#main dumbbell exercises

[fitnessmantram]

Correct Way to Do Dumbbells Exercise #dumbbellworkout #dumbbells #should..

Dumbbells are a versatile piece of equipment that can be used to target a variety of muscle groups. When done correctly, dumbbell exercises can help men build muscle, strength, and power.

Here are some tips for doing dumbbell exercises correctly:

Start with a weight that is challenging but not too heavy. You should be able to do 8-12 repetitions of each exercise with good form.

Use proper form throughout the exercise. This means keeping your back straight, your core engaged, and your movements controlled.

Don't swing the weights. The weight should be lifted and lowered using your muscles, not momentum.

Take breaks between sets. Allow your muscles to rest for 1-2 minutes before moving on to the next set.

By following these tips, you can safely and effectively do dumbbell exercises to improve your strength and fitness.

Here are some additional tips for men who are new to dumbbell exercises:

Start with a simple routine. You don't need to do a lot of exercises to see results. A simple routine that targets the major muscle groups is a great place to start.

Progress gradually. As you get stronger, you can increase the weight you are using or the number of repetitions you are doing.

Listen to your body. If you are feeling pain, stop the exercise and consult with a doctor or physical therapist.

With a little practice, you will be able to do dumbbell exercises safely and effectively.

People Also Read: Long Head Triceps Exercises

[suppermariobroth]

Unused sleeping animation found in the files of Wario Land 4, likely intended to be used when Wario is left idle for long enough, similar to how Mario falls asleep in many different games under the same circumstances.

Interestingly, in the finished game, Wario does the opposite of sleeping when left idle - beginning to do exercise with dumbbells or a jumping rope instead. It is possible that this more standard sleeping animation was created early on in development before the designers decided that Wario's personality would be more suited for being always active.

Main Blog | Patreon | Twitter | Bluesky | Small Findings | Source: WL4 (NA, GBA)

[bloomzone]

Wonyoung : Inspired Full Workout Routine

If you’ve ever admired Jang Wonyoung’s long, toned figure and effortless stage presence, you’re not alone cuz same . As one of the most well-known K-pop idols, she maintains a lean yet strong physique while performing intense choreography and balancing a busy schedule. While Wonyoung hasn’t publicly shared her full workout routine, we can get a good idea of what she likely does by looking at the types of training that help idols stay fit in some shows

This workout is inspired by a mix of dance, strength training, and flexibility exercises focusing on toning the body while keeping things light and graceful. If you want to flexibility ... this routine will help you build endurance, improve posture, and tone your body without gaining excessive muscle !

first here are two workout video u can start with:

first | second

ㅤ۪ㅤ۫ ꪆ୧ Warm-up (10 minutes) – wake up ur body!

Before getting into the main workout, a proper warm-up is essential to prevent injuries and improve performance. This warm-up gets your blood flowing and preps your muscles for movement.

1. Jumping Jacks (2 minutes)

Start with classic jumping jacks to get your heart rate up.

Move your arms fully overhead for a full-body effect.

2. Dynamic Stretching (5 minutes)

Leg Swings – Hold onto a chair or wall and swing one leg forward and backward (10 reps each leg).

Arm Circles – Extend your arms to the sides and make small circles, gradually increasing their size.

Hip Rotations – Rotate your hips in circular motions (30 seconds in each direction).

3. High Knees (1 minute)

March or jog in place while bringing your knees as high as possible.

Engage your core for better balance and coordination.

4. Torso Twists (2 minutes)

Stand with feet slightly apart and twist your torso left and right.

This helps loosen up your spine and waist.

ㅤ۪ㅤ۫ ꪆ୧ Cardio & Dance (20 minutes)

Dance is one of the best full-body workouts, and since Wonyoung is constantly performing, we can assume dance training is a big part of her fitness routine. This section will help improve stamina, coordination, and agility.

1. Dance Routine (15 minutes)

Pick a K-pop choreography ( anti fragile by lesserafim or super shy by nwjns are great choices as a start 💀 ).

Focus on full-body engagement, precise movements, and fluidity.

Repeat the chorus multiple times to increase endurance.

2. Jump Rope (5 minutes)

Grab a jump rope and go for steady jumps to burn calories and improve footwork.

If you don’t have a rope, mimic the movement in place.

ㅤ۪ㅤ۫ ꪆ୧ Strength Training (25 minutes)

Wonyoung has a slim yet toned body, which suggests she does low-impact strength exercises that emphasize definition rather than muscle bulk.

1. Squats (4 sets of 15 reps)

Stand with feet shoulder-width apart and squat down as if sitting in a chair.

Engage your core and push through your heels.

2. Lunges (3 sets of 12 reps per leg)

Step forward into a deep lunge, making sure your knee doesn’t go past your toes.

This helps tone your thighs and improve balance.

3. Push-ups (3 sets of 10-15 reps)

Keep your core tight and lower your body in a controlled motion.

Modify with knee push-ups if needed.

4. Plank (3 sets, hold for 30 seconds to 1 minute)

Keep your body straight and avoid letting your hips drop.

This strengthens your core and improves posture.

5. Leg Raises (3 sets of 15 reps)

Lie on your back and raise your legs without touching the ground.

Engage your abs to keep your movements controlled.

6. Bicep Curls (3 sets of 12 reps)

Use light dumbbells or water bottles.

Slowly lift and lower your arms for a controlled workout.

ㅤ۪ㅤ۫ ꪆ୧ Flexibility & Cool-down (10 minutes)

Idols like Wonyoung need flexibility for fluid dance movements. Stretching helps prevent stiffness and promotes long, lean muscles.

1. Standing Hamstring Stretch (1 minute per leg)

Extend one leg forward with your heel on the ground and lean in.

2. Quadriceps Stretch (1 minute per leg)

Grab your ankle and pull it toward your glutes for a deep stretch.

3. Hip Flexor Stretch (1 minute per leg)

Step forward into a lunge and push your hips forward.

4. Upper Back & Shoulder Stretch (1 minute per side)

Interlace your fingers and push your hands forward to round your back.

5. Cobra Stretch (1 minute)

Lie on your stomach and push your upper body up with your hands.

6. Child’s Pose (2 minutes)

Sit back on your heels with arms extended forward for full-body relaxation.

ㅤ۪ㅤ۫ ꪆ୧Final Tips for wonyoung fitness routine

Hydration is key! Drink water throughout your workout.

Don’t overtrain. Wonyoung’s routine likely includes proper rest days.

Consistency is everything. Do this workout 3-4 times a week.

Pair it with a balanced diet. Nourish your body with protein and healthy carbs.

@bloomzone !🍀

[sspookayy]

"𝚄𝚗𝚠𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚗" || Cecil Stedman x Reader

Description:

Where extraordinary beings wield incredible powers, the GDA embarks on a groundbreaking project to synthesize DNA in pursuit of creating the ultimate weapon. But when things don't go as planned the project everyone was worked so hard for is put on hold, suspended in time.

"I don't understand.. If you loved me then why did you do this?!"

"Love makes us make tough decisions sometimes."

I LOVE THIS MAN.

I haven't really seen anyone write much fanfic about Cecil, and well hes my favorite character so i have to do the Cecil simps justice. Updates may be slow because i have an actual irl job and bills to pay but I'm gonna try my best and et chapters out in a timely manner.

*crossposted on Tumblr, Wattpad, and Ao3*

________________________

Introduction-

The wall clock ticked relentlessly on, each second whispering in counterpoint to the clang of metal and grunts. You paused briefly in your exercise, beads of sweat trickling down your forehead as you gazed about at the stark, unyielding walls of the government compound that was home. The fluorescent lights overhead buzzed, their cold light casting an unforgiving glare on the rows of weights and machines that were now familiar companions in your endless pursuit of power.

Today, like every day preceding it, you were in the training room, pushing against the limits of your flesh. The weight of expectation had borne down on you since the day that they concluded you were an "experiment"—a component of a program to mold human potential into something greater, yet an offspring of circumstance gone awry.

You were different—not another test subject, but a pioneer of hybrid experimentation. Your creators had attempted to create a weapon, but you had become something more: a being imbued with unbelievable strength, agility, flight and reflexes, approaching the scale that was the Immortal in ability. You were a creation of their ambition, and while the world around you buzzed with the murmurs of heroism and glory, you had been kept under the veil of uncertainty.

You took a deep breath and seized the heavy dumbbells to begin another set of reps, muscles contorting and flexing as you pushed yourself to your limits. Your prison—your estranged home within these walls that held your secrets and torturers alike. You were coming to the end of your set when the door creaked open, the intrusion jolting you out of your focus.

"Impressive as always."

The voice was deep and resonant, heavy like the weights you were using, and it sent a thrill of recognition down your spine. You dropped the dumbbells and turned and faced Director Radcliffe—a tall, older man with sharp features, dark brown eyes, and an intelligence that radiated even in this austere environment. He was the Director of the Global Defense Agency, one of whose main functions was running the experiments.

"Sir," you breathed, attempting to conceal your surprise at his abrupt arrival. "What brings you here?"

He strode towards you with a swagger that belied the seriousness of the facility and delivered a smirk that played at the corners of his mouth. "Just stopping by to visit our most promising subject. I've been hearing whispers about your advancements, and I can tell that they're not merely rumors."

Radcliffe nodded towards the equipment, his gaze remaining on you—a combination of curiosity and admiration. You were naked, exposed; a combination of admiration and caution simmering between you as he gazed at you.

