Newbie to 5x5

booboohead · 02-26-2008, 10:57 AM

Hey folks,

I'm 33, 5'11" and weigh in at a whopping 178 lbs. ;-) I did 8 months of Rippetoes and am ready to move on. I have two questions:

1) Calories. How much above maintenance should I go, can anybody suggest a calculator/forumla?

2) Cardio. Do you suggest it and if so how much? One thing I noticed is with Ripeetoes is the excess calories caught up with me and I was making gains (see bodyspace) but also geting some pudge.

Thanks and good to be back in action

-booboohead

cmdurham · 02-26-2008, 01:00 PM

This is something you have to figure out on your own a bit. If you experiment, you can generally find your sweet spot. I can gain a bit of muscle and lose a little fat at 2250-2500 cal a day. But if you're trying aggressively to put on mass you need to accept that you're gonna put on BF. You may not, depending on your genetics and other factors, but just accept that you will and it won't mess with your head when you do. 5x5 is primarily a mass-building routine, but it doesn't have to be used that way. I am personally okay with a more moderate progression from a lower caloric surplus and a bit extra cardio. If I was on a bulk I'd probably chow 3000+ Calories a day and keep the cardio low. I wouldn't advise ditching cardio altogether. Maybe 20-30 minutes moderate cardio on Tuesday and Thursday (or, better, Saturday). Avoid anything intense on Sunday and Thursday because you have your bigger squats on Monday and Friday.

booboohead · 02-27-2008, 06:47 AM

Hey there,

Thanks for the advice. I read your "Can I have my cake and eat it too" post from a while back and you had a similar question as myself. How has this been for you, the 5x5? Thanks for the advice!