AllPro: A Simple Beginner's Routine part VI

[joshaldo]

I have been running this program for about 2 and a half months now and have noticed some good fat loss and great strength gains. This week though I feel like I have been hit by a bus, bad back soreness, sore legs etc. I have done the Monday and Wednesday lifts, should I go lighter than normal on the Friday or have the day off?

[nightanole]

I have been running this program for about 2 and a half months now and have noticed some good fat loss and great strength gains. This week though I feel like I have been hit by a bus, bad back soreness, sore legs etc. I have done the Monday and Wednesday lifts, should I go lighter than normal on the Friday or have the day off?

Light should feel light, medium is normally the hardest day of the week. Sounds like you are going a little too light on the carbs. Even if you are "running off of fat" you still need to replenish the muscle glycogen stores in-between workouts or you will get sore as hell and start dropping a lot of water weight. Trust me i know when im down 2lbs, the next session feels like a brick wall even if i didnt up the weight/reps.

[CROxMAG]

I'm on all pro currently and I've been looking at various ab exercises to do on my off days. I want to avoid too much oblique work, as huge obliques look dumb to me, but also hit the transverse abs. Came up with this:

Weighted decline crunches with twist to alternate sides: 3x20, increase weight when possible

Plank: 3xFailure

Vacuum: 3xFailure

Thoughts in terms of volume and range? I was thinking about changing the weighted crunches for bicycle crunches if there was a lack of benches at the gym in which case I would do 3xFailure on those too. It could also function as a home workout this way too. I'd be doing this routine twice a week and I want primary focus on transverse and lower abs. Are there any killer exercises obviously missing? Should I add more?

[nightanole]

I'm on all pro currently and I've been looking at various ab exercises to do on my off days. I want to avoid too much oblique work, as huge obliques look dumb to me, but also hit the transverse abs. Came up with this:

Weighted decline crunches with twist to alternate sides: 3x20, increase weight when possible

Plank: 3xFailure

Vacuum: 3xFailure

Thoughts in terms of volume and range? I was thinking about changing the weighted crunches for bicycle crunches if there was a lack of benches at the gym in which case I would do 3xFailure on those too. It could also function as a home workout this way too. I'd be doing this routine twice a week and I want primary focus on transverse and lower abs. Are there any killer exercises obviously missing? Should I add more?

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...post1394770313

As always for ab work, it is my opinion if you have to brace your feet, you are using the hips and not the abs. So those decline crunches are fine if you are just hooking the back of the knee on the mat, and not pushing against the ankle pad for leverage.

[ultimaforsan]

Hey Nightanole,

Is there any reason why I can hardly increase my curls? On cycle 1 I was lifting 60lbs and now on cycle 3, I lift 75lbs. They are very hard to do even if I feel that my biceps and arms are getting much bigger than they were before begining allpro. I'm also bulking so I thought that it would help to lift bigger weights on curls but apparently not.

[nightanole]

Hey Nightanole,

Is there any reason why I can hardly increase my curls? On cycle 1 I was lifting 60lbs and now on cycle 3, I lift 75lbs. They are very hard to do even if I feel that my biceps and arms are getting much bigger than they were before begining allpro. I'm also bulking so I thought that it would help to lift bigger weights on curls but apparently not.

Wut

cycle 1
60 + 6

cycle 2
66+7

cycle 3
73+7

I fail to see the slow down. Plus the curl is an isolation exercise to fatigue, whats making your bicep grow is the row.

Story time. You can not progress on curls, if all you do is curl. If you row/chinup/other compounds, and increase the compounds, guess what, your curl goes up. curls dont increase curls. End of story time.

[DrakHarr]

Wut

cycle 1
60 + 6

cycle 2
66+7

cycle 3
73+7

I fail to see the slow down. Plus the curl is an isolation exercise to fatigue, whats making your bicep grow is the row.

Story time. You can not progress on curls, if all you do is curl. If you row/chinup/other compounds, and increase the compounds, guess what, your curl goes up. curls dont increase curls. End of story time.

That was a good story time. I got popcorn and everything!

