AllPro: A Simple Beginner's Routine part III

[frenchy72]

Not entirely sure why my post was skipped. I feel like everyone else is getting the help they request :|

Sorry man...I missed the question.

I really liked the LeanGains approach. I've decided to try month on/month off. I want to see if the little stall I felt was lack of morning energy from training fasted. I was using the Scivation BCAA's as prescribed.

I'm back to a pre-workout snack and big protein post-workout now. I'll post results.

I will say that it seems lots of the IF hormonal assumptions may be anecdotal. The biggest advantage I saw for an "eater" like me was being able to eat 1000cal each for lunch and dinner. Same input but I felt stuffed.

Good luck and keep us posted. This program works.

PM if you need to.

[urbaniser]

How about Insane Workout? Is it good for beginners what you think?

[birdman407]

Started the second week of the cycle on Monday. Everything is going fairly well so far. The only issue is I am noticing (especially on my heavy day) that during the last few reps of bench and OHP my left side tends to struggle.

***A little backstory*** A couple of years ago I had a pinched nerve in my cervical spine which caused significant muscle loss in my left tricep. Fortunately this worked itself out without surgery. I thought that everything was back to normal, however, this program has taught me that I still have a way to go. I am hoping that this evens out over time.

Peace,
alacriTEA

To be fair, I am the same. That final rep on bench killed me but just managed it. I'm on cycle 1 week 2 same as you too. So I would just stick with it.

I'm dreading next week at 10 reps, that's gonna be crueling!!! But I'm just gonna see how I get on.

[MrSlippery]

If you keep the same weight, you can lower the reps to simulate the decrease in workload ie heavy 8 reps, med 7 reps, light 6 reps. This would work until she can move on to weight that can be decreased.

I think this is a great suggestion for KingBert, for the first month or two this might be the best strategy. Regardless it will be a slow process but this will help her have perfect form and slowly build up strength.

[dcgoings]

Four things. I'm in Fallon, NV at their military base for the next 40 days. I just started this routine and their "state of the art" fitness center does not want to cooperate with this routine, as I noticed this morning.

First, there is no place to do DL/SLDL. I think they use ceramic plates, which I always thought were incredibly bad to try and deadlift with because they have a higher chance of breaking and they have a hardwood floor. There is actually a deadlift area that has bumper plates but I'm not sure what I would do with smaller increments? Advice here?

Two, there is no calf raise machine and there is no platform to do calf raises on with a barbell. Suggestion/replacement for this?

Three, I've read 1:00 rest between warmups and 1:30 between working sets. How much time should be between warmup 2 and working set 1?

Warmup 1
1:00
Warmup 2
1:00 or 1:30?
Working Set 1
1:30
Working Set 2

Lastly, how much rest should be spent between different exercises? I think I was using 2:00 but that may have been too fast.

[FitBeyondForty]

Four things. I'm in Fallon, NV at their military base for the next 40 days. I just started this routine and their "state of the art" fitness center does not want to cooperate with this routine, as I noticed this morning.

First, there is no place to do DL/SLDL. I think they use ceramic plates, which I always thought were incredibly bad to try and deadlift with because they have a higher chance of breaking and they have a hardwood floor. There is actually a deadlift area that has bumper plates but I'm not sure what I would do with smaller increments? Advice here?

Two, there is no calf raise machine and there is no platform to do calf raises on with a barbell. Suggestion/replacement for this?

Three, I've read 1:00 rest between warmups and 1:30 between working sets. How much time should be between warmup 2 and working set 1?

Warmup 1
1:00
Warmup 2
1:00 or 1:30?
Working Set 1
1:30
Working Set 2

Lastly, how much rest should be spent between different exercises? I think I was using 2:00 but that may have been too fast.

You shouldn't need more than one minute rest between the warm up sets and you shouldn't need more than one minute thirty seconds between the work sets.

When going from one exercise to the other, it should be done with no more than 1:30 between. I start as soon as I'm set up for the new exercise.

[Tupperwolf]

Four things. I'm in Fallon, NV at their military base for the next 40 days. I just started this routine and their "state of the art" fitness center does not want to cooperate with this routine, as I noticed this morning.

