AllPro: A Simple Beginner's Routine part III

[bigthug87]

Still looking for anyone who can confirm what to do here ??

So can anyone confirm, my bench and squat were higher than some of the other exercises as I never really worked them as a noob, what do I do when bench and squat are maxing out. Do I move onto intermediate or let them sit where they are / go down a bit and let others catch up ??

[blair420]

Been doing Military/curls with Ez-Bar. This ok?

[gzajicek]

So I just started my Week 4 of cycle 1 last night and all I have to say is WOW HEAVY DAY!

Its pretty ridiculous how that extra few reps makes all the difference in the world. I literally struggled on the second set of 11 reps on a few exercises like the OHP and curls, (I did like 65lbs for both).

Its kinda weird because when I tested my 10 rep max these weren't too hard to do, maybe I just had a bad day? Anyway hopefully for Week 5 im a little more stronger, otherwise it looks like ill be doing the same weight for another whole cycle!

[deebee83]

So I just started my Week 4 of cycle 1 last night and all I have to say is WOW HEAVY DAY!

Its pretty ridiculous how that extra few reps makes all the difference in the world. I literally struggled on the second set of 11 reps on a few exercises like the OHP and curls, (I did like 65lbs for both).

Its kinda weird because when I tested my 10 rep max these weren't too hard to do, maybe I just had a bad day? Anyway hopefully for Week 5 im a little more stronger, otherwise it looks like ill be doing the same weight for another whole cycle!

I know what you're saying. I'm only in week 2 of cycle 1, but I can tell week 3 will be a challenge, and week 4 will probably kick my ass. Stay strong, good luck

[SandowNano]

Just a little background. I am 24 years old, 6'0 and around 175. i have been using all pros program for the last several weeks, but for some reason i am not seeing any strength/size gains at all. i am currently on a 1 year assignment to greenland, which unfortunately leaves me with terrible options for proper nutrition. Seeing that greenland is owned by Denmark, the majority of the foods here are Danish. This is an issue because for one, i have no idea what half the stuff is which makes it that much harder to know how many calories i am truly getting on a daily basis. i am estimating to be getting between 2500-3000 between meals and shakes. The only reliable source of nutrition is what is available at the very limited commisary. These items include grilled chicken, rice in a bag, almond/mixed nuts and the sort but most are extrmely expensive when compared to prices in the states. i am using all pro's workout program to the tee, but still no gains. on my last deployment, i worked more isolation exercises and seemed to yield better results. can anyone provide a reason why this would be so?? all signs point to compund exercises producing better results, but that doesnt seem to be working. i feel as if i am doing something wrong because this program seemed to be so successful for so many others, yet i am struggling with it.

any information you guys can provide to help set me on the right track would be greatly appreciated.

How do you live in Greenland and not have access to fish? :/ That sucks.

At any rate, several weeks is not nearly enough time. It's going to take several cycles at least. Many train for years.

[Kranston]

I think i got the basics of this program, and will start it as soon as i buy my home gym equipment. and from here comes my question- since I'm a little short on money for the next 2 month, I can't really buy a big amount of weight plate, so I'm trying to figure out how much or what's the minimum of weight i will basically need for the first 2 month of this program?
I know it's individual, but i was hoping someone could give me an estimation based on your experience.
Details about me: 5"10 (177CM) tall, 125 lbs (57KG). never trained before, skinny as hell. still I'm not that weak, but not sure how it reflects on weights.


just an estimation, will 143lbs of weight plate be enough for the time i mentioned (2 month) of starting this program? when i get more cash later on, will buy a bigger amount of plates.
if you think a smaller amount can even be enough for this time, please let me know, so i can save the extra dollars for now :-).

thanks.
*BTW, I don't want to sign for the gym, don't have time since it's far from my house...

It will get you started, but because of the limited number of plates you may run into a problem getting the right combination of plates to meet a specific weight. I personally started off with a cheap set of 120 lb concrete weights for my first cycle. I ended up upgrading as I went along. But yeah, what you have is doable for the first cycle or two. Look around on Craigslist, there is always someone selling weights for a good price.

