AllPro: A Simple Beginner's Routine part IIII

[fergsuk]

It's a bit annoying that I can see improvements in the leg photos, but not the upper body ones.

Maybe you're unable to be impartial and are telling yourself that there's not enough of a change for you to appreciate it?

If you're comfortable with it, maybe link them so we can have a peak and see if we notice a change

[GKC45]

I just finished my 1st cycle, however when I first started I did not test the weights as I should have before reading the correct way to do so.

1st week - Everything passed

2nd week - Everything passed
-------------------------------------------------
3rd week
Heavy - Failed Bench Press 2nd set @ rep 9
BB Curl 2nd set @ 9
OHP 2nd set @ 8

Rest of week Passed.
-------------------------------------------------
4th week
Heavy - Failed Bench Press 2nd set @ rep 10
BB Curl 2nd set @ 8
OHP 2nd set @ 7

Rest of week Passed.
-------------------------------------------------
5th week - Test Week
Heavy - Failed Bench Press 2nd set @ rep 8
BB Curl 2nd set @ 7
OHP 2nd set @ 9

Rest of week Passed.

Correct me if I am wrong, do I drop to 10% less on those exercises and advance 10% on the others or do I redo the whole cycle?

Congrats on finishing your first cycle!

Exercises you passed, increase the weight by ten percent.

Exercises you failed, leave the weight the same.

[Lionsbridge]

For the calf raises - do I have to stand on some kind of platform to do them as Scooby does in his video? Is there another way? I'm not even sure if my gym has that but I'll find out when I join

Sorry to bump, but can anyone answer this question?

[Electrolytes]

Sorry to bump, but can anyone answer this question?

I personally do seated calf raise. Most gyms have a seated calf raise machine

[-Diggs-]

Sorry to bump, but can anyone answer this question?

I use a seated calf raise machine in my gym and really like it - I get a full ROM.

If your gym has one give it a try and see how it works.

Edit: 2 mins too late

[Lionsbridge]

I personally do seated calf raise. Most gyms have a seated calf raise machine

I use a seated calf raise machine in my gym and really like it - I get a full ROM.

If your gym has one give it a try and see how it works.

Edit: 2 mins too late

Thanks for replies!

[FitnessFan76]

Maybe you're unable to be impartial and are telling yourself that there's not enough of a change for you to appreciate it?

If you're comfortable with it, maybe link them so we can have a peak and see if we notice a change

No problem; my avatar's been on display for a while anyway.

Before:



Now:



For me, those two shots make an excellent game of 'Spot the Difference'. If you can see something I can't be sure and let me know!



Legs comparison:



Again, sorry for the crappy quality of the insert.

I can notice changes in the legs picture, but not the upper body ones. The upper body will probably catch up; that's what I've been reading around the net, but I was hoping for a bit more immediately visible difference after a few months. Either way, I'm going to keep pounding on with All Pro's, probably for around a year or so and see where I am then.

Edit: Since the start, I've put on around 8lbs to 10lbs. My arms measurement has gone up by an inch, and my chest by two inches. Not sure how much my legs have grown as I only started measuring them recently; yeah I know - that was dumb.

I mean, I think I look broader and a bit more solid, especially in the arms; I'm stronger than I was; my nephew agrees and trust me on this one, getting a compliment out of him is the proverbial blood from a stone - I just can't see it in the photos.

Here's one of my back:



Again, I didn't take a before back shot, so it's hard to compare, but I think there's a bit more definition there and more mass on the shoulders. Lesson learned: I'll be taking shots of all necessary(!) body parts from now on.

[fergsuk]

No problem; my avatar's been on display for a while anyway.

Looks like you've lost some fat on your chest, mainly around the nipples and i think your pecs look a little thicker but maybe its just me

[FitnessFan76]

Looks like you've lost some fat on your chest, mainly around the nipples and i think your pecs look a little thicker but maybe its just me

I think I can notice a bit more movement when 'pec popping' (or trying to).

Either way, if you can notice some fat loss combined with some possible mass gain, then that's good. Maybe I'm just rubbish at comparing photos. A while back, a guy posted some before/after shots and honest to God I couldn't see any difference, while everyone else was talking about filled out delts etc.

