AllPro: A Simple Beginner's Routine part III

[DeltaCharlie75]

Will i benefit from this kinda routine ? been lifting for 2 years and iv done max-ot and some regular bb style 5 day splits, my squats and deads are terrible and i want to improve them, but ofcourse my first priority is size rather than strength, cheers

No, unless of course you feel a beginners routine is what you require to bring your squats and deadlifts up to par even though the program doesn't have deadlifts.

[DeltaCharlie75]

the same one you are doing right now

Which one, jasonDB 5x5?

Oh and congrats on the progress.

[Teryaki]

Remember this is a Beginners program, so if your close to Benching 1 1/2 x your body weight and Squatting 2 x your body weight, this might not give you enough work.
Everyone is different, so who knows if this is the best program for you? Give it a try for at least 3 cycles and see if it works. If not, try something else. Nothing to loose but a couple of weeks.
Good Luck, whatever you choose.

well i just recently started squatting so my squat is sh*t and i havent deadlifted either, tried it a few times , did benching first few months than i switched to dumbbells and stuck to that, i can do around 10 reps on 88lbs dumbbells on a low incline, bench i would guess my max is around 270lbs and for deadlifts i have no idea

everyone keeps telling me that i will benefit much more from these kinda routines rather than hitting each muscle once a week on a 5 day split

[DeltaCharlie75]

well i just recently started squatting so my squat is sh*t and i havent deadlifted either, tried it a few times , did benching first few months than i switched to dumbbells and stuck to that, i can do around 10 reps on 88lbs dumbbells on a low incline, bench i would guess my max is around 270lbs and for deadlifts i have no idea

everyone keeps telling me that i will benefit much more from these kinda routines rather than hitting each muscle once a week on a 5 day split

There are no deadlifts in this routine. If you have been lifting for two years then read through the initial thread and you will be able to decide for yourself if it's for you.

[syncmaster913n]

Well done buddy,thats truly impressive.Just like others have said you've given us that extra motivation to stick to the program and slog it out.
If its not too much to ask,i would be curious as to what your diet consisted of.I have yet to resolve my dietery needs on the program and simply try to get enough protein without really counting calories.
Do you try to eat the same thing every day or do you mix it up a bit?
Once again congrats on your progress ,you've inspired a lot of us.

hi bro!

Thanks a lot; I actually wasn't going to post pictures but then realized I'd be "contributing" towards the lack of progress pics in this thread. Glad to see it helps to some extent.

My diet was nothing fancy, I just followed the information you'll find in the nutrition stickies. Ate below maintenance and aimed to lose around 1% of my total body weight per week. When my weight loss rate was faster than that I upped my cals a bit, when it was slower - I reduced the cals. Nothing new whatsoever. I ate more or less the same foods but every 4-5 weeks I would switch up something. I ate around 150 grams of protein per day.

[syncmaster913n]

Nice job!! It's nice to see progression in the higher cycles. Starting cycle 9 next Monday. You have done really well on the cut. I have fallen off the wagon with diet but plan on getting back on track now. I am also going to start to use gym chalk for SLDL. They are getting really heavy now!

Thanks Diet was easy for me because I have a job that I can do from home, so work never really interfered with anything. I had all the time in the world to prepare my meals whenever I wanted - something I know not everyone can affoard. The gym chalk helped me out a ton! Turned out my sweaty palms were severely hampering my progress on the SLDL.

[syncmaster913n]

Which one, jasonDB 5x5?

Oh and congrats on the progress.

Kelei's routine (it's stickied in this section of the forum)

Thanks!

[chubbybones]

hi bro!

Thanks a lot; I actually wasn't going to post pictures but then realized I'd be "contributing" towards the lack of progress pics in this thread. Glad to see it helps to some extent.

My diet was nothing fancy, I just followed the information you'll find in the nutrition stickies. Ate below maintenance and aimed to lose around 1% of my total body weight per week. When my weight loss rate was faster than that I upped my cals a bit, when it was slower - I reduced the cals. Nothing new whatsoever. I ate more or less the same foods but every 4-5 weeks I would switch up something. I ate around 150 grams of protein per day.

Thanks again Sync,
i guess i will have to take a more regimented approach to my diet.It had to happen sooner or later
Good luck on your next chapter.

[DeltaCharlie75]

Well done buddy,thats truly impressive.Just like others have said you've given us that extra motivation to stick to the program and slog it out.
If its not too much to ask,i would be curious as to what your diet consisted of.I have yet to resolve my dietery needs on the program and simply try to get enough protein without really counting calories.
Do you try to eat the same thing every day or do you mix it up a bit?
Once again congrats on your progress ,you've inspired a lot of us.