"Getting stronger every day," you replied, keeping your tone deliberately casual. "But I'm still waiting for the day I'm not a set of experiments." deliberately keeping your tone light."They seem to not be too keen on unleashing me on the world yet." You sat down on the bench that sat alongside the huge mirror that stretched along the whole wall and took the towel that was lying across it to wipe your face in an attempt to get rid of the thin layer of sweat that was covering your face.

Director Radcliffe leaned against the wall, arms crossed over his chest, a curious smile spreading across his face. "You see, with the right mindset, even experiments can become pioneers. They just need the right environment to thrive." There was seriousness in his voice that suggested he knew more than he said, as if the very fabric of your life was woven with both potential and restriction.

You glanced up at him in the mirror, the overhead fluorescent lights casting a glare that was so harsh your reflection was almost ghostly. "I suppose so. But what if all they care about is how mindlessly I can follow orders?" You let the towel drop into your lap, the damp cloth a reminder of just how hard you were driving yourself—not just physically, but mentally.

He straightened, his demeanor shifting by degrees, as if he intercepted the undertone of your annoyance. "We understand what you're capable of. Your progress is... " He hesitated, choosing his words carefully. "Impressive. But I am not at liberty to ignore the risks of releasing you prematurely. You are not just a collection of skills—you're a person with a life ahead of you."

"Why do I feel like I'm in a cage, then?" you shot back, startling yourself with the venom in your tone. You could feel the tension building in the air, strained and charged.

Radcliffe's eyes softened as he took in a step closer. "Change is hard. I do know that. Yet every experiment started with a spark—your spark. We're preparing you for something more than you can presently see. You're not a tool. You can be a leader.".

You let his words hang, considering the weight they carried. Progress. Leadership. What would that even look like for someone like you? "I hope you're not just saying that to soften the blow," you said tentatively, the vulnerability in your voice surprising you both.

"Trust me, I'm not," he replied, his tone level and sincere. "But I need you to commit to the process. Training isn't about physical strength alone—it's about building the foundations of what you're capable of becoming."

You took the towel again, this time using it to wipe the sweat from your forearms. Maybe he was right. There could be more to this quest than you realized. "And if I fail?" you asked, your heart racing at the thought.

Radcliffe smiled, a hint of warmth breaching his normally stoic demeanor. "Then we learn. That's the beauty of experimentation—you can always adjust and try again."

You nodded, taking a deep breath. The path ahead of you was still uncertain, yet maybe, just maybe, the light at the end of your metaphorical tunnel was closer than you thought.

—

The day had drained you, each test and trial bearing down on your shoulders like a pile of bricks, a reminder of the burden you bore as you struggled to discover what you could do. Thankfully, the only thing left was to take your end-of-day vitals. Perched atop the unforgiving surface of the chilly, sterile examination table, you were able to sense a chill send a shiver up your exposed thighs, the fabric of your shorts far too brief to shield you from the cold metal below. Wires from a nest of machines coiled around you like sinister vines, and electrode pads affixed to your skin, squirming leads to monitors that displayed your EKG and a maelstrom of bewildering readings—esoteric glyphs that appeared to be a code you were desperately attempting to interpret.

The soft, soothing beeping of the machines almost lulled you into a restful sleep, but the cold, hard lights overhead were pitiless in their glare. Surrounded by an army of physicians and researchers prodding and poking at your body, you knew the largest threat was not in their intrusive methods but what followed: the return to your chambers, the place you disliked most, except for the frigid, unyielding halls of this tyrannical institute. As your gaze shifted to the left, you noticed a couple of operators and managers observing the professionals at work, their glances flicking with a mix of curiosity and indifference.

Far away, beyond the big window, ordinary people went about their everyday lives, becoming part of the rhythm of normalcy. Longing arose within you to be among them; to experience the comfort of a humdrum existence—a good job, a quiet day, a loving family. Such longings lay in the realm of dreams, an illusion which you knew would forever be out of your grasp. Amidst this sea of onlookers, your attention was suddenly drawn to Director Radcliffe, conversing with a passerby.

Squinting your eyes in an attempt to slice through the distance, your super-vision eventually caught up with the young man who had caught your attention. His smooth-slicked hair and authoritative height were equaled only by his sharply chiseled features, which spoke to authority. The gravity of the meeting was sensed, the tension so powerful it sliced through the sterile air. Then, suddenly, the young man shifted slightly, his intense eyes fastening onto yours like a shot of electricity. His eyes, an electric blue, pierced into your very being with an intensity that produced a shiver racing along your spine.

It was as if he could look right through the glass wall of your room, cutting through the layers of your being, stripping away the facade to reveal the vulnerable core within. For a moment, all else in the world outside of you melted away, and you were left with the weight of his scrutiny—a refined blend of curiosity mixed with something darker and more profound. You ached to look away, to recede into the sanitary folds of your hospital robe, but some inexplicable pull kept you riveted. Pity or judgment? Or something worse?

The beeping of equipment faded into the background, drowned out by the mesmerizing hold of his unseeing stare, stirring within you emotions long suppressed in the shadows. It was as though, in the bottom of that stare, he saw your unspoken wishes, your dreams of flight from this antiseptic jail. While the heaviness of his glance nearly strangled you, he tilted his brow infinitesimally, ever so small yet incredibly powerful an action, so it conveyed something unstated in between the two of you that was at once exciting and scary, which passed between the freezing emptiness of the lab and united the two of you into something akin to communion.

And since the moment was trapped halfway between suspended and reality, time itself stumbled, confusing the manner in which it must divide your closed-in reality from his certain truth. The sterile white walls of the room melted away, and for an instant, you were no longer merely a specimen of study, but a contributing participant in an unspoken debate—a bond of trust that poured from mutual helplessness and individual comprehension.

With each gasp of air, you felt the desire well up within you; the urge to flee the shackles of your existence. The world beyond your horizons, with all its mundane indulgences and small victories, beckoned you like a distant siren, promising freedom and a place of belonging. But as the electric blue of his eyes remained unmoved, a glimmer of hope was kindled in your chest. Perhaps, in that fleeting moment of comprehension, you could find the courage to dream once more—not just of a life beyond these bars, but of a world where your own desires were not on the fringes of fantasy.

With that in mind, you understood the weight of his eyes, allowing it to be a silent vow: to battle for freedom, resist the emptiness that wished to engulf you completely, and reclaim the vibrant life you had always imagined, no matter what.

-

Word Count:1869

[worms-blood]

G.U.Y.

Pairing: Dante/Reader Warnings: None Tags: Established Relationship, Gym Sex, Partially Clothed Sex, Kissing, Vaginal Fingering, Vaginal Sex, Hand Jobs, Creampie, Scent Kink, Dante has a Huge Dick Word Count: 6,185 Summary: Working out is a drag, but lucky for you Dante knows a way for you both to cooldown afterwards. AO3 Mirror

There was a clicking noise that repeated every few seconds in the gym under the Devil May Cry office that came from the large clock Dante had hung on a wall down there, damaged from all the times it had weights thrown at it or had just fallen off the wall from some sort of impact against the otherwise study cement walls. The gym was located just one floor below the main level and inside of the basement, you’d never even know the office had a gym if you didn’t also call it your home.

Normally, you never paid the clicking noise any mind as the two of you usually played music as you worked out in tandem, letting the music set the pace and help distract you from the especially human burn your body experienced as you moved muscles you didn’t on the regular- very different from how you assumed the workout went for your less than fully-human boyfriend. However, for right now, the clicking was all you seemingly could focus on as you held your breath and worked through this last damn set.

Today was leg day for you and you weren’t really feeling it this time. Like always, you and Dante did your own things in the gym, content with just spending the time together doing separate exercises. This worked out well for you- as if you could keep up with whatever he did anyways, with the obscenely high number he kept his weights at for his use. Besides, you liked working out separately because it allowed for both of you to ogle each other from across the small home gym.

With an exhale, you rose back to standing from the squat position you were in and began to walk over to the weights rack to place the dumbbell you were using back where it belonged. Sweat dripped down the nape of your neck as you tried to stretch slightly and release some of the stiffness you felt growing in your muscles. You glanced over at your boyfriend, who was continuing his own workout. Your eyes met, and you had no doubt that he had been watching the last set of squats you completed. That pervert. It was no secret that working out together had become some sort of game for the two of you- who could impress who the most with their strengths, or who could make what workout position look the most enticing- games that usually ended up with a fun clean up together in the shower.

Choosing to ignore Dante, you took your yoga mat that was rolled up next to the dumbbell stand and unrolled it onto the ground in front of it. In the time that you had been working out with Dante, you found that you had developed some good habits in regards to your workout routine. Your favorite part of it all was when you got to stretch, specifically the stretching routine you had developed as a cool-down post-workout. It relaxed you and helped you come down from that workout focus you tried to retain the entire time you were in the gym.

You stepped on to the yoga mat and reached upwards, stretching your spine and feeling the pull of each vertebrae, before bending over and shifting into downward dog and letting yourself feel that stretch there too as you pushed your hands into the yoga mat and shifted your legs, bending each knee slightly in unison and feeling the stretch in your calf. You were so focused on your cool down that you didn’t even notice the music playing in the gym switched from the high energy, heavy rock that was playing into something with a little more bass that shook the floor of the gym with the rhythm of the beat. Dropping your knees to the mat, you shifted into table top position before curving your back on an inhale and then exhaling and arching your back sharply. You repeated this stretch several times as you felt the pressure on your lower back lift.