Next week will be the doozy of test week. I might go get my bodyfat tested somewhere accuratey. I'm usually well hydrated by I took one of those handheld ones and it was way, way off what both the circumference/skinfold and the eyeball test say about my bodyfat (I look about 18ish, it put me at over 25%). I guess I COULD have been dehydrated...

[juangutierrez35]

I will try this workout plan Next week, I am currently doing a split Workout plan but i keep seeing that everyone is saying Full body is better Could you briefly explain why?And would Cardio on a Stationary Bike be fine?Or would a treadmill be better?

[nightanole]

That was a good story time. I got popcorn and everything!

Next week will be the doozy of test week. I might go get my bodyfat tested somewhere accuratey. I'm usually well hydrated by I took one of those handheld ones and it was way, way off what both the circumference/skinfold and the eyeball test say about my bodyfat (I look about 18ish, it put me at over 25%). I guess I COULD have been dehydrated...

While they cant tell what you are, the caliper in the 3-6 spots test can at least tell if you are gaining or losing fat.

Dropped 5lbs, check the caliber, if everything is thinner, good job.
Gained 5lbs, check the caliber, if everything is thicker, slow your roll.
Dropped 5lbs, check the caliber, if everything is the same, FUUUUUUUUUUUUU

[nightanole]

I will try this workout plan Next week, I am currently doing a split Workout plan but i keep seeing that everyone is saying Full body is better Could you briefly explain why?And would Cardio on a Stationary Bike be fine?Or would a treadmill be better?

It depends on what stage of the game in lifting if full body vs split is good for you.

Just woke up from a coma, 2-3 sessions a day every day would be fine.
Can only squat 1/4 your weight, 2-3 sets a day every day would be fine.
Can squat plate-bw, every other day would be fine
Can squat 3 plate for 3 sets of 5, might want to back it down to 2 sessions a week.

Then comes the "i need 20-30min of squatting per session to grow" time. This is the time of the upper/lower or push/pull split 2x a week. Since to get in more than about 2 muscle groups takes an hour or more.

Powerliftingtowin describes strength training as a sun tan. When you first start off really pale, you can only tan for a few min, as you get darker and darker (stronger) you need to tan longer and longer (volume per session). At some point tanning every day for 5min isnt going to do squat for your tan.

[banjoman23]

I will try this workout plan Next week, I am currently doing a split Workout plan but i keep seeing that everyone is saying Full body is better Could you briefly explain why?And would Cardio on a Stationary Bike be fine?Or would a treadmill be better?

Split vs Fullbody: http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=139911893

For cardio, whatever modality you prefer the most. That's what you'll be most consistent in performing. Remember that its goal is to build cardiovascular health, and burn a few calories, not build muscle or justify a junk diet.

[JohnSmithXP]

hey man, focus on what i'm gonna write next cause i'm not very good at story telling

last week i did test day of cycle 8 for this program and passed everything, but i had troubles and couldn't do the medium and light workouts.

so today i started the intermediate 2 program, and i was supposed to bench 100 kg 4x4, but i only got 3 reps the first 3 sets and i did the last set with 90 kg cause i'd rather do that than get 100 kg stuck on my chest.

the rest of the lifts were completely fine though.

anyway in the beginner program cycle 8 i was benching 85 kg for 12 reps so 120 is supposed to be my 1 rep max right? using a rep max calculator, 102 kg had to be my 6 rep max. and i did 100, and got only 3's. what happened?

there were kids training karate in the gym and they were behind the bench and screaming very loud so maybe that affected me, and in addition i missed 2 workouts, and it was at night and i'm used to working out 8 am, and it was a different gym and i'm not used to their bench and bars...

so many things, it seems like it was just a bad day right? what do you think?

i'm thinking about doing 90 kg for now and take it easy but then bench will be equal to rows, is that fine?

thanks

[nightanole]

hey man, focus on what i'm gonna write next cause i'm not very good at story telling

last week i did test day of cycle 8 for this program and passed everything, but i had troubles and couldn't do the medium and light workouts.

