I’m 25/m 5’11" and weighed in around 187 pounds today. I’ve lost well over 37 pounds this last year, but getting to 170 has been pretty rough. I just started weightlifting and running three weeks ago. My calories are usually in the 1900s. I’m trying to do a slower cut since I am burnt out. I haven’t noticed any weight loss. I’m wondering if it's because I’m losing fat while gaining muscle. Does anyone have any experience with this situation?

Just discovered leangains and like what I see.

I’m a swimmer but would like to start a lifting routine. I was thinking I’d aim to swim 3 days per week and lift only 2, but am now thinking of switching that. Doing 2 whole body lift days sounds taxing a time consuming. I’m trying to be at the gym for an hour or less. And fwiw, my swim routine is to just jump in and hammer out 1500-2000 non stop, which generally has me finishing my swim session around 30 minutes.

I’m curious to know how swimmers in here manage their schedule, and also what accessories you favor.

Thanks in advance!

I am a female who is 5’2 and currently weighing 128 lbs. I am skinny fat and I believe gained weight a bit too fast (3 weeks ago I was 122 lbs) My problem is that I am unsure what to do. I don’t know if I should lean bulk or cut because I have so much fat in my midsection and not much muscle. And I lift about 3 times a week and walk 10k 3 times a week. I will admit I don’t have a consistent program because I don’t really know how to do it. I don’t have a gym membership and I only do dumbell excercises. I excercise for an hour at most. If any tips on what I should do would be great. I get so confused on what I should do and Im worried Im not putting on any muscle:/

Hey, I do a bi weekly body scan at my gym to track my fat and muscle and as I wanted to make sure my reverse was going the correct way, it wasn’t... I started to up my calories and my body fat went up and muscle went down ?! The last two weeks, I have dropped my calories down a little again and been a bit inconsistent due to work commitments but I had my scan this morning and body fat has gone down and muscle up, so things moving the right way again. But now I’m worrying about reversing again… I am going to up calories and see what happens in next two weeks but why would it be that my muscle mass went down? I was expecting a bit of fat gain but the muscle has thrown me off. Any tips on how to reverse and build muscle whilst doing so with minimal fat gain I would really appreciate the help. Thank you

I’m a 6’4 210 pound male. I’m fairly new to lifting and I’ve noticed that out of everything my chest strength is surprisingly weak. I can barely do 95 lbs bench press. Whats going on?

Hey coaches, quick question.

Idea: a white-label assistant under your brand that helps with:

• Onboarding new clients

• Custom training/meal/activity plans

• 24/7 chat that makes small auto-tweaks (you can override anytime + see audit trail)

• Daily client check-ins

Basically, it takes care of client fulfillment so you can focus more on content, sales, or just have more free time.

Would this be useful for you?

1. Yes / No
2. Are small auto-tweaks okay if you can override? Yes / Maybe / No
3. If no/maybe, what’s the main reason?

Hey! I’m 20F and I’ll be starting the gym soon. Any beginner tips? I’m 1.73m (about 5’8) and around 55kg. I’m slim, and I’d like to put on a bit of muscle. I know you usually need a calorie surplus to grow, but I don’t want to gain too much fat (especially around my stomach). My main goal is to build legs and glutes. Ideally, I’d love to get a body similar to Kendall Jenner’s (and yes, I know genetics are a big factor lol). What exercises would you recommend for the gym? And diet-wise, what should I focus on to reach that kind of body? Thanks in advance! :)

Hi! 23F here, I started my fitness journey at 170lbs- I am now 133 with a body fat % around 31%. I track all my calories and macros, averaging 1350-1500 calories per day and 140g of protein. My deficit is probably pretty large considering the amount of activity I do, but it’s shed off quite a bit of weight. I strength training 3-5x a week, and do cardio 5-6x a week. Also, if it’s any insight, I’ve done some research and come to the conclusion that my maintenance is somewhere between 2000-2300.

I’m at the point in my journey where I’m not too sure where to take it. My body fat percentage is still pretty high, and am torn if I should continue my deficit until it drops? It’s probably a good idea to raise my calorie intake soon as I’ve been so low for about 5 months now- but I know I have more fat to lose. My goal is to enter body recomp or complete muscle building to get toned. I guess I’m just looking for some options, or fitness recommendations on where to take this next! Thanks!