Start counting calories and read the nutrition stickies if you have not done so. As yoda said " either do or do not, there Is no try"

[krispradez]

Hold on, no troll here! I already mentioned I'm new to this area, I didn't even buy my equipment yet :-/. so sorry for any dumb question...

as for this exercise, I wasn't even planning on using weights on my back, only now i saw it can be done like this on YouTube. I thought it's done with hand weights...
anyway, I will keep looking for more info on YouTube about this exercise. strangely, it looks the most simple one, but I'm having problems of figuring how to do it right!

thanks.

i am using a flat cemented rock that i pick up on the street, it is 2" high and 10" wide. works like wonders.

[krispradez]

The holidays didn't helped one bit. The C2 test day is a nightmare to pass and most of the time I wasn't able to start properly on a Monday.

The result is +6lbs on December alone.

[FalseShadow]

Happy new year everyone!

It just so happens (completely unintentionally and wasn't planned) that my time with AllPro's Beginner routine has come to an end as of today, on January 1st 2013 I've completed 7 cycles on a reasonably aggressive cut, going down from 35% to 17.5% bf. I'm happy enough with my current fat levels that I no longer want to keep cutting and instead I'm switching to a recomp and will be going with a different routine from now on (already started today).

Below are some very basic progress pics; quality is poor and lighting is different (two different apartments between before/after) as these were done only for myself and I never planned to post them publicly so wasn't really bothered with the format. But I guess the difference is apparent enough that picture format is not really that important at this pont, so I hope it is taken for what it's worth. The "after" pictures where done at around 19% BF, a few weeks ago.

Front, despite what it may seem I was actually flexing in the "before" pic as well, trying to suck in my stomach as much as possible (don't ask ). Both pics have light coming down from above and were done without a "post-workout pump"

Back, both relaxed:

From the beginning of the routine, my 10 rep maxes went up as follows:

Squat: 95 -> 175 (had to take some time off on those due to a knee injury)
Bench Press: 85 -> 155
BOR: 80 -> 150
OHP: 40 -> 80
SLDL: 100 -> 246 (I bumped the weights heavily on cycle 5 when I started using gym chalk)
Calves: 130 -> 280 (I was using a more aggressive progression on those)

Curls I'm not mentioning cause I've been doing chin ups instead of them for a few cycles now, so no clue where I'm at.

Thanks go out to everyone posting in this thread, in particular to (some of them are no longer posting):

64509chvl
Robosphere
Skullster
PapaPumpkin

And of course, to the man himself - all pro.

Happy new year everyone once again. Good luck and have fun!

Awesome job dude. If I randomly saw you before at the beach I would think in my head you were a fat dude. In your after if I saw you I would think you were a strong dude. Awesome job.

[krispradez]

I have reported skinnyasrake to mods please do the same and I negged him.

an obvious troll doesn't deserve any attention that is.

[FalseShadow]

Will i benefit from this kinda routine ? been lifting for 2 years and iv done max-ot and some regular bb style 5 day splits, my squats and deads are terrible and i want to improve them, but ofcourse my first priority is size rather than strength, cheers

Hey man you really need to update your height and weight. This will go a long way to helping people make suggestions to you. You should probably also post your lifts here. You just say your squats and deads are terrible but don't say what they are? How is anyone supposed to help you based on the information you have given?

I will say that if you are trying to gain mass and not lose fat and are not a rank beginner this probably isn't the best program for you. This program has proven to be excellent for losing weight and gaining strength and definition for overweight people. There has been almost no evidence that I have seen to show it is good for gaining and bulking.

[chubbybones]

Start counting calories and read the nutrition stickies if you have not done so. As yoda said " either do or do not, there Is no try"

You kidding ?,dont you remember the green mush he was eating on his home planet?.I guarrantee you he wasnt hitting his macro nutrient targets

[GordtheWard]

Hey guys what kind of rest is recommended on this program? Idk if this would change your recommendation but at least for Cycle 1 i will be on a cut

Also, would it be ok to do RDLs rather than SLDLs? Or why should i stick with the SLDLs?

[FalseShadow]

Hey guys what kind of rest is recommended on this program? Idk if this would change your recommendation but at least for Cycle 1 i will be on a cut

Also, would it be ok to do RDLs rather than SLDLs? Or why should i stick with the SLDLs?

Rest 1 minute between warmup sets and 1.5 minutes between work sets.

