AllPro: A Simple Beginner's Routine part IIII

[noobydooby]

Probably, that's a pretty ambitious cut.

this is the first time i'm cutting. and i am surprised that i feel fine at 1700 kcal per day. i eat a lot of veggies, they fill me up so i don't feel hungry throughout the day. but now that it may be affecting strength, i might have to prioritize between strength and losing fat.

[Jimmer74]

this is the first time i'm cutting. and i am surprised that i feel fine at 1700 kcal per day. i eat a lot of veggies, they fill me up so i don't feel hungry throughout the day. but now that it may be affecting strength, i might have to prioritize between strength and losing fat.

Just increase your cals/day so that you are not on such a severe cut.

It all depends on how much fat you have to drop: if you're quite far from being lean, then you can get away with bigger calorie deficits. If you're approaching being leaner, then you need a small deficit or else your body will prioritise muscle and bone density over fat loss.

[macuser]

Progression could have been faster in my case since I was worried about every little movement for fear of injury but one could make a nice pace progress if pushing hard. I was on a diet this whole time which means low levels of energy but I failed the Bench press only once and that was the only exercise I ever failed.
that's why I didnt want too rush it.

Well...I jinxed myself lol. Today on my heavy day I failed both Bench Press and OHP on the last rep of the 2nd work set. I blame the 5 hour sleep I managed to get. Hopefully I manage to do better next heavy day. oh well!

[noobydooby]

Just increase your cals/day so that you are not on such a severe cut.

It all depends on how much fat you have to drop: if you're quite far from being lean, then you can get away with bigger calorie deficits. If you're approaching being leaner, then you need a small deficit or else your body will prioritise muscle and bone density over fat loss.

i am faaaar from being lean. im at 30% bf. i guess losing body fat is more important now, than gaining strength. so ill stay at 1700kcal.. is this right?

[GKC45]

i am faaaar from being lean. im at 30% bf. i guess losing body fat is more important now, than gaining strength. so ill stay at 1700kcal.. is this right?

I ran those same cals to get from 203 to my current weight. Yes, strength suffered in the sense of not gaining as fast as I would have liked. But I never become weaker. Am I recalling correctly that you track your macros as well?

[ChrisWhite90]

How often should our routine be changed around so not to become stale? Obviously keeping the major lifts, but the smaller isolation moves?

[noobydooby]

I ran those same cals to get from 203 to my current weight. Yes, strength suffered in the sense of not gaining as fast as I would have liked. But I never become weaker. Am I recalling correctly that you track your macros as well?

yes i'm tracking my macros. i am always on target with protein, but not always on fats. how long did it take you to get from 203 to current 167?

[jones137]

About to start this back up tonight on a bulk. I've gotten my numbers pretty much worked out but have a question on the stiff leg deadlift. If I can get 5 reps at 315lbs on regular deadlift what would be a good starting number for stiff leg?

[JMcC775]

Started this today. Sldl-- get out of here. I guess I'm not to flexible because it murders my hamstrings. Don't quite feel I do them right.

Squat 155
Bench 155
BOR 135
can't do ohp
Sldl 135
Ez bar curl 70

I think everything but bench could be up a bit more but ill stick here and push through. I'm used to loads of volume so it feels wierd just having two sets of each. As you can see my numbers are low. It's promising to think in 2.5 months my stats could be

Squat 185
Bench 185
BOR 165
Sldl ? (Think it'll go up more than 10%)
Curl 90

Most I've done on bench is three reps of 185 assisted. Fingers crossed for 2 sets of 8!

[FitnessFan76]

Stalled on the last rep of curls today; couldn't quite squeeze the last rep all the way up - C3W4 heavy; curls are beginning to become my least favourite exercise. I tried RDL with alternate grip and it helped a bit - I used underhand grip for the hand that usually gives out first. I'm very confident about passing everything else next week - although squats could be close.

From here on in, it's going to get extremely tough...

[RussWheeler]

Started this today. Sldl-- get out of here. I guess I'm not to flexible because it murders my hamstrings. Don't quite feel I do them right.

Squat 155
Bench 155
BOR 135
can't do ohp
Sldl 135
Ez bar curl 70

I think everything but bench could be up a bit more but ill stick here and push through. I'm used to loads of volume so it feels wierd just having two sets of each. As you can see my numbers are low. It's promising to think in 2.5 months my stats could be

Squat 185
Bench 185
BOR 165
Sldl ? (Think it'll go up more than 10%)
Curl 90

Most I've done on bench is three reps of 185 assisted. Fingers crossed for 2 sets of 8!

Sounds like you're starting too heavy at least on bench, you should be able to hit sets of 8 no problem, as the weight you're using should be your 10 rep max. It's better to start light then heavy, the program will catch up eventually regardless.

[FitnessFan76]

Sounds like you're starting too heavy at least on bench, you should be able to hit sets of 8 no problem, as the weight you're using should be your 10 rep max. It's better to start light then heavy, the program will catch up eventually regardless.

