AllPro: A Simple Beginner's Routine part VI

[nightanole]

Question: with the 3rd set added onto the first 3 exercises, what adjustments do I need to make as far as the fact that I'll probably have failure due to keeping the same heavy weight, but adding a significant number of sets per workout..?

And you said test day is still 2 sets - do I still do 3 sets for the 1st 3 exercises, but just base the yes/no to increase on the first 2?

Tris: I might replace the pushdown with the cable rope tri extension, or scrap?



Yeah, those are brutal for sure - I remember I used to finish with them when I first got back into lifting this time..., I've read that they don't help with hypertrophy and trap/shoulder development as shrugs though - is that nonsense?
I was doing like 50s when I first started, and 12-16 meters was like failure.

Thank you for all the help so far! I wasn't making small talk before btw when I was impressed that about how long you've been here giving advice and you're really good... are you a trainer? do you use the program for your clients a lot?

3rd set is just to make up the volume, you can skip them on test day. I do not expect anyone to not miss reps on 11-12 rep weeks, if you are missing reps on 8-10 rep weeks we may have to change the game plan.

As for triceps, if you need long head, you are going to need to keep that elbow high, however you may be fine with just bench and OHP.

The traps are the strongest muscle group in your body, 2nd only to UR butt. You can do strugs if it does not affect your OHP. I typically just assign farmer carries since people also want core and grip work.

[GenerationZero]

Another quick one..... These are my figures at present and I'm on my 5th week and passed my lifts..... I'll be increasing the weight by 10% but what are your thoughts on my numbers? I'm 5'6, 40 years, approx 22 body fat and on 1750 calories (I'll be adjusting them as of next week based on your advice above). All values in kg. Thanks

Squat 65.1
Calf 100
Bench 56
OHP 33
Bent Rows 60.5
SLDL 60.5
Curls 31.5

My bench and OHP are low I think but this is due to shoulder injuries that I had in the past which could've been down to form when lifting heavier weights so I didn't fully push myself on those two exercises but I will add 10% to them next week.

Finally is it ok to perform concentration/preacher curls for the bicep exercise?

I thought i may as well add my calories questions in :-). Based on 100gm P/F etc this is my breakdown

F - 100gm 900 Cals
P - 100gm 400 Cals
C - 200gm 800 Cals

Total 2100 Looks too high....

Currently this is what i have and been on this for a few months (with occasional cheat meal)

F - 68gm 612 Cals
P - 153gm 612 Cals
C - 131gm 524 Cals

Total 1750

So my goal is to reduce body fat. Should i be sticking with my current calories of 1750 as on this cycle i didnt drop any fat that i could tell but as you can tell i was able to finish the cycle (albeit 2 workouts left this week) with the intention of increasing the weight by 10% next week (assuming i'm gaining muscle??). So should i further drop my calories or leave everything as is until this cycle is finished?

[kyled159]

Hey so I’ve just figured out my 10RM and about to start week 1. Do I use that weight for my 2 work sets for each lift on day 1? If not, what percentage of those weights do I use? I know day 2 is 90% and day 3 is 80%.

I’m just worried using my 10RM weight will be overdoing it because that’s essentially 16 reps at that weight!

[nightanole]

Another quick one..... These are my figures at present and I'm on my 5th week and passed my lifts..... I'll be increasing the weight by 10% but what are your thoughts on my numbers? I'm 5'6, 40 years, approx 22 body fat and on 1750 calories (I'll be adjusting them as of next week based on your advice above). All values in kg. Thanks

Squat 65.1
Calf 100
Bench 56
OHP 33
Bent Rows 60.5
SLDL 60.5
Curls 31.5

My bench and OHP are low I think but this is due to shoulder injuries that I had in the past which could've been down to form when lifting heavier weights so I didn't fully push myself on those two exercises but I will add 10% to them next week.

Finally is it ok to perform concentration/preacher curls for the bicep exercise?

I thought i may as well add my calories questions in :-). Based on 100gm P/F etc this is my breakdown

F - 100gm 900 Cals
P - 100gm 400 Cals
C - 200gm 800 Cals

Total 2100 Looks too high....

