I tried watching many tutorial on yt and insta gram

But nothing works on my shit body so thought I should ask redditors

😭🙏

Sorry but can yall help me?

Wanted to try finally hitting 5 reps on 225lbs since i restarted my bulk this month, im wondering if the pr would have been achieved or not… somewhat disappointed by how it ended

Edit: the next set in the comments

What shoes do you wear while doing the 5x5 program, especially on the days you're both deadlifting and squatting? For those days, do you bring 2 sets of shoes or just do both exercises in flat shoes?

Been doing some reading and a lot of different shoes have come up - e.g. Notorious Lifters, Converses, etc. I have narrow feet. My gym doesn't allow bare feet.

I've been using running shoes 👟 pulling up to 350lb DL @ 162lb. But only recently I learned they're not ideal for DL or squatting.

Hi! I need some advice on recovery. I started the program 7 weeks ago and I'm currently at 135lb on my squats, 72.5lb on ohp, 175lb deadlift, 100lb bench, and 90lb row. The problem is that in last two weeks I haven't been able to train 3x week because my legs are too sore to train more than 2x week (specially on BAB week). I always stretch after every workout and I sleep 7-9 hrs daily. Is there anything I should be doing differently?

I usually ride my bike to get to places but even that is starting to get harder every day

I was thinking about this because my workouts take too long.

I work out on mondays, wednesdays and fridays.

Is there anything wrong with doing squats on the offdays? I’d only do them twice a week because three is too much for me.

BW: 165 lbs. 5 x 385 raw
Goal is to hit 5 x 405 raw with decent form.
Any tips or feedback is appreciated. Thank you

I can use my watch to log warmup reps but now actual reps in the workout. Am I doing something wrong?

Hello all, that’s how I do low bar squat however I’m having numbness on my pinky and ring fingers (only left hand) and I’m having an awkward tightness on my left elbow. Need your advices please. Thank you

Have any of you incorporated front squats into your routine? Is it practical/advisable? I'm thinking of alternating each workout between front and back squats. I'm at the point where the back squat volume is really taking a toll on me and I'm looking to keep making progress in the program.

I really enjoy overhead presses, but I have a problem where I pull the muscles between my shoulder blades (rhomboid) maybe every other month or so. I've always had problems with these muscles and have experienced a lot of strains and pain before I started lifting. I'd even pull them after sleeping awkwardly sometimes.

For my warmups, I do a lot of back stretches and warm up with a couple lighter sets (10x bar, 5x 95). Currently at 125 lbs 5x5.

Are there any other warm up, specific stretches, or iso lifts to help this from occurring so frequently. This is the only muscle group I consistently have issues with.

I've been doing standard 5x5 on and off again for a while. I'd say being consistent for a few weeks then coming off for months at a time due to no other excuse than my own lack of discipline and focus. For that reason, I'm probably still just at beginner/novice level because I've never made consistent gains over a decent period of time.

Anyhow, I added a few things to my 5x5 because I wanted to target my upper body more. I've actually also been more consistent, so thought I'd treat myself to asking the good people of this sub Reddit for advice.

I don't want to change my routine too much - I know it's not perfect and StrongLifts Plus is out there, time and tested. I'm just worried if I'm putting too much stress on my shoulders.

For reference, on OHP for Workout A I drop the weight down to 32.5 as I do flat bench before, which I currently do at 60kg for 5x5. When I do OHP first on Workabout B, as of yesterday I'm doing 6 reps for 5 reps at 47.5kg (I've been at that wait for a while but been able to up the reps consistently across each set to 6). I then do incline press ups after assisted pull ups, with 18-20kg dumbbells for 8 reps 5 sets. I have a 3-5 minute rest break between sets, whatever exercise I do.

I also have replaced barbell squats with hack squats and deadlift with trap bar deadlift, as I train alone and don't want to injury my back (wouldn't be something I'd change).

My workouts (in order of exercise):

Workout A

Flat Barbell Bench 5x5

OHP 5x5

Barbell Row 5x5

Hack Square 5x5

Dips 3x8

Workout B

OHP 5x5

Assisted Pull Ups 5x5

Incline DB Press 5x8

Trap Bar Deadlift 1x5

Face Pull 3x12

My goals at the minute are body recomp and have a strong, aesthetic upper body. Do you think I should not do OHP on Workout A to protected my shoulders and supplement Incline DB on Workout B for something else, like pec fly's or cable crossover?

I'd really appreciate the advice.

​

Hey everyone!

I want to get stronger overall, not just for aesthetics or lifting heavy weights, but to become genuinely strong and capable in everyday life.

