AllPro: A Simple Beginner's Routine part VI

[nightanole]

Sounds good. I will run it that way all next cycle and see if I have progressed. I have been using 90 second rests between sets on the first three exercises and 60 seconds for the remaining ones. Is that correct?

I recomend a full 90 second rest on all sets for heavy day, for max performance and bar speed. Then you can reduce rest times on medium and light day if you want, some get them down to 30 seconds on 8-9 rep weeks on light day. The point of medium and light day is apply volume(which is the main promoter of growth), and not let you recover from heavy day. The point of heavy day is to fatigue you, and will be the main pusher of strength/performance.

[nightanole]

hello again, I took your advice the last workout and tried box squats and i guess i am learning proper squat now cuz i had no strains in my groin like i used to have after each session and i didn't lean forward as before.

but for the SLDLi tried to push it and I think I got injured my left lower back/glute.

The problem is like follows : when I get up from a bending over position i feel a sharp pain in the very low left back radiating to left glute for less than 2 seconds then it subsides , it also appears after finishing the bent over rows and getting upright. I had a training session today but i didn't go and tried to rest. what can i do about this ? the pain is not big really. should i go tomorrow and train through it or should i completely stop it and wait for recovery ?

Thank you for your time

You aggravated some connecting tissue by stretching it, and connective tissue is not meant to be stretched, only the muscle. Honestly if you are not in a rush, i would do a warmups only week, and then reset to 9 rep week. Connective tissue strains take longer to heal than muscle strains (24-48 hours unless its a grade 1 tear that bleeds). I also see you are over 30 years old, so you might want to pay more attention to your hydration and warmups. "stuff" isnt as elastic and supple as it used to be. A student athlete might be able to walk in and do allpro with zero warmups. That is completely different from one with years of accumulated stress, and trying to walk in and do allpro. Odds are Allpro is the longest extension the muscles have seen for days, and the most amount of force used.

[Marcus069]

Nightanole, I just started the program and have started light. I am 80 kg, 6ft, about 10% bodyfat with an ectomorph body.
Are these weights okay to start with on my heavy day?

Squat - 52kg
Bench - 37kg
Rows - 32kg
OHP - 17kg
Chinups - bodyweight
Deadlift - 52kg

My aim is to get to 85kg. Can you tell me how many calories I should be aiming for during the first couple of cycles? At least 2,500 or do I need 3,000?
Also, I dont care about calves. Can I do an abs exercise instead or Dips maybe?

Thanks.

[nightanole]

Nightanole, I just started the program and have started light. I am 80 kg, 6ft, about 10% bodyfat with an ectomorph body.
Are these weights okay to start with on my heavy day?

Squat - 52kg
Bench - 37kg
Rows - 32kg
OHP - 17kg
Chinups - bodyweight
Deadlift - 52kg

My aim is to get to 85kg. Can you tell me how many calories I should be aiming for during the first couple of cycles? At least 2,500 or do I need 3,000?
Also, I dont care about calves. Can I do an abs exercise instead or Dips maybe?

Thanks.

All your numbers look in line, other than your OHP is very weak, but that is normal.

The starting diet is 100g of fats/protein and 200-300 g of carbs, its 2100-2500 cals. As for how fast to bulk, you want to bulk at 1/4-1/3 the rate you can cut at without your lifts going to crap. So if a 1kg per week cut causes you to drop working weight, you better not be bulking at more than .333kg per week. And I (and the internet) have no magic ball to tell you the calories you need, i however would recommend adjusting mainly carbs, as that will improve performance.

No you do not have to do calves, its a cosmetic exercise with no carry over, its for the 1/3 of gen pop that cant grow them on the core program alone. If you want to add more meat to your frame, I would go with some really heave farmer carries for 15-20m(if you go less than 15m, remove some weight next time, if you go over 20m, add some weight next time) after each workout. Dips are great, but they only work a few pounds of muscle, farmer carries works about everything, and is less robbing of recovery vs deadlifts.

[zumie]

Going to start with my 2nd cycle next week with these numbers, i know i should try to get my row as high as my bench but need some assistence with the rows and SLDL.
I went 10% higher on everything, maybe i have to up some numbers?

Squat - 45kg
Bench - 50kg
Rows - 40kg
SLDL - 45kg
OHP - 25kg
Curls - 27,5kg
CR - 35kg

Also pretty sure i'm doing something wrong with the calf raise machine cause i dont feel anything...

[nightanole]

Going to start with my 2nd cycle next week with these numbers, i know i should try to get my row as high as my bench but need some assistence with the rows and SLDL.
I went 10% higher on everything, maybe i have to up some numbers?

