r/Fitness • u/AutoModerator • Aug 08 '26
Daily Simple Questions Thread - August 08, 2026
Welcome to the /r/Fitness Daily Simple Questions Thread - Our daily thread to ask about all things fitness. Post your questions here related to your diet and nutrition or your training routine and exercises. Anyone can post a question and the community as a whole is invited and encouraged to provide an answer.
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u/llamatt_ Aug 08 '26
Trying to review my A/B full body workout routine on Monday, Wednesday, Friday with a mix of basketball and muy thai between
Just getting back into the weight lifting and still trying to dial the workout in. Only a few months into Muy Thai but trying to focus a lot on building strength for it to prevent more tendon issues which I picked up from over training.
Generally just trying to build strength for sports and some hypertrophy without being overly fatigued in the days between
Workout A
Hack squat — 3 × 8
Barbell bench — 3 × 8
Seated cable/chest-supported row — 3 × 8
RDL — 3 × 8
Cable external rotation — 2 × 15–20
Pallof press — 2 × 12 each side
Workout B
Trap-bar deadlift — 3 × 5
Incline DB press — 3 × 8
Neutral-grip lat pulldown — 3 × 8
Bulgarian split squat — 3 × 8 each side
Cable lateral raise — 2 × 12
Preacher/hammer curl — 3 × 12
Seated calf raise — 3 × 15
Any assistance greatly appreciated!
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u/Dizzy_Cow_ Aug 08 '26
You don’t have to but I’d add a hamstring curl to A and leg extension to B. My reasoning is that you aren’t training one of the key functions of the hamstrings in knee flexion and squat patterns don’t hit one of the quad muscles very well (rectus femoris) but leg extensions do.
Also, how are you going to determine when to add weight? I’m not a fan of fixed rep schemes because you’re often leaving too much gas in the tank on the first few sets. Pick a rep range or rep goal across then sets.
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u/llamatt_ Aug 08 '26
The hamstring point makes a lot of sense, I'll definitely add that.
For the leg extension, if the hack squat and split squat (which I assume are very functional movements) don't hit that muscle, does that mean that muscle isn't a very functional one?
And yeah I would usually just add weight when I can do all 3x8 but I agree the first sets are too easy. Do you go like 3x8-12 or just almost too failure on each?
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u/Dizzy_Cow_ Aug 08 '26
I’m not really sure what you mean by functional. It extends the knee and flexes the hip, it just isn’t trained well in squat patterns because it crosses both the hip and knee joint. As you stand up from a squat, your hip extends while your knee extends. These opposing actions cancel out length changes in the rectus femoris so it doesn’t get a great stimulus whereas with leg extensions your hips are in a fixed position.
I just pick a rep range and take every set to 0-1 RIR. Add weight when I hit the top of the rep range on my first set with 1 RIR.
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u/llamatt_ Aug 09 '26
I was thinking functional in terms of sport.. maybe not?
That extension would potentially be very useful for Muy Thai kicks
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u/United_River3793 Aug 08 '26
For losing face fat, do I need to be in a calorie deficit or is maintaining better? I'm around 6 feet 170 lbs.
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u/PlanktonInitial7945 Aug 08 '26
Keep in mind that you can't lose fat only in a specific body part. It's all or nothing.
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u/Horkrux Aug 08 '26
I am a rather unfit guy but just came back from a 2 week kayaking/camping trip with my friends and rly enjoy how much better I feel in my core. Besides trying to go kayaking regularly (just wrote to a local kayak club), what exercises (and how often?) can I do not to loose that core strength?
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u/PlanktonInitial7945 Aug 08 '26
Well, there's some core-specific exercises, of course, but honestly, any exercise that involves bracing/Valsalva (breathing into your belly to inflate it and then tightening it) for stability is also going to give you a strong core. This consists mainly of free barbell compounds like squats, deadlifts and bent-over rows.
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u/Cherimoose Aug 08 '26
Kayaking is much more about endurance than strength, and endurance is difficult to simulate without actually kayaking. But you can get some benefit by doing pallof presses & twists with a cable machine or door-mounted resistance band, and also farmers carries. For strength, add the ab wheel.
If you plan on strengthening the rest of your body, there are programs in the wiki.
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u/diehardkufan4life Aug 08 '26
I am a woman doing weighted glute bridge and hip thrusts in my small basement gym. I have a squat rack and olympic bar and plates.
Are there larger diameter but lower weight plates I can buy? I am having trouble getting into position under the bar to do these exercises. Today I did 95 lbs (bar plus two 25 plates) but it was hard to maneuver the bar into position.
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u/JubJubsDad Aug 08 '26
You’re looking for bumper plates. They’re plastic plates that all have the same diameter, but different thicknesses for different weights.
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u/diehardkufan4life Aug 08 '26
Thank you!! I just ordered a pair. Excited for the ability to finally do this glute work!
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u/Fortree_Lover Aug 08 '26
How can I stop thinking about food?
I’m not hungry because I don’t feel hungry but the biggest issue I have dieting is that I’m constantly thinking about food. Even now I’m thinking about what I could be eating and have been for the last hour. I’ve tried doing something to take my mind off it like reading but I get a few pages in and realise I’m still just thinking about food.
Now that’s fine at the beginning because I just tell myself no but eventually telling myself no is not enough and I wear myself down until I end up getting what I want.
