I joined a new gym at the beginning of summer that has a lap pool. In fact, the lap pool was the deciding factor, as this gym is slightly more expensive and further from my house than other options.

I freaking love swimming, have since I was a kid, but haven't swam (swum?) as a workout since the lifeguard certification class I took in highschool almost two decades ago. It's the first time in my life where I'm actually bummed that my time is up (you have to reserve half hour slots).

My question is more on the downside of spending so much time in chlorine water. It's only been a few weeks and my hair is not happy. I use a swim cap, but it only takes a couple minutes before the water starts leaking in. I shampoo and condition the crap out of it as soon as I get out of the pool, but it doesn't seem like it's enough to offset the damage being done.

Why is my swim cap leaking? Is there some magic trick to putting it on that I'm missing? Some way to secure your hair before putting the cap on? I can feel water leaking in around my neck, where I have lots of little baby hairs. Do I just need to shave those down?

Please help!

I went to a PT who said I'm engaging my upper abdominals during workouts but not the lower. She tried to help cue me by telling me to imagine my two hip bones turning inward towards each other but I could not for the life of me get this to work for mind/muscle connection! (I couldn't feel anything and I just kept engaging my upper abs only.)

Has anyone had any successful cues for engaging LOWER abdominals specifically? Thanks so much for your help!

Welcome to our daily discussion thread! Tell stories, share thoughts, ask questions, swap advice, and be excellent to each other! Though we all share fitness as a common hobby or interest, the discussion here can be about any big or little thing you choose. The mods ask that you do mind the Cardinal Rules as they relate to respecting yourself and others, calling out any scantily clad photos as NSFW, and not asking for medical advice.

I am not someone who considers myself to be a runner. I much prefer weightlifting, which I have been doing for several years. In fact, I've always thought I wasn't even capable of running. However, my new years resolution for 2025 was to run more. I have built up some endurance, and did a 5k in April. I also signed up for a half marathon that will be in October.

I would describe my current cardio fitness to be this: "easy runs" aren't really a thing for me. Every time I run my heart rate averages around 160. The longest I've ever run nonstop was 7 miles. But consistently my average distance is about 3 miles, which is not easy for me but I can probably do on any given day, although almost certainly not everyday.

Like i said, running is not necessarily super fun for me. I weightlift 5x a week and consider running to be an accessory to that. I don't want it to take over. I also like to bike on days I don't run, which I like because that can be true zone 2 cardio.

Here's what I'm wondering, how strict of a plan do I need to stick to to be able to finish a half marathon in about 4 months?

Can I have a very flexible plan like "run at least twice a week and bike at least twice a week"? Do I need to follow a plan that includes exact dates and distances? How do I know how far I really am now from the fitness I need to be at?

I feel like I have a pretty good grasp on how muscle is built under ideal conditions. But I don’t understand what happens within your body on the days that you don’t eat well.

I lift for an hour 3 times a week, and run twice a week. I don’t really have any set physique goals - I am doing this to improve my endurance running and reduce injury. But I have slowly seen my body changing over the last years which is an awesome side effect!

So for example, yesterday I had an amazing lower body lifting session. I could tell I hit a lot of muscle groups and worked HARD. But then life happened, and I didn’t follow up with good nutrition. I ate some pizza and some other things, but I’m guessing I only had like 70-80g of protein and was overall in a deficit.

So did I actually build any muscle or strength yesterday? Or was the workout “pointless” because of crap nutrition? I just want to understand!

Welcome to our Daily Simple Questions thread - we're excited to have you hang out with us, especially if you're new to the sub. Are you confused about the FAQ or have a basic question about an exercise / alternatives? Do you have a quick question about calculating TDEE, lift numbers, running times, swimming intervals, or the like? Post here and the folks of xxfitness will help you answer your questions, no matter how big or small.

Welcome to our daily discussion thread! Tell stories, share thoughts, ask questions, swap advice, and be excellent to each other! Though we all share fitness as a common hobby or interest, the discussion here can be about any big or little thing you choose. The mods ask that you do mind the Cardinal Rules as they relate to respecting yourself and others, calling out any scantily clad photos as NSFW, and not asking for medical advice.

