Definitely some individual variance with this. Trial and error and (hopefully) having fun experimenting on oneself with different meals/macros seems wise. Apparently there are even people* who can be happy with an occasional small portion of ice cream, rather than finding it easier to have none

I tried non-fat cheese once. I'd rather just not eat at all.

*Weirdos

Bought a beer yesterday thinking it would be a nice treat and not tip me too far over calories/carbs for the day.

Looked it up after I bought it and it's 1122 calories

WTF?

Everything is 1122 kcal if you have enough of it. My guess is that you found the calories in a 6-pack.

Assuming that you drank one, you must now drink another 5 or your calorie count for the day will be incorrect

It was a MyFitnessPal mistake. Was only about 200 calories do 6 pack sounds about right.

Noob Q:

How much does form really matter as long as you get these weights up and down while not getting injured? For example, if I lean too much forward in my squat but my body allows it is this fine or asking for problems down the road?

It is like typing incorrectly. You won't get good at it.

Then you are actually doing a 'good morning' and the benefits&problems will be for that instead of the back squat.

It's just that I've seen people executing lifts in a variety of ways with different forms and they all seem to be doing fine. So it's hard to tell what the 'right' way is as long as you get most of the basics down?

Which other sources besides this forum would you recommend for learning about lifting?

Youtube is the only resource you need.

And the barbell backsquat is super overrated, if it doesnt look or feel good, there are hundreds of variations.

Barbell squat has a lot of variations because it is hard and correct form depends on your body proportions and capability.

I read Stronglifts.

I've started working out at Planet Fitness and have been doing bench presses on the Smith Machine. The barpath of the smith machine is angled, and in youtube "how to" videos some people have the angle going back to their head and others have the angle going toward their feet. Which is correct?

Thanks in advance.

Thanks for the PM. You probably didn't get many replies because your goals are fairly ambiguous. Generally speaking, any vigorous exercise you enjoy will get you fit, and any diet that controls calories in and calories out while ensuring sufficient protein will get you at the weight you want. You just have to stick to both.

If you could provide more info, we could as well. When you say you're not trying to bulk up, I assume you mean that your goal isn't muscle gain and not that you're worried about getting too muscular?

It makes sense that you specified that you aren't trying to bulk up. No reason to lift heavy five days a week and not optimize cardio when you actually want to prioritize cardio over muscle gains. But, can you clarify? Do you want no new lean mass at all? Or do you enough muscle to look athletic but not huge? If so, you may find that -- especially if you don't have a long lifting history -- that the "minor" gains you'd like from lifting could take an all out effort. So, there's not much specific advice we can give without that info.

Same for your stated weight loss goal. Do you need to drop 100 lbs or do you want to cut ten? It makes a big difference in specific advice (although CICO is the general answer either way).

In the meantime, the H&F sticky on the matter has great info. And, questions you have after reading these will likely be more specific.

Good luck with your training.

There are things the Smith machine is okay for, but bench press really isn't one of them IMO. Constraining a multi-joint movement into a linear bar path is problematic, so I'd first ensure comfort with the bar path. In other words, don't just plop the bench down and force your body to match the machine. Rather, take some time and make sure the bar path matches your body as closely as possible.

I mention that because it's your choice. I think it should always be such that the bar is low on the chest at the bottom and over the upper chest/neck region at the top (pressing toward your head, not your feet). I think it's probably always wrong the other way, but I imagine someone might have a reason for it.

FWIW, if you can find one straight up and down, that's better. Even better would be a Hammer Strength machine. It constrains you to the (nonlinear at least) path of the machine too, but it's optimized for the movement and has an adjustable seat. Better still would be to use dumbbells to ensure stabilizer muscles are properly trained.

Finally, depending on your area, you may find better gyms available. My area has a Crunch and a Planet Fitness relatively close to one another. They are the same price but the Crunch is far better equipped with free weights. But, if that's not the case, of course training at PF is way better than not lifting.

Hey Rich - thanks for the reply - let me clarify:

"When you say you're not trying to bulk up, I assume you mean that your goal isn't muscle gain and not that you're worried about getting too muscular?"
-I want to lift for overall fitness/weight loss (in addition to cardio), and yes, I do NOT want to get too muscular


"Or do you enough muscle to look athletic but not huge?"
"Do you want no new lean mass at all?"
Exactly! - yes to lean mass, not big size gains


"Do you need to drop 100 lbs or do you want to cut ten?"
-About 35, but yes, like you said CICO is basically right.


Thanks!