Once again, you felt the heat of Dante’s eyes gazing upon you, no doubt soaking in the appearance of your backside as you arched your back like a cat. He had teased you before on how enticing this stretch was- almost like he couldn’t comprehend its purpose if not for how alluring it made you look. And it definitely didn’t help that you found yourself swaying your hips a little and really emphasizing the arch of your spine on moments like this where you caught him watching your curves. The low whistle you heard your boyfriend omit definitely confirmed your suspicions that he was watching you- as you no longer heard the creaks of the home gym machine that he was previously using.

Hiding your smile against the crook of your shoulder, you shifted into child’s pose by bringing yourself down to the mat while remaining kneeling so that your chest pressed against the mat and your arms stretched outwards. However, you put a slight twist on it as you kept yourself still somewhat arched- you knew Dante was watching you at this point, so might as well keep it interesting for him. After staying in that pose for a few moments, you rolled over onto your back so that you were now laying on the yoga mat. Usually, at this point, you just sort of laid on the yoga mat and didn’t move as you tried to relax and think about all of the other stuff you had planned to do for the day. But today, since it was leg day, you wanted to really stretch your hips and legs to prevent any discomfort in the next couple of days while you rested.

Before you could raise a leg up, you were interrupted out of your thoughts by your boyfriend suddenly standing over you.

“Need any help there, babe?” Dante asked as he towered over you, looking down at you with undisguised lust clear in his eyes.

Thinking it over, you decided that you did need his help- it was easier to get a deeper stretch with Dante helping to move your limbs how you needed. You nodded and lifted your leg so your thigh was pressed against your chest lightly. Linking your hands behind your knee, you spoke, “Yeah, come down here and help me out, please.”

Always one to do as you wish, Dante sunk down to his knees next to you. His much larger and much warmer hand was placed over where yours held behind your knee, pushing your thigh tighter against your chest and allowing for a much deeper stretch. Your quad muscles burned from the stretch, already feeling somewhat past their point from the workout you had just finished and this new ache had you groaning a little from the burn.

You wiggled around on the mat a little, the stretch of your thigh was slightly overwhelming. Groaning once more, you released your clasped hands from behind your knee and Dante removed his as well. “Alright, next leg,” Dante said, nodding his head in the direction of where your other leg lay. His voice was huskier than usual, but instead of commenting, you decided to shift legs and bring the previously laying flat leg up to your chest. You resumed the position once more, this time with the opposite leg pressed tightly against your chest. A strangled moan escaped you when Dante’s hand pressed into the space behind your knee, the sudden deepening of the stretch catching you off guard.

Dante leaned over you, almost on top of you with your leg still pressed against your chest and your foot in the air. He was so close to your face now at this point, his own face taking up your entire view, and his lower half was pressed against your body still laying on the yoga mat. “Feels good, huh?” he asked teasingly, a cheeky smile spread across his face, which was still damp with sweat from his workout. You could feel the beginning stir of his interest press against you through his workout shorts, hard against you.

Heat ran across your face as you realized Dante was probably referring to the moaning and groaning you were doing with each deeper push of the stretch. But you really couldn’t help it- it did feel good! Just definitely not in the way he was implying. Laughing, you nodded, “Well, yeah.” You figured if he was going to tease you, you were going to do the same right back at him. “It’s a deeeep stretch, of course it feels good.” At your words, Dante pressed his pelvis against you harder, the hardness below his waistband becoming more evident the more you teased him. “You seem to be enjoying this too,” You threw back at him, noticing how the shift in mood between the two of you seemed to be affecting you both.

“How could I not?” Dante asked as his face inched closer to yours. “Those noises you keep making, they remind me of another similar kind of noise you make that I like.”

Before you could respond with more teasing, his lips covered yours in an all consuming kiss that was anything but chaste. He had caught you right as you were about to respond, your lips parted to speak, however, instead your tongue was met by his own. The sudden intensity of his kiss surprised you as you didn’t think he was this worked up already but you found yourself getting lost in the neediness of it all. You met his pace, deepening the kiss and allowing his tongue to explore your mouth like he didn’t already have it entirely mapped out. Dante moved more on top of you, releasing the back of your knee and allowing your leg to rest trapped between your bodies so that your knee pressed against his hard shoulder. Again, your thigh burned from the uncomfortable stretch as you both moaned from the sensation and squirmed around on the yoga mat.

You pulled your head back and away, breaking the kiss so that you could speak, albeit somewhat hoarsely, “Wait,” You panted, “Let me move my leg.”

Dante pulled back, allowing you to move your leg down to the yoga mat. You began to rise up, assuming that since you were both done working out, now would come the part of the routine where you hop in the shower together before getting dirty in there and then actually cleaning up for real. However, Dante’s hand on your shoulder kept you from sitting up any more. You looked at him with confusion on your face, one eyebrow raised high in question.

“Let’s stay here,” Dante said as his hand slid down from your shoulder to fondle your breast over the sports bra you wore, squeezing slightly as he spoke, “I kind of need to have you right now.” Your eyes shifted from his face and moved to the now very prominent tent under his workout shorts- your mouth almost watered at the thought of where this was going. He moved so that he was once again leaning over you, pinning you to the yoga mat below and pressing kisses against your jaw and neck before moving back up towards your ear where he paused before speaking, somewhat thoughtfully in his own peculiar way, “besides, we’ve never done it in the gym before.”

You felt your face deadpan as you processed exactly what he meant- but he had a point, this was one of the rare places in the building that houses the Devil May Cry office that the two of you hadn’t gotten busy in. And it was getting harder to be as liberal in doing it in places that were not your shared bedroom now that Vergil lived there as well, in a weird blended family style, post-hell trip reunion. However, you and Dante rarely had sex post-workout in a way that didn’t involve cleaning up in the shower as part of the foreplay so you weren’t really sure how you felt about that aspect of it, especially since his readiness and close proximity didn’t allow you to do a smell check of yourself of any kind. And you were both so sweaty, although you were sure Dante didn’t care about that factor as much as you did.

As if he could read your mind, Dante spoke, “I see you getting all in your head about this, knock that off.” Sometimes it surprised you how well your boyfriend could read you. He pressed another sweet kiss against your jaw. “Plus, think of all the money we’d be saving by not wasting nearly as much water fooling around in there.” One more tempting kiss was placed to your throat.

He had a point.

Dante continued, “And then when we finish up here, we can go take a nice, no-nonsense hot shower afterwards.” You felt his smile against your clavicle as he held you close to him. “I even promise to wash your back for you, babe.” You rolled your eyes at that- as if he didn’t wash your back for you every time you showered together. But even still, you found yourself unable to deny your man of what he wanted.

You paused, pretending like you needed a few more minutes to think it over to decide your answer. There was a feeling of anticipation in the air as you could feel waves of eagerness rolling off of Dante as he not so subtly awaited your confirmation and for you to give him the go-ahead. He bit into your neck sharply, pulling a surprised gasp from you before using his tongue to soothe the skin and lick away the remaining salty sweat off your skin. You licked your lips, suddenly wishing your water bottle wasn’t on the other side across the gym, before you spoke, “Alright-,” but before you could finish your sentence, your boyfriend interrupted you.

“Jackpot!” Dante exclaimed, clearly excited at your willingness to go with his whims despite how you rolled your eyes at his response. He rose off of you once more, shifting to kneeling while keeping most of his weight on his feet, while his hands ghosted down your sides and landed on the waistband of the leggings you wore. “Now let’s get you out of these leggings,” he spoke, words trailing off as he bunched your leggings up in an attempt to pull them down your legs. The sweat on your body was drying to them, making it harder to pull them off of you without the thread tearing. Nevertheless, you knew Dante would find a way to get them off of you, one way or another. And you really couldn’t afford him ripping a perfectly good pair of leggings.

“Okay, easy there, Tiger!” You laughed as your hands swatted Dante’s hands away from the top of your leggings. “These are not cheap,” you lifted your lower spine from the yoga mat, allowing you to gracefully pull the leggings down from your hips and drag them down your thighs. You hadn’t even pulled them down mid way until Dante’s hands were on you again, holding your bare hips, since you wore no underwear under your leggings, and squeezing them tightly. You were momentarily caught off guard by how eager he was- he said he couldn’t wait, but you didn’t really realize just how desperate for you he was feeling. “Wow,” You squeaked when Dante’s large hand squeezed your right hip particularly tight. “You really can’t wait for it, can you?”

Moving on top of you once more, Dante’s lips found yours and pressed against them in an open mouth kiss. In response, you wove one of your hands into his hair, cupping his cheek as you tried to pull him closer to you. The hand that was gripping your hip so tightly released it’s hold on you and instead dove to play in between your thighs, rubbing at the growing wetness between your folds that he found there. You sighed at the stimulation and Dante found this opportunity to pull away from your soft lips to speak, “What can I say?” He panted against you lightly, the puffs of his breath against your jaw. “Seeing you all sweaty really does something for me.”

Heat rushed to your face and you opened your mouth to respond, but before you could, he dove back into another kiss. His tongue pressed into your mouth and you met it with an equal sense of urgency. The hand that was between your legs continued to stroke your labia, spreading your fluids around as it built up but never pushing a finger into your entrance, despite how badly you wanted it now- you pushed your legs as far apart as you could with your leggings still wrapped midway down your thighs. Each time Dante’s fingers dragged up your labia and lingered on your clit, the kiss you shared grew sloppier as your tongues pressed and rubbed together. You craved more. As if he could read your mind, Dante slid his weight off to you and moved next to you so that you were both sharing the yoga mat, allowing you to use your free hand to push your leggings down your legs until they were stopped by your sneakers. You’d deal with that later, making a mental note to not forget to take them off entirely before it was too late. For now, all you could focus on was how good Dante was making you feel and you’d barely even started.