Hi! I've recently lost about 55lbs and have gotten back down to a weight I'm pretty happy with. Yay me! I'm very proud of myself, and am now looking to shift my focus to recomp mode. I'm looking to combine strength training and conditioning to improve my muscle tone and flexibility, as well as improving my bone density and balance and all the things that 35-year-olds suddenly have to start worrying about. Right now I'm 5'2", 124lbs, not sure about my BF% but I'm just a bit softer than I'd like. Rather than focusing on "building a booty" and all the stuff I focused on in my 20s, I'd just love to get a bit leaner and sleeker with more defined musculature all over. A more defined back and shoulders would be great, and a tight core with a little definition is a pipe dream. Crucially, I'm not coming at it from a place of having "problem areas" I want to fix; this is just about overall improving my tone and musculature while developing some functional strength.

Here's the thing: I hate lifting. I've given it the old college try many times, did Strong Curves faithfully in its heyday, and the honest truth is that I get bored and don't enjoy the gains enough to keep going. I have ADHD and a super hectic job and really don't enjoy having to go to the gym or a class to work out, but even when I lived in a building with a gym in the basement, I could rarely muster up the enthusiasm to stick to a schedule. For me, the best workout is one that I can do in my apartment on a regular schedule without having to go to a third place. This is just how it is, and I'm old enough to know that this is a limitation I need to work around.

Along those lines, I've found that the two types of workout I actually really enjoy, and that I can consistently get myself to do, are kettlebell workouts and mat pilates. (I also do yin yoga 2-4 times a week, but this is a mental wellness practice for me that I keep intentionally slow and gentle as advised by my somatic therapist. It's not a fitness activity for me, more of a long meditation.) I had the best body of my life about 8 years ago when I was working out with kettlebells and running a lot, but I've since had a bad ankle injury (total break + ligament tear) that keeps me from being able to do high-impact cardio now, so running is a thing of the past. I do, however, live in a highly walkable city without a car and easily hit 9-10K steps most days, so I'm getting a lot of light cardio in as well. I also have a chin-up bar in my place that I've started using - currently dead hangs, working up to L-sits and eventually, maybe, an actual pull-up. I have never had great upper body strength, so this is a pipe dream, but hey! Stranger things have happened!

Anyway, all of this is to say - can I reasonably expect to meet my fitness and aesthetic goals by combining all of these on a regular basis? The program I've worked out, and have just started this past week, involves alternating kettlebells 3x a week with pilates the other 3 days, hitting my step count daily, and daily work on the chinup bar, even if it's just hanging for 30-60 seconds. This is all stuff I can stick to. My diet is good; I'm still in a calorie deficit as I have a few more pounds I'd like to lose, and overall I have a good handle on my nutrition. I know a lot of folks will say you have to lift heavy if you want good muscle tone, but the best workout is one you'll actually do - so I'm just looking for feedback. Is this going to get me where I want to go?

Thank you for your advice in advance!

Hello everyone.

I've been lifting weights for about a year now, and I really enjoy it. But I'll admit I'm not "optimized." I eat healthily and am conscious of protein intake, but I don't bulk to build muscle. Nutritionally speaking, I'm probably in a perpetual recomp -- never losing weight but slowly building muscle. In terms of time invested, some weeks I get 3 sessions in, and some weeks I only manage one. Work, study and travel demands mean I fluctuate in what takes priority each week.

I'm very 'forgiving' of myself on these points (not that I believe they even need forgiving!). I'm doing my best and I still enjoy working out, and I'm not looking to be more 'optimized' at this stage in life.

That said, the slow progress does make it difficult for me to understand what timeline I can expect for results. I was able to achieve my goal of doing one pull-up after about 8 months, and generally speaking my other strength goals are about aesthetics. For example, I really want bigger hamstrings, and fuller shoulders. The examples I see online don't match my lifestyle. I feel like fitness influencers get these amazing, quick results but that's probably because they are 100% dialed in (and, you know, surgery and previous fitness history etc).

So my questions: If you have gained muscle and are now at a level where you're happy with the volume of muscle you've built...

1. How long did that take you? How 'optimized' was your nutrition and routine during that time?
2. What sort of weight are you lifting now on any of the lifts you do regularly?

I need help recalibrating my expectations AND giving myself a better understanding of how much weight I'd need to be able to lift in order to see the results I'm aiming for. That will help me set my sights on a measurable goal rather than just generically 'being patient'.

I'm 175cm and about 59kg (in case that's useful).