Currently this is what i have and been on this for a few months (with occasional cheat meal)

F - 68gm 612 Cals
P - 153gm 612 Cals
C - 131gm 524 Cals

Total 1750

So my goal is to reduce body fat. Should i be sticking with my current calories of 1750 as on this cycle i didnt drop any fat that i could tell but as you can tell i was able to finish the cycle (albeit 2 workouts left this week) with the intention of increasing the weight by 10% next week (assuming i'm gaining muscle??). So should i further drop my calories or leave everything as is until this cycle is finished?

Your lifting numbers look good
Dont do preacher curls, you can see plenty of youtube videos of people going to snap city on them. Anything not elbow supported should be fine.

You are 5.6, which is a bit smaller than the 5.8 for the diet. Its up to you if you think you can perform with a 10% caloric reduction and get it down to 1900 cals. But if i were you i would be upping the cardio. Unfortunatly going too low on nutrition just ends up low performance, so low growth, which leads to little TDEE increases.

Each pound of muscle you gain is going to require and additional 65 calories to maintain. So if you can gain 5lbs of muscle, you just upped your caloric needs by 325 cals. Its why the dude who have gained 20-30lbs of muscle, can cut on 3500-4000 calories.

[nightanole]

Hey so I’ve just figured out my 10RM and about to start week 1. Do I use that weight for my 2 work sets for each lift on day 1? If not, what percentage of those weights do I use? I know day 2 is 90% and day 3 is 80%.

I’m just worried using my 10RM weight will be overdoing it because that’s essentially 16 reps at that weight!

Yup you will be starting with 8 reps of your 10 rep max, so 2 reps in the tank. Technically you can do 2 sets of 9 with your 10 rep max, but that seems scary, so we give you a week to adjust.

It gets really scary after test day, because that means you are going to be adding 10% to your old 10 rep max, and have to do "essentially" 16 reps the next week

Welcome to fatigue based training, we hope you enjoy your stay, and can walk up stairs the next day.

[kyled159]

Hahaha alrighty then! Thanks for clearing that up man. But if you’re seriously using your absolute 10RM it should technically be impossible for you to do 2 sets of 8. You should fail on rep 3 of the second set lol but let’s get it!

And yeah but after 5 weeks, going up 10% and down to 8 reps from 12 doesn’t sound too bad but I bet it is scary haha. Y’all got the plan worked out so I’m just gonna stick to it lol

[GenerationZero]

Its up to you if you think you can perform with a 10% caloric reduction and get it down to 1900 cals.

Each pound of muscle you gain is going to require and additional 65 calories to maintain. So if you can gain 5lbs of muscle, you just upped your caloric needs by 325 cals. Its why the dude who have gained 20-30lbs of muscle, can cut on 3500-4000 calories.

Just to make sure were on the same path im on 1750 cals and not 1900.

In terms of cardio i know you answered this in the Faqs but could i do some form of resistance band HIIT (10 mins or so) on my rest day i.e. Tues and Thurs? If yes any idea what i could do as googling/YouTubing shows many videos but not sure which i should follow?

As for building muscle, i dont know if lifting the same weight and increasing the reps allows me to calculate how much muscle i've built? So for example if i base this on my bench which is 56KG, 8 reps = 448 with 12 reps = 672, so this week i lifted 672 but when i started on this weight i was at 448? Which in turn makes me wonder if i need to adjust my cals. Thanks again

[nightanole]

Just to make sure were on the same path im on 1750 cals and not 1900.

In terms of cardio i know you answered this in the Faqs but could i do some form of resistance band HIIT (10 mins or so) on my rest day i.e. Tues and Thurs? If yes any idea what i could do as googling/YouTubing shows many videos but not sure which i should follow?

As for building muscle, i dont know if lifting the same weight and increasing the reps allows me to calculate how much muscle i've built? So for example if i base this on my bench which is 56KG, 8 reps = 448 with 12 reps = 672, so this week i lifted 672 but when i started on this weight i was at 448? Which in turn makes me wonder if i need to adjust my cals. Thanks again

Im splitting the difference between 1750 and 2100 to get 1900. 1750 i feel is too low to perform on. You will end up starting with a very light weight, and "only" be able 10% per cycle. So in 5 cycles you will have lost a little weight, and maybe added 25kg to your squat.

