AllPro: A Simple Beginner's Routine part VI

[brownsuga4life]

I started this program in October. I am in the middle of cycle 4. I am looking for some advice moving forward.

Stats:
Age: 25 years old
Height: 5'10"

Weight: 172lbs -> 178lbs
Squat: 65lbs -> 95lbs
Bench: 65lbs -> 95lbs
Deadlift: 65lbs -> 95lbs
Lying T-bar: 30lbs -> 45lb
Shoulder Press Dumbbell: 15lb -> 30lbs
Barbell Bicep Curls: 20lbs - 40lbs
Calf Raises: 25lbs -> 45lbs

Notes:
- I have a lower back issue therefore I substituted barbell rows for lying t-bar rows.
- I am coming off a shoulder injury from late 2016. As a result, I started really light in fear of re-aggravating it. I can feel it occasionally during bench press and shoulder press. I believe this had a side effect of more fat gains than muscle.
- I am transitioning to a cut. My maintenance calorie intake is 2500+/-100 and I aim for 2000-2300lbs daily. Traveling for work means exact calorie tracking is near impossible.

Questions:
1) My gym has 10lb increases in barbells at less than 45 pounds. For bicep curls, 30 pounds is light and 40 pounds is too heavy and I fail at 40lbs at around 10 reps. Suggestions moving forward?
2) I play hockey 1-2 times a week. Working out the same day is a no-go. As a result, sometimes I will have 2 days in a row where I can't go to the gym. In these situations (approx. 2 times a cycle), I have substituted heavy-medium-light with heavy-heavy-medium to accommodate. Is there an issue with this and what would be recommended to do instead?
3) I don't understand light day. I leave the gym feeling the lifts haven't tested me at all.
4) Considering I substituted barbell rows for lying t-bar, is there an accessory exercise I should add to compensate?
5) I travel for work: 2 times a month of 3-4 days at a time. Hotel gyms typically have dumbbells,an adjustable bench, and cable machine. Is there a hotel friendly version of this program I can use while on the road?

Thanks

[thb0307]

What are the recommended supplements for this program? Back in 2008 AllPro recommended fish oils and creatine (I assume multivitamin also). Does this still hold true?

Is there a recommended type of shoe to use for these lifts? I know there are different variations of weightlifting shoes.

Any other equipment recommended? I bought a sports watch that include a timer for rest times, to start.

FYI, I’m 30 years old. Not sure how to update my age on here.

Thanks.

[nightanole]

I started this program in October. I am in the middle of cycle 4. I am looking for some advice moving forward.

Stats:
Age: 25 years old
Height: 5'10"

Weight: 172lbs -> 178lbs
Squat: 65lbs -> 95lbs
Bench: 65lbs -> 95lbs
Deadlift: 65lbs -> 95lbs
Lying T-bar: 30lbs -> 45lb
Shoulder Press Dumbbell: 15lb -> 30lbs
Barbell Bicep Curls: 20lbs - 40lbs
Calf Raises: 25lbs -> 45lbs

Notes:
- I have a lower back issue therefore I substituted barbell rows for lying t-bar rows.
- I am coming off a shoulder injury from late 2016. As a result, I started really light in fear of re-aggravating it. I can feel it occasionally during bench press and shoulder press. I believe this had a side effect of more fat gains than muscle.
- I am transitioning to a cut. My maintenance calorie intake is 2500+/-100 and I aim for 2000-2300lbs daily. Traveling for work means exact calorie tracking is near impossible.

Questions:
1) My gym has 10lb increases in barbells at less than 45 pounds. For bicep curls, 30 pounds is light and 40 pounds is too heavy and I fail at 40lbs at around 10 reps. Suggestions moving forward?
2) I play hockey 1-2 times a week. Working out the same day is a no-go. As a result, sometimes I will have 2 days in a row where I can't go to the gym. In these situations (approx. 2 times a cycle), I have substituted heavy-medium-light with heavy-heavy-medium to accommodate. Is there an issue with this and what would be recommended to do instead?
3) I don't understand light day. I leave the gym feeling the lifts haven't tested me at all.
4) Considering I substituted barbell rows for lying t-bar, is there an accessory exercise I should add to compensate?
5) I travel for work: 2 times a month of 3-4 days at a time. Hotel gyms typically have dumbbells,an adjustable bench, and cable machine. Is there a hotel friendly version of this program I can use while on the road?

