A Simple Beginner's Routine part II

[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!

[missbun]

Ok thank you I will head to the front of the sticky and get clued up before I start! I'm assuming all the info is at the start as you lot clearly understand all the jargon! I'm not there yet!

Thanks again

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.

[Akebane710]

Should these Bent Over Rows be strict form? Pendlay style? Also is it cool to use the seated calf raise machine? Any good video for SLDL tutorial? Been doing conventional DL's for so long not sure if I can grasp the new concept of an SLDL right away and with ease. Thanks

In the gym right now figuring out what weights to use. Cant I just do regular deadlift at a weight for 10RM? I hate these SLDL's they feel so god damn awkward i hate hate hate them. Did 165 with no bend in knees, brought it down to middle of calf and back up. Felt nothing. Everything else has gone A-OK so far

[MisterShep]

Sorry, bumping my question from earlier. Would really appreciate a response if anyone has some advice. Thanks!

I've been doing this for a couple of weeks now, and am doing my first day of week 3 cycle 1 today.

I was just unsure what to do when cycle 2 rolls around. I'm EXTREMELY weak, and have been doing the program at the gym with fixed weight dumbells due to the limitations of their equipment. The problem is, I'm using 2 8kg dumbells for the bench press for example (don't laugh ). Do you think I'd be able to increase to 10kg next cycle - over 20% more? Or would I be guaranteed to stall if I did this?

Because I'm at a gym I ideally don't want to be microloading the weights with dodgy little add-ons or wearing .5kg wrist straps, for fear of looking like a weirdo. The idea of staying on the same weight also seems counterproductive if I manage to get out all of my reps for the first cycle.

What do you think? Would it be far too much of a jump? Or would the fact it would only be 4 extra kg overall make it less of an issue? I have just started creatine, so that might help at least.

[Morti]

Sorry, bumping my question from earlier. Would really appreciate a response if anyone has some advice. Thanks!

,

How old are you? 2 x 8 kg sounds to little to start with imo.

[MisterShep]

,

How old are you? 2 x 8 kg sounds to little to start with imo.

Yeah, it's pretty appalling. My history is, I've always been sedentary and was very overweight throughout my entire childhood. I lost 7 1/2 stone through diet alone, which no doubt wasted away a lot of muscle at the same time as bodyfat. I've also got repetitive strain injury in my arms, which has been slowly getting better recently, but that had weakened me too. The breakdown of the weights I'm using is:

2 x 12kg dumbell squats
2 x 8kg dumbell bench press
2 x 10kg bent over dumbell rows
2 x 8kg dumbell overhead press
2 x 14kg straight legged dumbell deadlifts
15kg barbell curls
2 x 20kg dumbell for calf raises, doing 12-16 reps instead of 8-12.

[surfzrup]

Hey everyone! Ever since correcting my form on the press (keeping the bar close to my nose while pressing it up, pushing my head under the bar to flex the traps, and then lowering it nearer to shoulder level) I haven't been able to complete the reps for my press on all heavy, medium and light days for the week. Think it's a stamina issue because I can still get the first set of 10 reps, but then on the second set can only do 4,6 and 8 respectively on Heavy, medium and light days.

So the question is, should I just stick with it till week 5 and continue with the same weight in the next cycle, or should I drop the weight to something more manageable?

[Skullster]

Hey everyone! Ever since correcting my form on the press (keeping the bar close to my nose while pressing it up, pushing my head under the bar to flex the traps, and then lowering it nearer to shoulder level) I haven't been able to complete the reps for my press on all heavy, medium and light days for the week. Think it's a stamina issue because I can still get the first set of 10 reps, but then on the second set can only do 4,6 and 8 respectively on Heavy, medium and light days.

So the question is, should I just stick with it till week 5 and continue with the same weight in the next cycle, or should I drop the weight to something more manageable?

Stick with it. If you fail 2x12 in week 5 heavy day only then keep the weight the same. Using proper will form will make a difference in what you can lift. Sounds like your endurance is lagging a bit but it will catch up.

[robosphere]

Hey everyone! Ever since correcting my form on the press (keeping the bar close to my nose while pressing it up, pushing my head under the bar to flex the traps, and then lowering it nearer to shoulder level) I haven't been able to complete the reps for my press on all heavy, medium and light days for the week. Think it's a stamina issue because I can still get the first set of 10 reps, but then on the second set can only do 4,6 and 8 respectively on Heavy, medium and light days.

So the question is, should I just stick with it till week 5 and continue with the same weight in the next cycle, or should I drop the weight to something more manageable?

What cycle is this for you?

[Morti]

Any1 heard what allpro said about doing extra reps if you have it in you?

[64509chvl]

Any1 heard what allpro said about doing extra reps if you have it in you?

To not to!

[sixpoint]

Any1 heard what allpro said about doing extra reps if you have it in you?