[DeltaCharlie75]

I just finished my 1st cycle, however when I first started I did not test the weights as I should have before reading the correct way to do so.

1st week - Everything passed

2nd week - Everything passed
-------------------------------------------------
3rd week
Heavy - Failed Bench Press 2nd set @ rep 9
BB Curl 2nd set @ 9
OHP 2nd set @ 8

Rest of week Passed.
-------------------------------------------------
4th week
Heavy - Failed Bench Press 2nd set @ rep 10
BB Curl 2nd set @ 8
OHP 2nd set @ 7

Rest of week Passed.
-------------------------------------------------
5th week - Test Week
Heavy - Failed Bench Press 2nd set @ rep 8
BB Curl 2nd set @ 7
OHP 2nd set @ 9

Rest of week Passed.

Correct me if I am wrong, do I drop to 10% less on those exercises and advance 10% on the others or do I redo the whole cycle?

If you didn't test your 10 rep max properly at the start then do it now and start a new cycle.

[s1d3showbob]

Started slow on this one, same exercises but 6 reps, couldnt do more than 3 set though..
I am not used to exercise at all, is this still decent or it wont do anything ? thanks

[GKC45]

6 reps, 3 sets... you are not even doing the program

[aceedkins]

Blehh... Can't wait to be done cutting. **** sucks.

[noobydooby]

having your toes elevated gives you more range of motion. i do calf raises standing on a block of wood, or even plates.

Sorry to bump, but can anyone answer this question?

[bmal4]

Have many of you guys that have completed the program gained much mass overall?

At the end of week one now!

[Stephen109]

Have many of you guys that have completed the program gained much mass overall?
At the end of week one now!

Everyone is different. Just focus on eating right, following the program properly & consistently & after every cycle you will be in a better place compared to when you started. It's a solid, well respected & extremely popular routine.

[bmal4]

Everyone is different. Just focus on eating right, following the program properly & consistently & after every cycle you will be in a better place compared to when you started. It's a solid, well respected & extremely popular routine.

Hey man,

Thanks for the reply, I have decided that I was just wasting my time down the gym and this seemed like a great routine.

Will post some before and after pics when I've finished!

Cheers

[VictorKfn]

Still on the 1st cycle right now, but I'm thinking of alternating between incline and flat bench presses during workout days. I heard that the only difference between the two is incline press would hit the upper chest harder. Is it true? I wouldnt mind stick to the flat one at this point. Just wondering if thats ok to do tho.

[FrankFF]

Still on the 1st cycle right now, but I'm thinking of alternating between incline and flat bench presses during workout days. I heard that the only difference between the two is incline press would hit the upper chest harder. Is it true? I wouldnt mind stick to the flat one at this point. Just wondering if thats ok to do tho.

There is no need to do incline BP the as OHP hits the chest in a similar way.

FrankFF

[FrankFF]

Started slow on this one, same exercises but 6 reps, couldnt do more than 3 set though..
I am not used to exercise at all, is this still decent or it wont do anything ? thanks

You are only supposed to do 2 work sets for each exercise and if you alter the rep range the program will not work in the same way. if you are not used to all the work then use lighter weight to start with.

FrankFF

[Jimmer74]

Still on the 1st cycle right now, but I'm thinking of alternating between incline and flat bench presses during workout days. I heard that the only difference between the two is incline press would hit the upper chest harder. Is it true? I wouldnt mind stick to the flat one at this point. Just wondering if thats ok to do tho.

Don't start swapping exercises in and out of the routine based on "what you heard". This routine is perfectly balanced as it is and some people totally eff it up by changing it in all kinds of ways they think will make it better. This is because they don't know any better. Don't be that guy!

Run the routine as is for at least 3 cycles. Sleep properly, eat properly and be consistent. Then you will have earned the right to add an exercise to bring up anything you feel is lagging.

[redcaesar]

I cycle to/from work on my work out days with no issues. I do between about 8km each way. The soreness your feeling is DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness) and is only felt in the beginning when your muscles are getting use to training. You'll find after a couple of weeks you'll no longer feel it. I however did take a week off between my last cycles and did feel a bit coming back at new weights. Also I find the cycling helps speed up the recovery from DOMS but maybe that's just in my head.