First, there is no place to do DL/SLDL. I think they use ceramic plates, which I always thought were incredibly bad to try and deadlift with because they have a higher chance of breaking and they have a hardwood floor. There is actually a deadlift area that has bumper plates but I'm not sure what I would do with smaller increments? Advice here?

Grab a pair of 5lb plates and a pair of 2.5lb plates and use them with the bumper plates.

Two, there is no calf raise machine and there is no platform to do calf raises on with a barbell. Suggestion/replacement for this?

I assume there is a squat rack, since you didn't mention a lack of one - set up the squat rack the same way as if you're going to squat, but put a 45lb plate on the floor and stand on that for your calf raises.

Three, I've read 1:00 rest between warmups and 1:30 between working sets. How much time should be between warmup 2 and working set 1?

Warmup 1
1:00
Warmup 2
1:00 or 1:30?
Working Set 1
1:30
Working Set 2

Lastly, how much rest should be spent between different exercises? I think I was using 2:00 but that may have been too fast.

answered well above by FitBeyondForty. Just try not to go longer than 1:30. Swapping out plates from your 2nd warmup set to your 1st workset often takes up a good deal of this time.

See bolded

[Kottermode]

Not entirely sure why my post was skipped. I feel like everyone else is getting the help they request :|

I feel my questions get skipped all the time. It's nothing personal, this thread just has a low signal/noise ratio.

[Tupperwolf]

Hey guys. I'm wondering what I should do here. I'm trying to drop bodyfat like crazy (I'm at 22% and I'm 6'2, 175lbs. The definition of Skinnyfat) ... I used to lift for a year and a half two a few years back. My goal back then was to drop bodyfat too, and I was told I should bulk first before trying to cut. I bulked to 220 but I wasn't super clean about it and I ended up not looking aesthetically pleasing like I wanted, so I gave up on lifting, frustrated, and eventually lost all the muscle I built and dwindled down to 175 where I am now.

I've been reading up a lot on Leangains and Intermittent Fasting and I think I want that to be my diet plan. Now I need a lifting regiment to match it. I saw this and was intrigued by it. I signed up for my local gym and they gave me a personal training session for free. The guy was super nice and knew what he was talking about, but he was pushing for me not to do this and to instead do like 6 weeks of bodyweight stuff to build a foundation.

Now I've heard otherwise that you should just jump into the lifts that this routine gives you light and work your way up. When I used to lift I did SS/Stronglifts and at my best my Squat was like 225 for reps and my DL was 315. But my form wasn't perfect on either so I ended up hurting myself and being sore all the time.

With this routine I'm going to be doing the same weight, just adding reps, for 5 weeks - giving me more time to work on my form. With that justification, do you think I should do this in conjunction with LG and IF? Thanks so much for anyone who provides input.

Hey bro,

Take a look at my BodySpace progress pics. I've followed this routine since August in conjunction with IF and counting calories to ensure a caloric deficit. I've lost 25+ lbs.

I don't think you can go wrong with this routine. It sounds like you are planning on doing all 100% days for 5 weeks - if you want to try that, feel free, but it may be difficult if you are in a true caloric deficit every day. You may find that just doing the program as written will give you satisfaction and the motivation to continue - I know it did for me. The built in deload gives you a a chance to really look forward to the next training day and give it your all. That's just my advice, this routine is really the first time I have done weight training in the gym so I have a lot of faith in it.

Any questions, please ask.

[frenchy72]

I feel my questions get skipped all the time. It's nothing personal, this thread just has a low signal/noise ratio.

Yep. Nothing personal. Some days the thread gets 3 posts, other days 3 pages. Don't hesitate to ask twice.








And never hesitate to read the FAQ's twice.

[FitBeyondForty]

Yep. Nothing personal. Some days the thread gets 3 posts, other days 3 pages. Don't hesitate to ask twice.








And never hesitate to read the FAQ's twice.

Or use the search feature.

[Eric90XJ]

I've been working out in my garage lately, I have an Olympic bar and plates, bench, and rack. My lifts are high enough to do with workout for all heavy, medium, light days on all lifts except with the curl. On my heavy day I curl just the 45lb bar. I do have access to a gym that has lighter bars but it would be nice if I could do my workout at home on days that I need to save time. Would it be ok if I did the workout as it is laid out but just curled heavy twice a week on my heavy and medium day?