Squat - 45kg
Bench - 50kg
Rows - 40kg
SLDL - 45kg
OHP - 25kg
Curls - 27,5kg
CR - 35kg

Also pretty sure i'm doing something wrong with the calf raise machine cause i dont feel anything...

row just needs to be within 20% of the bench.

Id drop calf raises and switch to farmer carries

Just pick a weight you can carry for 15-20m, if you cant carry it 15m, drop some weight, if you can carry it over 20m, add some more weight. If you want a bit more core action, do them high foot style, and just raise the foot to around knee level when you step. either style will help out the row/SLDL, and workout the calfs a little too.

However if you are stil on "team no calfs" you still have to do full range calf raises

[zumie]

row just needs to be within 20% of the bench.

Id drop calf raises and switch to farmer carries

Just pick a weight you can carry for 15-20m, if you cant carry it 15m, drop some weight, if you can carry it over 20m, add some more weight. If you want a bit more core action, do them high foot style, and just raise the foot to around knee level when you step. either style will help out the row/SLDL, and workout the calfs a little too.

However if you are stil on "team no calfs" you still have to do full range calf raises

I'm not on team no calfs but I did calf raises with one leg and holding on dumbell on the same side as the leg that I'm leaning on.
I remember it was killing me, that's why it's weird that with the standing calf raise i dont feel a thing..
Next session i'll try to do the sitting calf raise or i go back to the calf raises with the dumbell

[Alcove]

I have been slowly working through the threads for this program. There is a lot of great information posted. I just wanted to say thanks Night for keeping this program updated and answering questions.

Figured out my 10RM and starting Cycle 1 tomorrow.

Squat - 95lbs
Bench - 115
Row - 95
OHP - 75
SLDL - 100
BC - 35

I am working the program on an approx 750 cal deficit (5'10", 206lbs, 25%+ bf). Expecting to have beginner gains at first, but will probably plateau out in 2-3 cycles. I believe you mentioned just trying to pass Week 3 when that happens to maintain, is that correct? Also question with the squats, with my feet at shoulder width apart I cannot get my quads lower than 45 degrees. It feels like there is an impingement of some kind. When I expand out to ~1.5 x shoulder width, I can break 90 degrees. Is this an acceptable stance for the squat?

[nightanole]

I have been slowly working through the threads for this program. There is a lot of great information posted. I just wanted to say thanks Night for keeping this program updated and answering questions.

Figured out my 10RM and starting Cycle 1 tomorrow.

Squat - 95lbs
Bench - 115
Row - 95
OHP - 75
SLDL - 100
BC - 35

I am working the program on an approx 750 cal deficit (5'10", 206lbs, 25%+ bf). Expecting to have beginner gains at first, but will probably plateau out in 2-3 cycles. I believe you mentioned just trying to pass Week 3 when that happens to maintain, is that correct? Also question with the squats, with my feet at shoulder width apart I cannot get my quads lower than 45 degrees. It feels like there is an impingement of some kind. When I expand out to ~1.5 x shoulder width, I can break 90 degrees. Is this an acceptable stance for the squat?

Yup, on a deep cut you always need to hit all the reps on 10 rep week, it proves you are not cutting the calories so much that performance is degrading.

As for the squat problem, just try out box squats for now.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SP2b1KnLIUw

The only thing he omits in the video, is shins need to be perpendicular to the floor in all directions when sitting on the box. If your knees travel forward, is a half arsed box squat, if the knees travel inward, you will get knee pain in a few sessions. Its a very wide form squat, so it should be up your alley. And you can start an inch or 2 above parallel, and work your way down to 1-2" below parallel, over 2 cycles. The SLDL will help to increase your range of motion in the squat, and so will just, squatting to your full range.

[Alcove]

Yup, on a deep cut you always need to hit all the reps on 10 rep week, it proves you are not cutting the calories so much that performance is degrading.

As for the squat problem, just try out box squats for now.

The only thing he omits in the video, is shins need to be perpendicular to the floor in all directions when sitting on the box. If your knees travel forward, is a half arsed box squat, if the knees travel inward, you will get knee pain in a few sessions. Its a very wide form squat, so it should be up your alley. And you can start an inch or 2 above parallel, and work your way down to 1-2" below parallel, over 2 cycles. The SLDL will help to increase your range of motion in the squat, and so will just, squatting to your full range.

Perfect, will give that a go. Thank you.

[Marcus069]

All your numbers look in line, other than your OHP is very weak, but that is normal.