It would be better to up the calories and up the cardio, so you get in enough nutrition to perform.

HIIT is not recomended on the program because it robs recovery, its like adding another lifting session. Cardio is defined on this program as "something" that you can do sustained for at least 45min without resting, eve if you do it for 20-30min intervals throughout the week.


As for progression, you measure cycle to cycle, not weekly. If you want to get really granular, adding 4 reps to any 5 rep or higher set, is the same as adding 10% to the bar. So you could say you are going up 2.5% per week, other than 8 rep mini deload week.


And remember 10% is the min, plenty of people have doubled their squat weight in 3 cycles just with practice.


And again your end goal is bmi 24 @ 13% body fat.

https://www.calculator.net/body-fat-calculator.html

https://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/lbm_calculator.htm

[GenerationZero]

Great! I will run the values on the calculator links you sent and report back. I re-read the FAQ and it states HIIT (jogging) so if i go with this approach would 1 minute walk and 30 seconds sprint for 10 minutes be enough? (I hate jogging :-( )

[nightanole]

Great! I will run the values on the calculator links you sent and report back. I re-read the FAQ and it states HIIT (jogging) so if i go with this approach would 1 minute walk and 30 seconds sprint for 10 minutes be enough? (I hate jogging :-( )

If you re read the original post, it also says you can only survive about 30min of HIIT per week and still do the program. And that was from 2011. "updated" is 3x10k jogs, or about 2.5 hours of LISS (low intensity steady state) per week.

[polivoks]

On autoregulated now well over 6 months, going bit slow and steady, 3 times per week in the mornings, and some days dont want to push myself cause i have to work and can feel exhausted stressed during day if i go to hard, overall trying to not miss sessions, only had few weeks with 1 workout because of small flu cold. One day/week can be really hard to lift others i push forward, but satisfied if im going to gym regularly at all.

Here is my progress since January 14th to compare with current stats

Boxed squat 80x4x5x5
Bench 65x8x7x6
Row 75x8x8x8
OHP 45x7x7
SLDL 80x10x10

Weigh 76kg

20th May
Boxed squat 100x7x6x4
Bench 80x8x7x5
Row 80x6x6x5
(been switching beetween regular and trap bar rows some days/weeks as sometimes rack is taken in gym)
OHP 50x12x8
SLDL 100x12x10
dips 12
chinups 8, 6
pullup 5

Weight 80kg


Am i progressing slow and could improve or this is any ok considering all said?

[nightanole]

On autoregulated now well over 6 months, going bit slow and steady, 3 times per week in the mornings, and some days dont want to push myself cause i have to work and can feel exhausted stressed during day if i go to hard, overall trying to not miss sessions, only had few weeks with 1 workout because of small flu cold. One day/week can be really hard to lift others i push forward, but satisfied if im going to gym regularly at all.

Here is my progress since January 14th to compare with current stats

Boxed squat 80x4x5x5
Bench 65x8x7x6
Row 75x8x8x8
OHP 45x7x7
SLDL 80x10x10

Weigh 76kg

20th May
Boxed squat 100x7x6x4
Bench 80x8x7x5
Row 80x6x6x5
(been switching beetween regular and trap bar rows some days/weeks as sometimes rack is taken in gym)
OHP 50x12x8
SLDL 100x12x10
dips 12
chinups 8, 6
pullup 5

Weight 80kg


Am i progressing slow and could improve or this is any ok considering all said?

At that weight you get a silver star if you can squat 130kg with a belt 1 time, bench wide 90kg for 1 rep, and deadlift 147kg with a belt. That considered the end of the n00b phase were you stop progressing at 10% per month, and start progressing at 20-33% per "year". That might seem "slow" but that is going from a 4 plate dead to a 5 plate dead in 12 months, which is considered a dam good feat.

so in 4 months you have increased your lifts by about 15%. If you can increase your lifts 15% again in 4 months, i would consider that dam good progress at this stage. That would put you at about 12 reps of bw bench, even if you got to 85kg.



I will be concerned if that OHP does not hit 55kg before the bench hits 88kg.

[GenerationZero]

Im splitting the difference between 1750 and 2100 to get 1900. 1750 i feel is too low to perform on. You will end up starting with a very light weight, and "only" be able 10% per cycle. So in 5 cycles you will have lost a little weight, and maybe added 25kg to your squat.