Ha ha; I can vouch for that! I started out too light if anything, but nothing feels light now.

[ABRMess006]

i am faaaar from being lean. im at 30% bf. i guess losing body fat is more important now, than gaining strength. so ill stay at 1700kcal.. is this right?

I started my cut last week. I am doing between 1500-1800/day depending on whats going on. To my suprise thats only about 500 calorie defecit. I lost 1.1lbs the first week on it. Last week was my test week and I passed everything so haven't felt the loss in strength yet but today (once the rain lets up a little) I start C2W1 so we shall see!

[ABRMess006]

Well finished my workout for C2W1 heavy day! Wasn't as bad as I thought... although my BOR were quite the pain, I kind of struggled through those but hit them all. Can tell my grip is getting better, didn't really have a problem holding onto the barbell at all today. With the heavier weight on the SLDL though I can definitely feel it a bit in my lower back, can't go down as far as I was with 165. I was kind of working on form in between the sets to make sure I was still setting correctly and I was, just must be the heavier weight.

Looking forward to another cycle and the challenges that lay ahead Can't wait to tackle them!

[35memo]

Dropping by to give a huge thanks to all the members who provided great insightful information throughout the threads. Also to those who provided progress pictures. They were a great source of motivation.

I've lost about 40 pounds over that past 6 months while running AllPro's program. I made some decent gains while, more importantly, losing the pounds.

Some stats from C1 and C4.

S: 75lbs > 115lbs
B 125 > 135
BOR 75 > 115
OHP 75 > 75
SLDL 95 > 137.5
BC 55 > 75
CR 45 > 137.5

Now, I will be beginning a bulk using Jason Blaha's ICF 5x5 tonight.

Continued success to everyone and wishing you healthy gains.

[RBZen]

Don't worry about starting light on this program. It'll kick your ass eventually, and you'll be glad you started light. I've already hit a wall on my bench press. I can barely do 2 sets of 10 at 195 on a good day, and it's only my third cycle. Fourth cycle will be murder.

[FitnessFan76]

Don't worry about starting light on this program. It'll kick your ass eventually, and you'll be glad you started light. I've already hit a wall on my bench press. I can barely do 2 sets of 10 at 195 on a good day, and it's only my third cycle. Fourth cycle will be murder.

I heard that - Cycle 4 is going to be a real biatch...

C3 Test week next week.

[FitnessFan76]

That's true for someone who has been lifting for a while, but a noob can do both for a few months at least. Maybe six months if they really get their nutrition together.

So how would a noob go about losing fat while building muscle - or is it an automatic thing with noobs, as long as nutrition's in a reasonably good place?

[ABRMess006]

So how would a noob go about losing fat while building muscle - or is it an automatic thing with noobs, as long as nutrition's in a reasonably good place?

I think this is considered more of a given when you are new to lifting and have your nutrition and macros in order. From what I understand, once you become more established as a lifter, if you go on a cutting diet, you will lose some muscle only because you need the higher calorie to build and vice versa, when on a bulk, you will gain weight. I am losing weight (1.1lbs my first week on the cut), but still seeing muscle gains and stregth gains, I just started cycle 2 so I am sure it will slow down over time.

[Electrolytes]

It's still early for me, only the start of C1W2, heavy day today, but man it wasn't easy. I completed everything except my overhead press (finished set 1 but only got 7/9 on 2nd). My shoulders are so fatigued. I think its a great routine IMO, it seems to workout everything. I switched from SS to this because I'm on a cut so with the built-in deload I feel like this is more forgiving on a cut. Good luck lifting everyone!

[mfitton]

So I just did my first workout of this routine after determining my 10 rep maxes yesterday. I had previously done a month or so of starting strength but had to take a break from lifting for a few months because I was volunteering in a place nowhere near any gyms. When I came back and did more research I decided to try this routine because it seemed more in line with my goals--aesthetics over strength.

The first work out for the most part went well. Most of my starting weights seemed to be about right, and I had a trainer at the gym check my form on some of the lifts. They said that my form was decent. I must have done something wrong though on the stiff leg dead lifts because my back now hurts (and not in a sore kind of way). I didn't have any pain yesterday when I tested for my 10 rep max, but the exercise for whatever reason didn't feel so effective.

I'm considering just going back to starting strength because I really enjoy regular deadlifts, and I can't seem to do the stiff leg ones right. The trainer at the gym said my form was okay. Maybe she just doesn't really know? I'm also fairly inflexible in my hamstrings and back, but I'm trying to fix that with lots of stretching.

Does anyone have any opinions on any of this? My last question would be whether it's plausible to do this program while cutting. When I was doing SS, I HAD to bulk. Is it the same for this routine?