The starting diet is 100g of fats/protein and 200-300 g of carbs, its 2100-2500 cals. As for how fast to bulk, you want to bulk at 1/4-1/3 the rate you can cut at without your lifts going to crap. So if a 1kg per week cut causes you to drop working weight, you better not be bulking at more than .333kg per week. And I (and the internet) have no magic ball to tell you the calories you need, i however would recommend adjusting mainly carbs, as that will improve performance.

No you do not have to do calves, its a cosmetic exercise with no carry over, its for the 1/3 of gen pop that cant grow them on the core program alone. If you want to add more meat to your frame, I would go with some really heave farmer carries for 15-20m(if you go less than 15m, remove some weight next time, if you go over 20m, add some weight next time) after each workout. Dips are great, but they only work a few pounds of muscle, farmer carries works about everything, and is less robbing of recovery vs deadlifts.

Yep, OHP is my weak point especially after 8 reps, so I thought I would start that light on it.

Thanks for the diet tip, I will aim for that starting diet and go from there.

I have no idea what weight to start with for farmer carries. Should I just start at 20kg each arm and experiment from there? Also do you recommend 2 sets for this? One 15m carry, 30 sec rest, then another 15m carry?

[Marcus069]

1)
3) Mehdi is not a coach, has zero certs, zero records, zero clients with records. Hes an internet marketer that took and old school program, and boiled it down to a few lifts. Also due to the 2 sets, you need the bench and OHP in order to get in enough chest/arm volume.

Yep, I wish I realised this before I started Stronglifts. I just hated adding weight to the squats each workout! Thanks, nightanole.

[nightanole]

Yep, OHP is my weak point especially after 8 reps, so I thought I would start that light on it.

Thanks for the diet tip, I will aim for that starting diet and go from there.

I have no idea what weight to start with for farmer carries. Should I just start at 20kg each arm and experiment from there? Also do you recommend 2 sets for this? One 15m carry, 30 sec rest, then another 15m carry?

Start off with 1 set of carries after each workout. I dont have a magic ball to figure out the weight, the weight needs to be heavy enough that you cant walk more than 20m, but light enough that you can walk at least 15m.

[Mithos]

Hi, just finished my third cycle and I've managed to increase my weights in almost all my lifts.
Gonna begin a cut but I note I'm lacking on my traps.
Is it acceptable to sub the bicep curl for a snatch grip High pull?
I think It'll hit traps and delts while keeping the vertical pull, and movem3nt kinda mimics front pull.
Also, I don't want to add another exercise as I'll be on a caloric deficit

[nightanole]

Hi, just finished my third cycle and I've managed to increase my weights in almost all my lifts.
Gonna begin a cut but I note I'm lacking on my traps.
Is it acceptable to sub the bicep curl for a snatch grip High pull?
I think It'll hit traps and delts while keeping the vertical pull, and movem3nt kinda mimics front pull.
Also, I don't want to add another exercise as I'll be on a caloric deficit

Curl is the wild card, you can do what you want. As long as it doesnt affect the core workout, feel free to add any exercise. The high pull is pretty advanced, but if you can pull it off go for it.

[PISSINCODEINE]

My stomach is doing this weird wave that feels really unnatural on my SLDL's. Anyone know what this is or how i can fix it

[PISSINCODEINE]

I meant my abdomen. It happens when im about 45 degrees on my way up from the deadlift then it does this weird peristaltic wave where it feels like my stomach sucks in for second and shocks me then the problem resolves as I come all the way up.

[nightanole]

I meant my abdomen. It happens when im about 45 degrees on my way up from the deadlift then it does this weird peristaltic wave where it feels like my stomach sucks in for second and shocks me then the problem resolves as I come all the way up.

You could try a new bracing technique. You use the same one for every standing movement.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcY3YSW9vX4

[Mithos]

Hi once again.
Any suggestions to increase my pushes? They are by far my weakest link.
At 6'10'' and 167lbs my lifts for this cycle are:
Squat 225 lbs
Bench 135 lbs
Row 135 lbs
Ohp 90 lbs
Rdl 180 lbs
High pull 80 lbs
Farmer carries with 60 lbs on each hand

Thanks

[nightanole]

Hi once again.
Any suggestions to increase my pushes? They are by far my weakest link.
At 6'10'' and 167lbs my lifts for this cycle are:
Squat 225 lbs
Bench 135 lbs
Row 135 lbs
Ohp 90 lbs
Rdl 180 lbs
High pull 80 lbs
Farmer carries with 60 lbs on each hand

Thanks

Where is the weak point in the pushes? Triceps, shoulders, chest, etc. Everyone gets stuck 1-2" off the chest, but there is no point in adding skull crushers, when you really need dips, or you just need some lateral raises for the shoulders. What doesnt feel "solid" when you are doing the exercises?