It would be better to up the calories and up the cardio, so you get in enough nutrition to perform.

HIIT is not recomended on the program because it robs recovery, its like adding another lifting session. Cardio is defined on this program as "something" that you can do sustained for at least 45min without resting, eve if you do it for 20-30min intervals throughout the week.


As for progression, you measure cycle to cycle, not weekly. If you want to get really granular, adding 4 reps to any 5 rep or higher set, is the same as adding 10% to the bar. So you could say you are going up 2.5% per week, other than 8 rep mini deload week.


And remember 10% is the min, plenty of people have doubled their squat weight in 3 cycles just with practice.


And again your end goal is bmi 24 @ 13% body fat.

calculator.net/body-fat-calculator

Bodybuilding.com/fun/lbm_calculator

So I ran my numbers on the calculator age I think I'm disappointed.

Body Fat (U.S. Navy Method) 28.0%
Body Fat Category Obese
Body Fat Mass 50.3 lbs
Lean Body Mass 129.7 lbs
Ideal Body Fat for Given Age
(Jackson & Pollard) 15.3%
Body Fat to Lose to Reach Ideal 22.8 lbs
Body Fat (BMI method) 27.9%

So BMI is 28 and BF is higher than I expected to other calculators. In case you need to know my neck is 15in, waist/hip 38in although not asked my chest is 43in.

What are your thoughts on this? Continue to increase my calories? A bit lost after looking at those figures.

[okkkorniienko]

I think that it's pretty simillar to make some workout program for beginner,cause you have to do are basic exercises to prepare your body.
It can be sme fullbody workouts. Then after 2 months i think you can change something.

[Sqwatzhurtbad]

6 months just checking in, pic attached (left side is 6months ago, right side is today)

5'10 M
Weight has gone from around 82kg to 76kg (consuming ~1500cals/day im getting closer to BMI 23 ish. I'm aiming at get to around 73kgs and then start a clean bulk)

Waist 35.6"->32.6" (coming down, thigh/bicep measurements reducing a very small amount)

Current lifts
Squat (65kg)
Bench (55kg)
Row (50)
OHP (30)
SLDL (45)
Bicep curls (14kg dumbells)
Calfs (120kgs on machine)

My lifts aren't going up much/as fast as i would like at all but im happy with my fat level coming down so not worried too much. All my trousers/tops feel very loose in a good way, i can feel my stomach muscles just below the remaining flab, starting to see veins/muscular definition appear in arms/hands haven't seen in a good 15years lol (feels great).

Not sure if the pics reflect my progress much (different lighting etc) but im definitely getting/feeling leaner.

Think my progress is ok? i'd like to think the real progress is coming once i can start eating to slow gain.

[nightanole]

So I ran my numbers on the calculator age I think I'm disappointed.

Body Fat (U.S. Navy Method) 28.0%
Body Fat Category Obese
Body Fat Mass 50.3 lbs
Lean Body Mass 129.7 lbs
Ideal Body Fat for Given Age
(Jackson & Pollard) 15.3%
Body Fat to Lose to Reach Ideal 22.8 lbs
Body Fat (BMI method) 27.9%

So BMI is 28 and BF is higher than I expected to other calculators. In case you need to know my neck is 15in, waist/hip 38in although not asked my chest is 43in.

What are your thoughts on this? Continue to increase my calories? A bit lost after looking at those figures.

If you think you can perform on 1750 and your current cardio sched, and lose that 22lbs in 3 cycles, go for it.

[nightanole]

6 months just checking in, pic attached (left side is 6months ago, right side is today)

5'10 M
Weight has gone from around 82kg to 76kg (consuming ~1500cals/day im getting closer to BMI 23 ish. I'm aiming at get to around 73kgs and then start a clean bulk)

Waist 35.6"->32.6" (coming down, thigh/bicep measurements reducing a very small amount)

Current lifts
Squat (65kg)
Bench (55kg)
Row (50)
OHP (30)
SLDL (45)
Bicep curls (14kg dumbells)
Calfs (120kgs on machine)

My lifts aren't going up much/as fast as i would like at all but im happy with my fat level coming down so not worried too much. All my trousers/tops feel very loose in a good way, i can feel my stomach muscles just below the remaining flab, starting to see veins/muscular definition appear in arms/hands haven't seen in a good 15years lol (feels great).