so today i started the intermediate 2 program, and i was supposed to bench 100 kg 4x4, but i only got 3 reps the first 3 sets and i did the last set with 90 kg cause i'd rather do that than get 100 kg stuck on my chest.

the rest of the lifts were completely fine though.

anyway in the beginner program cycle 8 i was benching 85 kg for 12 reps so 120 is supposed to be my 1 rep max right? using a rep max calculator, 102 kg had to be my 6 rep max. and i did 100, and got only 3's. what happened?

there were kids training karate in the gym and they were behind the bench and screaming very loud so maybe that affected me, and in addition i missed 2 workouts, and it was at night and i'm used to working out 8 am, and it was a different gym and i'm not used to their bench and bars...

so many things, it seems like it was just a bad day right? what do you think?

i'm thinking about doing 90 kg for now and take it easy but then bench will be equal to rows, is that fine?

thanks

We will assume that 85kg is your 12 rep max. Use allpro tech to move 4 spots up, that puts your 7 rep max at 93.5, move 4 more spots for a 3 rep max of 102.85. However you should have started the program ,light and at your 6 rep max, which would be between 90-95kg depending on how well your cns adapts to rep ranges. I can do 88.5kg for one any day of the week after my work sets, however im lucky if i can get in a set of 10 at 60kg as my first work set.

[JohnSmithXP]

We will assume that 85kg is your 12 rep max. Use allpro tech to move 4 spots up, that puts your 7 rep max at 93.5, move 4 more spots for a 3 rep max of 102.85. However you should have started the program ,light and at your 6 rep max, which would be between 90-95kg depending on how well your cns adapts to rep ranges. I can do 88.5kg for one any day of the week after my work sets, however im lucky if i can get in a set of 10 at 60kg as my first work set.

This is how i did it

85 is 12 rep max, so 1 rep max = 85 ÷ 0.70 = ~121

and therefore 6 rep max would be 121 x 0.83 = 100.4

ok, well it seems 100 should be exactly my 6 rep max according to this method. but yes i should have done 90% just in case and also taking into account that it's now 4 sets not 2

i'm gonna do 90 then. the other lifts were good though, so i don't think i'll have to lower them too

thanks for help

[nightanole]

This is how i did it

85 is 12 rep max, so 1 rep max = 85 ÷ 0.70 = ~121

and therefore 6 rep max would be 121 x 0.83 = 100.4

ok, well it seems 100 should be exactly my 6 rep max according to this method. but yes i should have done 90% just in case and also taking into account that it's now 4 sets not 2

i'm gonna do 90 then. the other lifts were good though, so i don't think i'll have to lower them too

thanks for help

Incase you want the math its weight/(1.0278-(.0278*reps))=1rm

I hate calcs since they are normally wrong (this is why you and even 5/3/1 uses 90% of 1rm as a base). Instead just use allpro logic and that chart, 10% change in working weight is adding or subtracting 4 reps if its 10 reps or less, and adding or subtracting 5 reps if its 10-20, crossing the divide of 10 is up to you to use 5 or 4 reps, its splitting hairs at that point.

[Marwan4449]

Just started second week of cycle 1 I think I did 8 reps on my bench instead of 9 ( not that I didn't have enough power I just forgot cuz I was excited to start the second week) and started thinkig what if I forgot a rep should I go back and do that one rep or should I just leave it cuz I was already doing another exercise
And is it okay if I start bench then squat then did all as the program said
And I finish in like 30 min and I dont feel very tired just a little is that OK
Thanks in advance

[nightanole]

Just started second week of cycle 1 I think I did 8 reps on my bench instead of 9 ( not that I didn't have enough power I just forgot cuz I was excited to start the second week) and started thinkig what if I forgot a rep should I go back and do that one rep or should I just leave it cuz I was already doing another exercise
And is it okay if I start bench then squat then did all as the program said
And I finish in like 30 min and I dont feel very tired just a little is that OK
Thanks in advance

Dont worry about the missing rep.
The exercises are setup so you dont hit the same muscle back to back, you can change it if you want to, the only requirement is the first 3 lifts need to be done first.

