A Simple Beginner's Routine part II

[iBrooklyn]

Can anyone direct me to a workout that does not train legs? I've got an injured knee so i won't be able to train them for a while; and i need a beginner's routine FYI

[64509chvl]

Can anyone direct me to a workout that does not train legs? I've got an injured knee so i won't be able to train them for a while; and i need a beginner's routine FYI

Not really sure what to suggest for you...I think any beginner type program just about has to include legs (squats or deads) to strengthen the core which is what beginner programs are all about! How long do you have to stay away from leg exercises?

[Formulaone777]

Yup it's your 1 rep max...certainly achievable & not far off anymore!

lmao I actually thought that I need to reach x1.5 benchpress for 8-12 reps forgive my stupidness. I guess I'll have to calculate my current 1RM.

[TheDiscovery]

What if I were to say to 3 sets and 8 reps of 140lbs Dumbell presses and Once I hit 180lbs 3 sets and 8 reps. Do I increase the sets or do I increase my reps? What gets me stronger?

[traineeh]

What if I were to say to 3 sets and 8 reps of 140lbs Dumbell presses and Once I hit 180lbs 3 sets and 8 reps. Do I increase the sets or do I increase my reps? What gets me stronger?

Do the program AS IS and you will see results in a mere months.

[64509chvl]

lmao I actually thought that I need to reach x1.5 benchpress for 8-12 reps forgive my stupidness. I guess I'll have to calculate my current 1RM.

Oh so basically u thought it was 1.5 x your body weight @ your 10 rep max weight! Damn, you'd be one bad mother fu**er, lol!

[Stev05]

I'm a little confused on the nutrition. I read the Calculating Calorie and Macro Requirements sticky, and according to that formula, I would need 3045 calories to maintain 140lbs of body weight. That means that based on the +10-20% increase for bulking, I would need to eat somewhere between 3349-3654 calories a day.

Someone said All Pro suggested doing 20x your body weight to estimate bulking requirements. That would mean I should eat 2800 to bulk.

I've also heard using the 40/40/20 ratio for macro or using the widely ranging modifiers by body weight suggested in the sticky.

Anyone who's run this program have some insight on what I should do?

[64509chvl]

I'm a little confused on the nutrition. I read the Calculating Calorie and Macro Requirements sticky, and according to that formula, I would need 3045 calories to maintain 140lbs of body weight. That means that based on the +10-20% increase for bulking, I would need to eat somewhere between 3349-3654 calories a day.

Someone said All Pro suggested doing 20x your body weight to estimate bulking requirements. That would mean I should eat 2800 to bulk.

I've also heard using the 40/40/20 ratio for macro or using the widely ranging modifiers by body weight suggested in the sticky.

Anyone who's run this program have some insight on what I should do?

Long story short...trial & error! I hit my macros at 40/40/20 & gained a pound a week for a while at 3,000 cals a day...later I didn't gain as much so I upped my total to 3250 a day, when that stalled I went to 3500 a day to keep gaining a pound a week! Just gotta pay attention to yourself!

[PepeSilvia]

So today I went into the gym and calculated my 10MR for everything and I plan on starting the program on Tuesday. I just wanted to ask some of the more experienced lifters for their opinion on Smith Machines. I've read all about the benefits to free weights vs smith and I know that free weights are the better choice. The problem is that I dont have a spotter for my lifting and am so paranoid that I'm going to drop the bar on my neck. Am I really short changing my progress if I opt to use the Smith Machine over free weights for squats, bench and calfs?

[Stev05]

Long story short...trial & error! I hit my macros at 40/40/20 & gained a pound a week for a while at 3,000 cals a day...later I didn't gain as much so I upped my total to 3250 a day, when that stalled I went to 3500 a day to keep gaining a pound a week! Just gotta pay attention to yourself!

Thanks for your response.

I think I'm just going to try to hit 3,000 a day and keep an eye on the mirror, the scale and my measurements. I'll adjust if it seems necessary and as I progress.