[Mithos]

Where is the weak point in the pushes? Triceps, shoulders, chest, etc. Everyone gets stuck 1-2" off the chest, but there is no point in adding skull crushers, when you really need dips, or you just need some lateral raises for the shoulders. What doesnt feel "solid" when you are doing the exercises?

I have troubles touching chest with bar on last reps and on the OHP I usually find myself exaggerating the knee momentum to get the bar up

[Weaver13]

nightanole, I have question about the weight increment. At my gym, I can only add 5lbs or 10lbs of weight, there is no between. So my current squat is 75 lbs, in the next cycle should I increase the weight by 10lbs or 5lbs?

[nightanole]

I have troubles touching chest with bar on last reps and on the OHP I usually find myself exaggerating the knee momentum to get the bar up

If you have some dumb bells, do a reverse grip bench with them, and go pretty wide(if shoulders start popping off the bench, you went too far). 1 set to failure after each workout, enough weight to high 15 rep, but heavy enough you dont hit 20. Add or take away alittle weight if you hit 15 or 20 reps.

[nightanole]

nightanole, I have question about the weight increment. At my gym, I can only add 5lbs or 10lbs of weight, there is no between. So my current squat is 75 lbs, in the next cycle should I increase the weight by 10lbs or 5lbs?

If you dont want to make some chain weights like i have been telling the UK folk (they can only go up / down 5kg) then if you just barely got in that 12th rep, only go up 5lbs. But the following cycle you need to really focus on keeping the rest time low and the bar speed high. If you dont, it will be like a 2 week deload.

[Kenny211]

I have some questions. I'm a beginner at weight lifting and I've ran into a couple of problems. First, Im currently doing 15lbs pairs on squats, 12.5lb pairs on everything else but 10 lbs on bicep curls.

My biggest issue right now is that I'm failing on bicep curls during the 3rd set, around 6th rep. This is due to my left arm being considerably weaker (my right arm can go further). From what I read, I should stop the set, and take a longer break and try again. On my last set, I can barely finish the 4th rep on my left arm. After failing on my left arm the last 3 workout sessions for the bicep curl, I don't know what to do. 5lbs was too easy, while 10lbs seems too difficult. But Im not seeing any significant improvement on my left arm while failing all those sets. I'm also doing alternating bicep curls mainly because so I don't overwork my right arm, and I can focus on the form while doing my left arm.

At this rate, I'm probably gonna have to stay the same weight for that exercise. But if I complete the 5th week without fail for my other exercises, do I go up the weight for those exercises? Or do I stay the same weight so my biceps can catch up?

Facts that may or may not be relevant: I'm also cutting right now, and I've sub dumbbells for all the excercises, mainly because i'm not comfortable using a barbell

[nightanole]

I have some questions. I'm a beginner at weight lifting and I've ran into a couple of problems. First, Im currently doing 15lbs pairs on squats, 12.5lb pairs on everything else but 10 lbs on bicep curls.

My biggest issue right now is that I'm failing on bicep curls during the 3rd set, around 6th rep. This is due to my left arm being considerably weaker (my right arm can go further). From what I read, I should stop the set, and take a longer break and try again. On my last set, I can barely finish the 4th rep on my left arm. After failing on my left arm the last 3 workout sessions for the bicep curl, I don't know what to do. 5lbs was too easy, while 10lbs seems too difficult. But Im not seeing any significant improvement on my left arm while failing all those sets. I'm also doing alternating bicep curls mainly because so I don't overwork my right arm, and I can focus on the form while doing my left arm.

At this rate, I'm probably gonna have to stay the same weight for that exercise. But if I complete the 5th week without fail for my other exercises, do I go up the weight for those exercises? Or do I stay the same weight so my biceps can catch up?

Facts that may or may not be relevant: I'm also cutting right now, and I've sub dumbbells for all the excercises, mainly because i'm not comfortable using a barbell

FAQ
Question 1: So how many sets am I doing exactly?
Answer: You are doing exactly 2 work-sets for each exercise. In addition, you are doing 2 warm-up sets for the first three exercises only (Squats, Bench Press and Bent Over Rows) - the remaining four exercises do not require warm-ups, however you can do them if you feel the need to. Here is a blue-print for all the sets you should be doing, in that order:

Squats: warm-up, warm-up, work-set, work-set
Bench Press: warm-up, warm-up, work-set, work-set
Bent Over Row: warm-up, warm-up, work-set, work-set
Over Head Press: work-set, work-set
Stiff Legged Deadlifts: work-set, work-set
Curls: work-set, work-set
Calf Raises: work-set, work-set

2 sets of each exercise. As for the curl, you can do any type you want. You could try hammer grip for a more balanced load. I do them incline supenation style.