[tehaznnation]

[QUOTE=bigthug87;954904043]Still looking for anyone who can confirm what to do here ??[/QUOTE

I'd suggest you go through 2 or 3 cycles, and if you continue to stall on bench & squat, and you're not progressing on OHP or rows, then you could go to a different routine.

[tehaznnation]

Been doing Military/curls with Ez-Bar. This ok?

It probably isn't suggested to do OHP with an ez-bar. Why not just use the same bar you were squatting with for OHP. Curls, it won't make that big of a difference. An olympic bar puts more stress on the forearms than an ez-curl.

[GetFit10]

Still looking for anyone who can confirm what to do here ??

What are they maxing out at?

[lefecious]

Are you supposed to keep your elbows tight to your body while doing the OHP? Some videos say yes, and others, like this one:
http://www.bodybuilding.com/exercise...military-press

show the guy letting his elbows drift out to the sides.

[SandowNano]

Are you supposed to keep your elbows tight to your body while doing the OHP? Some videos say yes, and others, like this one:

show the guy letting his elbows drift out to the sides.

Great question. In for answer.

I had to repeat my OHP this cycle (completed the reps but form deteriorated).

[Boba7523]

Anyone doing this routine on intermittent fasting right now? I just heard about this method of losing weight and would like some inputs on it. I heard you can still gain muscle while IF.

[666pluto]

It will get you started, but because of the limited number of plates you may run into a problem getting the right combination of plates to meet a specific weight. I personally started off with a cheap set of 120 lb concrete weights for my first cycle. I ended up upgrading as I went along. But yeah, what you have is doable for the first cycle or two. Look around on Craigslist, there is always someone selling weights for a good price.

lets say i had the money to buy the right amount of plates that should last me for a few month, how would you divide them? for example: 4X2.5KG, 4X5KG, 4X10KG, 2X15KG, 2X30Kg. sounds ok? i guess if i get the money to buy this amount of weights, i won't have the limitation you mentioned? (it's 160KG total).

[Tupperwolf]

Anyone doing this routine on intermittent fasting right now? I just heard about this method of losing weight and would like some inputs on it. I heard you can still gain muscle while IF.

I am, and I just did the last light day of my first cycle today. I have been intermittent fasting for about 7 weeks.

[steelmonkey]

lets say i had the money to buy the right amount of plates that should last me for a few month, how would you divide them? for example: 4X2.5KG, 4X5KG, 4X10KG, 2X15KG, 2X30Kg. sounds ok? i guess if i get the money to buy this amount of weights, i won't have the limitation you mentioned? (it's 160KG total).

I started out with an el cheapo 40 kg standard set, it came with 4 x 5, 4 x 2.5, 4 x 1.25, 4 x 0.5 and a standard bar that weighed in at about 4-5 kg, i had to then go out and buy another 2 sets of 5's.

I then moved up to an olympic set with 4x 20kg, 2x 10kg, 2x 5kg, 2x 2.5kg, 4x 1.25kg, that configuration works for me but i have to either round down or up a lot because i dont have anything smaller then 1.25, but it doesnt overly bother me. The only thing with your configuration is you dont have anything smaller then 2.5kg, this might make it hard to get your weights right especially on your medium and light days.

[lrd3]

cycle 4 11 rep heavy day = squats kicked my a$$
i hit 11 reps on first set but missed set two by 2 reps.. this is my first missed set so it messed with my mind big time for the rest of my work out. everything felt to heavy for me. form went to crap by rep 10/11 on dang near all my lifts. walked out a little disappointed.
but im feeling better now. i work construction and today was a killer day of roof framing. so i did a lot of lifting and pulling weight before my lifts. and skipped lunch to boot.
can't wait to redeem myself next week on test day!

[FattyMcTubbs]

Still looking for anyone who can confirm what to do here ??