[frenchy72]

I've been working out in my garage lately, I have an Olympic bar and plates, bench, and rack. My lifts are high enough to do with workout for all heavy, medium, light days on all lifts except with the curl. On my heavy day I curl just the 45lb bar. I do have access to a gym that has lighter bars but it would be nice if I could do my workout at home on days that I need to save time. Would it be ok if I did the workout as it is laid out but just curled heavy twice a week on my heavy and medium day?

Is there a 25lb plate in the arsenal? Go with the steering wheel grip on Fridays.

[Voxmusculus]

Forgive me for wanting to make this a different post. As I said above, I passed all my lifts today, but my back is killing me right now. It hurts worse right now than it ever has after working out. It was bad enough that I struggled just to put all my weights back up when I was done. I took some ibuprofin and am currently alternating ice packs and heating pad on my back.

So let me ask you guys something...have you ever considered doing two heavy leg days but the three normal days for upper body? In other words, I'm thinking about just doing bench press, overhead press, and curls on Wednesday (medium lifts). On Friday, I'd do light work for BP, OHP, and Curls, but I'd do heavy work for squats, sldls, bor, and calf raises. I'm honestly not sure if that would be acceptable.

Any thoughts from those of you who have done this for a while?

Why would you want your bodies to grow differently? I find that following the program evenly means that all my muscles grow pretty much in line with one another, so I do not try and do something insanely heavy (e.g. bench) that my upper body can support but my back or core cannot. That's asking for injury, IMO.

Also, as far as back pain in concerned, check your form perhaps? I found that I had bad form with both OHP, BOR, and SLDL, which killed my back. I took videos, compared with videos on the web, asked for some help from some of the regulars at the gym, and with improved form my back pain is almost all gone. It also helps to stretch before and after -- extremely valuable.

Of course, as always, no advice on these forums are a substitute for professional advice.

[Eric90XJ]

Is there a 25lb plate in the arsenal? Go with the steering wheel grip on Fridays.

Yeah I've got 35's and 25's. Should I continue the heavy/light/medium days but just steering wheel the plates on those days? Is it a problem that I'm changing form a little bit each time? Would it hurt to go heavy with the bar two days a week?

[frenchy72]

Yeah I've got 35's and 25's. Should I continue the heavy/light/medium days but just steering wheel the plates on those days? Is it a problem that I'm changing form a little bit each time? Would it hurt to go heavy with the bar two days a week?

Form shouldn't change that much. An EZ curl bar isn't much different.

And as far upping heavy days, take some time to read through these threads. Not only is it incredibly educational but you'll pick up on a regular pattern. A lot of us, myself included, wanted to lift more....weights, reps, days, nights, etc. Most of those who have, myself included, have stalled, repeated, reduced, etc.

Stick to the program. It is foolproof when followed. If you are maxing out with 45lb curls then you are somewhat new to lifting. Your gains will come in spades and quickly. Enjoy those gains and concentrate on form.

Good luck.


Edited to add: If I'm wrong about the curl idea someone please call me an idiot. It's entirely possible.

[Tupperwolf]

I think curling 35 and 25lb plates is the perfect solution. It's so simple I didn't think of it.

[johnlou1983]

Very good video, as you can see #1 is preferred for SLDL period. A few things why that works well:
1. You're not putting stress on knees
2. When slightly bend you're also working inadvertently your calves, glutes, and Quads. Add that in with the fact you're hitting your upper body core, lower back, and shoulders thats unbeatable in terms of full compound movement
3. The risk and danger of keeping knees lock can easily tear a hamstring as you get higher in level.

I would recommend #1 throughout all SLDL, as the only thing you ever have to keep an eye on are 2 things.
1. Straight back, this in essence corrects your glutes or butt. Best way to do this is take a ruler or something straight and put it from back of head to between shoulder blade all the way to beginning of butt. Have as much of your back hit that ruler, and you'll have the correct form. This is the same with BOR
2. Keep an eye on your knee, it should be slightly bent but the moment your thigh and calves are hitting beyond 10-15 degree angle you need to re-evaluate the form.

[1fatoldman]

[QUOTE=frenchy72;979162573]
Stick to the program. It is foolproof when followed.

This!

[scubahsteve]

How about Insane Workout? Is it good for beginners what you think?

Totally unrelated to the topic of All Pro's Simple Beginner Routine.