Pulling away and breaking the kiss, Dante also withdrew his hand from between your legs. Before you could complain with a whine, his hand lifted up to his face where he sniffed deeply the fingers that were previously stroking you. He exhaled with a loud, satisfied groan, sending a shiver down your spine. Your face felt like it was truly on fire now; you made eye contact with your boyfriend who was still sniffing his fingers and making a show of it. With your eyes still locked, Dante had a devilishly mischievous look in his eyes as he stuck those two fingers into his mouth. Your mouth fell open in awe as you watched him suck those fingers- he was groaning while he did so like he was trying to get any last remaining taste from you off them and into his mouth. You watched, completely mesmerized, as his tongue lavished over his fingers, shifting your hips on the yoga mat which squeaked from your sweaty skin pulling away from it. The ache between your thighs was getting unbearable, your wetness dripping down onto the mat below your ass.

Dante’s fingers pulled away from his mouth and his hand moved to rest on your inner thigh before it pulled upwards, creating a trail of saliva as it did so. He was taking his time, drawing little nondescript patterns into your skin and really mapping out the trip his fingers were taking upwards to where you wanted him to touch you most. Anticipation had your blood buzzing in your veins. You sighed, unable to hold it back any longer, “Dante, hurry up..” You were definitely not above begging if it got you what you wanted.

The silver haired man chuckled good naturally, “Now look who’s the eager one.”

Before you could even think of a response, or even a way to beg for more, two of Dante’s large, slick fingers pressed inside of you at once, almost to the third knuckle. The sudden intrusion turned you instantly into a mess, pulling a loud, keening moan from your lips. If it wasn’t for the music still playing in the gym, you were positive the lack of windows in the room would’ve made your moans echo. Dante continued his actions, pulling his fingers out of you almost entirely only to push them back inside of you until they were met with resistance. He continued to fuck you with his fingers, feeling your wetness continue to grow until it was basically dripping down his hand and wrist.

You were unable to hold back your moans, so you gripped on to the side of Dante’s face and pulled him back into another kiss as he continued to finger you. Using his mouth as a muffle for your cries, your ears instead focused on the wet squelches that were leaving your body. The heat that brewed beneath your skin focused in your lower belly, like a tight, hot ball of lead that threatened to explode with the impending arrival of your orgasm. Your hand that wasn’t grasping Dante’s face moved to grab on to his forearm, squeezing it tightly like you were trying to express to him just how good he was making you feel- if by somehow he didn’t already know it.

As if he could read your mind, Dante increased his actions by stilling his hand and instead, curling his fingers inside of you upwards until they met with that spongy patch of your walls. Your lips froze against his, pulling away slightly as you moaned from the overwhelming pleasure you were feeling. His thumb came to press against your clit, rubbing tight circles against it as his fingers continued to curl and uncurl inside of you. The pressure building inside of you was overwhelming, like a cup beginning to overflow. Using all of your strength to focus enough to be able to speak, you stammered, “Dante, I’m so close-” before cutting yourself off with another high pitched moan.

Dante, always willing to please you, continued his motions, doubling down in speed in the way he knew you liked- alternating between pressing firmly against your clit with his thumb and bullying it with another drag against it. It was only a little bit more that you could take before you were going to come. Pulling his head back to yours, your teeth collided into each other before your lips sealed together in another deep kiss. Finally, bliss overtook you as you clenched down tightly around Dante’s fingers inside of you and came, hard enough that you spasmed slightly on the yoga mat and stars erupted behind your eyelids.

Slowly, piece by piece you came down from the height of that orgasm, panting slightly as you leaned against your lover’s chest. Dante pulled his long fingers out of you, bringing them again to his face to lap the taste of you off of them, although this time it was less for your own enjoyment and more out of his own necessity to consume the taste of you. Eventually, your breath evened out and a comfortable silence fell over the two of you as a chill fell over you from the new layer of dried sweat on your skin. The two of you were so silent that you almost wondered if that was all Dante had in store for you, however, the poking of his hardness against your thigh told you otherwise.

A moment passed before anything was said or done, and you realized Dante was waiting for you to signal that you were ready to continue on. It was sweet of him really, the way he always took care of you and made sure you were comfortable. Taking the initiative, you cleared your throat before speaking, “Fuck, babe,” You adjusted how you were leaning on him so that you could look up at him only to see him gazing down at you, smirking with some sort of male-ego-pride-whatever-nonsense reflecting in his eyes. “That was incredible.” You reached up to squeeze his bicep, affectionately.

“Yeah?” Dante leaned in to kiss the crown of your head, “You ready for some more then?” His hand rubbed his chin momentarily, like he was checking to see how long the stubble on his jaw was and determine if it would be too rough on your sensitive skin. You could see the gears working in his mind as he thought- and while you were never one to turn down oral sex, you had something else in mind that you wanted.

You shook your head, “Nah.” A mild confusion crossed over Dante’s face, but it was quickly replaced with some more interest in hearing what you were thinking as you continued, “I kinda desperately need you to fuck me now.”

“Well, how can I say no to that?” Dante responded huskily, with his usual charming grin before winking playfully at you. He hoisted himself upwards, so he was now kneeling between your legs. He briefly faced away from you, turning back around to where your leggings were tangled around your feet and pulled them off of one of your legs, freeing it. In any other circumstance, you’d feel pretty silly having your sneakers still on with your leggings bunched up on one ankle, but in this moment you were way too horny to care.

He turned his attention back to you, and began to lower himself onto his forearms, leaning on his elbows so that you were caged between his arms underneath him. You laid under him, pulling your legs apart on either side of where his knees were between you and moving your arms under his so that you could hold on to his broad shoulders. It suddenly dawned on you that while you were naked from the waist down, Dante had retained all of his clothing on. Your nakedness suddenly felt unfair but you quickly thought of a way to even the playing field to your liking. One of your hands that held Dante’s back moved, running down over his back before moving around to his chest, gliding down over his shirt and feeling his insanely cut abs before stopping at the waistband of his workout shorts. Pushing that down, you reached into his shorts and pulled out his cock, which was so hard at this point you were sure if you could see it that it would be a delicious pinkish-red color from arousal. Just the way you liked it.

Dante hissed through his teeth as you pulled him out of his shorts, his head falling to nestle into the crook of your neck as you began to pump slowly at his length. While you couldn’t say that hand jobs were your specialty- in fact, you didn’t often attempt them as there really was just so much length to cover when it came to his cock, but that didn’t mean you didn’t relish the times you did attempt a hand job or anything of that nature. And Dante obviously did too, if the sounds he made while you stroked away at him were any indication. It was a little bit difficult to do so from this angle, as every flick of your wrist had Dante sinking his entire body down on you more, and pushing himself on you so that his cock was snug in between the two of you. His precum was starting to smear onto your skin, gathering a pool of it onto your belly.

You continued to jerk your hand up and down his dick, lingering at the tip and spreading the precum gathered there around with your thumb before once again pulling your fist down and back up the length of him, dragging along his foreskin with you when you moved your hand upwards again so that it increased the sensations for him. You built up speed as much as you were able to with the limited mobility you had from this angle. Dante’s face was still burrowed in the crook of your neck, but you could hear the soft gasps and moans escaping him that were muffled by your skin, you could feel where the saliva dripped from his mouth onto your neck as he lost himself in your hand.

Enjoying yourself immensely, you didn’t want to stop but you also were definitely not going to let him come like this. And you could tell he was starting to get close by the way he was responding to your touch. You pressed your head against his own and murmured, loud enough so that Dante could hear you, “Do you like that, baby?” Your voice was cherry sweet, like you weren’t thinking of all the ways you could prolong this and really torture him. “Does it feel good?”

Dante lifted his head from where it lay against your neck, a trail of saliva connecting his lips to your skin before it broke when he spoke, “Y-yeah,” his voice was shaky as he tried to shift his focus back from the cloud nine of pleasure you had sent him to. “But I can think of something else that would feel even better.” Without skipping a beat, his voice was back to that cocky playfulness you had come to know and love. How he was able to shift gears like that, you’d never know.

He pulled back up to leaning on his forearms, almost pulling himself out of your grip entirely. You let him move freely, stopping your own movements on his cock but not releasing it. Instead, you helped guide it to poke at your entrance as it was clear you were both over this teasing foreplay you had going on and ready to move on to the main event. He shifted his hips, pulling away from you slightly before pushing in and entering you in one solid, forceful thrust. The sudden sensation of being filled pulled a loud moan from you, which Dante mimicked in unison. A momentary silence fell over the two of you, while you worked together getting the rhythm built, disregarding the bass of the music still playing over the sound system in the gym. The yoga mat squeaked underneath you with every thrust of Dante’s hips.

Eventually you built up a good rhythm that had his hips knocking into your own and his cock driving deep enough inside of you that you swore you saw stars. The squelching noise from your pussy was so loud that the noises the two of you made overpowered the redundant music playing overhead. Each thrust of his hips seemed to push his cock in deeper before, and no matter how much you spread your legs open to accommodate his large stature or held him to you by his back, it felt like you couldn’t get him close enough.

Dante seemed to feel the same, as he lifted himself off of you enough so that he could lift your leg that was not encumbered by your leggings wrapped around your ankle and push it upwards against your chest, dangling your ankle by his shoulder. The shift in angle had your eyes rolling back in your head as his cock all but drove sharply into your cervix. Sweat ran off your bodies and pooled on the yoga mat below you two, creating less friction for your movements but still, you rose your hips off the mat and continued to meet thrust for thrust.