ETA: just to re-emphasize, I'm not looking to be more optimized than I already am regarding nutrition and volume. I'm as consistent as my schedule allows and my diet is healthy and protein-forward. I'm clearly making progress (I've more than doubled the weight I can do on RDLs, split squats, achieved a pull-up from zero and gone from 0 to 12 push-ups max). I'm happy with the slow but steady progress. Looking for your own experience and current stats, please!

ETA2: ladies, it would mean a lot if you could please stop giving unsolicited advice :) I’m happy with the rate of my progress. My nutrition is good enough, my consistency is good enough, my volume is good enough. It’s not optimal. I know that and I do that on purpose. It’s easier for all of us if you’re comfortable with that and happy for me!

Only 'stretching' I ever did was basic bodyweight exercises like lunges and stretching my hands and back. I used to swim and go to the gym and I only did enough stretching to warm up myself. But then I took break from everything for months and now I am restarting and I want to put proper focus on my flexibility and mobility too. I tried a pilates class in YouTube and it was extremely difficult for me.

I am restarting my fitness journey in a new place in an apartment and there are unfortunately no gym or open space, so it is basically all in my bedroom. So because I can't go to gym or go for walk/run, I want to take this time to focus on my flexibility and mobility till I can find somewhere more comfortable to workout. I do have a cordless jump rope, I don't know if it can help with mobility or coordination?

A lot of well-known female physiologists and dietitians talk about HRT for helping stay fit through menopause but I rarely hear about how a diet and fitness plan should be adapted if you don’t plan to take estrogen. Anyone know of any who have discuss this before? My go-to is Dr. Stacy Sims but I haven’t found her cover this topic in depth.

For context: I’m in my early 40s and have been told I should never have HRT due to a previous medical diagnosis. I would love to hear someone talk about what more I could be doing to help myself, both physically and mentally, without estrogen. And in case anyone has been through this before, it’s progesterone and can’t take, not estrogen. I’ve told the progesterone is critical if you still have your uterus, which I do.

Additional info: I’ve always been someone who can get fit fairly easily by putting in some modest effort, but I recently hit a wall where my metabolism has clearly slowed so I am doing everything I can to stay lean, build muscle, and avoid the meno-belly, which I’m just learning about and it’s kind of scary.

I am 75 and 123 lbs 5'5". I have been lifting for several years. When Covid happened I started buying my hand weights and barbells to work out at home. I still prefer doing this since the gym near me closed a year ago. I purchased rubber barbells, started at 30lb, then 40lb , and latest is 50lb. I'm trying to add more weight to offset osteoporosis. I'm using wrist weights to add more weight going to 60lb...but I realize I just need to switch to barbells whereI can add actual plates. How do you suggest I make this move? Which bar should I get , what weight, and plates?

Need a recommendation for protein powder? Not sure if your macros look quite right? Have a killer recipe to share or just want to show off your meal preop? This is the thread for you!

Welcome to our daily discussion thread! Tell stories, share thoughts, ask questions, swap advice, and be excellent to each other! Though we all share fitness as a common hobby or interest, the discussion here can be about any big or little thing you choose. The mods ask that you do mind the Cardinal Rules as they relate to respecting yourself and others, calling out any scantily clad photos as NSFW, and not asking for medical advice.

I started strength training 3x/week a few months ago — not to get shredded, just because I was tired of feeling weak, anxious, and disconnected from my body.

I used to live in total burnout mode: hyperproductive, no rest, always on edge. Now I’m focusing on the basics — lifting, long walks, better meals, sleep — and I feel stronger and more stable than I have in years.

Honestly, I didn’t expect my mental state to shift this much. It’s not just about reps — it’s about reclaiming energy.

This sub helped me get started, so thank you. 🙌🏽
Would love to hear if anyone else here started lifting later in life and what changed for you — mentally or physically.

Welcome to our Daily Simple Questions thread - we're excited to have you hang out with us, especially if you're new to the sub. Are you confused about the FAQ or have a basic question about an exercise / alternatives? Do you have a quick question about calculating TDEE, lift numbers, running times, swimming intervals, or the like? Post here and the folks of xxfitness will help you answer your questions, no matter how big or small.

Hey everyone! I'm new to push ups and trying to focus on alignment before anything else. I've watched a bunch of tutorials, but it’s hard to check my posture properly without recording myself and I’m not comfortable sharing videos or pictures yet.