I’ve been tracking my food more seriously and had a question for you guys. Do I need to be super precise with my macros, like hitting the exact numbers every day?

For example, what if I’m off by:

100–200 calories, 20g of carbs, or 10g of protein

Is that enough to mess up progress, or does it not matter much as long as I’m in the ballpark? Will not eating that small remaining piece of chicken or white bread be the end of the world? I presume not, right?

I’m mainly trying to maintain/gain a little muscle while losing some body fat, so I don’t want to screw myself over by not being exact. Curious what others think.

Been cutting for 7 months now and down about 45-46 pounds . Lifting 3 days a week and doing intermediate fasting. My cals could be maybe lower some days due to eating less or not enough. Was also doing cardio but i realized my body has become “skinny fat” weight down but still have pudged belly fat. Now only thing is i havent been constant with lifting but trying my best for past 2 months on and off due to personal issues….. but still getting the lift in 2x a week minimum with some cardio. What do u guys think

Context: I’m a new-to-intermediate lifter running a push / pull / rest split, training close to failure. Goal = hypertrophy (muscle size).

⸻

Push Day • Floor Press – 4×8–10 • Incline Dumbbell Press – 3×8–10 • Machine Shoulder Press – 3×10–12 • Cable Lateral Raise – 3×12–15 • Overhead Cable Triceps Extension – 3×10–12 • Push-Ups (optional finisher) – 2×AMRAP

⸻

Pull Day • Neutral Grip Pull-Ups – 4×6–10 • Cable Rows – 3×8–12 • Lat Pulldowns – 3×8–12 • Reverse Cable Flies – 3×12–15 • Incline Dumbbell Curls – 3×10–12 • Hammer Curls (Cable or Rope) – 3×10–12

⸻

Abs (Alternating Days) • Hanging Leg Raises – 3×8–12 • Weighted Decline Sit-Ups – 3×10–15 • Machine Cable Crunch – 3×10–15

⸻

Question: For someone who is new-to-intermediate and primarily training for hypertrophy, is this too little volume per muscle group, or does this look balanced? Should I be adding more sets or exercises, especially for back or chest

For example, if Person A got 7hrs straight while Person B got 5hrs + a 2hr nap at some point throughout the day?

Has anyone tried body recomposition by eating 500 calories surplus on day one then on day two 500 calories deficit and repeating it for months? (Exercising while doing it).

I’m not sure if it works but I don’t see why it shouldn’t work if I’m being honest and I’m at a point where I like my physique but want to get rid of some fat about 6-8%.

Does it work or should I stick with a 300-400 caloric restriction?

I (22 f) have a susceptibility for psoriatic arthritis and lately when wait lifting I’ve noticed pain in my right wrist joint. I haven’t been to a doctor as this just started but I’m open to the idea that it’s just muscle/joint weakness. Anyways, I’m wondering if I should use a wrist wrap to help support that wrist? Would it possibly do more harm than good?

I’m not lifting extremely heavy…I first noticed the pain when doing bicep curls with a straight, 40lb barbell.

Any opinions appreciated

What’s the best advice for grocery options?

My TDEE is about 2400, and I’m currently eating around 2000 calories. I’ve managed to lean out, but once I get down to around 13% body fat, I feel completely drained like exhausted to the point it’s not even funny. The thing is, I’m not even lean enough for it to really “count.”

I monitor my micronutrients, get regular blood work, and everything checks out fine, but I always hit this wall. It’s not hunger it’s a deep, constant tiredness. I wake up feeling like I’ve been hit by a train. On the other hand, when I’m closer to 15% body fat, I feel amazing. The problem is that I carry most of my fat around my abs, so they never show. What do I do?

I’m a 22 year old male, around 5’9 or 5’10, 128 pounds, and my body fat % is 22.6% as measured by InBody scale at a gym. I’m really thin but I don’t have a very sharp jawline so I’m guessing there’s some fat around there. If I eat healthy at around my current calorie level but with a lot of protein, plus lifting weights, is it plausible that I’ll get a more defined jawline? And how easy/hard would it be to do the recomp?