You could feel your orgasm starting to brew again, and you were desperate for you both to finish at the same time. As if he could once again read your mind, Dante’s hand slid down between your slick bodies and stopped right above where he was inside of you, pushing against your clit and rubbing sloppy circles against it, the movement of your bodies guiding his hand more than anything else. The course of your orgasm grew stronger, and you knew you weren’t going to last long. Licking your dry lips, you parted them to speak a plea to your boyfriend, “Dante,” His eyes snapped from where they gazed at the wet with sweat and saliva skin on your neck to your lips, looking at the glimpse of your pink tongue when you spoke. “I’m so close now and-” You broke off in a moan, eyes furrowing shut as his fingers circled your clit rougher, “I want us to come together, at the same time-” You trailed off in another moan, clenching around him as if to prove your point.

At your words, Dante’s own eyes furrowed shut yet he found the ability to meet your request, speeding up his thrusts before speaking, “Fuck, babe, you’re so - shit - tight,” he continued speaking, almost as if he was in a trace, but you knew that when he got close to the edge like this, he just couldn’t shut up. It was like he couldn’t control himself, couldn’t stop himself from babbling your praises. Not like you were complaining, he could read one of his gun magazines to you in that sexy, concentrated yet husky voice of his and you’d eat it up. Just like you were now. “Feels so damn good- you feel so fucking good, fuck, babe, I fucking love you-” he trailed off in a loud moan, unable to hold back with his pleasure and praise.

Opening your mouth to sing his praises in equal measure as he was you, you instead were surprised by Dante thrusting his tongue into your mouth with a very wet kiss. It was just the proverbial final nail in the coffin you needed as you dug your nails into his back, sharp enough that if he didn’t have a t-shirt on you’d draw blood, and came. Shock waves of pleasure rippled down your back as you clenched tightly around Dante, which prompted him to come as well- with one final thrust he grabbed your hips and buried himself as deep inside you as he could and came. His hips jolted against yours as each spurt of cum gushed out of him and into your sloppy pussy, his cockhead pressed tightly against your cervix in a way that almost hurt. His fingers still rolled your clit around, prolonging your orgasm and pushing you near the brink of over-stimulation.

Slowly, you both rolled to a slow and Dante released your leg that was clutched between the two of you, and it fell lamely beside him. He leaned down over you, putting his weight on you in a way that would be crushing if you didn’t find it so comfortable. A few moments passed as the two of you stayed like that, enjoying the afterglow in silence together. You hands that were on his back dove under his shirt so that you could sooth the skin there, pressing kisses along side his face which was pressed next to yours.

Eventually, Dante started to rise up, and move to pull himself out of you. When he did so, you grimaced at the feeling of both his seed and your own liquids pouring out of you, like a bottle missing it’s cork. He pressed an apologetic kiss to your temple, and you cleared your throat and looked away from him. “I, uh, I love you too, by the way.” You felt suddenly shy, as if you didn’t say those words to each other every day. Something about being totally exposed from the waist down in the gym made you feel vulnerable and shy, you supposed, but you didn’t want Dante’s earlier declaration of love to go unanswered. Dante only smiled at you, that rare, authentic and real smile that he reserved only for those who deserved it. Your heart overflowed with joy at the true affection in his eyes.

Dante tucked himself back into his shorts and looked at the mess you had made on the yoga mat. He grimaced slightly before sighing, “Yeah, we are definitely going to have to clean up in here before Verg gets back.” He stretched slightly, rolling his shoulders.

You sat up, confused, “Well, just the yoga mat, right?” You scanned the room for any other sign of what degeneracy just happened here, in the space you all shared.

“Yeah, no,” Dante continued, “He’s gonna know something went down. I mean, the place smells like straight up sex. Thanks to yours truly, of course.” He winked at you, flexing slightly, still obviously basking in his own male pride at the events that just transpired.

“Oh, great,” You deadpanned. “See, this is why we should have just done it in the shower. A much easier clean up would be nice.”

“Oh!” Dante perked up at your words, clearly only hearing what he wanted to hear. He stood up and grabbed your hands to pull you up too. “You want to do it in the shower, is that right? Oh babe, we can definitely do that.”

Your eye twitched at his easygoing nature, but you found yourself unable to deny him. “Ah, what the hell, sure.” You shrugged, as you held on to Dante’s hands and let him pull you up. You pulled your leggings back onto both ankles and up your body again, the sticky feeling between your legs growing worse against the spandex. You were dying to get out of these sweaty clothes.

A shower did sound nice right about now. And you could always deep clean the gym after a round in the shower.

Or two.

Or more, water bill be dammed.

[solacescastleglow]

My Favourite Full Body Flows

I fear I am turning into a gym bro. I exercise every day now, because it turns out if I skip one day I'll skip the next, and the next, and so on. Honestly, I'm not even mad about it, I love the fact that my body can do all this now. Anyway, I've been trying out different movements, and here are my favourite ones put together into a routine that works for me. These are also low equipment (all you need is two dumbbells and a yoga mat if you want to save your knees), so they're really easy to do at home.

Weekly Routine

Monday, Friday - Restorative

Tuesday, Saturday - Mobility

Wednesday, Sunday - Strength

Thursday - Fencing class

Whenever I feel like it - Other stuff like badminton, dancing, etc.

Restorative

Goal: Keep my body moving even when I'm busy or tired, have a good time

Frequency: 2x/week

however many sets I want to do :)

1 minute of intuitive movement (ankle and wrist circles, neck rolls, side stretches, really whatever I feel like)

3x 5 second butterfly stretch

1x supine twist per side

10x floor angels

10x windshield wipers

20x happy baby rocks

10x sphinx nods (rounding out my shoulders when I look down)

psoas release (like this)

10x child-seals

5 minutes with my legs up against the wall while hugging myself

Mobility

Goal: General mobility so that I don't feel terrible

Frequency: 2x/week

2-3 sets, scattered throughout the day when I feel like it

10x chin tucks

10x shoulder rolls

10x ankle circles

5x cossack squats (supported)

5x wrist weight bearing rocks (with my fingers facing forwards, then outwards, then backwards)

5x ankle rocks

5x thoracic twists

10x floor angels

5x hip flexor arcs

10x dead bugs

20x bicycles

5x child-seals

1x supine twist per side

Strength

Goal: Reverse atrophy caused by long-term illness, build up upper body and deep core strength

Frequency: 2x/week

1 set, it's a lot and I get bored really easily

Warm-up

5x shoulder circles (each way)

5x arm swings

5x wrist circles (each way)

5x ankle circles (each way)

5x hamstring sweeps

Main bit

5x incline pushups (currently on 4 stairs' incline)

20x bicep curls (while pacing around the living room)

20x armpit rows (still pacing)

10x overhead tricep extensions

10x heel raises

5x march and hold (5 second holds)

5x cossack squats (supported)

5x kneeling wrist lifts

5x wrist weight bearing rocks

5x alternating bird-dogs

30 second plank

15 second side planks

5x slow dead bugs

10x bicycles

20x scissor kicks

5x 5 second boat pose hold

5x marching glute bridge

Cool-down

5x child-seals (can you tell I love this one?)

1x supine twist per side

[ashleyloob]

Hi!

From someone who is disorganized and discouraged, I would love advice on weight-lifting/building muscle. Would you share your understanding of building muscle and the breakdown of diet?

If possible, could you share how you apply what you know to yourself? If you use any tools to help you?

Struggled with working out, gaining weight, and eating my whole life. Thanks!

prefacing this with some important info for fellow disorganized scatterbrains!!!!

the main reason why ppl have trouble sticking to a lifestyle change is because they try to make very drastic changes too quick, and you get overwhelmed and it becomes unsustainable. this is especially an issue for neurodivergent folks, and since it's Tumblr I assume a good chunk of y'all are (me too dw)

DON'T immediately overhaul ur diet and hit the gym 5x a week from day 1!!! hitting tiny goals consistently is also more rewarding than working towards one very large arbitrary goal that you might not reach, esp when it comes to working out. start veeery small if u need to, such as only 10 bodyweight squats per day like i did and go from there. you wanna program ur brain into feeling accomplished to keep you motivated. patience is key!!!!

ok!! now onto the more detailed info below

Disclaimer: I'm still a newbie myself!! only consistently lifting heavy for about 3 months as of this post. I did a good deal of excessive info diving on lifting using the power of Sheer Autism, and my main gym buddy is very experienced & taught me a good chunk of this shit so shout-out to my pal for making all this possible xoxo

so good news!! "building muscle" is very easy for beginners starting from zero. newbie gainz are absolutely real. at this stage you can do just about anything at the gym and get stronger bc u can only go up. BUT!! if you structure it, you can make the process enjoyable and much more efficient. if you're goal oriented (lookin at u ADHD menaces), you'll love the concept progressive overload.

PROGRESSIVE OVERLOAD & SETS/REPS

wikipedia defines progressive overload as: a method of strength training and hypertrophy training that advocates for the gradual increase of the stress placed upon the musculoskeletal and nervous system. in layman's terms, it just means gradually adding more weight as you work out to increase the difficulty as you get stronger. progress is VERY easy to track because of this, and you'll be hitting PRs pretty much every week for the first couple of months and that shit feels fantastic because you physically feel yourself getting stronger so rapidly. I use the app Strong to track my workouts. so, how do we structure progressive overload? that's through sets/reps. A rep is a single execution of an exercise. 1 squat is one rep. 2 squat is 2 reps. and so on. A set is a collection of reps. The format is Sets x Reps, for example: 3x5 means 3 sets of 5 reps. You will rest between sets, and it's typically anywhere from 1 minute all the way up to 5 minutes depending on the level of exertion/type of training you are doing. Heavier weights mean longer rest periods and vice versa.

