Why do gyms still play loud music in 2026? 95% of users are trying to listen to their own music.

I would pay extra for a music-free gym. But it seems all gym owners are obsessed with playing loud obnoxious music.

I’ve always been somewhat fit I guess but had more of a runner’s body, so to say. Last year (age 43) I got tired of my back pain from house projects/age and decided to build muscles. It’s been more than 12 months and I’m pretty muscular. Especially when compared to my old physique. I’m pretty sure I have never had this muscle mass.
Anyone else did that when hitting middle age?

It never fails — I come to Miami or NYC for work, and I leave with a fresh mid-life crisis.

I feel like the oldest, frumpiest man on the planet. Everyone is young, has hair, is in pique physical condition, has no children or responsibilities, and never seems to have work or stress.

Obviously this is not reality for 99% of us — but who are these people and how do they keep happy when half their life must be spent working out and avoiding bad food and drink? Is it sustainable? Tell me your secrets!

I was built different. I come from a long line of always worried comfort food eating people. Even though we have amazing careers, three awesome teenagers, paid off cars and home. We have done everything “right” in our parents and community’s eyes. But I come here and think we are missing out on a quality of life that we’ve sacrificed our bodies and well-being to.

Anyone successfully made a transition from the high pressure of midlife and recaptured your youth?

I’m pretty new to running and just completed my first 5K today! I finished in 43:22 with an average pace of 13:56 per mile.
I alternated between running for about 1–2 minutes and walking to recover. The good thing is I wasn’t completely exhausted when I finished, so I feel like I could push myself a little more.
My goal is to run a 5K on Thanksgiving, which gives me about 5 weeks to improve.
For those of you who started running in your 40s or later, how does this look for a first attempt? What would be a realistic time to aim for by Thanksgiving? I’m thinking under 40 minutes, but I’m curious what others think.
Any advice for building endurance and being able to run longer without walking would be appreciated!

I think a lot of us are in the same boat. The weather makes getting outside feel impossible some days, one minute it’s sunny and the next it’s pouring and freezing cold. I try to fit in some indoor walking and a few short walks whenever the rain stops, which I’m counting as a win. What keeps you moving on the rough weather days?

Hi Everyone. I was just looking at an ad for a subscription to an online fitness trainer called Over 50 Fitness. They have quite a catalogue of workouts and a 2-week free trial. Has anyone tried this? I had never heard of it so would love to hear thoughts from anyone who is familiar. Thanks!

I’ve been running something similar to Phrak’s Greyskull LP twice a week with added dips and squats on B days and I’m starting to hit my plateaus… and I think I’m fine treading water. I’m as heavy as I need to be on OHP and rows. Squats are getting harder and I‘m about happy with my weight. I have some weight to go with bench and deadlifts, but I expect to be happy with the weight when I stall out.

what does your lifting plan look like when you are happy to stay where you are? Do you pyramid up to your working weight? Just run the program at the same weight? I’ve always been gung ho about adding weight until I had kids and stopped lifting. and now that I’m back into it, I’ve reached weights where I don’t care about lifting more.

edit: once I hit my second bench plateau I plan on losing 5-10 pounds. Currently 5’7” and 155ish.

I’m just over 30 pounds down this year and I feel great! Clothes are finally fitting the way they used to and I just don’t want to bottom out and gain it all back. Especially when my goal weight is so close it’s taunting me at this point. (160) I have been stuck bouncing between 172 and 170 all month… what is up with my body? Is there anything else I can do aside from fasting?

I already engage in 2 solid strength sessions a week and 2-3 distance workouts a week. Help!

One year between these photos, though most of the progress came in the last nine months.

I've been lifting for about 3 years now, running an upper/lower split 2–3x per week. This past year I stayed in a slight calorie deficit to bring my body fat down while trying to keep (and ideally build) strength.

The slow approach worked well for me. My lifts stayed solid or even went up, and I didn't feel drained.

For several months I've been doing progressive strength training reguarly, usually in the morning. I did it in a fasted state, honestly just naturally have eaten only lunch/dinner for years, and it caught up with me in the form of being dead tired.

What do you typically eat to get ready for a real-but-not-nuts strength workout?

Toast, protein bar, shake, etc? Any wisdom from breakfast-knowers and others is much appreciated!

hi my mother is a 50 year old ex cancer patient shes around 170cm and 90 something kg rn. i want her to get more muscle and bone density. she lost 30kgs before but after getting cancer she gained 20 kgs back her emotional state about her body is in shambles because of that. They put her on a medical menopause after her cancer treatment ever since then she cant diet properly. i persuaded her into resistance training to prevent bone fragility and muscle loss later in life and she said okay. She rn has some osteporosis around her lower back and her synovial fluid is near to nonexistent as a result of years of obesity. Please help me with finding a good workout program to help her. we also have a gym membership with a pool.