Under "Main Forums", use the search window and enter "Insanity Workout" to get the answer you may be looking for.

[Flyman75]

What part of back is hurting that lowered BP, OHP and curls will help while SLDL and BOR's are still heavy?

I fight a terminal lower back nag that, after MRI's, x-rays, etc., has finally been chalked up to hamstring tightness from work posture.

When in doubt be sure to check in with somebody who has letters behind their name.

It's not that lowered upper body lifts will help. It's following the normal routine with my upper body of heavy, medium, light. Frankly, I cannot do squats, sldls, bors, and calves today. Because the typical response when guys can't do three routines in a week is to do two heavy routines, I'm thinking of doing my usual routines for upper and two heavy days for legs.

And I'm seeing a doc Friday.

Why would you want your bodies to grow differently? I find that following the program evenly means that all my muscles grow pretty much in line with one another, so I do not try and do something insanely heavy (e.g. bench) that my upper body can support but my back or core cannot. That's asking for injury, IMO.

Also, as far as back pain in concerned, check your form perhaps? I found that I had bad form with both OHP, BOR, and SLDL, which killed my back. I took videos, compared with videos on the web, asked for some help from some of the regulars at the gym, and with improved form my back pain is almost all gone. It also helps to stretch before and after -- extremely valuable.

Of course, as always, no advice on these forums are a substitute for professional advice.

I never said anything about growing different parts of my body differently. I'm talking about this week while I try to get over this back pain. Today is my medium day, and I cannot do any lifts that will put stress my back. Ain't happening. I may just have to wait until Friday and do two heavy days this week. Don't really want to do two heavy days on Week 5, LOL. As for form, my form is good. I've checked, made adjustments, and rechecked. I've had back issues off-and-on dating back to my high school days 20 years ago. I'm going to go see a doc Friday to get this checked out.

Quite frankly, I'm not sure if I should continue this routine with my back history. I may be better off doing squats, deads, bors, and such once a week. Or I may just be better off doing different leg exercises (DB lunges, extensions, curls). I've tried the front squats, but that felt awfully weird, and I had a hard time balancing the bar.

[MEK42]

Not the greatest workout

8 reps per
Squat, 45, 60, 115, 115
Bench, 45 50 100 100
Bent Over Rows, 45 55 90 90
OHPress, 50, 50
Stiff Legged Deadlift, 115, 115
Barbell Curl, 40, 40
Calf Raises, 120, 120

Everything from OHPress on was fine.

Squat, I feel like my depth wasn't good enough and got sloppy towards the end.
Bench, I failed on my 8th rep on my last set
BOR, my whole body was wobbily due to my weak core and my work sets were super sloppy and my form wasn't proper I'm sure

I don't know what to do with regards to this program. Do I drop my weight for my first three? Ugh.

NOTE: I am doing Intermittent Fasting/Lean Gains so I am working out in a fasted state

[MrSlippery]

Not the greatest workout

8 reps per
Squat, 45, 60, 115, 115
Bench, 45 50 100 100
Bent Over Rows, 45 55 90 90
OHPress, 50, 50
Stiff Legged Deadlift, 115, 115
Barbell Curl, 40, 40
Calf Raises, 120, 120

Everything from OHPress on was fine.

Squat, I feel like my depth wasn't good enough and got sloppy towards the end.
Bench, I failed on my 8th rep on my last set
BOR, my whole body was wobbily due to my weak core and my work sets were super sloppy and my form wasn't proper I'm sure

I don't know what to do with regards to this program. Do I drop my weight for my first three? Ugh.

NOTE: I am doing Intermittent Fasting/Lean Gains so I am working out in a fasted state

Is this cycle#1? If so it seems like you did not correctly test your 10 RM, that said I would continue with your medium day being 10% less weight and if you pass all of those lifts I would certainly consider dropping your weights by 10% for the following week. There is no use going on at the same weight if you are struggling week # 1 as you will just end up failing all of the lifts on test day.

Good luck, try to stay positive and push on!

[MEK42]

I missed Monday so I read you should do two heavy days for wed and fri if that's the case. You think I should do a medium day on Friday?

I thought I correctly tested my 10RM but I guess not.

Should I drop all my weights next week by 10% or just the first 3?

[frenchy72]

I missed Monday so I read you should do two heavy days for wed and fri if that's the case. You think I should do a medium day on Friday?