Just keep on going!

Need your advice guys...

I currently cycle every day back and forth from work. I know it's not the heaviest exercise on my legs, but I'm not sure if the impact is going to take it out of my squats, should I maybe just do squats twice per week? Monday - heavy and Friday - medium. Allowing me the weekend to recover, since I don't cycle then. Sometimes I can barely cycle to work or it takes me a lot longer. This is my first week doing the program, so I don't know if it's just cos I've started. What do you reckon??

[Jimmer74]

Started slow on this one, same exercises but 6 reps, couldnt do more than 3 set though..
I am not used to exercise at all, is this still decent or it wont do anything ? thanks

Lol!

Re-read the first page, you're doing it wrong!

[mcdond12]

Going into week five of my first cycle on Monday: heavy day! Loving it so far and feeling great after every workout!

[FitnessFan76]

Still on the 1st cycle right now, but I'm thinking of alternating between incline and flat bench presses during workout days. I heard that the only difference between the two is incline press would hit the upper chest harder. Is it true? I wouldnt mind stick to the flat one at this point. Just wondering if thats ok to do tho.

Leave it be until after the third cycle; then you can add one exercise.

[VictorKfn]

Thanks guys for all the replies. One last thing, if I fail to complete all the reps of the 2nd set (usually more than half way through), can I do an extra set of the same exercise to finish the missing ones, since I dont want to skip any rep.

[mthawkins08]

Loving this workout.. I'm starting week 4 of my first cycle. However I've missed my last 2 light days because of work... time to get back on schedule for week 4 heavy!

I'm only having issues with my SLDL and calfs.... The weights I'm using for SLDL are entirely too light and same for calves.. How can I get my 10 rep max for these without impacting the rest of the workout? I'm sure my muscles would be tired if I tried to knock out to fail with those after doing w4c1? And how would I continue on with my cycle once I find out these numbers?

[Jimmer74]

Loving this workout.. I'm starting week 4 of my first cycle. However I've missed my last 2 light days because of work... time to get back on schedule for week 4 heavy!

I'm only having issues with my SLDL and calfs.... The weights I'm using for SLDL are entirely too light and same for calves.. How can I get my 10 rep max for these without impacting the rest of the workout? I'm sure my muscles would be tired if I tried to knock out to fail with those after doing w4c1? And how would I continue on with my cycle once I find out these numbers?

Just finish out the cycle and then add more than 10% to those two exercises (assuming you pass them, of course!). Try 20%, run another cycle. If too light, stick another 15-20% on for the third cycle - you'll soon find your level after 3 cycles and your lifts will find their natural level. Or, you could always do a 10RM test, but to make it right you'd have to test all the exercises again, so that you've already pounded your body before you re-test the sldl, or else you'll be testing it fresh and getting a bum reading and it'll end up being too much on the heavy side for the next cycle.

I think for the sldl/rdl (whatever your poison), people have weak spinal erectors to start with that limit what they can safely lift - these can catch up quite quickly during the 1st cycle (assuming form/diet/sleep is in order) and then the exercise can end up feeling light. My personal preference is to add more (or less than) 10% when you pass lifts, depending on where you are with a particular lift and how ridiculously easy(or hard) it was to pass. But that means you have some idea of your body and it's needs and for a total noob that might not be best.

That's my 2p's worth. I'm sure others have their own views!

[Jimmer74]

Thanks guys for all the replies. One last thing, if I fail to complete all the reps of the 2nd set (usually more than half way through), can I do an extra set of the same exercise to finish the missing ones, since I dont want to skip any rep.

I wouldn't. When you're done you're done. I'm not a massive fan of going to failure, anyway. Stop at form breakdown, not at inability to complete a rep. I think training to failure is counter-productive in the long run. It leaves you beat up psychologically and trains you to fail.

[noobydooby]

i just started cycle 3 / week 1 / 8 reps.. i passed barbell curls from cycle 2, but the very last rep was borderline, but i went ahead and considered it passed. now for cycle 3, +10% weight.. but i could only do 4 reps!! wtf?! my cutting is really taking its toll..