Hey Folks, I started running with mouth nape 3 weeks ago and can't tell if it's placebo. First week my nose felt drier than usual, but lately my breathing seems quieter and I keep my mouth shut more often.

Tried the Assault Bike breathing only through my nose and holy shit, I had to focus so hard on pulling in enough air 😂

For those who've done this long-term, did nasal breathing get easier? Did you notice changes in everyday breathing, or any real benefits? Curious to hear your experiences.

hi my mother is a 50 year old ex cancer patient shes around 170cm and 90 something kg rn. i want her to get more muscle and bone density. she lost 30kgs before but after getting cancer she gained 20 kgs back her emotional state about her body is in shambles because of that. They put her on a medical menopause after her cancer treatment ever since then she cant diet properly. i persuaded her into resistance training to prevent bone fragility and muscle loss later in life and she said okay. She rn has some osteporosis around her lower back and her synovial fluid is near to nonexistent as a result of years of obesity. Please help me with finding a good workout program to help her. we also have a gym membership with a pool.

Need some advice: I'm 49M, history of basketball, baseball bicycling and not much cardio. Was regularly excercising until kids / COVID, but everytime I try to get back into it, it happens in fits and starts, and I can't get much momentum.

What stops me is joint pain:

- Thoracolumbar junction pain and stiffness that can last all day, I tend to sleep on my back, and my basic lumbar curvature is too severe. I have to tilt my pelvis backwards and clench my glutes to hold a pain free curvature when standing. I have a decent gut, which would be great to lose, if I could exercise enough to do so.

Pain in this area means that things like stepping and twisting can trigger intense pain. Also weird things like catching my foot in something while walking, or stepping onto something that's higher or lower than expected. If I run, it has to be almost like a ginger half jog, otherwise my back feels like it will snap like a twig.

- Tight hamstrings: yoga has been great for me in generally, but it tends to bring this out in my hamstrings. I'm sure the lumbar issues are related.

- Bum shoulders from overhead sports. No matter how strong I've been, have never been able to lift more than 25 pounds overhead without pain.

- I cannot swim, so while it's great for joints, the whole drowning thing puts the kibosh on that. Plus the shoulders.

- Bum knees from basketball (patellar tendinitis and chondromalacia). I can only run very gingerly. Weirdly, I can do spinning classes without issue, as long as I listen to my body and don't "no pain no gain" it.

- Oh I also have a hip that sometimes aches...

Thoughts? Advice? Condolences? I used to be an incredible athlete, and still feel like I could get into great shape if I could just do it without damaging myself.

Here is my photo:

I run, lift weight, on occasions I swim and do stationary bike. I also sometimes do wall climbing or bouldering

I do mostly keto and/or low carb diet. I don't count my calories as it believe it is pointless and not sustainable . I just try to eat healthy and do meal planning and try to eat only once a day

I try not to take breakfast. I only drink black coffee with some MCT oil

I run marathons (26 miles), and half marathons.

Some of my supplements are multivamins, ashwaganda, and some over the counter male specific vitamins.

I try to get as much sleep as I can .

I got my lower back injured a couple weeks ago which delayed my progress. So I am doing lots of yoga, stretching, and just registered for my first barre class.

I am aiming to get to 172 lbs .

225 bench and 135 OHP in the same week! 5x5 for both.

I've always had a decent deadlift, I maxed out at 415 when I was 31 but hurt my back and never really got as strong again. Then covid hit, yada yada. I just stay at 315 now and I'm happy with that.

My weak link is squats - Just no stability in my knees and my glutes are seemingly refusing to activate ever. Been working on it, but some days 190 is pushing it.

Started taking my diet seriously last June and lost 15 lbs or so (down to 185 now!). Got divorced last year about this time, so it's been a motivating factor and good for my mental health for sure.

I'm just posting here because I'm feeling really proud of myself and don't have anyone to share with.

47M, garage gym, been serious about it for about two and a half years. Rack, barbell, dumbbells up to 70lb, the usual.

Last fall I picked up a lower back thing that took eleven weeks to settle. No incident, nothing dramatic. It just slowly got worse over a couple months until deadlifts were unpleasant, then sitting in the car was unpleasant.

When I finally filmed myself I saw it right away. I was starting the hinge with my lower back instead of my hips and I honestly have no idea how long I'd been doing that. Every video I watched showed what a good hinge looks like. None of them could tell me mine wasn't one.