[missbun]

Hey..I've been doing a full body routine that was given to me by someone on here...been doing it nearly12 weeks... (I do need to update pics as they only go to 6!)

Anyway...my time is very limited due to being a working mummy to a2yr old...I train 3 times a week for 1 hour and even though it was a bit of jumping between machines/weights etc I managed to do it within 1 hour...however I am now struggling to keep it under an hour...my weights have increased and My muscles feel more tired by the end of the workout as I don't feel I'm resting enough...I do try do arms..legs..chest etc but def can notice how tired body feels.

Really like the sounds of this...and it's so highly commented I wondered if it would be suitable. I have lost 17lbs in 11 weeks and want to continue to reduce fat (through diet) and change my body and head towards the bikini body look :-/

So I suppose first question... Is this the routine I shuld follow?

And ...realistically can it be done in a hour?

Thanks for ur help guys!

[mickeymonster]

Hey..I've been doing a full body routine that was given to me by someone on here...been doing it nearly12 weeks... (I do need to update pics as they only go to 6!)

Anyway...my time is very limited due to being a working mummy to a2yr old...I train 3 times a week for 1 hour and even though it was a bit of jumping between machines/weights etc I managed to do it within 1 hour...however I am now struggling to keep it under an hour...my weights have increased and My muscles feel more tired by the end of the workout as I don't feel I'm resting enough...I do try do arms..legs..chest etc but def can notice how tired body feels.

Really like the sounds of this...and it's so highly commented I wondered if it would be suitable. I have lost 17lbs in 11 weeks and want to continue to reduce fat (through diet) and change my body and head towards the bikini body look :-/

So I suppose first question... Is this the routine I shuld follow?

And ...realistically can it be done in a hour?

Thanks for ur help guys!

This program is very forgiving on a cut. I have been doing it at a calorie deficit for 2 cycles. I am still making strength gains and losing fat. I can finish the workout within an hour. I range around 45 mins to 55 minutes depending how many reps I am doing that week. The good thing about this routine is it focuses on compound lifts and builds overall strength. By the 3rd cycle things really get hard. Just make sure you figure out your 10 rep max when you first start out. I recommend reading the first couple of pages of the original sticky for the program to learn everything about it before your start.

[Stev05]

This program is very forgiving on a cut. I have been doing it at a calorie deficit for 2 cycles. I am still making strength gains and losing fat. I can finish the workout within an hour. I range around 45 mins to 55 minutes depending how many reps I am doing that week. The good thing about this routine is it focuses on compound lifts and builds overall strength. By the 3rd cycle things really get hard. Just make sure you figure out your 10 rep max when you first start out. I recommend reading the first couple of pages of the original sticky for the program to learn everything about it before your start.

Congrats on your progress! I checked out your bodyspace and you look awesome. I've talked my buddy into doing starting this routine with me in a week, and he was in a similar situation as you. He started at about 240 when I talked him into training for triathlons with me. Now he's about 210 or so and I figured running this program with some off day cardio would give him an extra boost.

Have you noticed a big improvement running this program with HIIT versus your other program where you just did cardio and unstructured weight training? That's exactly what he's doing now. He runs 2-3 miles 2-3 times a week and does a few days of weights, but it's mostly isolation or machines. How much weight are you losing a week on this program?

[Oliver150992]

is it really neccessary to start the whole cycle from the very beginning if you dont complete one of the sets for 12 reps? I had trouble with OH press (and curls for that matter, both one rep off), but I think it was more to do with poor pre workout prep than anything else. Should I start again, same weight for 8 reps? or try 12 again in a week?

[lrd3]

cycle one week 2......... things got tough today.
over head press and bench got sloppy on me my last 2 reps of both. but i could push though them.
oddly i dont feel sore like i had through the first week? am i looking a gift horse in the mouth or should i have gone around again with less reps?

[robosphere]

So today I went into the gym and calculated my 10MR for everything and I plan on starting the program on Tuesday. I just wanted to ask some of the more experienced lifters for their opinion on Smith Machines. I've read all about the benefits to free weights vs smith and I know that free weights are the better choice. The problem is that I dont have a spotter for my lifting and am so paranoid that I'm going to drop the bar on my neck. Am I really short changing my progress if I opt to use the Smith Machine over free weights for squats, bench and calfs?

