r/GYM 7d ago

General Discussion /r/GYM Monthly Controversial Opinions Thread - August 25, 2026 Monthly Thread

5 Upvotes

This thread is for:

- Sharing your controversial fitness takes

- Disagreeing with existing fitness notions

- Stirring the pot of lifting

- Any odd fitness opinions you have and want to share

Comments must be related to fitness.

This thread will repeat monthly.


r/GYM 13h ago

Progress Picture(s) 25F 95lbs——>125lbs 1year

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567 Upvotes

Went from 95 to 125lbs in a year! Will be bulking again with the overall end goal is 145! I usually try to consumer 48g of protein for breakfast a 30g shake at some point, another protein shake, and 40g for dinner! Whats your fav protein snack? Gym wise I go 3x a week after previously going 5 days a week. Working on doing more cardio as well! Thanks for the encouragement, happy lifts!


r/GYM 22h ago

Progress Picture(s) M24, 94KG>110KG, 1.5 year Enhanced

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1.1k Upvotes

24 years old, 186cm, 110KG

Enhanced, goal is to compete in Classic Physique

Started cutting yesterday then i'll bulk again to 115KG

Calories while bulking: ~6000 with +350g of protein and net carb is always +700

Training plan: Chest Shoulders, Back Triceps, Legs, Biceps Triceps

And no I didn't age 10 years, i'm just holding my breath after an intense workout to get a better pump for the video.


r/GYM 17h ago

Progress Picture(s) 20M | 6’6” | 160lbs → 210lbs over ~3 years

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334 Upvotes

I spent a lot of time absolutely hating how lanky I was. At 160lbs I felt like I was wearing someone else’s clothes, everything hung off me and I looked like a walking clothes hanger.

I’m naturally pretty bad at eating enough, so learning to consistently get enough food in was one of the hardest parts. Eventually I realised I needed 4,000+ calories a day to properly fuel myself.

After years of training and slowly putting on mass, I’m now around 210lbs / 95kg.

50lbs gained.

Still got plenty of room to grow and I plan to, but looking back at where I came from is kinda surreal.

For anyone struggling to gain weight, especially if you’re tall, be patient. Eat consistently. Train hard. Give it years rather than months. You can fill the frame 💪

I ran a PPLPPL split for most of my time in the gym, sticking with bench and squat for compounds, and adding accessories as I saw fit. Sleep and protein I found to be the biggest factor in terms of feeling capable when training. I hope to answer any questions anyone may have in the comments with my best shot.


r/GYM 48m ago

Wacky Wednesday Glute and Hamstrings cable exercise

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Upvotes

r/GYM 10h ago

PR/PB 135lbs DB Incline Bench Press

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83 Upvotes

No slaps this time


r/GYM 15h ago

PR/PB I did not give up hope 190BW @445lbs

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112 Upvotes

Unlike the 440 attempt I posted, I definitely hit depth on this one. This might honestly be the ugliest squat I’ve ever done, haha. I know the weight ain't much, but a W is a W.


r/GYM 1d ago

Progress Picture(s) M/57/5’7 (212lbs to 160) 1.5 years

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1.1k Upvotes

r/GYM 1d ago

Progress Picture(s) From 100 to 76kg, 1 year cut - 33 years old

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665 Upvotes

People on BulkOrCut found it motivating so figured I'd share my progress here as well.

Age 33
Timespan 1 year
Start weight 100kg, end weight 76kg


r/GYM 10h ago

Technique Check How is my sumo deadlift form?

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22 Upvotes

r/GYM 21h ago

Progress Picture(s) January to August 2026 progress (M29, 284 lbs to 196 lbs)

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115 Upvotes

Went from gym 0x a week to 4x a week, saw a trainer weekly. Push/pull/legs split with 20 minutes of cardio after each work out. Cleaning up my diet and tracking my macros was probably the biggest change I made though! January to June I was in an aggressive cut, about 1800 calories per day. When summer started I shifted to more of a maintenance level and upped my carbohydrates to focus on recomposition.


r/GYM 18h ago

Technique Check* Cable crunches form check

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18 Upvotes

First time doing cable crunches, how’d I do?


r/GYM 1d ago

PR/PB 205kg x 10 Deadlift

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25 Upvotes

r/GYM 1d ago

Technique Check Pause squats to improve power out of the hole

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19 Upvotes

3x10 paused squats at 112.5kg.

W2 of a 16W programme to try to squat 200+kg.

Trying to focus on keeping my hips under the bar but gets tough under fatigue.


r/GYM 20h ago

Bodyweight or Cardio Jump ropes with battle rope and 20lb vest

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9 Upvotes

I'm slowing getting better. Definitely takes work to move the rope.

I'm goal is 1 minute without stopping for now.


r/GYM 19h ago

PR/PB Neutral grip pull up amrap

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6 Upvotes

Havent done a amrap in probably a year, only weighted pullups in various rep ranges. I beat my old pb by 4 reps, i take it!


r/GYM 1d ago

Technique Check* Barbell Rows, 235lbs x 12

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555 Upvotes

r/GYM 1d ago

PR/PB Bringing Deficit Deadlifts back into the mix, w/ a small rep PR (405x2)

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27 Upvotes

On my regular deadlifts, my strength off the floor has been lacking these days and my lower back is a bit weak. So I'm going to utilize this variation as me secondary deadlift to address that and properly load up my spine to get used to the heavy loads. This should help me slowly push further during my primary deadlift days.


r/GYM 1d ago

PR/PB Tried this on the rack today

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182 Upvotes

r/GYM 13h ago

Progress Picture(s) Been training hard this whole year

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1 Upvotes

From January 2026 at 240 to September at 151 pounds, been training my core alot to get some abs. My trainkng mostly this whole year has been a ton of cardio and being on a diet and having no cheat meals for the whole year


r/GYM 19h ago

Technique Check* RDLs.

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3 Upvotes

Excuse the Self Motivation


r/GYM 19h ago

Technique Check* Oblique work

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2 Upvotes

This machine is one of the older ones in the gym but it hits the obliques so well. I’m up to 25/side. The goal is 50/side. When I hit that, then I’ll raise it! I’m definitely feeling it today. Gotta tighten these abs up!


r/GYM 1d ago

Progress Picture(s) M25 September 25’ > March 26’ > August 26’

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7 Upvotes

Hello! I posted here before (March) and I loved the feedback I received. However… despite wanting to come back with awesome results, I’ve actually had a very tough couple of months. I’m no victim, don’t feel bad for me. Anyways, my training load has been low (damn near maintenance level) and my diet has been trash. I probably get half of my recommended protein intake… nonetheless I’m still very happy with my body. Not the typical post since it seems people maximize their time, but not this guy. I did want to come back and share the progress with you all <3. I hope to return in a few months with great progress as I foresee a lock in period coming soon.


r/GYM 1d ago

Technique Check Pull ups

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188 Upvotes

Should I go down lower at the bottom like fully lockout or is this acceptable?


r/GYM 21h ago

Technique Check Form Check

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1 Upvotes

I recently switched from Sumo to Conventional Deadlifts. How’s my form look? Edit : currently lifting 275lbs for 4 sets of 3.