So, I started going to the gym about a month ago. Doing dumbell curls I started at 10lbs. I tried 50lbs at first.

Mistake!

Sized down until I got to 10lbs. I was looking for the first one I could do 20 reps. Then, as days went on, I kept moving up sizes. I'm currently at 25lbs. I keep wanting to move up to 30lbs, but my body gives way around the 12-15 rep range. So, not quite there yet. But the first 10 reps of 25lbs aren't even hard anymore. It only gets increasingly more difficult after the 10 mark, but more often than not the 15 mark. 15-20 are the hard ones.

But with 30lbs it's hard right from the start.

So, should I be doing the 30lbs reps, even if its less than 20 reps? Or do the 25lbs reps which I can easily do 3/4ths of before it becomes a struggle for the last few reps?

I am always wondering and overcomplicating things in life and I have been posting quite a lot of questions here lately because I am just more confused the more I read.

I came to the conclusion that I absolutely might not need a rest day if I have the energy and motivation to go to the gym.

But I also can just quit going to the gym if I need more rest as well instead of just one rest day.

I have a few exercises that I know I can execute with a decent form. Probably not perfect but fine enough to not break me in the future so I just do them.

I feel like I have the best results in this kind of a mixed routine.

One week I do for example Push Legs Pull while moving Triceps from Push to Pull day and Biceps from Pull to Push day. This just feels way better than Chest + Triceps cause I have to lower weight for triceps exercises by almost 50% once I get to the exercise on chest day. Same goes for Biceps. Why biceps on pull day if I could just throw in a rest day after pull day and repeat

We want to hear it!

Hey... I weight 76 kg, started at 83,8 kg in december 2024. Am 175 cm tall and eat about 2500 kcal and 1,6 gramms and more per kg bodyweight since december. Haven three days with less than 120g protein.

But my weight training sucks. I stsrted with 7,5 kg dumbbell presses and now I am at 12,5 kg. My barbell incline press was 2,5 kg each side now 7,5 kg so in total with barbell 35 kg.

Dunno what I am doing wrong? Doing Push Pull Leg 6 days a week, once I did PPL UL cause of time.

I feel so bad. Im doing everything I can

So I have been doing full body workouts the last months.

I switched to Push Pull Legs recently and it'sgoing quite well. PPLPPL Rest.

What I am asking myself though is do I have to be consistant with PPL so I reach 6 times a week?

What I mean does it have to be Push Pull Legs Push Pull Legs Rest or can I do that one week and the next week Push Pull Legs Rest Push Pull Legs?

Is it also okay to start the week with PPL and if I notice I have no time for 3 more times can I do PPL, Rest, Upper body, Lower body?

If I notice I have even less time, can I do PPL, Rest, >Full Body< Rest Rest?

So basically I should always benefit from PPL if I can guarantee atleast 4 times a week because I can always do Monday to Wednesday. Sometimes work and family kicks in and I cant add another cycle of PPL.

Am I giving this too much thought?

So last week I did PPL PPL Rest. This week I can do PPL and I will do Upper Lower Body on Friday and Saturday cause of work inbetween (coworkers got sick).. what

This is my total for roughly two months (started using the app in mid-january, but had 3 weeks downtime because of a defective part breaking down)

Some highlights in the comments

Maybe someone can give me advice here or atleast confirm if my thought process is correct.

I currently weight 77,6 kg, 175 cm (male) and I am skinny fat. Meaning I am very skinny, have barely fat on my arms and legs but stored fat belly/ chest area.

So I calculated my kcal a day at about 2300 kcal. If I want to gain weight (muscles) with weightlifting I need a 200-400 kcal surpluss.

If I want to lose fat, which I also do (belly and chest) I need a deficit of 100-200 to maintain or gain slowly muscles while workout without losing muscles.

So I need 2200 kcal (maintain muscles, lose fat) to 2600 kcal (gain more muscles, not lose fat) a day to see gains everywhere and fat loss in belly/ chest area?

What is the best approach here? Lose fat in chest/ belly area first meaning going down to about 65 kgs first and then build muscles back to 75 kg or build muscles and lose fat later?

Obviously with the approach of going for 2200 kcal I might see slower muscle gaines but also fat loss, bu

What to do with calluses that hurt? After workout I couldn't even hold a toothbrush properly because it hurts. Also the calluses aren't symmetric in both hands. Could it mean I'm not holding the dumbbells correctly?

I go to the gym a long time now but it seems like no one ever teached me how to do proper form on exercises.

Yeah I can watch youtube videos, but it still doesn't feel right.

My gym only has staff with 0 clue besides on machines, so I can't ask them. And I don't want to bother strangers.

My current way to deal with this is go to the gym at 4 am in the morning and hope no one is at the gym so I can just play around without people staring at me.

But then I am afraid to try a dead lift cause if something happens what then?

Was thinking about asking a member at the gym who looks decent to show me everything and I just pay him 50 $ but that seems kind of weird.

I can do a few basic exercises like Benchpress, Lat pulldowns etc. but I'd never squat with barbells or dead lift or anything like that cause it just looks like I'd break my back on accident. But those exercises seem to be the best and shouldn't be skipped (atleast what I read)

I really think my social anxiety is holding me ba

As the title states. Am looking for decent chest exercises I can do from home. I have exercise bands and some space available. Any recommendations from you experts?

So happy right now

Currently doing Push Pull Leg routine with 5 exercises each day.

Pull: Lat Pulldown, Seated Cable Rows, T Bar Rows, Biceps Curls (Cable) and Cable Crunches

Push: Push Ups, Chestpress (machine), Butterfly (machine), Shoulder Press with Dumbbells, Knee Raises (body weight), Triceps Push Down (Cable)

Legs: Leg Press, Leg Extensions (Machine), Leg Curls (Machine), Crunches (body weight), 30 minute stepper low intensity

Is this okay?

Basically the gist of it, I'd like to switch to an unflavored protein supplement. Any recommendations or experiences would be greatly appreciated.

I've been doing yoga for over 2 years multiple times pretty much every week and I restarted weightlifting for mostly hypertrophy dec 2023 after not having done it for 5 years. I've never put that much thought towards "deload weeks" where you take a full on break for a week in order to have your body recover a bit better. Are these a necessity or what are your thoughts towards it?