WHERE DO I EVEN START??

For those interested in barbell training: the r/fitness beginner routine is pretty good! I also recommend 5x5 stronglifts. both are very straightforward, but also note the typical olympic barbell is 45lbs. If this is a weight you struggle with, you can begin with bodyweight exercises, dumbbells, or machines at the gym which are all very BEGINNER beginner friendly. especially when it comes to legs you're probably much stronger than you think. Most people can squat 45lbs first try. don't be afraid -- you're standing on those things all day, they can support hella weight. Like I mentioned earlier, don't be afraid to start veeeery small and work your way up from there. I started at home with doing only bodyweight squats without the barbell, then added on benching with light 7lb dumbbells after a week, then impulse signed up for a gym membership a month later and began to go there to use equipment and now i'm deadlifting over 100lbs as a tiny girl that previously was too weak to even lift a 40lb dog. it snowballs quicker than you think once you gain confidence in your own body and its abilities!

WOAH I DON'T KNOW HOW TO SQUAT/DEADLIFT/BENCH/THIS IS SCARY AND IM FUCKING UP

If you can, i highly recommend getting a personal trainer to assist you, or tag along with a gymrat pal to show you the ropes. This page is also a good resource to learn specific lifts. otherwise, youtube is your best friend. you can record your sets and compare your form to form tutorials on youtube, and actively take notes on what to change the next time you work out. Be an active learner!!! be aware of what muscles are engaged when you lift and how your body feels. almost NOBODY gets it right the first time, esp with barbells. we've all made fools out of ourselves at the gym as beginners it's chill. i find people at the gym are very nice and willing to help you out if you're struggling, and people don't judge at all-- it's very easy to get in your own head in these spaces but most humans there are supportive and want you to succeed, especially since it's a hobby they are also passionate about. the more you do it, the less anxious you get. exposure therapy is very effective!! Also, almost all the barbell exercises can be replaced with smaller dumbbells, and you can do them at home if you get your own set + a workout bench (pretty cheap if u get secondhand, check facebook marketplace/craigslist). i got mad social anxiety myself so i understand sometimes you just can't, and this is an option for those that find public spaces overwhelming.

DIET

I personally don't think specialized diets/precise macro tracking is super duper important for newbies/casuals, only moderately important (spicy take for some but whatever). but you probably naturally will take an interest in diet once you realize it'll help you perform significantly better in the gym. the only macro i track is protein. You can use a TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) calculator to roughly estimate the amount of protein you need for maximum gainz. it's usually around .7-1g of protein for every pound of lean body mass (weight that isn't fat mass). Imma be real it's pretty hard for me to hit the recommended protein goal and most days I don't because my appetite just can't kick in for the amount it demands, and protein is super filling. I found that if i decreased the amount of carbs i eat, i am able to consume more protein bc i guess there's more room in my stomach lol. i eat a fuck ton of greek yogurt, chicken, fish, and tofu. when i started working out, i begin cooking a lot more and found i naturally craved less processed junk foods and snacks because the protein was keeping me full all day which is a plus! Even when im not regularly hitting my protein goal my gym progress is still going well and I think it's simply because my diet is A LOT better than what it used to be in my gremlin days. I also eat a lot more now that i've gained a bit of muscle, so do be prepared for food costs to go up as your metabolism increases and demands more energy to upkeep your gainz.

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE FOR ME TO LOOK LIKE A MUSCLE MOMMY????

a whileeee. over a year, probably, unless if you're on anabolic steroids (dont ever do that u will quite literally die). and physique is mostly from diet since it's dependent on your body fat percentage, the saying "abs are made in the kitchen" is true. its why you see hyper skinny terminally indoors gamer dudes with abs, even if they'd snap in half if you farted in their general direction. those mfs barely eat they too busy being gamers i am no longer interested in lifting for aesthetics personally since i get more joy from hitting PRs and i'm pretty content with my body image, but ik physique is the reason why most people get into lifting so i'll touch on it. Weightlifting on its own will not make you lose weight or fat. Again, it needs to be supplemented with a healthy sustainable diet (DO NOT DO CRASH DIETS THAT SHIT IS GARBAGE) and a form of cardio. I actually gained 8lbs since I began lifting from water retention & new muscle mass (muscle is more dense than fat, your body retains water when repairing muscle after a gym sesh) but my measurements and pants size have remained the same. I'm short, so something as small as a 5lb increase usually bumped me up a pants size but it didn't this time bc im gettin swole :') if you want to track physique changes, measuring your waistline & progress pics is a better way to do so than the scale. If you want bigger muscles, look into hypertrophy training. it's a tad different from strength training, mainly because you do higher reps at a lower weight.

[jellybracelet]

Workout tips to biceps like yours bcoz holy fuck??! (not kidding btw would love any advice<3)

Ty ❤️

Rn I repeat these three workouts in a round. I usually lift 3-4x a week. On the off days I have contortion class or I climb (or sometimes not work out if I'm busy that day).

Chest, shoulders, triceps

Bench press

Dumbbell shoulder press

EZ bar skull crusher

Cable fly

Cable tricep extension (rope)

Dumbbell lat raise

Standing dumbbell shoulder press

Core + stretch

Back and biceps

One arm dumbbell row

Seated incline dumbbell curl

Cable face pull

Dumbbell reverse fly

Hammer curl/cross body hammer curl superset

Core + stretch

Lower

Back squat

Deadlift

Kettlebell Bulgarian split squat

Kettlebell calf raise

Core + stretch

(lower body takes a lot outta me lol)

I do linear progressive overload for hypertrophy. For the main exercises, I do one warmup set and four working sets, and for the rest I usually do four working sets only. My sets are usually in the 5-12 rep range.

Can you tell I like shoulders best? Lol

Lmk if you have any other Qs!

[justkidneying]

Breaking Necks

Snappin necks is a really cool thing to do in an action movie, so I'm gonna break down how strong you need to be to do it.

"Breaking a neck" aka cervical dislocation, happens when the vertebra are rotated far enough that the vertebral canal is disrupted and the spinal cord is fucked. To do this, you gotta overpower some ligaments (which keep bones together), muscles, and tendons (holds muscles to bones). To keep it simple, we're gonna say the guy is on his knees in front of you, and has brain damage or something, so he's not really fighting back. You're gonna put one hand on his chin, and the other on the back of his neck. This will allow you to create torque, which will lead to cervical torsion, which will lead to cervical dislocation, and you know where we're going with this.

Okay, so what is torque? Torque is a specific type of force in which the force is applied to the end of an object, causing that object to rotate. An example of this is when someone uses a wrench. When force is applied to the end of the wrench, it causes the end around a nut to rotate. Most people can understand the concept that as your hands move further from the end of a wrench that is around a bolt, the easier it is to turn. This is because the force applied is multiplied by the length of the lever arm. The lever arm is the distance between the point of rotation and the force being applied. In this case, the lever arm is the distance between the chin and the spine. In most people, this distance is 15 cm.

How much force can the vertebra withstand? The minimum torque the vertebra can be subject to before dislocation is 14-17 Nm (Newton meters are the units of torque, because it is a force [Newton] applied from a distance [meters]). We can plug 17 Nm into our torque equation with the lever arm length, and we get ~120 N. Your bicep needs to produce 120 N of force when you curl a 26 lb weight. That's not very much, is it?

So back to the muscles. The main muscle that will resist your motion is the sternocleidomastoid muscle. This originates from the sternum and collar bone, and inserts onto the skull below the ear. Now, this muscle is not really that strong (who does neck exercises??). Working with any other neck muscles to resist the rotation, this probably puts opposite torque in at around 1.35 Nm. Plug everything back in (with our added torques), and we still only get the force (128 N) needed to curl a 29lb dumbbell. Huh, so your neck muscles really don't help you, do they?

"What about the mandible??" you say...well it's pretty strong actually. It requires about 125 lbs of force to dislocated it when acting in the direction we are, so the neck will dislocate first.

Even if you don't totally destroy the spinal cord, there's some really important crap in the cervical region (like the vertebral arteries and spinal nerves) that will totally kill you if they get messed up. There's the vertebral arteries, for one. You can break those and die of internal bleeding even if your spinal cord is fine.

Another note about where this will happen: you have seven cervical vertebra (C1-C7). C1 and C2 are pretty weird and close nit, so they're probably not going to give first. The greatest amount of flexion is between C4,C5,&C6. Also, because C7 is pretty sturdy in its attachment to the thoracic vertebra, C6 can also dislocate off of it easier. So I bet this dislocation will happen in the lower half of the neck.

Bottom line: if you can curl a 30lb dumbbell, you can probably generate the necessary force to break a grown man's neck.

Anyways, I could go on and on about this (I have a thirty-five page literature review I wrote over this topic), but I think my point has been made. Just one final thing: you probably can't do this irl, bc you need the perfect circumstances and the right technique. Oh well, stuff like this is probably best left to Chuck Norris and Arnold.

[frownyalfred]

Hey, do you still have the post about starting to get into exercise/weights anywhere?

Here you go!

