Managing soreness after switching to Full Body workouts
I’ve been lifting consistently for about 2 years, following an upper/lower split with around 4 exercises per session. I made solid progress, but recently started to plateau. I just signed up to fspod premium and started the 4x/wk full-body powerbuilding plan and I absolutely love it!! BUT I’ve been feeling extremely sore, especially in my legs, like nothing I’ve felt since I was a beginner in the gym. I'm doing everything I can to recover (creatine, hydration, stretching), but the soreness has me a bit anxious. Is it okay to keep pushing through and trust that my body will adapt, or am I risking injury with such a big change in training volume and frequency? Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks for everything you do — the podcast is AWESOME!
Vitaminz
Hi y'all! Firstly, I just want to say I am obsessed with this podcast. I have lost 40 lbs over the last 18 months and recently went to the doctor and did bloodwork and all that. Standard annual bloodwork doesn't seem to include things like hormones, zinc, magnesium, etc. and all the important vitamins you guys seem to talk about all the time on the pod. I'm curious if you know how best to go about getting bloodwork done to actually see a full picture of health, and how to interpret results. Do I need a nutritionist, a coach, a dietitian? I've made so many changes in the past 18 months to my lifestyle, I want to keep it up and try to maximize my mineral and vitamin levels and I'm super open and willing to adjust diet accordingly (if i need to eat more of a certain thing, etc.).
Cardio & Glute Gains
Hey!! I recently started the glute growth program and am wondering about incorporating cardio. I love cardio of all forms and incorporate it every day, but I'm afraid I might be sabotaging my gains by doing that. I'm typically a cardio first thing in the morning kind of person, then I'll have breakfast, and then I'll do my lift. I typically take creatine in between the two, or right after my lift, and also get 30+ grams of protein in my meal in between. Am I doing things right, or am I leaving gains on the table? Thank you so much :D
Higher protein for recomp?
Alan Aragon was on Hubie’s podcast and noted studies where recomp cohorts were using roughly 1.5x g of protein per Lb of BW. As someone who generally gravitates to protein options, I’ve felt like I’ve been limiting protein since exiting my cut. While I’m still in my beginner-intermediate phase of resistance training, I’m wondering if I’m wasting effort. I’ve felt underwhelmed with the targeted increase in carbs, where I was expecting a decent impact to my workouts/overall energy, but the change has seemed negligible so far.
Workout modification after a long break
I’m getting back into working out after a long break, and I want to avoid extreme soreness that lingers for days and disrupts my workouts the following week. How should I modify my workouts or approach the first couple of weeks to ease back in safely and maintain consistency?
Sick days
How are we approaching sick days? When I’m sick all I want to do it sleep. I do not want to walk/move, eat, drink.. I want to literally do nothing. What should I try to do? What about coming back from a sickness? Are we jumping back in where we left off? Jumping back to macros? Coming off a crummy sickness and trying to navigate health and fitness
Fat loss into newborn trenches: how can I maintain my loss with little time and sleep?
I'm currently in the middle of a fat loss stage - that has been going well thanks to your podcast! I plan on ending it about a month before my wife is due to give birth. How can I maintain my weight when I know I'll have very little time and sleep on my hands?
”Science based” lower rep range weight lifting
Hey, I’ve heard about this new trending ”science based” weight lifting in body building where you mainly do 2 sets of 6-8 reps per exercise and some people have said they’ve gotten really good results with that. That volume seems super low but I’m considering giving it a try and I would like to hear your thoughts on that. Thanks!
Treat meal
Love your content! Long time listen first time asker. Not sure if this is something that has been asked BUT after seeing substantial progress, I would like to treat myself to a meal that I wouldn’t normally be consuming during a deficit. After said meal, would you just move on and continue with the deficit plan, or do you lower your calories in the days prior and following to “even out” your calories for the week?
1 hour time limits in gym
I’ve been using the workout guides, thanks so much for the btw! I just started the upper/lower split and I going to do the 4 day rotation. By biggest challenge right now is keeping workouts to an hour: warm up and rest included as I workout before going to work in the morning. Since I already get up at 5am I am not willingly to simply get up earlier to accommodate some of the workouts taking me closer to 1.5hrs. I know you’ve done an overview episode before taking about lessening time in the gym but wanted your thoughts specifically to your programming. Should I be cutting one exercise out completely per day, doing less sets of an exercise, adding 1 day to week to replace ones I’ve missed? Thoughts would be so appreciated!