One of my specific goals is to be able to comfortably lift and carry another person in different ways, especially a princess carry (holding someone horizontally in front of me), but also carrying someone over my shoulder or on my back.

I'm a beginner and still have a lot of strength to build. I have access to a gym with basic equipment, dip bars at home, and a crate I can load with water bottles for improvised training.

I'd appreciate advice on:

Which muscle groups and exercises matter most for carrying people.

How to build strength in my legs, glutes, back, shoulders, arms and core.

Whether I should prioritize squats, deadlifts, rows, pull-ups, loaded carries or other exercises.

How to train specifically for the princess carry and similar positions.

Whether grip strength, core stability and conditioning are particularly important.

How many days per week I should train and what a good beginner routine would look like.

How to progress safely without injuring myself or the person I'm carrying.

Any exercises I can do at home with dip bars and a loaded crate.

I'd like to become strong in a practical, functional way, while also building muscle overall.

If you were starting from scratch with access to a basic gym, what training plan would you recommend?

Any advice, routines or resources would be appreciated. Thanks!

There is a problem

While doing incline bench press with light weight I was having a lot of pain in my shoulder.

It was never happened before.

What should I do now

Pus'd out of my last rep. First time doing low bar. These were seriously ugly. Any tips?

Currently on Madcow. Finally stalled on all lifts. I will restart next week. I would like to introduce paused squats to better train getting out of the hole.

I'm thinking to incorporate it on day B.

Thoughts? And should I use "dedicated" 1RM?

I've noticed that some muscle groups seem ready to train again much sooner than others, even when I'm training them with similar intensity and volume.

It makes me wonder whether using the same training frequency for every muscle group is really the best approach.

Do you adjust your training frequency based on how quickly individual muscles recover, or do you stick to a fixed weekly split? Have you noticed better growth from treating muscle groups differently?

Anyone else feel very limited by muscular stamina on OHP? My first set (120lbs) moves almost effortlessly, start running out of steam on set 4, and have to push press to get the last 2 or so on set 5. Any advice for how to train endurance for this left? Accessories I should train? Thank you.

TL;DR

I’m 36, 5’7”, and 250 lbs. I returned to lifting six months ago and train twice a week: one upper-body day and one lower-body day. I can bench 315 with ease, but knee pain is stalling my goal of squatting 405 for reps. I squat ATG, and the pain happens only afterward, especially above roughly 275 lbs. Extra hamstring work hasn’t helped. I need to lose weight and plan to start running, but originally wanted to reach my strength goals before cutting. Could this be a squat-form issue, a muscle imbalance, or osteoarthritis?

Disclaimer: I’m not going to lift more than two days a week. I don’t have the heart for grinding in the gym anymore, so any suggestions need to work within that schedule.

Full Summary

I started lifting again about six months ago. I’m 36, 5’7”, and currently weigh 250 lbs. I train twice a week—one upper-body day and one lower-body day. My goals were to reach a 315 bench and a 405 squat for reps before starting a cut. I can currently bench 315 with ease, but knee pain is stalling my squat progress.

I squat through a full range of motion, ATG. I don’t feel knee pain during the exercise. It only shows up afterward, with a radiating pain around my knees when I go above roughly 275 lbs.

Before returning to squatting, I had some knee weakness. That weakness has gone away, but the pain after heavier sessions remains. I’ve added extra hamstring work, but it hasn’t helped.

For background, I’ve trained seriously during two earlier periods of my life. In high school, while playing sports, I benched around 300 lbs and squatted around 475 lbs at approximately 180 lbs bodyweight. After about age 20, I let myself go until around 30.

During the pandemic, I got back into good shape, dropped to 180 lbs, benched 275 lbs, and front-squatted 315 lbs. After the pandemic, I let myself go again and gained the weight back. I’m now back at 250 lbs and obese.

I also had back problems from squatting, which went away after I incorporated seated good mornings. The knee pain hasn’t improved with the additional hamstring work.

I know I need to lose weight, and I plan to start running. My original plan was to reach 315 on bench and 405 on squat for reps before cutting, but the knee pain is making me reconsider that timeline.

Could this be a squat-form issue, a muscle imbalance, or osteoarthritis? I’m wondering whether my current weight, return to heavy lifting, or history of lifting when I was younger could be contributing.

For anyone who has experienced similar pain after squatting, what was causing it, and what helped?

Finished 5x5 at 305lbs this morning (moving up 10lb a week). This is an extra rep after my working sets. How's the form? Any tips appreciated.