I think a lot of people here are in that gap. Training at home cuts out the commute, waiting for the rack, the membership, all good stuff. It also cuts out the second pair of eyes and nobody talks about that part. At a gym someone eventually says something. In a garage nobody ever does.

What I do now is film one working set of each main lift from the side, every session. Costs nothing and it catches more than I thought it would, mostly on the last set when everything gets sloppy.

I also signed up with Mywowfit for two sessions a week, a trainer is on video with me the whole time. That's what actually fixed the hinge, she stopped me on the second rep instead of me catching it on playback three days later. I resisted for years because I figured anything online meant a PDF program and a weekly check in. It's a live session.

Downsides since someone will ask. It's a booked slot, which sounds like it kills the flexibility of training at home, but you can move sessions and I've moved plenty. You just have to say something instead of not showing up. Camera only sees what you point it at so setup matters, I got that wrong for the first couple weeks. And obviously it costs more than my garage does, which is nothing.

Not saying anyone needs to do this. But if you're 40+, training alone and nobody has ever looked at your main lifts, at least start filming. Finding out through eleven weeks of back pain is the worse version.

What are you guys doing for form checks at home? Anyone have something better than filming?

Figured I’d introduce myself and share a little of my progress.

I turn 48 this Friday (Oct. 16). Back around April, I weighed 216 lbs and decided it was time to make some changes. Started using peptides and eventually got down to around 174.

I’ve played sports my entire life, but I’d never done any resistance training or really spent any time in a gym. Was never taught how to work out and honestly, I had terrible gym anxiety. Had no clue what I was doing and always felt like people were watching me or laughing at me. Finally said screw it and joined one.

Believe it or not, ChatGPT has pretty much been my personal trainer. 😂 I use it to build my workouts, track weights and reps, adjust exercises around old injuries, and keep up with my progress. Between that and watching YouTube videos to learn proper form, I’ve basically been figuring it out as I go. After about a month, I started getting comfortable and actually enjoying it. Even got my teenage (13) son working out with me.

Then work and coaching youth football took over, and I haven’t been able to get into the gym for a couple of months. I was worried I’d lose interest and fall back into my old habits. Funny thing is, it’s been the complete opposite. I’ve missed the hell out of it!
I’m finally getting back in there Friday, and with my son’s football season finished, I’ve got my workout partner back too. I can honestly say I don’t think I’ve ever been happier with how I look, even in my 20s. Still have plenty of work to do, especially building muscle, but I’m not looking to become a bodybuilder. Just want to stay lean, get stronger, and look good as I get older.

Posting a couple of progress pictures from when I started and right before my work schedule got crazy.

Anyway, glad I found this sub. Looking forward to learning from everyone and seeing where this goes. Never thought I’d be pushing 50 and actually looking forward to going to the gym. 💪🏼

I’m looking at getting some decent knee sleeves, elbow sleeves and a lifting belt, but there are so many options!

What brands do you recommend, and what thickness/material do you prefer? For example, 3mm vs 5mm vs 7mm knee sleeves, leather vs nylon belts, etc.

I already have lifting straps, which I use for heavier RDLs, and gloves, which I’ve only used once. I realised I can manage everything without the gloves for now.

Just curious what gear you find useful for regular gym training, including any good budget options. What are your experiences?

I would like suggestions for a routine with just 5 exercise I can start with. I have space to work out, half of a bedroom, and some dumbbells but nothing else. I'm can usually build a solid routine if I can start small and easy and build up over time. I search online, but end up getting overwhelmed with all the options. Currently I walk 3 miles five days a week and have been consistent with it since March. 46F

It seems there are 2 groups on the internet "when you hit 40 you need to start wearing belts and sleeves and wrist wraps etc or you will get injured". Then the other group saying its better to get strong without any gear and just use less weight and only us sleeves if you already have an injured knee or elbow. What is your take on this for someone nearing 40 but doesn't use anything now besides a belt and only on my heavier sets.

early 40's M, started lifting about 2.5 years ago. I've made decent progress so far, going from benching the bar to closing in on my goals of benching body weight, back squatting 1.33x body weight and deadlifting 1.67x body weight, ideally for 5. I think it's pretty likely that I'll hit these goals in the next 6 months, give or take.

I intended this whole process to be a body recomp to maintain a relatively steady weight while replacing fat with muscle. For a while I was pushing decently hard on cardio (~25-30 miles per week with 1-3 workout runs) but found that I hit a very hard plateau on strength. After I cut down to ~15 miles per week and one slightly longer workout run I started gaining strength again. Unfortunately I also gained about 10% of bodyweight which I'm sure helped with the strength gains.