It really depends. How many cycles in are you? How far behind are the other lifts?
I would say that if you're in 2-3 cycles, I would go 2 more cycles and if those strong lifts don't pick up and keep stalling, then move on.

Are you supposed to keep your elbows tight to your body while doing the OHP? Some videos say yes, and others, like this one:
http://www.bodybuilding.com/exercise...military-press

show the guy letting his elbows drift out to the sides.

It will depend on your grip but the way that guy does it is how I do it.
Some people say to have your elbows be in front of the bar, pointing ahead of you, some say to have them a bit more to the side.
The way the guy does them should be fine. They are still sort of tucked in, basically same as your bench press.

[Boba7523]

I am, and I just did the last light day of my first cycle today. I have been intermittent fasting for about 7 weeks.

Awesome, what target bf% or weight are you trying to achieve?

[zerkai]

So next Tuesday will be the start of my 6th cycle and oh man... I was playing with the one-rep-max calculator and if I manage to hit all my reps for squats next cycle, it estimates my one-rep max to be 301-310lbs (2x my weight)! That's pretty damn exciting! October 30th will be an intense heavy day for me!

[bigthug87]

What are they maxing out at?

Squat - 10x 140kg
Bench - 10x 90kg

Im sticking with it for atleast another 2 cycles, was just wondering, once these 2 are pretty close to 2x bw and 1.5x bw do you move on or flatline and let other lifts catch up, what kind of numbers should you be looking at for other exercises with a 1.5 bw bench and 2.0 bw squat for 1 rep ??

[belblade]

Hi everyone,

first post here! Been reading up on this topic and am going to start this program in a few weeks! I'm currently losing weight through turbulence training programs (combo of short supersets with low rest and HIIT) and so far it's working great but I am starting to miss the "big lifts" (have done 5x5/SS in the past with great success). I have let myself go for a year or 2 but am back with a vengeance

My plan is to also do this programm on a calorie deficit for at least 2 cycles untill most of my accumulated fat is gone :-). I will then start adding calories and start building some actual muscle as well

question: i also plan to use intermittent fasting. Do you guys use the simple approach (like in eat stop eat: fast 1 or 2x 24 hours and don't worry too much about cals the other days) or the somewhat more "complex" variation like in eg leangains ?

thanks !

[FitBeyondForty]

Yesterday was Medium day for me. After missing OHP on Monday (heavy day) by 2 reps on the second set I was questioning weather or not I missed calculated my starting weight.

Well last night I hit everything without too much strain. I'd say I was at 85% of my max. I prob could have pushed everything for two more reps. I'm pretty sure diet and sleep consistency are my problems. I work 55+ hour weeks most of the time and have a pretty busy home life..( 3 kids)

Yesterday total calls were 1900 give or take 100. I really want to lean out, but I think I need need to up my intake a bit more. It will slow the process, but I will gain in other areas correct?

I may also up my cardio and ab work on Thursdays ( day before light day) and Saturdays( day after light day).

[666pluto]

I started out with an el cheapo 40 kg standard set, it came with 4 x 5, 4 x 2.5, 4 x 1.25, 4 x 0.5 and a standard bar that weighed in at about 4-5 kg, i had to then go out and buy another 2 sets of 5's.

I then moved up to an olympic set with 4x 20kg, 2x 10kg, 2x 5kg, 2x 2.5kg, 4x 1.25kg, that configuration works for me but i have to either round down or up a lot because i dont have anything smaller then 1.25, but it doesnt overly bother me. The only thing with your configuration is you dont have anything smaller then 2.5kg, this might make it hard to get your weights right especially on your medium and light days.

i will add 4X1.25KG, can't find any lower...
out of curiosity, what's the difference between standard plates to Olympic plates? the last cost a fortune!

[Tupperwolf]

Awesome, what target bf% or weight are you trying to achieve?

I would love to be 10% BF but for me it is all about the mirror, I have never been obese but I have always had body fat. I've never seen myself with a lean stomach. I honestly have no idea what I would look like at 8%, 10%, even 15% so I am going to continue cutting while doing this routine until I get to where I'm happy.