All-Pro, who created this routine, has a very low opinion on smith machines. like...really low. You'll be better off using free weights. Start with slightly lower weight if you need, to gain confidence with your form

[robosphere]

is it really neccessary to start the whole cycle from the very beginning if you dont complete one of the sets for 12 reps? I had trouble with OH press (and curls for that matter, both one rep off), but I think it was more to do with poor pre workout prep than anything else. Should I start again, same weight for 8 reps? or try 12 again in a week?

You should repeat the OH press and curls at the same weight for 8 reps, and advance weight in everything else

[adambannon]

Well tomorrow is the day. My first week 5 heavy day. Planning a good nights sleep and nice breakfast before I hit the gym tomorrow. I feel fairly confident about all but bench and military press. Based on last week, those are going to be tough but I'm going for it!

[64509chvl]

Well tomorrow is the day. My first week 5 heavy day. Planning a good nights sleep and nice breakfast before I hit the gym tomorrow. I feel fairly confident about all but bench and military press. Based on last week, those are going to be tough but I'm going for it!

You'll get em...have fun with it!

[64509chvl]

cycle one week 2......... things got tough today.
over head press and bench got sloppy on me my last 2 reps of both. but i could push though them.
oddly i dont feel sore like i had through the first week? am i looking a gift horse in the mouth or should i have gone around again with less reps?

Don't let it get to you...your endurance sucks right now cause you're just gettin started...it'll start building up & man that's a good feeling! You'll prolly never feel that sore again for a while unless u take a week off for some reason or another! Stick with the program...if weight lifting was super easy, required no effort & didn't require u to push yourself then everyone would do it

[lrd3]

Don't let it get to you...your endurance sucks right now cause you're just gettin started...it'll start building up & man that's a good feeling! You'll prolly never feel that sore again for a while unless u take a week off for some reason or another! Stick with the program...if weight lifting was super easy, required no effort & didn't require u to push yourself then everyone would do it

so i shouldn't feel like i shorted myself becuse im not that sore?

[robosphere]

Well tomorrow is the day. My first week 5 heavy day. Planning a good nights sleep and nice breakfast before I hit the gym tomorrow. I feel fairly confident about all but bench and military press. Based on last week, those are going to be tough but I'm going for it!

go get'em adam!

[allthingsfake]

Hey guys. I'm not sure if this is the right section but I hope you could help me. I was looking at the different routines here and was a bit confused on whether I'm a beginner or an intermediate lifter.

I started lifting last october 2010 and took a break since december 2011 until now. I started at around 205 lbs and ended up at around 172 lbs. I'm just 5'8 and now 20 years old. I didn't really watch my diet back then. Never counted calories or anything. I just reduced the amount I ate and did 30 minute cardio and lifted weights for around 3-5 times a week. I did see improvements but not as much as I hoped for maybe because I was a heavy smoker and drank alcohol a lot and never really committed to a real diet plan. After heavy neglect, I'm now at 184 lbs with around 25% BF.

With a lot more time to spare, I decided to give it another go. I quit smoking and limited my alcohol intake to 2 nights a month. I'm also following the diet plan my nutritionist gave me but adjusted the protein intake to 1g/lb of BW. All I need now is a solid routine which will help me get back in shape. I was thinking of a simple 3 day routine with cardio during my rest days but I'd really appreciate it if you guys could give me some advice as to what routine would suit me best.

Thanks guys

[64509chvl]

so i shouldn't feel like i shorted myself becuse im not that sore?

Absolutely not!

[64509chvl]

Hey guys. I'm not sure if this is the right section but I hope you could help me. I was looking at the different routines here and was a bit confused on whether I'm a beginner or an intermediate lifter.