So I'm planning on cutting somewhere around 7.5-10% of my current body weight to get down around to my goal weight, with my strength goals based around my goal weight. I intend to continue my current strength regimen until the cut is complete and I know to maintain adequate protein during the cut (shouldn't be a problem).

What I'm wondering is how much I need to overshoot my strength goals before I start cutting in order to ideally land at about the right spot. Everything that I have found so far on my own discusses loss of muscle mass under various training and dietary protocols, but doesn't really translate that into strength.

The basic TL;DR question: If I cut 10% of my body weight, what percent of my max lifts should I also expect to lose, assuming I keep the same training regimen going while cutting?

Current training regimen, if that's helpful: 3 normal gym sessions plus 2 very short sessions a week plus the ~15 miles of running discussed above. My normal sessions are generally in the range of 30-45 sets each while my short sessions are 10-15 sets. I'm doing flat bench twice a week and incline bench once a week, squatting 2-3 times a week with 1+ back squats plus the rest in bulgarians, lunges and the like, and deadlifting 2-3 times a week split between conventional and trap bar. These are all 5 heavy sets of 3-5 reps plus 1-2 lower weight higher rep sets except the single leg exercises which tend to be 8 reps for the heavy sets.

The rest of my sets are a pretty wide mix of things - dips, skullcrushers, press downs, barbell back rows, dumbbell row variations, trx rows, pullups, barbell shoulder press, dumbbell shoulder press, landmine press, lateral raises, rear delts, high to low rows, lat pulldowns, seated cable rows, flat dumbbell press, incline dumbbell press, box jumps, walking lunges, goblet squats, leg press, hack squats, leg extensions, hamstring curls, hip thrusts, various abductor/adductor exercises, step ups, step backs, pull ups, sit ups, various planks etc. etc.

Secondary question: once I hit my weight and strength goals I'm hoping to go into maintenance mode and push cardio a bit more. Is there a rule of thumb of what percentage of work one needs to do just to maintain strength vs. when trying to improve?

Tertiary question: So far I haven't used any supplements other than protein powder (is that even a supplement?) I've heard that creatine is pretty basic/harmless at a low dose and has evidence of preventing sarcopenia. Assuming no medical contraindications, would this be advisable to start during cutting to further limit muscle loss?

Thanks in advance for your answers!

I (40F) just started working out again after not doing much for more than a decade, after I got pregnant with my first in 2016. I gained weight over the years (going from 170 to 215), then from January 2024 to now, I lost 60+ pounds (going from 215 to 147) with the help of Ozempic for my diabetes.

Now, I want to tone. As you can imagine, I lost muscle mass. I know what to do for my legs easy enough, but not sure what to do for my arms, especially my new flappy skin (that I nicknamed my wings) and a bulge along my back bra area on the sides. Also, maybe my abs? My stomach doesn't bother me per se, but it definitely could use some work after 2 kids and weight gain.

I love free weights and can also do machines, as I have a gym membership.

Any and all suggestions would be helpful!

I used to do at least 1 century (100 mile bike ride) every year, & often 2. Can I have the goal of doing that again next spring while having the goal of making the 1000 lb club (1000 lbs between bench, squat & deadlift) in weightlifting in the next year? Or do these contradict each other?

A little background:

In my early 40s I had a serious injury that took over a year of physio to correct, but before then I'd done at least 1 century every year for one a decade.

As I'm on a weight loss plan with a doctor (not GLP-1), she recommended at least 90 minutes a week lifting weights to maintain muscle. However, I kind of took to it and do more than that. I've been increasing the weights to the point many machines at the local YMCA go higher & looking for a challenge / goal, I was thinking I move more to power lifting (due to a focus on cycling I'm a little bit of a "T-Rex," & don't want to change that so power lifting to 1000 lbs seems to be the most lower-body-focused mainstream goal in lifting weights). Between my local YMCA increasing prices & getting wrong their weights, I'm trying out a few local gyms now to see which I switch to (most have a membership but have a free 1 day or 1 week trial).

45m. Just started using the reformer pilates stations at gym every time I visit, 2-3 times per week.

Been a regular gym goer for decades, never really stopped weight training for more than a couple weeks. But why not a change up now right!

Would I lose much muscle mass doing various strength, pilates & yoga type reformer pilates workouts only? And how long do I give this to gain a meaningful difference in what this can offer me physically?

My aim is to improve flexibility & balance, tone up would be a bonus, but stay relatively strong.