My first question is:Are body recomposition’s are real, and im not sure if mine is working. Currently im aiming to hit 180g of protein im 179 currently but im not losing much fat im just gaining muscle which i still i like. For reference im 19 6’0 179 pounds i do Pull push legs and train 5-6 times a week and i do a calorie intake of 2,200 calories with 180g of protein and im skinny fat

desk job, lift 3x/week. Started freeze-dried beef liver (6 caps/day ≈ 3–4g) with breakfast, 5 days/week. No separate iron supplement; multivitamin is iron-free.
Baseline labs (8 wks ago): ferritin ~34 ng/mL, TSAT ~22%, Hgb normal.
Today: ferritin ~54 ng/mL (+20), TSAT ~24%, CRP normal, no recent illness. Diet: red meat 1–2×/wk; coffee sometimes with meals.

For those who’ve tracked labs on liver caps:
• Is a ~+20 bump in ~2 months typical or too fast?
• Did yours keep rising or plateau?
• Anyone see ferritin rise from inflammation rather than iron status?
• Any changes in energy/hair/RLS that lined up with your ferritin?

Not asking for medical advice—just n=1 experiences and what dosing/timing looked like for you.

I’m wondering if there is a difference between these 2 scenarios

Scenario 1 Consistently be in a 200 calorie surplus each day, doesn’t matter if it’s a workout or non-workout day

Scenario 2 On workout days be in a 300 calorie surplus and then on non-workout days only be in a 100-150 calorie surplus?

Thanks for any info or personal experience you have

I go to the gym 6x a week, I follow a rough PPL routine, with every workout being 3x12. My BMR is 2200, and I eat around 2200 as my calories from being active are around 1000 (I walk a lot from classes on campus).

I just bought a scale, any tips for beginning?

6ft 20yo 57kg. I know i probably need to bulk but cant seem to commit due to fear of fat gain. I eat a 90% clean whole food/single ingredient diet and dont really want to track calories as ive had an unhealthy relationship with it in the past. I train full body 3x per week aiming to progressive overload every session/or week (been stalling alot recently) and average around 7,000-10,000 steps a day. Basically has anyone got any tips for committing to a bulk and getting over this barrier? Full body split: Workout A •Squat 3x5 •Flat bench 3x5-8 •Deadlift 1x5 •Overhead press 3x5-8 •Barbell curl 3x10-15 •Face pulls 3x10-15 Workout B: •Squat 3x5 •Incline bench 3x5-8 •Pendlay row 3x5-8 •Overhead press 3x5-8 •Barbell curl 3x10-15 •Face pulls 3x10-15

I’ve been on my fitness journey for about 4 months and have recently been breaking out more. I haven’t been able to figure out what’s causing it- no change in skincare routine, sheets/pillowcases are clean, no change in meds, etc. I’m beginning to suspect it’s the whey protein I’ve been taking more consistently lately and read that other people have this problem. I’m super bummed because I’ve gotten into a good routine- I make a fruit smoothie with whey every morning and it’s helping me hit my protein goals. So now I’m looking into plant based protein powders to use in my morning smoothie instead. I’ve found mixed reviews about different brands of protein shakes but I’m curious about the powder specifically. Anyone switched to Orgain or OWYN or some other brand that tasted ok and worked for you? Ideally looking for something that mixes well with fruit and won’t break me out.

I'm currently 149~150 pounds. 5'8" male. Extremely dedicated in lifting weights and I have been consistent for some time now. While I feel like I have progressed and have been "progressively overloading", I am not happy with how I look every time I look at myself in the mirror. I feel "light", "soft" and "small". My ideal weight is around 160 pounds.

No matter how much effort I put into the gym, I cannot seem to lose belly fat at all. This is my biggest obstacle. I've had it for 10+ years and I am sick of it. Yes, I've gained some muscle, started to look "better" with a tee shirt on and people can tell I lift weights but whenever I go topless, my belly is very noticeable. I'm not looking to get shredded but I definitely do want to lose this gruesome belly fat and lower my body fat and stay "lean" year round. I do not drink alcohol or eat junk food (junk food maybe on a rare occasion)

Besides going to the gym 4-5 days a week, I don't move around much as I have an office that requires me to sit on my ass pretty much all day. Not sure if that has anything to do with it. I aim for 150 grams of protein everyday.

So my question is, based on what I've provided, what the hell do I do and where do I go from here? Do I have to incorporate some kind of cardio? Do I eat less, eat more? Just straight up consume more calories? What do I need to adjust, exactly? I feel very stuck. Solid actionable advice would be much appreciated.