[aendromedal]

changed my leg day program. again LOL

taking out cable kickbacks after trying them out for a couple weeks bc ngl. i fucking hate doing them LMAO

i'm obvi not lifting heavy enough for them to be effective, but when i try, i can't get good enough form for even five reps of the ten i do per set, and i just feel so stupidly unstable doing them that i'm just taking them out all together. i have other exercises that i can do that hit my glute max and med anyway so i'm not sad that i won't be doing them tomorrow lol

speaking of glute max, i tried hip thrusts that were elevated on a box on friday (and on thursday with my trainer) and i mean they're simple enough as far as form goes, but i have a hard time loading heavy enough weight (did them with a 30 lb dumbbell and bro you know i gotta do more upper body training when i can't even lift it onto my hips). so ! i'm gonna try cable pull-throughs bc the movement looks pretty similar to a hip thrust as far as what muscles are being engaged (only diff is that you're standing). hopefully it'll be easier to load weight, but if not i'll probably end up sticking to hip thrusts.

also moving into trying cable hip abductions bc idk seated hip abductions are good and all, but i think i could better isolate my glute med on a cable machine, especially on my right side so !

ooo !! and then i'm formally adding (what i call) assisted step-ups bc another trainer had showed them to me on the assisted pull-up, and they're just so much fun to do imo :3 (ngl though, kinda scared to keep doing them bc i saw discourse online of people getting mad that you should just use a machine for its intended purpose, but a trainer at my gym gave me the okay to use the assisted pull-up that way soooooo)

anyway ! here's my leg day for tomorrow, if anyone's curious lol

warm-up (some dynamic stretching, usually leg swings and some form of hamstring and hip flexor movement; tomorrow it'll be half-kneeling hip flexor stretches, elephant walks, 90/90s, and squats to stands while holding the feet [which i have no idea what those are called, if anything lol])

pull-throughs for my glutes and hams (warm-up is 2 sets of 10 at a pretty low weight, main is 3 sets of 8-12 at a pretty challenging weight which i'll have to figure out tomorrow)

leg press for mainly my hammies but for some quads and glutes (warm-up is 2 sets of 10 without any weight, main is 3 sets of 8-12 also at a challenging weight that i'll figure out tomorrow lol)

cable hip abduction for the glute med and min (again 2 warm-up sets and 3 main sets)

assisted step-ups for my glutes and quads (warm-up will probably be at 60 lb, main will probably be at 100)

hyperextensions for mainly the lower back but also to touch on the upper glutes a bit (warm-up is at body weight, and main is at 25 until failure which i'll then drop the weight and keep going until failure again)

stairmaster for 30 minutes (HARD MAYBE. i haven't gone on the stairmaster since i first started at the gym 2 months ago, so i wanted to try it again, but if i'm not feeling it, i'll probably walk on the treadmill for 30 minutes on a 9+ incline at 2.6 mph)

cool-down (some static stretching, wherever i know i'm gonna feel sore or tight the next day)

ngl this is probably too much, as the trainers i've talked to have told me being in the gym for longer than 90 minutes is much longer than necessary lol but ! i just enjoy being in the gym, i like the environment, and i feel good while i'm there, so i don't mind if i'm there for longer than 90 minutes (which this workout will probably be close to or slightly more than) !

but yes ! that's the program for tomorrow and for my leg days for the foreseeable near future ! the only things that've stayed pretty much the same through the weeks has been leg press variations and hyperextensions (hypers are just so fun to do hehe), but i imagine that the step-ups will be a mainstay for a while (bc those are also so much fun to do adgjkd) until i either max the machine out or decide to do them unassisted.

now i just gotta figure out an upper body program that works for me ;w;

[stiricidewrites]

The Damage You Do: ch 23, pt 4

CW: not child abuse, but just the unfortunate state of parenting

Previously

~

lwj’s hand squeezed his, and wwx’s attention shot back to him. “Uh? Oh! Oh, uh, lhr took A-Yuan for a play date with his kid? So, until they get sick of each other, I guess?”

The expression on lwj’s face grew dark, and wwx was torn between the urge to burst out laughing at the sudden shift in mood, and genuine concern that he shouldn’t have left his child with his dom’s cousins.

“Is… is there a problem with that?” he asked, trying not to sound like the quickly panicking parent he was.

lwj hummed, a sparkle of amusement crossing through his eyes as he explained that his cousin’s son was extremely annoying, so it was unlikely A-Yuan would last long in his company.

“He’s like, what? Four? All four-year-olds are annoying,” wwx pointed out, his concern quickly dissipating as he was hauled along, towards lwj’s bedroom and then to a room past it.

“Are they?” the other man asked as he led wwx into the room. “I know very few. Jingyi is by far the most annoying.”

“Why?” wwx asked as he looked around. It was an exercise room—a very fancy and complete one for a private home. Racks of weights lined a wall in every possibly variant, from free weights to dumbbells to kettle balls. Various machines lined another wall, along with bands and skipping ropes and punching bags. There were boxes and other items for plyometrics—he had always loved those—as well. The room was also huge, not just long and wide, but towering—almost as if someone had modified the shape of the room. Taken out walls and floors to make a gymnasium, which, expensive!

lwj sighed, long-suffering, and this time wwx did laugh, his attention dragging away from the odd looking floor near the far wall. “He is loud, impolite, nosy, impatient.”

“So… he’s a kid?”

His dom glared.

wwx smiled back. “Don’t look at me like that. Kids are an absolute pain in the ass. They’re always trying to hurt themselves… and you—that’s practically their main hobby. The number of times I’ve been nailed in the head by A-Yuan’s head? And, oh god, the messes? And the crying, and all the accidentally broken things. Honestly, I’m surprised anyone ever has kids.”

“You have a child, by choice,” his dom pointed out.

“Sure, but A-Yuan is special—and obviously,” he cheered, smiling probably a little crazily at his boss, “all parents think their kid is special. Helps them ignore that their kids are actually demons in human skin.”

lwj did not look convinced, not that wwx could blame him—or even correct him with more than joking words. He’d seen more than a few parents out and about, their seeming hatred for their kids not quite hidden behind their tight voices and dead eyes, burnt out and unable to find it in their hearts to love their children the way they deserved. He was lucky. He loved his kid and had the support system to help when he needed it, but he knew some parents just… realized too late that their lives weren’t better with kids. That broke his heart, a little, to think of parents stuck regretting their kids. To think of the children trying to survive in a household where their parents might not actively abuse them but they couldn’t quite hide that having kids was a mistake...

“So…” wwx sighed, biting his lip as he looked back to him dom, the man’s concerned eyes already—or still—on him. “You were exercising? I could sit and watch? Or leave! That’s still an option—kicking me out.”

His dom blinked slowly at him, and he wondered if the man had figured out how that blink affected him. How it made him squirm and sizzle.

[baby-jock-do-do-do-do-do-do]

If I genuinely just want bigger arms for gender reasons, do I still gotta do stuff for the other muscle groups? Like what actually happens if I skip leg day?

What actually happens if you skip leg day is you risk injury on your other lifts, but that has a *lot* to do with how much you're actually lifting.

If you're not lifting heavy then it's less important that you're working every muscle group. Like if you're just doing curls with twenty pound dumbbells and doing pushups then skipping leg day is probably not a big deal.

If you're lifting half your bodyweight or more in any lifts that you're doing regularly, you should be doing some reasonably serious work on your legs to make sure that they are strong and flexible enough to assist in other lifts or support you as you're moving around the gym with plates or dumbbells.

but also if you're lifting for gender reasons make sure to hit your shoulders, back, and chest too*. And if you're working those areas you have to do core work for support. Aaaand if your core and your upper body can take a lot of punishment you're going to want to at least work on building muscle to support your knees and shit.

I mean unfortunately the standard view among people who lift heavy shit is "lift a lot and try to maintain balance between muscle groups both as injury prevention and to make lifting heavy shit easier."

However there are a million curlbros out there who seem to be doing absolutely fine because they spot train what they want to and don't stray out of their lane into lifts that might hurt them. So, you to you because you know more about what your workouts look like than I do, but don't hurt yourself is the main thing. Whatever you're doing go slow, control the lifts, and keep good form. If you can't do a lift with good form you can't do the lift and you need to keep training until you can do it clean. (and sometimes that means doing leg day)

*shoulders for very visible relatively easy gains that definitely cue "masc" in a lot of people's minds, back because you gotta do back it's 100% necessary you do it to protect your spine, and chest because a lot of people who want to be more masc avoid training their chests because they're afraid of growth in that area but they shouldn't be because working your pecs firms up the muscle and lifts your chest higher, please folks who want a more masculine profile don't be afraid of chest exercises.

[flickycore]

(This is of Crash Nitro Kart except it's my Crash Bandicoot OCs having the roles as the main characters, though Velo and the champion racers still stay)

It first starts at a house in the far sunset side of N. Sanity Island. Then to the living room is the orange feline Charlie sleeping.

It then goes to a garage of her house. One of Charlie's cousins; Sally is working on their blue kart which is pumping up smoke of its engine, her younger sister Tango is drawing with crayons at a small, colourful plastic table and their peaceful distant cousin Dandelion is with their other cousin Cole who is lifting weights with a dumbbell.

"That diet's a joke." Cole said, roughly while lifting weights. "Well... I've heard you can lose a lot of weight on it." Dandelion explained to Cole about losing more weight but Cole replied to her "But you can't keep it off. Just eat less and exercise more.”