I've been lifting regularly for a couple years now. I have a feeling I'm not flexible enough and feel a bit stiff at times. I'd like to work on this.

- Is there a go to full body stretching program you guys recommend?
- Should I stretch directly after a workout?
- Can I stretch on an offday, can I do it cold or do I need some warming up?

I've tried a little bit of stretching from Pavel Tsatsouline's program, which is v active and dynamic but I had no idea if I was doing if the right way. It might have been a bit too high level for me.

Warming up is generally considered a good idea. Beyond that, opinions differ.

Are you doing compound lifts? I've gained a ton of flexibility from those alone.

Setting up a program for fitness and not growth is relatively straightforward. If you want to get set up for some strength gains that will set you up for good fitness training while also helping you to maintain lean mass while dieting, try Starting Strength. It's linked in the sticky (which I linked to it in my prior reply). There's a learning curve, as it involves squats, deadlifts, and bench presses.

There are plenty of other programs. Google is your friend, as you can look at a bunch of stuff and see what fits with your goals, experience level, and capabilities. Here's a beginner plan from Muscle & Fitness that I found in a quick check. Try to stick to reputable, bigger sites. We're your friends too, of course, so feel free to post what you choose if you want someone to give it a once-over.

As a novice, focus mostly on proper form. If you don't have any experience, maybe have a personal trainer or lifting friend help you for a few workouts. You want to get in good enough workouts right away, but IMO you should take your time to get used to the lifts, equipment, etc. Rome wasn't built in a day, as they say.

There are lots of ways to lose weight, but they all start in the kitchen -- even more so for a new lifter. When I decide to cut a few pounds, I start by eliminating junk. It's the low hanging fruit (that you can replace with actual fruit). Next, you'll want to count and cut calories. Set a target where you lose 1-2 lbs per week (5 lbs is okay the first week...it's generally water weight). You didn't gain 35 lbs in four weeks and you won't lose it in four weeks either. Slow and steady also preserves the most lean mass.

You'll probably want to augment that with cardio. I ride a bicycle at a good clip for an hour a few days a week, but there are many options. You can run, as you mentioned. Swimming is good. Even walking is good (fine for caloric burn but not so much for cardio conditioning, of course). That Shaun T beachbody workout is probably a fine cardio workout as well. I never tried it, so you'd know better than I would.

Good luck!

Yeah I've noticed a huge increase in hamstring flexibility from (romanian) deadlifts for example. I'm not so sure squats/bench has increased my flexibility all that much.

Bench not so much, but certainly squatting and (overhead) pressing. YMMV.

I am pretty new to lifting. I've been going to the gym for 3 months every day and doing the same thing each day, which I'm pretty sure is not optimal. One day upper body 4x10 same for lower the next with 1 hour of cardio every day.

I guess I'm basically looking for a new beginner lift routine to start to tone and build muscle. I don't mind if I keep losing pounds but my Dr. said he is pleased with my current weight. Any suggestions or a nudge in the right direction would be much appreciated.

r/fitness has a great beginner routine: https://thefitness.wiki/routines/r-f...inner-routine/

Includes cardio guidelines and is designed to be run for up to 3 months max. After that you move on. I've been doing 5/3/1 for Beginners for most of this year: https://thefitness.wiki/routines/5-3-1-for-beginners/

Is it okay to only do one type of curl for bicep training?

Up until now I've been doing biceps and back on the same day. I alternate sets of a back exercise with sets of a bicep exercise. My bicep exercises are: cambered barbell curls, the preacher curl machine, and dumbell hammer curls. Lately I'm getting a lot of elbow pain when I use the preacher curl machine, which I don't feel with the other exercises. I seem to get the most out of barbell curls. Since it's all basically the same motion, could I just do only barbell curls? If that's not a good idea, what exercise would you recommend to replace the preacher curl machine? I'd also be interested to hear opinions on my strategy of alternating 3 back sets with 3 curl sets.

Thanks in advance...

Triceps and biceps work not necessary. Blast back and chest 2 or 3 times a week and you will be fine.

If you have time, sure throw in whatever arm training you want. But training arms is less desirable than training calves. Why? Because calves are bigger and not worked out by squats and deadlifts.

Why would you emphasize training such small muscles when they are already trained by chest and back exercises? Does not compute.

Pullups. Rows. Bench Press. Military Press. Big Guns. PROFIT.

I just got my starting strength book and started their workout. Are there any other exercises I shouldn't be doing, like dips, chin ups, core exercises, etc. I just don't want them to interfere with the starting strength program and cause any negative effects to it.

Thanks for help and advice.