Not sure if the pics reflect my progress much (different lighting etc) but im definitely getting/feeling leaner.

Think my progress is ok? i'd like to think the real progress is coming once i can start eating to slow gain.

On a constant cut those numbers look great. It would have been nice to be squatting body weight by now...

70-73kg is a great time to start the lean bulk to 80kg, before a cut down to 75-77.5kg.

keep in mind your goal is a 100kg for 10 squat, and a 75kg for 10 bench. So thats what, a 33% increase or about 3 cycles?

[GenerationZero]

If you think you can perform on 1750 and your current cardio sched, and lose that 22lbs in 3 cycles, go for it.

Ok, I'll start over again with 1750 cals when i increase the weight by 10% on Monday at 8 reps.... so after the next cycle (after 5 weeks - assuming i have passed the 12 lifts on week 5) if i have lost weight im heading in the right direction and continue doing what im doing. If my weight is the same and i can still increase by 10% then this would indicate my calorie counting is wrong somewhere? Does this sound correct? Cheers

[flauro]

Hey guys,

so i've just started weightlifting in general. i'm 6'1" 176 lbs. when shirtless, i'm looking terribly out of shape. it's best described as skinny fat. i guess my muscle to fat ratio is way too high in favour of fat.

now that i've watched many youtube videos and read some threads here on bodybuilding i've come to the conclusion that my best bet for fixing my skinny fat, non muscular looking physique was to lower my body fat percentage and then go on a lean bulk.

i don't want to eat at a caloric surplus right away because i'm not happy at all with how i'm looking at the moment.

i've decided to work out and diet as follows:

i'll stick to a 20-25% calorie deficit while lifting heavy weights (compound lifts mostly) until i reach around 15% body fat.

during this time, i'll aim for 40% carbs, 40% protein and 20% fats.

is this program suited for my situation? i'm looking for a proper full body routine to start. 3 days/week.

[nightanole]

Ok, I'll start over again with 1750 cals when i increase the weight by 10% on Monday at 8 reps.... so after the next cycle (after 5 weeks - assuming i have passed the 12 lifts on week 5) if i have lost weight im heading in the right direction and continue doing what im doing. If my weight is the same and i can still increase by 10% then this would indicate my calorie counting is wrong somewhere? Does this sound correct? Cheers

yup. Just remember you cant "recomp" as a natty, so if your weight is not going up or down at least 1kg per month, you are not going anywhere.

[nightanole]

Hey guys,

so i've just started weightlifting in general. i'm 6'1" 176 lbs. when shirtless, i'm looking terribly out of shape. it's best described as skinny fat. i guess my muscle to fat ratio is way too high in favour of fat.

now that i've watched many youtube videos and read some threads here on bodybuilding i've come to the conclusion that my best bet for fixing my skinny fat, non muscular looking physique was to lower my body fat percentage and then go on a lean bulk.

i don't want to eat at a caloric surplus right away because i'm not happy at all with how i'm looking at the moment.

i've decided to work out and diet as follows:

i'll stick to a 20-25% calorie deficit while lifting heavy weights (compound lifts mostly) until i reach around 15% body fat.

during this time, i'll aim for 40% carbs, 40% protein and 20% fats.

is this program suited for my situation? i'm looking for a proper full body routine to start. 3 days/week.

This program suits your goals since you should start the program on a cut.

percent macros never work.

The starting diet on the program is 100g fats/protein and 200-300g of carbs, its about 2100-2500 cals. So shorter will be closer to 2100, and taller closer to 2500.

[flauro]

This program suits your goals since you should start the program on a cut.

percent macros never work.

The starting diet on the program is 100g fats/protein and 200-300g of carbs, its about 2100-2500 cals. So shorter will be closer to 2100, and taller closer to 2500.

thanks for the quick reply!

how come i should consume that much more carbs than protein? wouldn't it be more beneficial to consume 200g carbs, 200g protein and 50g fats?

sorry, i am a beginner as stated in the previous post. but i do know a few things about macros and from what i know i should be eating more protein on a cut?