5-HTP
I get easily distracted and I just received a text from Legion advertising buy one get one 75% off on their Phoenix Fat burner. So I clicked the link. Then I went to look at the picture with ingredients and their benefits and for whatever reason 5-HTP caught my attention, idk probably because series of random numbers and letters peek my curiosity. Anyways, is there any scientific proof about the benefits of 5-HTP.
Intensity/RPE
Hi team been listing to your podcast for a while but new to premium and im still catching up on episodes so this may have been answed in one I havent listened to yet. (If so apologies) Fitness and following a program like this is all relatively new to me and im still trying to wrap my head around RPE. Ive just started your new power building workout and loving it so far. But im wondering if you say working to around 8 RPE is ideal for mussel growth/strenght increase why on day 2 of week 1 do you have bench press for 3 sets of 4 at an RPE of 6? Would it not be better to be an RPE of 8-9 like the other movements? Thanks Ryan
New routine
Hey guys! I’ve been doing a 4 day split with 3 being lower body/glutes focused and one day upper body (includes deadlifts, triceps, chest press, etc.) I’m looking to tone up my arms a little more but also really wanna keep working on my glutes. I’m torn because 4 days is more than enough for me a week. So wondering if making one of my glutes days a mix of upper and lower body? What workouts would you recommend for that? Thanks!!
Go To Pre-Workout Meal
I have been training first thing in the morning recently and have been weighing the need for pre-workout carbs vs stuffing my face first thing in the morning. A slice of toast, banana and honey has been the go to, light and seems effective. Wondering what you have as go to’s?
Dumbbell workout add ons
Most of my training is done at home with dumbbells. I get to the gym for one of my lower sessions each week, which is good because I’ve started maxing out on many of my lifts with the adjustable up to 90 lb dumbbells I have, particularly lower body movements. Are there products to safely add on weight to dumbbells? I thought of 5 lb wrist weights, but figured there might be better alternatives (is this what you use chains for?).
Special occasions while tracking
Restaurants for date nights, a BBQ, any outing where you are really not sure how to track what do you recommend? Just input a high number and move on with it? Leave that day blank? I’ve been slowly creeping my calories up after a long dieting phase, so I’m in a mode where I’m kind of trying to be rigid to learn what my maintenance is, and what my bulk might be.
heated workouts?
hi! are heated workouts/working out in hot temps “better” than working out in the AC? obviously you sweat way more so it may feel like you are working harder, but is there a benefit to training in the heat? hotworx, heated yoga, etc? -sincerely, a girl who sweats a lot regardless of where she works out but doesn’t want to sweat even more if not necessary
Plant-Based Protein Powder Absorption/Quality
Hi Tony and Marianna! LOVE your podcast. I recently switched to Orgain organic protein powder, which is plant-based and is advertised to have better ingredients than many other protein powders on the market. I was wondering how plant based powders stack up to whey/milk-based ones when it comes to the quality of the protein and your body’s ability to absorb it. Can I count on plant based protein powder to help me reachmy daily protein goals? Thank you guys so much! - Karina
AI and Diet
Hey guys! I suffer from IBS and periodically look through literature about different diets that could help (IBS-C is not just as easy as adding fiber!), but found this article about an AI based diet vs low-FODMAP diet I thought Marianna might enjoy (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11365594/) but also wanted to see your thoughts on the future of AI and specific person based diets and diet programming from a fitness standpoint.
Is weight cycling actually bad?
Ive seen some people talk about the dangers of weight cycling (losing and gaining weight over and over) but ive also seen some respectable ppl like Alec Blenis talk about how losing fat (no matter if its down to your ideal weight or not) has huge benefits. I guess weight cycling and fat cycling could be different concepts but im wondering as many of us go through bulks and cuts which will inevitably make us cycle in our bf%. Thanks guys big hug!
Thinking about the eposide in talking to doctors. What about nutritionists? I went to the nutritionist recently, told her my goals of weight loss and musle gain, asking for advice and was tol to track calories and add protein. My daughter went ot another nutritinist to look at lowering cholesteral and was told to track food and increase protein. How do you get the advice you want or even how do you shop for the right person to gain advice to see results?
Thinking about the eposide in talking to doctors. What about nutritionists? I went to the nutritionist recently, told her my goals of weight loss and musle gain, asking for advice and was tol to track calories and add protein. My daughter went ot another nutritinist to look at lowering cholesteral and was told to track food and increase protein. How do you get the advice you want or even how do you shop for the right person to gain advice to see results?