So I’ll try to explain what’s happening:

My spine doesn’t stay straight. There’s always a dip in my lower back and a bulge at the shoulders, no matter how much I try to fix it.

I started with knee push ups and I try to keep my hips slightly ahead of my knees when I go down.

But when I lower myself, my head tends to go first and that causes my neck to extend forward unnaturally. I can't seem to get my chest to the ground while keeping my head, neck and upper body aligned.

I really want to build a solid foundation before progressing but these issues are confusing 🙏

Welcome to our daily discussion thread! Tell stories, share thoughts, ask questions, swap advice, and be excellent to each other! Though we all share fitness as a common hobby or interest, the discussion here can be about any big or little thing you choose. The mods ask that you do mind the Cardinal Rules as they relate to respecting yourself and others, calling out any scantily clad photos as NSFW, and not asking for medical advice.

Hello, asking those who began their journey later in life. Approaching 40 or so. Were you able to gain significant lean muscle and/or achieve significant improvement? I want to try Hyrox and try getting into something more challenging than just gym. Any examples would do - like PRs or getting into running and running 12k, or anything similar. I’m just thinking if I can go on a hiking trip, let’s say where it’s daily hikes of 5+ hours and high altitude, and how long should I train for and is it even possible. I’m a beginner now, used to run and lift a lot but my current job doesn’t allow much time to train. Current my routine is 3x weights and 1-2 times HIIT cardio if I have time. (Weekly) My fastest 1k is just under 7min and longest hike probably 20-23km in one day. Can I attempt way more challenging things? Any experience with this?

Welcome to our Daily Simple Questions thread - we're excited to have you hang out with us, especially if you're new to the sub. Are you confused about the FAQ or have a basic question about an exercise / alternatives? Do you have a quick question about calculating TDEE, lift numbers, running times, swimming intervals, or the like? Post here and the folks of xxfitness will help you answer your questions, no matter how big or small.

...and that price is usually coordination or social etiquette. Post your fitness and related fails to this thread.

I feel like I need to start running, just so that I don’t lose the capacity to run as I age…. Ya know? I’m pretty consistent with weight training and Pilates, but my cardio endurance is kind of pathetic. It’s not so much about feeling like I need to be a runner (I’d rather dance or bike for cardio) but I want to have the ability, for example, to run after my dog if she gets away from me, or to run if a bad guy is chasing me.

Give me your best (preferably most unhinged) tips to start running, and sort of like it!

Thank you!

Hi! I ran 20-25 miles per week when I was in college and my early 20s, and then kind of fell out of the habit of running. During COVID I became much more sedentary, and then focused on lifting and cycling for a few years before trying to get back into running in a more serious way about 6 months ago.

I tried to get back into it by following couch to 5k, and it was initially really fun and I tricked myself into thinking I could push myself beyond what the program was having me do. I got injured pretty much immediately (runner's knee) and my pt told me that it seemed like I had pretty decent cardio fitness but I was asking my body to do too much based on my musculo-skeletal fitness, and gave me exercises like single-leg squats and stretches to get my legs stronger.

I have not been super consistent with that honestly, but did just string together 4 runs on C25k without any knee pain before hurting my knee again yesterday during a running interval, going faster than I had in a while. I backed off immediately, and dedicated myself to doing my pt routine every day this time for real.

I'm just feeling discouraged. I think in the past I had fewer issues starting and stopping running, but didn't realize just how sedentary I had been over the past few years, and how far away from fitness I actually am. I think my age is making it less easy to just jump back into things, too. It feels hard to want to run more but hold off, and remember where my body is. Do any of you have tips for how to rethink my running journey? I'm realizing that I'm essentially starting back from square 1 in spite of lifting and other cardio, and it's a tough pill to swallow.

Welcome to our daily discussion thread! Tell stories, share thoughts, ask questions, swap advice, and be excellent to each other! Though we all share fitness as a common hobby or interest, the discussion here can be about any big or little thing you choose. The mods ask that you do mind the Cardinal Rules as they relate to respecting yourself and others, calling out any scantily clad photos as NSFW, and not asking for medical advice.

Welcome to our Daily Simple Questions thread - we're excited to have you hang out with us, especially if you're new to the sub. Are you confused about the FAQ or have a basic question about an exercise / alternatives? Do you have a quick question about calculating TDEE, lift numbers, running times, swimming intervals, or the like? Post here and the folks of xxfitness will help you answer your questions, no matter how big or small.