[nightanole]

thanks for the quick reply!

how come i should consume that much more carbs than protein? wouldn't it be more beneficial to consume 200g carbs, 200g protein and 50g fats?

sorry, i am a beginner as stated in the previous post. but i do know a few things about macros and from what i know i should be eating more protein on a cut?

The diet is based on peak performance for college athletes.

Your body has no problem converting carbs to non essential amino acids. however the worst "fuel" to run off of is protein. So when in doubt, you want excess carbs, not excess protein. And the 100g of fats, well what are hormones made out of? What is your nerves coated in? What are all your linings and connective tissue made of? And what is the 2nd quickest energy system to draw from? You might be able to get away with 50g if you have well thought out fat profile. 100g serves the lowest common denominator, aka the "bro" who eats chicken/rice, multi vitamin, maybe some omega3/d3 pills, an a shot of olive oil and a shot of coconut oil, and calls it a balanced diet. God forbid if the bro eats anything that is not pure protein, fat, or carbs, vegetables or fatty meat cuts makes them shudder with fear.

[gerbilz]

Can I substitute squats for Hack Squats, Bulgarian Split Squats?

Also can I do RDLs instead of SLDL?

I plan on squatting but my hamstrings are a little underdeveloped and ya.. I’ll try squats but as what I said about RDLs and hack squats?

[Mr0Majik0]

Lower Pecs

id like to add a lower pecs accessory. i have been advised against dumbell fly's (i have an old shoulder issue) so i will be using dips and/or cable fly's done with resistance bands.

Ive read in a couple of places that the best time to hit the lower pecs is right at the start of the full body so that the rest of the workout compounds that effort. does that saound ok? if not when would be best to do those lower pecs?

[nightanole]

Can I substitute squats for Hack Squats, Bulgarian Split Squats?

Also can I do RDLs instead of SLDL?

I plan on squatting but my hamstrings are a little underdeveloped and ya.. I’ll try squats but as what I said about RDLs and hack squats?

No. If your hamstrings are underdeveloped doing quad dominant lifts will not help.

The only subs for squats is box squats and if you are really in a pinch, touch and go hex bar deadlifts.

The only sub for SLDL is good mornings.

[nightanole]

Lower Pecs

id like to add a lower pecs accessory. i have been advised against dumbell fly's (i have an old shoulder issue) so i will be using dips and/or cable fly's done with resistance bands.

Ive read in a couple of places that the best time to hit the lower pecs is right at the start of the full body so that the rest of the workout compounds that effort. does that saound ok? if not when would be best to do those lower pecs?

Nope you want it at the end of the workout when the big muscles are tired, so the smaller muscles have to work harder.

[flauro]

Hey, i've got another question

i can't really feel my chest and back muscles activating. is that normal as a beginner or am i doing something wrong?

will it come automatically as i gain experience?

[nightanole]

Hey, i've got another question

i can't really feel my chest and back muscles activating. is that normal as a beginner or am i doing something wrong?

will it come automatically as i gain experience?

2 things you can do.

First is the are "most activated" at full stretch, its when they can push/pull the hardest. So for chest, thats getting the bar off the chest, the closer to the chest you get the bar, the more you will work the chest.

the second thing you can do is learn to use "the stretch reflex". when at full extension, the stretch reflex kicks in(and as above its when the muscle can pull/push the hardest) to protect its self. So if you can immediately pull/push at full extension, you will be able to pull/push much harder vs if you "pause" or loli gag.

[gerbilz]

No. If your hamstrings are underdeveloped doing quad dominant lifts will not help.

The only subs for squats is box squats and if you are really in a pinch, touch and go hex bar deadlifts.

The only sub for SLDL is good mornings.

My hamstrings have gotten stronger and my knee no longer hurts from what I’ve been doing. Heavy RDLs. I’ll figure it out. I have a lot of anxiety with SLDL. My knee rarely tightens up anymore. Unless I go more than 8+ miles on the bike. I’m going to see my trainer and get back into PT for a few sessions because I don’t even know if I can press. Maybe landline.

I’m not making that much sense rn. I’ve been up all night. I thought she was the one. I’m 29. I have my shot together. I just wanted to settle down with a girl like her, but we are vastly different