I thought I correctly tested my 10RM but I guess not.

Should I drop all my weights next week by 10% or just the first 3?

Actually it's Tuesday and Friday. That gives you your two day rest.

Rather than guess I might use this Friday to retest my 10rms. That can be as challenging as the workout itself. Get a fresh, and maybe more accurate, start on Monday. Get a good disciplined 1st cycle in.

Go back a few pages and download one of the spreadsheets. It really does help.

[Eric90XJ]

I think curling 35 and 25lb plates is the perfect solution. It's so simple I didn't think of it.

Sorry If I'm beating a dead horse here. But reducing 10% and 20% as the program calls for is 40 and 35lbs and as I don't have a 40lb plate, would an idea be to curl the 45 bar but for less reps each day?

[MEK42]

Actually it's Tuesday and Friday. That gives you your two day rest.

Rather than guess I might use this Friday to retest my 10rms. That can be as challenging as the workout itself. Get a fresh, and maybe more accurate, start on Monday. Get a good disciplined 1st cycle in.

Go back a few pages and download one of the spreadsheets. It really does help.

How do you properly calculate 10RM? Maybe I did it wrong.

[MrSlippery]

How do you properly calculate 10RM? Maybe I did it wrong.

Did you use the calculator (http://www.ivannikolov.com/msns/calc...calculator.php).

You want to choose a weight that you think you can do 5-15 reps of and complete until you fail with good form. Punch that information into the calculator and you will get your numbers.

You can do as frenchy72 suggested and re-test or simply drop the weight 10% and continue, either way is fine.

[DeltaCharlie75]

It's not that lowered upper body lifts will help. It's following the normal routine with my upper body of heavy, medium, light. Frankly, I cannot do squats, sldls, bors, and calves today. Because the typical response when guys can't do three routines in a week is to do two heavy routines, I'm thinking of doing my usual routines for upper and two heavy days for legs.

And I'm seeing a doc Friday.


I never said anything about growing different parts of my body differently. I'm talking about this week while I try to get over this back pain. Today is my medium day, and I cannot do any lifts that will put stress my back. Ain't happening. I may just have to wait until Friday and do two heavy days this week. Don't really want to do two heavy days on Week 5, LOL. As for form, my form is good. I've checked, made adjustments, and rechecked. I've had back issues off-and-on dating back to my high school days 20 years ago. I'm going to go see a doc Friday to get this checked out.

Quite frankly, I'm not sure if I should continue this routine with my back history. I may be better off doing squats, deads, bors, and such once a week. Or I may just be better off doing different leg exercises (DB lunges, extensions, curls). I've tried the front squats, but that felt awfully weird, and I had a hard time balancing the bar.

Your back is going to get worked in all the exercises. Personally, if I was in pain I would take at least a week off and get some ice on my back for the first 48 hrs, then do light stretching on the following days and then see how I feel after that. Don't work through the pain, it's only going to get worse.

Ps Have you tried high bar position for the squats?

[frenchy72]

It's not that lowered upper body lifts will help. It's following the normal routine with my upper body of heavy, medium, light. Frankly, I cannot do squats, sldls, bors, and calves today. Because the typical response when guys can't do three routines in a week is to do two heavy routines, I'm thinking of doing my usual routines for upper and two heavy days for legs.

And I'm seeing a doc Friday.


I never said anything about growing different parts of my body differently. I'm talking about this week while I try to get over this back pain. Today is my medium day, and I cannot do any lifts that will put stress my back. Ain't happening. I may just have to wait until Friday and do two heavy days this week. Don't really want to do two heavy days on Week 5, LOL. As for form, my form is good. I've checked, made adjustments, and rechecked. I've had back issues off-and-on dating back to my high school days 20 years ago. I'm going to go see a doc Friday to get this checked out.

Quite frankly, I'm not sure if I should continue this routine with my back history. I may be better off doing squats, deads, bors, and such once a week. Or I may just be better off doing different leg exercises (DB lunges, extensions, curls). I've tried the front squats, but that felt awfully weird, and I had a hard time balancing the bar.

We all talk about discipline and sticking to the routine. That's obviously out the window when dealing with injury. You've been around long enough to know what's good and bad. If you need to adapt for your back's sake then go for it.

Let us know what doc has to say. Good luck.