There is substantial confusion on whether the program is supposed to be done with SLDL or RDL. Most people agree RDL will be fine to use and will probably be safer for your back. Follow the program like this. Most people are on a cut on this as well. A you are cutting you should have great success on this if you have a decent diet. It would be helpful to everyone if you put your height and weight in your profile info.

[WestOz]

Hey guys what kind of rest is recommended on this program? Idk if this would change your recommendation but at least for Cycle 1 i will be on a cut

Also, would it be ok to do RDLs rather than SLDLs? Or why should i stick with the SLDLs?

Don't listen to the poster above^

SLDL's are there to work your lower back and hamstring complex. Squats and regular deadlifts both done heavy will fry your CNS. You can modify this program to include regular deadlifts, but then it wouldn't be a ''Simple Beginners"" routine would it?

[allenhopkins]

I'm sorry if this has been answered - I'm sure it has but I read the first 11 pages and couldn't find it. Is the program supposed to go every other day Monday / Weds / Fri / Sun / Tues / Thurs etc... or it it supposed to be 3 work outs per week? If its 3 work outs per week when do you take 2 days in a row off? I'm on my first cycle and have been going every other day (on my 10 rep "week" now).

[WestOz]

I'm sorry if this has been answered - I'm sure it has but I read the first 11 pages and couldn't find it. Is the program supposed to go every other day Monday / Weds / Fri / Sun / Tues / Thurs etc... or it it supposed to be 3 work outs per week? If its 3 work outs per week when do you take 2 days in a row off? I'm on my first cycle and have been going every other day (on my 10 rep "week" now).

3 days per week. 2 days rest is after your light day.

eg.

M - heavy
T - rest
W - medium
Th - rest
F - light
Sat Sun - rest

[GordtheWard]

Don't listen to the poster above^

SLDL's are there to work your lower back and hamstring complex. Squats and regular deadlifts both done heavy will fry your CNS. You can modify this program to include regular deadlifts, but then it wouldn't be a ''Simple Beginners"" routine would it?

By RDL i mean 'Romanian deadlift', not 'regular deadlift'

[666pluto]

i am using a flat cemented rock that i pick up on the street, it is 2" high and 10" wide. works like wonders.

good idea, thanks.

There has been almost no evidence that I have seen to show it is good for gaining and bulking.

that's no good new for me :-/. I'm starting this program as a newbi, with a goal to bulk up primarily- 5'10 128lbs. i really liked the idea of this program in general, and all the exercises in it, i would hate to change it for something else (probably to SS if i will have no choice).

so what do you and everyone here suggest, if someone wants to bulk up, should he skip this program and go for something else? i know there are 3 threads for this, with thousands of posts, but i don't have time to read them all (college and a job)...

[Slanman]

im going to start this tomorrow. hopefully i can get some results!

[ngtvenfnty]

so what do you and everyone here suggest, if someone wants to bulk up, should he skip this program and go for something else? i know there are 3 threads for this, with thousands of posts, but i don't have time to read them all (college and a job)...

If you are a beginner as this program intended for, and which is probably the reason why it attracted most people here in the first place, then to worry about "cutting" and "bulking" at this stage in the game is an absolute waste of time and mental resources. If you are as most people are who come here, just starting out, then no matter what program you choose to do you will experience both muscle growth and strength gains.

It is important not to put the cart before the horse. I believe the core of this routine will take anyone through many levels of fitness, and the rewards for consistency will be visible and noticeable and reflected in your strength, on a weekly basis if not daily. If you just want to move beyond skinny fat or scrawny and to look good on the beach next summer, then this is exactly the program you need to be doing. For someone who just wants some functional strength and a "nice" body, these core lifts will get you there in short enough order. The time to start thinking about cutting and bulking, and the fine details of strength vs size training (if your goal is competition),is SEVERAL YEARS AWAY for just about any genuine beginner. That is not to say that you don't need to focus on your diet if you are significantly overweight or very skinny, but most "average" guys just need to stop whining and thinking so hard, and start lifting.

And I say all this as an average guy who went through years of the mental gymnastics of "I wish I could have a better body", "I am going to try to start working out", and when I finally did it doing these basic lifts, watched my body metamorphose practically before my eyes in the space of a few months. It requires commitment, but it is not as hard and as grueling, nor does it require so much though and calculation, as we are often led to believe.

[WestOz]

By RDL i mean 'Romanian deadlift', not 'regular deadlift'

That is fine then. RDs and SLDLs are almost identical.