[Kenny211]

2 sets of each exercise. As for the curl, you can do any type you want. You could try hammer grip for a more balanced load. I do them incline supenation style.

OOOOH, me and my dumbass been doing 4 sets for the past 4 weeks. My head probably got fixated on the number 4, and basically just went ham. Dam, should've read more carefully. Thank you! Since I've been able to do 4 sets on other exercises, should I be upping the weight? Or should I just wait until the next cycle?

[xempik]

Hi Nightanole,

I know you have been over this, but I wanted to reignite the topic

The whole topic comes down to the fact that I got a very tender back, and I just can't seem to be able to overload it without having problems.

Squat, bench, OHP --> I am using dumbells. I know you said BB is superior in terms of bodybuilding due to sheer weight (more weight), but DB's also have some advantages right? How much slower progression are we talking about in size, like 20-30%?

Cable row instead of BB or DB Bor --> again, is this kind of acceptable doing the cable row machine? Im using the close grip triangle type handle, or should i use the wide handle?

Lastly, leg curl --> SLDL is the biggest killer for me, last time I hurt my back. Leg curl sucks tho, my knees are ok but it feels ackward and im afraid of the long-term health detriment of this machine if I keep doing it, you think there is some kind of alternative except for SLDL and good morning, something that doesn't target the back so much?

Thanks!

Maybe also I will mention my goal. I go to the gym for the health benefit (sport), and as a add-on I want to look good and be overall "fit" being able to carry over to normal life like move the washing machine or carry heavy groceries, plus being able to look good is a nice benefit. I don't really care about the legs not being huge as long as it doesn't look too unproportional. I don't want to be too big either, I think having the look of someone who has been going to the gym hardcore for 1-2 years is enough for me in the long-term. I go to the gym like 1-2x a week.

[nightanole]

OOOOH, me and my dumbass been doing 4 sets for the past 4 weeks. My head probably got fixated on the number 4, and basically just went ham. Dam, should've read more carefully. Thank you! Since I've been able to do 4 sets on other exercises, should I be upping the weight? Or should I just wait until the next cycle?

Just wait till next cycle, but make sure to switch to 2 sets, and do a 2 set test day this cycle.

[nightanole]

Hi Nightanole,

I know you have been over this, but I wanted to reignite the topic

The whole topic comes down to the fact that I got a very tender back, and I just can't seem to be able to overload it without having problems.

Squat, bench, OHP --> I am using dumbells. I know you said BB is superior in terms of bodybuilding due to sheer weight (more weight), but DB's also have some advantages right? How much slower progression are we talking about in size, like 20-30%?

Cable row instead of BB or DB Bor --> again, is this kind of acceptable doing the cable row machine? Im using the close grip triangle type handle, or should i use the wide handle?

Lastly, leg curl --> SLDL is the biggest killer for me, last time I hurt my back. Leg curl sucks tho, my knees are ok but it feels ackward and im afraid of the long-term health detriment of this machine if I keep doing it, you think there is some kind of alternative except for SLDL and good morning, something that doesn't target the back so much?

Thanks!

Maybe also I will mention my goal. I go to the gym for the health benefit (sport), and as a add-on I want to look good and be overall "fit" being able to carry over to normal life like move the washing machine or carry heavy groceries, plus being able to look good is a nice benefit. I don't really care about the legs not being huge as long as it doesn't look too unproportional. I don't want to be too big either, I think having the look of someone who has been going to the gym hardcore for 1-2 years is enough for me in the long-term. I go to the gym like 1-2x a week.

Dumbbell work will get slower as you approach body weight. Bar bells will bring up your dumb bell weight, dumb bells will not bring up your bar bell weight.

"cable" rows are acceptable. Again try to make it look like a reverse bench press for grip and where it its the chest.

Im still not getting the SLDL problem. You are doing these unloaded and still hurting your back? The weight really doesnt matter, the point of the exercise is to extend your range of motion. On top of that its impossible to hurt a straight back. Backs get hurt during flexation under load, not from static holds. I could put 1000lbs on your back right now, you wouldnt get hurt till you back is no longer straight. That thought takes a little to get your head around at first. So i would start asking myself, on what exercise is my back flexing, which is wearing out my spinal erectors, and causing flexation and even disc pinching.

Other than that you do have the glute ham raise, and since you have a gym, they may have a reverse hyper platform.


Other than that you could look into powerliftingtowin's free ebook called programmingtowin. It is designed to mitigate lower back fatigue, so you can deadlift and low bar with more weight per week.