere
for 3 months or so and if you don't see any progress unless you are commited to staying natty... never said this b4, but steroids may be for you...

For all other lifts, make sure you are pushing yourself near failure with weight but not ego lifting, make sure you use a weight that you can do fairly slowly & CONTROLLED with a slight pause at the resting and peak portion of lift, make sure at the "resting" or extended portion you feel your muscles stretch and at maximum load you contract them beyond what is needed for a slight moment and yeah.... let me know in a few months man.. that is crazy

also literally eat a lb of meat ATLEAST a day and that on top of normal protein you would eat, doesn't matter if it's chicken, pork, beef just 16oz

Test levels should be fine. I'm very hairy, and very thicc. But It really is weird how little progress I've made. I was benching 245x6 back in high school, and almost 6 years later I'm doing 275x5. I've been consistently lifting the entire time, chest every 7 days give or take a little. No more than a month off maybe three times in the last 6 years.

I'll admit I haven't been consistent with squats or deadlifts.

I really could increase my protein intake I guess.

Would a picture help?

also just saw ur 24, i'd count "serious" lifting as past 18 srs so i'd classify you as having lifted serious for 6 years with 10 years of knowledge.... i'm 25 and started at 17, idk if you were a late bloomer but I semmed to be but at 17 with less than 2 months lifting i trap bar deadlifted over 400lbs... did you used to be always skinny or something for a long time?

sure post up

>inb4 i've been trolled

God this is depressing. Maybe I'm just getting old. Found some pictures from when I was 19.

Current pictures first, 24 in June. Stats as described earlier in the thread.

Sorry, didn't resize.

...

I see nothing wrong so far except that body looks like someone who has been lifting seriously for less than 3 years :S

like no joke, no troll man get your test levels checked by an actual doctor if you can easily....

desu it may be time to start lifting for mass..

it's hard to explain how you know when you are lifting right but here is a video by kai where he touches on some of the basics

youtube.com/watch?v=m8wZNGL4iA4

I know this sounds basic AF for someone lifting 10 years but something is very not right man... make sure when you lift you are isolating the area you are training for and not using any type of mechanical advantage or cheat reps.... and I'm hoping you aren't training 5 times+ a week or some shit....

Big Nig what do i do to become a Tyrone, the black version of chad?

This is from a bit over 4 years ago.
At the time I think I'm around 190lbs maybe? I was lifting consistently, should have been benching around 205 for 10 I guess?
Fuck I even look happier.

>be born with BBC
>be born with BBC genetics
>eat chickens daily
>fuck white wimminz

not to alarm you but that is literally reverse progress.. .something is wrong man, have you been eating complete garabage/fast food

do you have an alcohol problem? or a drug problem?

did you at any time experiment with gear or prohormones?

have you been depressed for a long time?

My lifts have gone up, but not by that much.

Not complete garbage. Old picture I was eating from the campus cafeteria. For the past few years I consistently eat 6 eggs for breakfast, 4 pieces of toast, and some turkey sausages.

Dinner is consistently chicken cutlets, broccoli, and maybe some mac and cheese? I've recently cut out the carbs in the evening. Snack during the day on beef jerkey and nuts. Only drink water and almond milk for protein shakes.

Eat out fast food at most 3 times per month over the past few years, at most.

No alcohol problem. 4-5 drinks maybe twice per month. No casual drinking otherwise.

No drugs.

No gear, some herbal test boosters back when I was 19 lol. Normal supps, whey, creatine, casien.

Like I said, for the past 10 years I've lifted consistently. 2-5 workouts per week, maybe 1 week off every 6 weeks, occasionally 2-3 weeks off for an injury or vacation.

Can I cut while also gaining mass and strength?

Definitely if you're on gear, are a noob, or if you've got great genetics. If you're more of an average case genetically, or if you're already an intermediate lifter/fitizen, probably not.

Fuck me what happened?

Full disclosure, I have very poor recovery. I am sore for almost 7 days after a workout. After chest for example I don't feel ready to lift again until the next week generally.