I started lifting last october 2010 and took a break since december 2011 until now. I started at around 205 lbs and ended up at around 172 lbs. I'm just 5'8 and now 20 years old. I didn't really watch my diet back then. Never counted calories or anything. I just reduced the amount I ate and did 30 minute cardio and lifted weights for around 3-5 times a week. I did see improvements but not as much as I hoped for maybe because I was a heavy smoker and drank alcohol a lot and never really committed to a real diet plan. After heavy neglect, I'm now at 184 lbs with around 25% BF.

With a lot more time to spare, I decided to give it another go. I quit smoking and limited my alcohol intake to 2 nights a month. I'm also following the diet plan my nutritionist gave me but adjusted the protein intake to 1g/lb of BW. All I need now is a solid routine which will help me get back in shape. I was thinking of a simple 3 day routine with cardio during my rest days but I'd really appreciate it if you guys could give me some advice as to what routine would suit me best.

Thanks guys

I'm sure u can benefit a fair amount from this program...very good structure/direction if you've never really had it! What is your 1 rep max on flat bench & squat?

[mickeymonster]

Congrats on your progress! I checked out your bodyspace and you look awesome. I've talked my buddy into doing starting this routine with me in a week, and he was in a similar situation as you. He started at about 240 when I talked him into training for triathlons with me. Now he's about 210 or so and I figured running this program with some off day cardio would give him an extra boost.

Have you noticed a big improvement running this program with HIIT versus your other program where you just did cardio and unstructured weight training? That's exactly what he's doing now. He runs 2-3 miles 2-3 times a week and does a few days of weights, but it's mostly isolation or machines. How much weight are you losing a week on this program?

Lately the scale hasn't moved much. I have been eating at minor deficit or close to maintanence the past 2 weeks because of the heavy weeks. I think I will go one more cycle with this routine at maintenance or a minor deficit and then switch over to a surplus. I have learned that diet is the key for weightloss.

I noticed a big improvement in my conditioning and strength by doing this program on its own. I only do cardio a couple of times a week just for heart health. I try to either do Hiit or steady state cardio.

Thanks for the compliment and good luck with your training!!

[TrueThreat]

Today should have been my 5th week of cycle one.....(I could have finished) =(

But since last Saturday's (heavy day) fluke, I haven't worked out.....worse still, I had a sore throat and cough starting Monday,...and I haven't fully recovered. I'm thinking about doing my 4th week all over again, so 11 reps, again for next Saturday. But inbetween next week and now....is it a good idea to do maybe 2 light days around say, Monday/Tuesday and Wednesday to keep me going. I'm afraid I will fail after two weeks of no lifting....and poor diet I must say.

[hesn92]

Well I'm going to actually start the program officially on Monday. I've gone to the gym I think 4 times testing out all the exercises to see what weights I need and I think I've got it figured out. Is it ok to use the curved bar/ez bar for the overhead press? I don't really have any other options. There aren't any barbells that are light enough for me to do the OH press with and the already-weighted non-adjustable bar that has the weight I need (25 pounds) is a curved bar. That's what I've been using and it seems to work fine to me.

[64509chvl]

Well I'm going to actually start the program officially on Monday. I've gone to the gym I think 4 times testing out all the exercises to see what weights I need and I think I've got it figured out. Is it ok to use the curved bar/ez bar for the overhead press? I don't really have any other options. There aren't any barbells that are light enough for me to do the OH press with and the already-weighted non-adjustable bar that has the weight I need (25 pounds) is a curved bar. That's what I've been using and it seems to work fine to me.

Yup, that'll work

[64509chvl]

Today should have been my 5th week of cycle one.....(I could have finished) =(

But since last Saturday's (heavy day) fluke, I haven't worked out.....worse still, I had a sore throat and cough starting Monday,...and I haven't fully recovered. I'm thinking about doing my 4th week all over again, so 11 reps, again for next Saturday. But inbetween next week and now....is it a good idea to do maybe 2 light days around say, Monday/Tuesday and Wednesday to keep me going. I'm afraid I will fail after two weeks of no lifting....and poor diet I must say.

Just get right & start week 4 over again...no sweat!