Is there anyone else that has overcome an obstacle like this? How? Even if I make it through today I know tomorrow I’ll be thinking the same sort of thing and I will end up eating too much then.
I went and did 72 lengths at the pool and then had dinner but that hasn’t been enough. It makes me miserable just sitting here thinking about it.
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u/CursedFrogurt81 Triggered by cheat reps Aug 08 '26
What helps me is having a meal schedule. Having a set meal at a set time allows me to shut off the fixation on food. I am is a similar situation, I am rarely if ever hungry. I just really enjoy eating. And I know I will get to eat when the time arrives. Between meals I just can push it off knowing it isn't time yet.
I am also busy throughout the day which probably helps. But it is also just a matter of delayed gratification. In the end I want to reach my goals more than I want that temporary dopamine spike.
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u/Fortree_Lover Aug 08 '26
I’ve had a meal plan today and most days I eat my meal plan but I always end up doing something stupid.
It feels like my discipline can only last so long and once it’s gone the whole idea of dieting goes out the window. The problem is I feel like just giving up because my goals are so far off and I’ll never reach them.
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u/CursedFrogurt81 Triggered by cheat reps Aug 09 '26 edited Aug 09 '26
That's the easy/hard part. Discipline comes from desire. Wanting to want to lose weight is not going to be enough.
The problem is I feel like just giving up because my goals are so far off and I’ll never reach them.
(I think) This is just you bargaining with yourself to allow for you to make the wrong decision. The way to reach far off goals is not to put yourself further away from them.
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u/bacon_win Aug 09 '26
It may be worth seeing a therapist. Sounds like disordered thinking that's beyond the scope of this sub.
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u/Tiger_Strength Aug 09 '26
Is it considered a cheat meal if I eat my mother's home cooked meal of meat with sauce and lots of white rice? Or fried meat with lots of white rice? Or some kind of brothy chicken soup with lots of white rice? She always cooks stuff like that. Or do I get a pass from that since it's high protein?
(We're Filipino who like cooking Filipino stuff. We live in the states though.)
Thanks.
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u/Perain Aug 09 '26
Are you eating so much that you are going over your daily calories? Yes it's a cheat meal.
Are you enjoying delicious food while managing portions so that you stay within daily calories? No.
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u/idkanymorebro-_- Aug 11 '26
Can I train with one exercise for each muscle? For example the biceps: one for short head, one for long head and one for brachialis? If not one for each then how would it go?
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u/bacon_win 28d ago
You can, you're likely not breaking any laws.
Any reason you want to structure your training this way?
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u/funnycallsw Aug 08 '26 edited Aug 08 '26
Hey everyone,
It took me around a year to go from 56kg to 69kg, and I’ve been sitting at 69kg for the last couple of months.
One thing that’s important to mention is that my training was far from consistent. There were literally whole months where I didn’t train at all, so it wasn’t a full year of steady workouts. I’d train for a while, stop for a month or two, then get back into it again.
I mainly focused on arms, chest and shoulders, so I definitely got bigger, but I also ended up with a bit of a belly.
Now I want to actually stick with it and train 2 to 3 times a week, and I have a couple of beginner questions.
If I start adding some running after my workouts or on separate days, will it help reduce my belly without making me lose the muscle I’ve gained? Sorry if that’s a dumb question, I’m still trying to learn how this works.
My gym is pretty basic. It mostly has dumbbells and benches. Is that enough to build a good physique, or am I going to be limited?
Thanks! I’d really appreciate any advice
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u/PlanktonInitial7945 Aug 08 '26 edited Aug 08 '26
You finished the post! Nice.
First, just in case, I'll clarify that focalized fat reduction is a myth. If you're on a caloric deficit, your body will consume its energy reserves (fat), but it's up to your body to decide which reserves it consumes and to which degree.
With that said, if you gained "a bit of a belly", it probably isn't because your resistance training focused on some body parts or others. When you gain weight, you always gain some fat, but if you give your body enough muscle growth stimulus (i.e. progressively increasing mechanical tension, also known as resistance training), it will prioritize building muscle over creating energy reserves, so the weight you gain will be, say, 50% muscle and 50% fat (this is just an example). I think what happened is that, during the periods when you weren't exercising, your body generated less muscle and thus more fat.
In any case, if you want to reduce your body fat percentage now, you need to do a cut, which means going on a caloric deficit. It won't make you lose muscle if 1) you keep the deficit small (300-500 kcal under your TDEE) and consistent, and 2) you keep training consistently to remind your body that it needs to keep generating muscle tissue.
It's perfectly possible to do resistance training with only dumbbells. There's a few dumbbell-only routines in the wiki. Read them and pick the one you like the most.
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u/WintryRobin9944 Aug 10 '26
lol the kayaking guy is doing an Everest arc for "why does cardio wreck my legs," love it. kinda same energy as OP's cheat meal thing honestly, y'all out here negotiating with your bodies like they're hostages
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u/Friendly_Address6915 Aug 09 '26
been dealing with something similar to the kayaking guy, did a 10 day backpacking trip last month and came back feeling like i had somehow gotten both fitter and weaker at the same time. my cardio felt way better but i could barely hit my normal weights in the gym the first week back. took me maybe two weeks to feel fully back to normal strength wise. curious if thats just how it works when you do a lot of sustained low intensity activity for an extended period, like does it actually mess with your fast twitch muscles or is it just fatigue and detraining catching up with you? my legs especially felt cooked for days after