Jim Stoppani's Shortcut To Size Opinions

[halexis91]

Hello everyone,

I'm just wondering what everyone's thoughts are on the shortcut to size workout program for a female? I am 5"6 in height and 64.5kg in weight (142lbs) - pictures on profile. Both me and my boyfriend are planning to start this workout plan tonight. Both of us are wanting to gain strength and muscle mass. For me especially around my lower body as I want to see results in my glutes, quads hamstrings. I was just wondering if there are any females who have tried this workout? If so, what were your thoughts on the plan? How long before you saw results?

I'm pretty impressed by the workout - however, there doesn't seem to be any glute exercises. Calves are done on two different days - will it cause an issue if I swap calve workouts on one of the days for a couple of glute exercises??
I understand that squats/RDL will work my glutes but this is one of my problem areas as it is quite unshapely IMO.

Any feedback will be appreciated.

Unfortunately it won't allow me to post the proper link so I've posted with gaps: www .bodybuilding .com/fun/shortcut-to-size. html?searchterm =shortcut

[Cackhanded]

For a beginner I would say it's not a good program. Full-body programs are better because a newbie has a better ability to recover and make consistent progression. A split will make progress unnecessarily slow. When you're more advanced, a split routine is more appropriate because it gives certain body parts several days to rest before being worked again.

Check out the beginner routines in this section and pick the one you prefer. There are other routines that use the 5x5 pattern (i.e. Strong Lifts, Bill Star) which I personally enjoyed and recommend. Find the one you get along with best and resist the temptation to add/take-away exercises, squats and deadlifts are more than enough to build your glutes

[halexis91]

Thanks for the quick response Cackhanded.

I should have probably mentioned that I already do a full body training session on a Tuesday and Friday lunch time with work. This usually includes circuit training, tabata style workouts and plyometrics etc for 30 minutes. This is why I thought it may be a good idea to mix it up and focus on specific body parts for my other 4 workouts during the week.

So just to confirm, do you think it's better for me to do 6 full body workouts a week?? I currently work out Monday evening, Tuesday afternoon, Tuesday evening, Thursday evening, Friday afternoon and Friday evening.

Thanks again.

[Partyrocking]

If your focus is building muscle, then I would start with your main workout and schedule everything else (tabata, plyometrics, etc) around it.

All of this work may make it hard for you to 1) eat enough food to build muscle 2) recover between workouts.

I would check out the program Strong Curves. It's a full body program with emphasis on glute building.

Shortcut to Size is an effective program. It will work. It's just that Strong Curves would likely work better for you given your goals.

[halexis91]

Thanks for your input Partyrocking.

You mentioned it may be hard to eat enough food to build muscle with the amount of training I am doing. I currently consume 2000+ calories a day - approximately 100g of that is protein. Do you think it's best I cut down the amount of days I am spending in the gym to maximise results? Is the amount of time I am spending working out at the moment hindering my recovery time?

I have heard good things about the strong curves workout - is there an app for this by any chance or is it just a case of purchasing the book?

[LunaLifts]

Thanks for your input Partyrocking.

You mentioned it may be hard to eat enough food to build muscle with the amount of training I am doing. I currently consume 2000+ calories a day - approximately 100g of that is protein. Do you think it's best I cut down the amount of days I am spending in the gym to maximise results? Is the amount of time I am spending working out at the moment hindering my recovery time?

I have heard good things about the strong curves workout - is there an app for this by any chance or is it just a case of purchasing the book?

You can find the workout template for Strong Curves available in pdf form online, so you don't need to purchase the whole book if you don't want to.

Your protein is a bit low (just a bit), .8g per lb of bodyweight is the recommended minimum, for you that's at least 112g.

I'll let PR finish on the training stuff, she knows more about recovery than I do.

[Partyrocking]

Thanks for your input Partyrocking.