You're gonna stall. Don't do it.
Run this deal for 3, 4, 5 cycles.
You'll understand that adding extra reps for fun is a horrible idea.

[64509chvl]

Should these Bent Over Rows be strict form? Pendlay style? Also is it cool to use the seated calf raise machine? Any good video for SLDL tutorial? Been doing conventional DL's for so long not sure if I can grasp the new concept of an SLDL right away and with ease. Thanks

In the gym right now figuring out what weights to use. Cant I just do regular deadlift at a weight for 10RM? I hate these SLDL's they feel so god damn awkward i hate hate hate them. Did 165 with no bend in knees, brought it down to middle of calf and back up. Felt nothing. Everything else has gone A-OK so far

BOR with strict form not Pendlay style...slight bend in knees, bend over 45-60 degrees, pull the weight up towards your lower rib cage...I imagine pulling the weight up with my elbows & squeeze my blades together at the top!
Calfs are best with bar to use more core strength to balance heavy weight.
Don't do regular deads on this program...you'll burn out in later cycles bad! Stick to the SLDL's...they mainly target the Hams...I imagine pushing my heels through the floor when pulling the weight up while keeping my back flat, not rounded! You want a slight bend in knees!

[12ccopeland]

Hey everyone, I just finished my first week of All Pro's yesterday and I like it a lot. I just have a couple questions.

1. Are high bar squats okay instead of low bar? My legs are retardedly long and I have been doing low bar since february with no success in perfecting form. (refer to log in thread for videos).
2. I can't do pullups/chinups with bodyweight and this is something I really want to be able to do. Would it be okay to add negatives to the end of each workout?

Thanks!

[traineeh]

Hey everyone, I just finished my first week of All Pro's yesterday and I like it a lot. I just have a couple questions.

1. Are high bar squats okay instead of low bar? My legs are retardedly long and I have been doing low bar since february with no success in perfecting form. (refer to log in thread for videos).
2. I can't do pullups/chinups with bodyweight and this is something I really want to be able to do. Would it be okay to add negatives to the end of each workout?

Thanks!

For point #2, stick to the program as is for at least the first and perhaps 2 cycle.. once you are well into it then you can probably add your negatives on there.

[64509chvl]

Sorry, bumping my question from earlier. Would really appreciate a response if anyone has some advice. Thanks!

Guess it depends on how light u started! IMO 20% is too much though...better to not be in a hurry & start wearing/doing those things that make you look weird, J/K! Who cares how u look...once u get past that point you'll never have to go back! Too big of jumps & you'll stall in no time making u even more frustrated!

[adambannon]

This program is 100% legit. Just completed cycle 1, week 5 heavy day and boy was it tough. Managed to complete all the reps on both sets except bench press. If you follow it as layed out and keep your rest times to 1:30 as stated it will really challange you. Knowing that I had to get 12 reps forces you to dig deep and find that little extra instead of just going through the motions. Overall I am happy with the first cycle. Dissappointed I didn't complete the bench but I'll repeat the weight and get it next time.

[Empy3]

Hello all, got a quick question as to if this program should be modified at all to me, or just leave it exactly as is.

I realize that I am mostly untrained, and there are a significant amount of gains I can make using this program, so I am definitely going to be using this program for quite a while. My only concern is, relative to everything else, my calves are already fairly strong. For whatever reason, they are just naturally large.

Would it be best to keep training them anyways, as this program suggests, or just let them be for now, and let everything else grow & catch up some?
If yes, what would the best exercise be to continue making progress? The standing calf machine hasn't been too helpful, since I can max out the weight on it for a full 20 reps.

[64509chvl]

This program is 100% legit. Just completed cycle 1, week 5 heavy day and boy was it tough. Managed to complete all the reps on both sets except bench press. If you follow it as layed out and keep your rest times to 1:30 as stated it will really challange you. Knowing that I had to get 12 reps forces you to dig deep and find that little extra instead of just going through the motions. Overall I am happy with the first cycle. Dissappointed I didn't complete the bench but I'll repeat the weight and get it next time.

Good job Adam! How many reps did ya get for bench on the 2nd set? Yes you're right...stickin to that 90 seconds between work sets really gets your endurance going...being consistent is huge!

[64509chvl]

Hello all, got a quick question as to if this program should be modified at all to me, or just leave it exactly as is.

I realize that I am mostly untrained, and there are a significant amount of gains I can make using this program, so I am definitely going to be using this program for quite a while. My only concern is, relative to everything else, my calves are already fairly strong. For whatever reason, they are just naturally large.

Would it be best to keep training them anyways, as this program suggests, or just let them be for now, and let everything else grow & catch up some?
If yes, what would the best exercise be to continue making progress? The standing calf machine hasn't been too helpful, since I can max out the weight on it for a full 20 reps.