Chest Day:
6x10 barbell bench or dumbell bench, pyramid weight.
3x10 barbell incline fixed weight
3x10 barbell or dumbell decline, fixed weight
6-9x10-15 standing cable fly, incline, flat and decline. Deloading weight as lift progresses.

I cycle my preworkout, 6 weeks on, 2 weeks off.
About 50 grams of whey powder on workout days, maybe 25 on off days.

Old picture.

yes, its possible but hard to do good, unless your on steroids then it's ezpz

pls respond

>sore for almost 7 days after workout

after about 2-3 months of consistent full body workouts this should literally be down to 2 days to 3 days MAX on a regular basis.......

what does this tell me, well test determines muscle repair rate and your muscles are repairing slowly ergo low test....

i see now that your arms are just slim but obv have some decent width sideway but man...

>listen to me

you are well below natty limit and you have made basically ZERO progress in strength and mass... not trying to scare you but you could have low T, or you could have a fucking tumor on your sack (which can cause low T)

PLEASE GO AND SEE A FUCKING DOCTOR THAT IS THE FIRST STEP THIS IS NOWHERE NEAR NORMAL

>PHAT
>made by fake natty

literally just from that would stay away but here lemme look

>Hypertrophy (insert type) movement

it's shit for a beginner who knows nothing about programming their own routine and is literally for a bodybuilder and made by one who takes gear, so I doubt you are patient enough for this... just find a basic 3/4 day split on a popular site that actually tell you the name of the exercise you re doing not some generic bullshit, no offense but if you are lifting less than 1 year you are gunna be stupid and try to get big arms or some shit and completely fuck up this "PHAT" thing

also desu this is probably a copout by layne to be vague and explain to gullible people that he is natty because he workout is literally a fucking mystery....

Okay thank you for the advice. So what kinda doctor do I go see? And what do I say?
Hey I was posting half naked pictures of myself on a japanese image board and some guy told me to go see a doctor?

>40931021
a general doctor should be able to do testosterone tests, i doubt you need to lie, any doctor that isn't an overbearing dickhead should let you just take the test but if not just literally just look up "symptoms of low t" and list off the systems as your own... and if you really want to rustle his jimmies and have good insurance tell him you felt a lump on your sack sometimes..... sorry to scare you man but it's better to be safe than sorry.... desu I was scare du experimented with prohormes and your test never started back up... idk what natural test booster you tried but imo all of those things are fake as fuck

You're pretty big to be honest. Idk why that guys feels qualified to tell you you have low T. Almost everyone here is below the natty limit, that doesn't mean we have low T. It just means it's hard as fuck to hit that limit. You could go to a primary care doctor or endocrinologist and ask for a hormone panel if you're curious.

lol

>his lifts are low for his weight/height and lifting over 5 years
>he has added less than 3lbs/year for over 4 years in a row while over 40lbs under normal natty limit

I'm not telling him he has low T i'm acknowledging he is experienced and probably knows what he doing because the alternative is he lifted for 10 years and has no idea what he is doing... The thing is he NEEDS to get his test tested because that is the one thing he doesn't have control over, which is logical considering it seems he is/should be doing everything else right.

Be a dick if you want but to many people refuse to see a doctor and get themselves checked out until it's to late, there is literally no harm that can be done other than

>it costs money

which i'm sure after 4 years of no gains(again self admitted no gains) i'm sure he doesn;t care about

>i'm just the kick in the ass he needed

so please reserve your shit talk.

When counting calories for oats for example, should I count cooked or uncooked?

cooked

>.>

Okay simple question how long until a Bulged disc goes back into the vertebrae. I have been doing stretches and pt.

Lol I wasn't talking shit, I was giving my opinion just like you. You took it to another level breh. Now I'm gonna fuck you up.

>Bulged disc
bruh sorry but u need google and a doctor idk why you are asking me about this

:/

please stay safe

wut

Trust me bro, you'd better watch your back.

Hit the gym today after taking a year off because family issues.

Obviously felt weak as shit, all my lifts were down etc. etc.

I don't really have a question I just wanted to say starting from rock bottom again sucks.

know that feel brah

I wonder if it sucks as bad as lifting and eating consistently for years only to regress in terms of your physique.

I have pretty comprehensive health insurance. Maybe something turns up.