[666pluto]

If you are a beginner as this program intended for, and which is probably the reason why it attracted most aiming e here in the first place, then to worry about "cutting" and "bulking" at this stage in the game is an absolute waste of time and mental resources. If you are as most people are who come here, just starting out, then no matter what program you choose to do you will experience both muscle growth and strength gains.

It is important not to put the cart before the horse. I believe the core of this routine will take anyone through many levels of fitness, and the rewards for consistency will be visible and noticeable and reflected in your strength, on a weekly basis if not daily. If you just want to move beyond skinny fat or scrawny and to look good on the beach next summer, then this is exactly the program you need to be doing. For someone who just wants some functional strength and a "nice" body, these core lifts will get you there in short enough order. The time to start thinking about cutting and bulking, and the fine details of strength vs size training (if your goal is competition),is SEVERAL YEARS AWAY for just about any genuine beginner. That is not to say that you don't need to focus on your diet if you are significantly overweight or very skinny, but most "average" guys just need to stop whining and thinking so hard, and start lifting.

And I say all this as an average guy who went through years of the mental gymnastics of "I wish I could have a better body", "I am going to try to start working out", and when I finally did it doing these basic lifts, watched my body metamorphose practically before my eyes in the space of a few months. It requires commitment, but it is not as hard and as grueling, nor does it require so much though and calculation, as we are often led to believe.

Well, that sums it up (:. Thank you for the detailed replay, I will carry on with buying the home equipment, hoping I will start training in the next week or two.

[syncmaster913n]

Awesome job dude. If I randomly saw you before at the beach I would think in my head you were a fat dude. In your after if I saw you I would think you were a strong dude. Awesome job.

Thanks bro!

[FitBeyondForty]

Happy new year everyone!

It just so happens (completely unintentionally and wasn't planned) that my time with AllPro's Beginner routine has come to an end as of today, on January 1st 2013 I've completed 7 cycles on a reasonably aggressive cut, going down from 35% to 17.5% bf. I'm happy enough with my current fat levels that I no longer want to keep cutting and instead I'm switching to a recomp and will be going with a different routine from now on (already started today).

Below are some very basic progress pics; quality is poor and lighting is different (two different apartments between before/after) as these were done only for myself and I never planned to post them publicly so wasn't really bothered with the format. But I guess the difference is apparent enough that picture format is not really that important at this pont, so I hope it is taken for what it's worth. The "after" pictures where done at around 19% BF, a few weeks ago.

From the beginning of the routine, my 10 rep maxes went up as follows:

Squat: 95 -> 175 (had to take some time off on those due to a knee injury)
Bench Press: 85 -> 155
BOR: 80 -> 150
OHP: 40 -> 80
SLDL: 100 -> 246 (I bumped the weights heavily on cycle 5 when I started using gym chalk)
Calves: 130 -> 280 (I was using a more aggressive progression on those)

Curls I'm not mentioning cause I've been doing chin ups instead of them for a few cycles now, so no clue where I'm at.

Thanks go out to everyone posting in this thread, in particular to (some of them are no longer posting):

64509chvl
Robosphere
Skullster
PapaPumpkin

And of course, to the man himself - all pro.

Happy new year everyone once again. Good luck and have fun!

Nice work. Best of luck on the new routine.

Medium day for me tonight. Heavy day was Monday then I went to a friends for New Years and while I was good about not drinking too much, I prob did have a little too much holiday snacks...lol

I plan on ramping up the core work and cardio for until the end of my time on this routine.

[MrSlippery]

that's no good new for me :-/. I'm starting this program as a newbi, with a goal to bulk up primarily- 5'10 128lbs. i really liked the idea of this program in general, and all the exercises in it, i would hate to change it for something else (probably to SS if i will have no choice).

so what do you and everyone here suggest, if someone wants to bulk up, should he skip this program and go for something else? i know there are 3 threads for this, with thousands of posts, but i don't have time to read them all (college and a job)...

Regardless of your final goals this is a great routine to start out on, even if you only do it for 3 cycles and move on. Reason I say that is because it will get you used to lifting, make sure you focus on proper technique and see where you are at in a few cycles. Again regardless of your goals this routine will gain you plenty of strength and confidence in your gym which for many is key.

[MrSlippery]

Happy New Year to all, hope everyone made out okay in the past week or so. I am glad to finally get back to normal, my Christmas week was not fun as I did 2 heavy days. This week aside from New years and too much drinking etc was back on track.

Cycle 4 week 4 medium day was today, felt a lot more difficult than I expected granted I still ended up passing everything. Am looking forward to test week.