That's awesome man...consider yourself lucky, lol! My calfs naturally suck! Keep working them...use the bar like doing squats but just do calf raises, that way u can put as much weight as u want on it! This program will start to even lifts out in the later cycles! Just run it as is!

[adambannon]

Good job Adam! How many reps did ya get for bench on the 2nd set? Yes you're right...stickin to that 90 seconds between work sets really gets your endurance going...being consistent is huge!

Only managed to get 9 reps on the second set.

[64509chvl]

Only managed to get 9 reps on the second set.

It's all good man...it'll come around, you'll surely notice! I'm sure on that 2nd set it felt like u just stopped right? When endurance starts to get goin you'll be able to pump a few reps out instead of just dropping off...feels really good!

[Empy3]

That's awesome man...consider yourself lucky, lol! My calfs naturally suck! Keep working them...use the bar like doing squats but just do calf raises, that way u can put as much weight as u want on it! This program will start to even lifts out in the later cycles! Just run it as is!

Haha, definitely do on that one.
Would it be better to use a smith machine to do the calf raises that way? I was experimenting with using a leg press machine before, since I could put a ton of weight on that, and it seemed to be able to create a similar movement.

Also, having never really tried to eat at a calorie surplus before.. do I want to add extra calories on lift days? I napkin math'd myself at around 3000 calories that I should be eating right now, using the numbers from the nutrition board stickies. The stickies over there didn't really mention of that should stay the same, or vary based on activity.

[adambannon]

It's all good man...it'll come around, you'll surely notice! I'm sure on that 2nd set it felt like u just stopped right? When endurance starts to get goin you'll be able to pump a few reps out instead of just dropping off...feels really good!

Ya lol. First 6 were okay, next two were hard, and the 9th I barely got up.

[64509chvl]

Haha, definitely do on that one.
Would it be better to use a smith machine to do the calf raises that way? I was experimenting with using a leg press machine before, since I could put a ton of weight on that, and it seemed to be able to create a similar movement.

Also, having never really tried to eat at a calorie surplus before.. do I want to add extra calories on lift days? I napkin math'd myself at around 3000 calories that I should be eating right now, using the numbers from the nutrition board stickies. The stickies over there didn't really mention of that should stay the same, or vary based on activity.

It's really best to use the bar so u recruit a bunch more muscles to balance the weight...really can't beat it to be honest!
As far as eating at a surplus...that's kind of a personal thing...for instance, myself right now, I'm eating at a deficit from bulking for close to 5 months (I was already a bit over weight when I started) so its time to drop a few! Thing is I would die if I ate like that on workout days at the point I'm at on the program...so I cycle carbs to get me through the workouts & so far so good!

When I was bulking...I ate clean & always took in atleast 3000 cals every day no matter what & that worked real good aswell, but u gain weight & need to add more cals every so often to keep gaining every week! I ended up at 3500 cals a day!

[mbaoo]

So I found out my 10 rep maxes a few days ago.

Im set to start this tomorrow. Except after reading a few more posts, I have a couple questions.

When I saw deadlifts, I figured okay, deadlifts. I somehow missed the stiff legged part.. I think I did 185 doing conventional deadlifts for my 10 rep. If I am going to do this, I figure I might as well do it right and do stiff legged? I have never done them before. Should i find my 10 rep max for that and wait two days. Or do you guys think my sldl will be similar to my 185 conventional?

Also, for calf raise is it okay to do it on the sitting calf raise machine? I can do them standing, but I dont get the full movement since I am only going up.

Also bench press I really prefer using dumbells. When I did SS, when my bench got to around 190 using the barbell, it was a pain to have to ask for a spot for every single set. So I switched over to dumbells. Should I switch back to barbell? Will dumbells be as effective for this program?

Thank you in advance.

[64509chvl]

So I found out my 10 rep maxes a few days ago.

Im set to start this tomorrow. Except after reading a few more posts, I have a couple questions.

When I saw deadlifts, I figured okay, deadlifts. I somehow missed the stiff legged part.. I think I did 185 doing conventional deadlifts for my 10 rep. If I am going to do this, I figure I might as well do it right and do stiff legged? I have never done them before. Should i find my 10 rep max for that and wait two days. Or do you guys think my sldl will be similar to my 185 conventional?

Also, for calf raise is it okay to do it on the sitting calf raise machine? I can do them standing, but I dont get the full movement since I am only going up.

Also bench press I really prefer using dumbells. When I did SS, when my bench got to around 190 using the barbell, it was a pain to have to ask for a spot for every single set. So I switched over to dumbells. Should I switch back to barbell? Will dumbells be as effective for this program?

Thank you in advance.

I'd retest for SLDL's! For calf raises, use the bar & stand on a block or a 45 pound plate. As for bench...dumbells are fine.

[surfzrup]

What cycle is this for you?

Cycle 2!