Suddenly a bright light shines out of the window with a strange sound, the four check it out "Something's wrong." Dandelion said in concern with a banging sound coming from Cole dropping his dumbbell "That's not sunlight...!" She added, the brightness covers the cats, which blinds them. Tango was nervous around the light, she runs off to the living room to find her sister Charlie who is shown again, still sleeping.

"Charlie! Charlie! Wake up!" Tango shakes her older sister to wake her up. She notices the light shining through the living room, Charlie's eyes open slightly by the brightness blinding her eyes "...not...now...ango..." she muttered, then she grabs Tango and pulls her to her arms. While with that, Charlie pulled out two pairs of sunglasses for her and her little sister and they lay back down. But that doesn't stop because the house shakes and rises up from the ground, up to the sky.

Then it cuts to a lab and inside of it. Sage is pacing around the room, with Killagator and Ember sitting on the floor, playing checkers against eachother. "Oh, how can I defeat those pesty felines? Hmm... And conquer the world of course!" The fox scientist stops for about 5 seconds and points to the sky. "FELINES!" Killagator shouted in angered when he heard about Charlie, causing him to smash the checkerboard with his fist, which that startled Ember and had her shout at the alligator "REALLY KILL!? THAT'S THE 10TH TIME YOU SMASHED SOMETHING!" There she walked over to her adopted father. "I can squash felines!" Killagator said quite calmly to the two.

"Yes, yes I know you can Gator. But you failed me so many, many, many times!" Right as Sage shook his head in despair by of how Killagator has been failing his ally who brought him and trained him to become one of his loyal and strongest henchmen. But then he thought of something else by the fox "...Gator! Go see if Enid requires assistance." Killagator thought about it too, he gets up and salutes his leader before running into an another room.

In the said room; Enid is about to perform an experiment on a kart, with help from Willard Wallaby who is stood next to a switch by the door. "Okay Willard! Throw the switch!" Enid commanded the wallaby. But as he reaches for it, Killagator comes busting through the door, which caused Willard to be flatten against the wall. Just as the alligator comes towards the rabbit, a bright light shines through the lab as well. "Gator! What did you break now?!" Enid said in annoyance at the alligator but he went confused and shrugged. Right as when the two foxes in the first room staring at the light shining beneath their eyes. "What the—" Sage was cut by the light taking the lab where he, Ember, Killagator, Ember and Willard Wallaby are in.

Back in Charlie's house, Charlie and Tango finally got up and stumbles out of the front door only for the door to collapse and the doorknob to break off in his hand. She drops the knob and sees that the house had been placed in a giant citadel. A giant crowd of green aliens cheer as he emerges. "Oh my god! Sis, I think... we are getting popular!" Her eyes sparkle with excitement but Tango said in concern "Uh, Charlie... I think they're an audience cheering on... us? But where are we?" She then asked.

It then zooms out to show that the citadel was on top of a giant asteroid in the shape of Velo's face. Then it zooms back in to show the sisters looking at eachother, with Charlie shrugging. They both turn around to see their cousins Sally and Cole emerging from the house waving at them. "Hey Sally! Hey Cole!" Then they turn back, only to see Sage, Ember, Enid and Killagator standing across the clearing. Killagator smirks at Charlie threateningly, and she gives him an awkward stare at him back, but she then smiles and waving awkwardly. The two teams walk forwards and face off against each other. "What have you done you miserable feli—" Sage blamed the cats for the arrival between eachother just as he is interrupted by a hologram face of Velo appears from the giant pedestal.

"I am Emperor Velo XXVII, ruler of this galaxy!" He introduced himself along with the massive crowd cheering on his arrival. "My subjects hunger for entertainment." Which he is referring to is the entire audience, it shortly shows Charlie thinking till it goes back to the audience, as they all began wave their hands when chanting his name out together "Velo! Velo! Velo!" "And word of your racing prowess has reached my glorious empire." They notice a small group of other alien racers along with Willard Wallaby who has joined with them who they giggle while greeting the audience.

The eight began staring at Velo "And I hope you put on a good show, especially since winning the circuit will win your freedom. And, if for some reason you refuse to race, your earth will be... destroyed. But... I don't think it will come to that. Do you accept my challenge?" Velo then gives all of them a decision, whether they would race as a challenge or if they refuse, he would destroy the Earth.

(dividers owned by @animatedglittergraphics-n-more)

[fitnessnirvana]

The Best HIIT Workout For Gaining Muscle

In just 30 minutes (plus a warm-up and cool-down), this full-body high-intensity interval training (HIIT) workout will raise your heart rate, promote muscle growth, enhance strength and power, and increase metabolic demand by working multiple muscle groups. Make sure you are giving the working intervals your all and resting during the rest intervals to get the most out of this workout.

Warm up: 5-10 minutes

By warming up the muscles and raising the heart rate, warming up gets the body ready for exercise. Five to ten minutes of gentle cardio or five minutes of cardio followed by five to ten minutes of dynamic activities might be used as a warm-up.

Main workout: 21-27 minutes

After 45 seconds of each workout, take a 15-second break. After finishing a full circuit, take a minute to recover before starting again for three or four cycles.

Burpees: Fitness enthusiasts love burpees because they work the entire body—chest, shoulders, arms, core, glutes, and legs—in one compound exercise. The quick leap after each exercise promotes muscular growth and helps to increase strength and power. Begin by standing, then lower yourself to a squat with your hands on the ground in front of you. Restart your feet in the push-up position, execute a traditional push-up, and then leap back into the squat position with speed. Leap forward with force, raising your arms above your head. Repeat.

Renegade rows: Renegade rows are a strenuous workout that strengthens the upper body and core, fatigues the muscles, and increases endurance. They combine two strength-building exercises, planks, and dumbbell rows. Take up a high plank position and place a dumbbell shoulder-width apart in each hand. Pull your right elbow back and up to row the right dumbbell up to your ribcage after engaging your core and driving the left dumbbell firmly into the floor. Return the dumbbell to the floor after using it, then switch to the other side.

Squat-to-overhead press: The squat-to-overhead press works several significant muscle groups to increase muscle mass and burn calories. It combines squats with a dumbbell shoulder press. Power, balance, and coordination are enhanced by squat to overhead lifts in addition to increasing whole-body strength. Holding a dumbbell in each hand by your shoulders, take a stance with your feet spaced hip and shoulder width apart. Drive through your heels to rise back up to a standing position after lowering your hips to a squat. Raise the dumbbells above your head while standing by straightening your arms. Repeat after lowering the dumbbells to shoulder height.

Kettlebell swings: Kettlebell swings are an all-around workout that works the glutes, hamstrings, core, shoulders, and back, among other muscular groups. It's a demanding, exciting, and dynamic exercise that raises your heart rate while developing strength and power. Place your feet shoulder-width apart and stand with your back straight. With both hands, raise the kettlebell so that your palms are facing your body as you descend into a half-squat. As you straighten your legs, push from your heels and propel your hips forward to raise the kettlebell to chest height, maintaining a tight core and a tiny bend in your knees. Take the kettlebell down between your legs and lower yourself back into a half-squat. That amounts to one rep.

Push-ups: The main muscles targeted by push-ups are the triceps, shoulders (deltoids), and chest (pectoralis major and minor). To stabilize your body during the exercise, they also work the muscles in your lower body, back, and core. A traditional compound exercise that can strengthen the upper body and encourage muscle growth is the push-up. Take a high plank stance to begin. Maintaining a straight torso, slowly bend your elbows and drop your chest toward the floor. Once your elbows are fully bent, push yourself back to the beginning position by pressing them into the floor. Throughout the exercise, make sure your spine is neutral and your abs are contracted.

Jumping lunge: An intense lower-body workout that works the quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and calves is the jumping lunge. Jumping increases the intensity of your exercise and activates your fast-twitch muscle fibers, which help you build muscle. Lunges are a unilateral exercise that enhances lower body strength, stability, and balance. Lean forward with one leg while starting in a lunge position. Leap as high as you can, change your legs midair, and land with the other leg front. For the course of the exercise, keep switching up the lunge jumps.

[theadventurek9]

AKC Trial Day 1 - Open B

Armband 135

Main hopes for this trial:

Have correct footwork for halts so hopefully Aayla sits.

No auto finishes during signals or drop on recall

Aayla was a happy girl and enthusiastic about working today. We had a few hiccups that cost us points but nothing major.

Retrieve over High

She ticked the jump on the way out (-1) and then was slow to respond to my finish cue (-1). When she did finish it was pretty crooked (-1)

Drop on Recall

Anticipated heeling and moved her front feet and almost got up when I left her side. Not too sure how this scored. Maybe -1/2? If it got marked. Her front looked very straight and her finish was pretty good. Not sure where those points came from but was overall happy with this whole exercise. It's been a while since she hasn't at least thought about an autofinish.

Command Discrimination

This is an easy exercise for us! Happy it's still just as strong.

Figure 8 and Heeling

This overall felt very nice. My only guess for the -1/2 is that she bumped me on the left turn for the figure 8. My footwork was smoother and she got all of her sits!

Retrieve on Flat

Aayla sent out nice, grabbed the dumbbell, paused, dropped it, sniffed the ground, grabbed it and ran back to me with it. A lot of dogs were struggling sniffing in the spot. I wonder if it had some urine smell, aayla does not like retrieving an object next to any pee smells. Glad she still did it.

Broad Jump

She did fantastic! Close to cutting the corner but a nice straight front and finish. (Those fronts are hard since the dog is turning into it)

Stand Stay get your Leash

She even did her nice pop up stand for this. I know she is a happy girl when she does that!