It can be done, I am a noob so I am probably getting some noob gains which make it easier to retain muscle while cutting.

[Tupperwolf]

question: i also plan to use intermittent fasting. Do you guys use the simple approach (like in eat stop eat: fast 1 or 2x 24 hours and don't worry too much about cals the other days) or the somewhat more "complex" variation like in eg leangains ?

thanks !

Eat Stop Eat is usually referred to as alternate day fasting, I am doing intermittent fasting which reduces caloric intake to a certain time frame per each day. The leangains approach is intermittent fasting but also includes certain specific features that Martin Berkhan advocates such as a +20% over maintenance caloric intake on training dains and a -20% caloric intake on resting days.

I personally am doing just plain old IF, I am in a caloric deficit every day. I train fasted (with BCAAs) and my eating window is from noon to 8 PM.

[MrSlippery]

I know it's individual, but i was hoping someone could give me an estimation based on your experience.
Details about me: 5"10 (177CM) tall, 125 lbs (57KG). never trained before, skinny as hell. still I'm not that weak, but not sure how it reflects on weights.

just an estimation, will 143lbs of weight plate be enough for the time i mentioned (2 month) of starting this program? when i get more cash later on, will buy a bigger amount of plates.
if you think a smaller amount can even be enough for this time, please let me know, so i can save the extra dollars for now :-).

thanks.
*BTW, I don't want to sign for the gym, don't have time since it's far from my house...

What type of bar are you planning on using? I use a 6' Olympic bar which is 30lbs (13.7kg). I am 5'8" and 160lbs and much like you had never trained in the past, for me when I started out though I bought a 255lbs weightset it was way more than I needed. I started out with 120lbs being my highest 10RM which was squats...remove the 30lb bar and I was only using 90lbs of weight. All this said realistically 143lbs of weights (assuming your bar is 30-45lbs) will likely be more than enough for several cycles for you.

[RHCPCraze]

I am lifting very little weight, I am a total beginner. Someone came up to me during SLDL last night and told me that I was doing it all wrong because my legs werent bending and that I would hurt my back doing the exercise that way. He then proceeded to show me exercise machines that work better for the back muscles. Is this normal? Does every gym have one of these guys who like to walk around the gym volunteering their expertise to the newbs but clearly give them wrong information? I felt ****ty after that workout, the dude kept staring at me going through the routine.

[RHCPCraze]

Is there something preventing you from doing BOR?

There arent any of those 'shorter' bars around the gym, only the long bench press style bars and those suckers feel a little heavy. I also think the rows will come out kinda clumsy trying to balance the longer bar.

[Skullster]

I am lifting very little weight, I am a total beginner. Someone came up to me during SLDL last night and told me that I was doing it all wrong because my legs werent bending and that I would hurt my back doing the exercise that way. He then proceeded to show me exercise machines that work better for the back muscles. Is this normal? Does every gym have one of these guys who like to walk around the gym volunteering their expertise to the newbs but clearly give them wrong information? I felt ****ty after that workout, the dude kept staring at me going through the routine.

Know it all idiots are everywhere. Do your thing. If you think your form is off plenty of people in the threads (exercise forum) are happy to critique your form and offer pointers.

[zmcpherson]

i will add 4X1.25KG, can't find any lower...
out of curiosity, what's the difference between standard plates to Olympic plates? the last cost a fortune!

I would call Olympic plates standard plates. The classification refers to the guage of the hole for the bar. Olympic, I'm fairly sure, is 45mm thick whereas other bars may be around 25mm thick.

Keep in mind this guage refers to where you stack the weight on the bar NOT where you grip it.


Although I work out at a gym equipped with Olympic weights, I have had a lot to with home gyms that have used the smaller guage. I tend to find that the thicker guage Olympic weights are a better quality of manufacturing than the smaller guage but at the end of the day it's just weight...