The program takes 30-50min depending on rest and setup. If it feels too light, just reduce rest time. Some only take 30 seconds on light day.

[OryxOryx]

Complete noob doing AllPro autoregulated. I did 2 cycles of normal allpro then took about a 1.5mo hiatus from lifting.

I'm worried that my SLDL is progressing too fast, indicating that I am compromising form or something. Since starting back up I've had a 65% increase in my SLDL in 9 workouts... from 111 to 185. I used to feel like my grip was the limiting factor but since switching to the grip where one palm is facing in and one palm is facing out (whats that usually called?) I am having no big grip issues. I make sure to go low enough to feel the stretch in my hamstrings, and I try my bestest to keep my back straight, though since I have no mirrors or partners who knows if I'm accomplishing this or not.

Is progressing this fast an indication that I'm doing something wrong or is it reasonable for a noob coming back off of a 1.5mo weightlifting break? I was at 145lbs in SLDL when I took my break. I can't remember how or why I decided to start at 111 for my staring weight on resuming.

[DatYute]

A bit worried about the weight I've been gaining recently. I just completed my 4th cycle and I weigh 165 pounds now, started at about 133(grossly underweight). The problem is, While I have been seeing a fair amount of gains in strength, I don't look very muscular. My arms are still on the skinny side and my chest is just starting to develop. My stomach is bigger and a bit flabby. My lower body seems to be alright. Is the weight I've gained just fat?

[gmaba001]

Hi! I've gonna try this program. I tried my 10 rep maxes today and noticed I'll have a problem on the medium workout (10% less weight) of the cycle.

The lightest plate at my gym is 2.5kg. I'm doing barbell curls at 20kg. So I'll need to do 18kg on my medium workout day. The nearest I can get it is 15kg (10kg barbell + 2x2.5kg plates). Is that ok or does this mean I'll need to look for a better equipped gym?

[nightanole]

Complete noob doing AllPro autoregulated. I did 2 cycles of normal allpro then took about a 1.5mo hiatus from lifting.

I'm worried that my SLDL is progressing too fast, indicating that I am compromising form or something. Since starting back up I've had a 65% increase in my SLDL in 9 workouts... from 111 to 185. I used to feel like my grip was the limiting factor but since switching to the grip where one palm is facing in and one palm is facing out (whats that usually called?) I am having no big grip issues. I make sure to go low enough to feel the stretch in my hamstrings, and I try my bestest to keep my back straight, though since I have no mirrors or partners who knows if I'm accomplishing this or not.

Is progressing this fast an indication that I'm doing something wrong or is it reasonable for a noob coming back off of a 1.5mo weightlifting break? I was at 145lbs in SLDL when I took my break. I can't remember how or why I decided to start at 111 for my staring weight on resuming.

Some people go from 95 to 135 in their squat in 3 cycles. Adding 40lbs in 3 weeks is normal pace on a 5x5 program. As long as you are following the 2 sets of 12 before adding weight you are fine. When i doubt video tape yourself from the side.

[nightanole]

A bit worried about the weight I've been gaining recently. I just completed my 4th cycle and I weigh 165 pounds now, started at about 133(grossly underweight). The problem is, While I have been seeing a fair amount of gains in strength, I don't look very muscular. My arms are still on the skinny side and my chest is just starting to develop. My stomach is bigger and a bit flabby. My lower body seems to be alright. Is the weight I've gained just fat?

2-3lbs a cycle tops, and at that pace its 1/3 fat at the least, and you should have been bumping more than 10%. Id start cutting at 1% bw per week till you are back down to tensed abs.

Hi! I've gonna try this program. I tried my 10 rep maxes today and noticed I'll have a problem on the medium workout (10% less weight) of the cycle.

The lightest plate at my gym is 2.5kg. I'm doing barbell curls at 20kg. So I'll need to do 18kg on my medium workout day. The nearest I can get it is 15kg (10kg barbell + 2x2.5kg plates). Is that ok or does this mean I'll need to look for a better equipped gym?