You mentioned it may be hard to eat enough food to build muscle with the amount of training I am doing. I currently consume 2000+ calories a day - approximately 100g of that is protein. Do you think it's best I cut down the amount of days I am spending in the gym to maximise results? Is the amount of time I am spending working out at the moment hindering my recovery time?

I have heard good things about the strong curves workout - is there an app for this by any chance or is it just a case of purchasing the book?

Nutrition: I would aim for a bit more protein, .8g/lb protein to start, which is 110g in your case. More may be better, but this should cover your bases in any event.

Training: Everyone's different, so you may be fine with the amount of work you are doing or it could be too much. I would recommend spending the first week or two just focusing on your lifting program and only have 1 day where you have additional work and see how it goes. You may find that 6 training days is just fine. You may find 3-4 to be better. Maybe 5 days is the sweet spot. I just think it's easier to add a day than to struggle because you had one too many.

Strong Curves: You can download the workout logs for free on the website. The book is good for more information/reference. I don't know of an app for it.

[halexis91]

Thank you so much ladies.

I'll be sure to up my protein slightly to ensure I'm getting maximum results and will check in in a few weeks time to let you know how I'm getting on (hopefully with some mega trunks and perky glutes!).

I'm thinking to get rid of my 2 lunch time sessions for now until I'm a few weeks into my program.

Thanks again!

[halexis91]

Right, so I'm checking in just to update and get some further advice.

I decided to go ahead and start the shortcut to size workout plan with my boyfriend and have been really impressed with the results so far. However, I am regretting not taking your initial advice @partyrocking and @lunalifts as I really feel like my legs are lagging at the moment. I know I have no one to blame for this but myself, but we learn from our mistakes!

I am on the last day of my 5th week and my upper body has made amazing progress in the short time I've been on the program (pictures on profile), however, I feel like my legs are no where as near as defined as they should be. I updated measurements earlier this week and have lost just under an inch off my legs. I know a lot of people will say I'm not eating enough, but I truly believe that it's possible to build muscle whilst eating maintenance calories asI have on my top half.

So my question is, should I complete this workout plan which is 12 weeks in total and go onto something more leg based after to catch them up? (Was thinking of doing "squat everyday" after this finishes)....or should I just stop this workout program completely and do something that has at least a 2 frequency lower body split to ensure my legs are progressing at the same rate? Please help!

[Partyrocking]

I wouldn't do squat every day for two reasons.

1) I think very high frequency programs are more beneficial/less risky when you're at least an intermediate lifter

2) Squat Every Day is pretty gimmicky, tbh. There are better templates for that type of training. Greg Nuckols/Omar Isuf wrote one. John Broz came up with another. I posted a hybrid of the two a few months ago (that I actually need to update).

If you lost an inch of your legs, it's probably just fat. If you like the program, you may as well finish it, and then go on to a more balanced routine.

[halexis91]

I wouldn't do squat every day for two reasons.

1) I think very high frequency programs are more beneficial/less risky when you're at least an intermediate lifter

2) Squat Every Day is pretty gimmicky, tbh. There are better templates for that type of training. Greg Nuckols/Omar Isuf wrote one. John Broz came up with another. I posted a hybrid of the two a few months ago (that I actually need to update).

If you lost an inch of your legs, it's probably just fat. If you like the program, you may as well finish it, and then go on to a more balanced routine.

Thank you so much...I'll be sure to listen this time! Is there somewhere I can find the hybrid program you made? I just feel like my legs can definitely handle more than training once a week.

As you mentioned, I'm quite enjoying it so far so would like to finish. I do hate leaving things incomplete. However, I'm worrying that due to me not even being halfway through yet, that I'm gonna end up with a really nice toned upper body and gangly legs. Do you think it will be easy enough to catch them up after I've completed shortcut to size?

Thank you again!

[Partyrocking]

Here is the Bulgarian Method Template.

I would take 1 full week off every 6-10 weeks depending on how you respond to it.

I also have other programs in the same thread that may be more useful at the moment.

Your legs will catch up pretty quickly once you give them more frequency.