[ABRMess006]

First off, you should have given yourself a 2-3 day break after finding your 10rm, not jump right into the program...
Secondly, Check out Romanian Dead LIfts, much easier on the back and pretty much the exact same thing, or at least target the same area, regular deadlifts target your quads which you are already hitting doing squats so definitely check those out..
And finally, this program can be used to cut or bulk. I am currently cutting and it's still working great for me, not fatigued at all so far...

Again, take a break, you should have waited some time before jumping right into it, and I don't know if you have lifted much before but you will get DOMS the first week or so, it's usually the worst after 2-3 days after your first workout, just work through it, any new lifter will experience this but trust me when I say it goes away. Plus it could have been that you did pretty much 2 heavy days back to back...

I would suggest take a few days off from where you are now (I know it sucks because you want to just go, but you don't want to burn yourself out right at the start!) and start back from the beginning again in a few days.

[Hazzyz]

I have a doubt, I love to play soccer, but my legs have a slow recovery, I can play soccer in the days off? Or better days i have workout? I need to change my diet if I play? Sry the bad english

[mfitton]

First off, you should have given yourself a 2-3 day break after finding your 10rm, not jump right into the program...
Secondly, Check out Romanian Dead LIfts, much easier on the back and pretty much the exact same thing, or at least target the same area, regular deadlifts target your quads which you are already hitting doing squats so definitely check those out..
And finally, this program can be used to cut or bulk. I am currently cutting and it's still working great for me, not fatigued at all so far...

Again, take a break, you should have waited some time before jumping right into it, and I don't know if you have lifted much before but you will get DOMS the first week or so, it's usually the worst after 2-3 days after your first workout, just work through it, any new lifter will experience this but trust me when I say it goes away. Plus it could have been that you did pretty much 2 heavy days back to back...

I would suggest take a few days off from where you are now (I know it sucks because you want to just go, but you don't want to burn yourself out right at the start!) and start back from the beginning again in a few days.

Alright, I'll give it a break until this weird pain in my back goes away. I'll be sure to look into my deadlift form so I can avoid injuring myself again stupidly. Hopefully I'll be alright within a day or two and I didn't do anything too bad to my back. Thanks for your help.

[Addixtion]

Hey guys, this is an awesome workout I have been following for the past couple weeks. However, yesterday on my 3rd week I failed to complete the last 2-3 reps in the last work set of BP, OHP, BC. Just for clarification on my medium set tomorrow, do I drop down 10% of my max and then drop another 10%. I.E

BP - 150 - 10% = 135 - 10% = 121.5 (For medium set)

Also went I start back my cycle I start back with the -10% I am assuming.

[speeddemon11L]

Hey guys, this is an awesome workout I have been following for the past couple weeks. However, yesterday on my 3rd week I failed to complete the last 2-3 reps in the last work set of BP, OHP, BC. Just for clarification on my medium set tomorrow, do I drop down 10% of my max and then drop another 10%. I.E

BP - 150 - 10% = 135 - 10% = 121.5 (For medium set)

Also went I start back my cycle I start back with the -10% I am assuming.

No to just about everything. For your medium set tomorrow, drop down the normal 10%. For the upcoming light day, drop down the normal 10% again (20% total). You do not make any changes just because you failed on week 3. The only time you make changes is if you fail the test day of week 5 heavy (unless something drastic happens).

Is this your first cycle? Did you test properly for your 10 rep max before starting?

For some reason, week 3 of each cycle is the toughest for me. Busting out 8 reps at a new weight is a blast. 9 reps isn't bad because it is just one more than the last week. 10 reps....for some reason, if I am going to have a failure, it is week 3 and it is by a rep or two. Then I usually come back and fight through 11 reps. Finally, on test day, I am able to bust out the 12 reps.

[FrankFF]

No to just about everything. For your medium set tomorrow, drop down the normal 10%. For the upcoming light day, drop down the normal 10% again (20% total). You do not make any changes just because you failed on week 3. The only time you make changes is if you fail the test day of week 5 heavy (unless something drastic happens).

Is this your first cycle? Did you test properly for your 10 rep max before starting?

For some reason, week 3 of each cycle is the toughest for me. Busting out 8 reps at a new weight is a blast. 9 reps isn't bad because it is just one more than the last week. 10 reps....for some reason, if I am going to have a failure, it is week 3 and it is by a rep or two. Then I usually come back and fight through 11 reps. Finally, on test day, I am able to bust out the 12 reps.

With you on this.

[FitnessFan76]

First off, you should have given yourself a 2-3 day break after finding your 10rm, not jump right into the program...
Secondly, Check out Romanian Dead LIfts, much easier on the back and pretty much the exact same thing, or at least target the same area.

Much easier on your back, and because you bend your knees a little, flexibility in the hamstrings doesn't come into it as much.

[bigruss504]

Out of curiosity, anyone ever run the program with a different rep scheme? For example, 6-10 instead of 8-12

[GKC45]

One guy did it, but he was a vegetarian and got into water aerobics instead.