You have to bump down, you cant just remove reps, so yea use the 15kg, and you might even use the 15kg on light day since its an isolation exercise. Other than that you will have to make some diy chain weights or get some speaker magnets. I have 6 half pound sets of chain weights so i can load in 1 pound increments.

[DatYute]

2-3lbs a cycle tops, and at that pace its 1/3 fat at the least, and you should have been bumping more than 10%. Id start cutting at 1% bw per week till you are back down to tensed abs.

should I have been adding more even though I may not be strong enough to handle it?

I'm gonna start using the auto regulated routine this week.

[DrakHarr]

should I have been adding more even though I may not be strong enough to handle it?

I'm gonna start using the auto regulated routine this week.

If you're going to start cutting, you'll be bumping 10% most likely.

[nightanole]

should I have been adding more even though I may not be strong enough to handle it?

I'm gonna start using the auto regulated routine this week.

You can progress on this routine for 5 cycles without gaining weight and doing 10% bumps if you start above 15% and do 10% bumps and adjust diet so you dont lose weight, you just recomp. If you are bulking on this routine, and can not handle 15% bumps, then all that extra food is just making you fat, not increasing muscle size. You kinda figured this one out the hard way.

[DatYute]

If you're going to start cutting, you'll be bumping 10% most likely.

I was just curious to see if I should have been using more weight even though the 10% bumps felt a bit heavy to me.

I will be using 10% on the auto regulated program and also adding some cardio.

You can progress on this routine for 5 cycles without gaining weight and doing 10% bumps if you start above 15% and do 10% bumps and adjust diet so you dont lose weight, you just recomp. If you are bulking on this routine, and can not handle 15% bumps, then all that extra food is just making you fat, not increasing muscle size. You kinda figured this one out the hard way.

I wasn't eating and extraordinary amount of food though, just around 3500 cals a day, sometimes less and definitely less on weekends so idk. My goal was bulking so I figured I was doing the right thing.

[DrakHarr]

I was just curious to see if I should have been using more weight even though the 10% bumps felt a bit heavy to me.

I will be using 10% on the auto regulated program and also adding some cardio.





I wasn't eating and extraordinary amount of food though, just around 3500 cals a day, sometimes less and definitely less on weekends so idk. My goal was bulking so I figured I was doing the right thing.

3,500 is a crapton of calories for a new lifter. You are supposed to bulk about 250 calories in surplus, there's no way your TDEE is 3,250 calories.

[DatYute]

3,500 is a crapton of calories for a new lifter. You are supposed to bulk about 250 calories in surplus, there's no way your TDEE is 3,250 calories.

It was 3270 when I calculated it, and everyone recommended going over that.

I feel like I made my post sound worse than it is lol but I definitely feel a but flabby in the stomach area.

TBH, I'm not sure I really understand how the bulking and cutting thing works. I thought I would gain weight first and then cut the extra fat after to look lean. After that its just maintaining?

[DrakHarr]

It was 3270 when I calculated it, and everyone recommended going over that.

I feel like I made my post sound worse than it is lol but I definitely feel a but flabby in the stomach area.

TBH, I'm not sure I really understand how the bulking and cutting thing works. I thought I would gain weight first and then cut the extra fat after to look lean. After that its just maintaining?

How in the world your TDEE 3200+ when you started at 133 lbs?

[nightanole]

A pound of fat is like 3500 cals, a pound of muscle is like 900 cals and 130grams of protein. You gained 30lbs in 20 weeks, that is min 1000 cal surplus. If you are gods gift to n00b lifting, you can gain 18lbs of muscle in 18 months(and odds are 5-7lbs of fat on top of that).

if you are around 6ft tall you will only gain 35lbs of pure muscle in the first 5 years of dedicated lifting, and that is 95% of your lifetime gains. You will gain the most amount of muscle your first year lifting, then half of that the 2nd year, and half of the 2nd year your 3rd year, etc.


All these night and day changes you see, are either teens who are not done growing, or 5-10 year lifters that fell off the wagon and got fat/detraining, and then started again. Contrary to popular belief is very hard to lose muscle. You can deplete your glycogen stores and a few other pieces, but muscles will balloon right back up with a few months of training/nutrition.