Thanks

1) Curl is an accessory, its a wild card that can be replaced with any bicep movement. You could switch to upright rows or assisted chinups. Or you could switch curls to just a rep goal, so whenever you get in 24 reps over 2 sets, bump the weight, and forget about heavy medium light.
2) The only substitute is heavy heavy, with at least 72 hours rest between them. If you are doing this long term, you should add a 3rd set to the first 3 lifts, other than test day, to make up the volume.
3) Exactly. Light day is a mini deload, because allpro does not have a deload protocol. However you still added volume to the week, and you still practiced the lifts, and you are still fatigued, and the best part is, your connective tissue is not getting aggravated. On a normal program you just keep piling on the weight till you cant recover and performance goes down. Then you either spend 2-3 weeks working back up to your predeload weight, or you spend a week only doing warmups or 50% of working weight sets.
4) Tbar takes the back out of the equation. I dont know what to tell you since you are asking me how to add backwork back into the program, but you removed it. The main back work is handled by the squat and SLDL. Again if you wanted to, you could switch this lift to an assisted chinup/upright row combo for the row/curl.
5) The squat can be subbed for the goblet squat with a db, the bench can be a floor press. I would just do 2 sets to failure with something you can lift 10-20 times.

[nightanole]

What are the recommended supplements for this program? Back in 2008 AllPro recommended fish oils and creatine (I assume multivitamin also). Does this still hold true?

Is there a recommended type of shoe to use for these lifts? I know there are different variations of weightlifting shoes.

Any other equipment recommended? I bought a sports watch that include a timer for rest times, to start.

FYI, I’m 30 years old. Not sure how to update my age on here.

Thanks.

Creatine can be used for recovery for the first few cycles if you have zero lifting experience. Once your creatine stores are trained, the creatine wont do anything for you.
You need to get in your essential fatty acids. If you are not getting in enough, for for the fish oils, just remember, 1g of fish oil is 9 calories, just like any other fat.

As for shoes, bare min you need a solid rubber sole shoe. I just use a $30-40 skate shoe from DC, they dont have to be $125 chuck taylors. You can also try a squat shoe with a .75-1" raise heel. If you want something cheap i would check out the wei-rui brand. You can attempt to do the whole workout in squat shoes, but some people find it awkward to row/SLDL in them, for others it may even improve performance.

If you want to have some fun, i recommend a lever lifting belt. Inzer belts are meet legal (just get the 10mm for like $80-90). You can get much more expensive(some literally made by mom and pop). Programming in a belt is a bit difficult in allpro. If you use a belt, you must increase the working weight, so you would have to make either medium day or light day, another heavy for just that lift. Increasing your belted working weight will increase your non belted working weight.

[madfiddler]

Just finished my heavy day of week 3 (1st cycle). Feeling good overall. I was very sore the first few days after my test day, and then my first heavy day too, but hardly feeling it at all since then.

Finished all sets for squat, row, and deadlift with multiple reps left in the tank. Was 9/10 on my second set of curls and ohp though, and only 6/10 on my second set of bench. Those 3 lifts' heavy days have been difficult for me since week 1, when I got all reps but just barely... week 2 was like this week, 8/9 for curls and press and 6/9 for bench (2nd work sets). I'm getting all the reps in on medium and light days though.

I'm not cutting very deep, I've lost maybe 3 pounds in 19 days since I started minding my diet, and I've not done any cardio or much abs on off days.

Any ideas on why I can't handle heavy day on those lifts? Ohp and curl were very close to finishing today, but not quite. Bench though isn't even close. I keep wondering if I tested poorly for squat (felt very inflexible when I tested) and row+sldl (both were new lifts for me), so now that I'm feeling more limber and comfortable with those lifts they are going well? While the lifts I knew better maybe tested heavier and now they're much tougher? Do I need a bit of cardio to recover between sets? What do you guys think?

[nightanole]

Just finished my heavy day of week 3 (1st cycle). Feeling good overall. I was very sore the first few days after my test day, and then my first heavy day too, but hardly feeling it at all since then.

Finished all sets for squat, row, and deadlift with multiple reps left in the tank. Was 9/10 on my second set of curls and ohp though, and only 6/10 on my second set of bench. Those 3 lifts' heavy days have been difficult for me since week 1, when I got all reps but just barely... week 2 was like this week, 8/9 for curls and press and 6/9 for bench (2nd work sets). I'm getting all the reps in on medium and light days though.

I'm not cutting very deep, I've lost maybe 3 pounds in 19 days since I started minding my diet, and I've not done any cardio or much abs on off days.

Any ideas on why I can't handle heavy day on those lifts? Ohp and curl were very close to finishing today, but not quite. Bench though isn't even close. I keep wondering if I tested poorly for squat (felt very inflexible when I tested) and row+sldl (both were new lifts for me), so now that I'm feeling more limber and comfortable with those lifts they are going well? While the lifts I knew better maybe tested heavier and now they're much tougher? Do I need a bit of cardio to recover between sets? What do you guys think?

Missed reps will bury you in fatigue on this program. A failed rep is just as bad on recovery as doing an additional set. Since this is your first cycle, anything you are failing reps on just reset 10%, you can always bump 15% if test day seems easy. So just reroll light day, and shift the other 2 weights over, so last weeks medium weight is now this weeks heavy, etc.

If the 2nd set is really draining, then yes you need some cardio inorder to boost your recovery. Cardio is not for weight loss on this program.

[Qaqiaq]

Gonna give this a try but I just had a comment, is 2 sets enough with no warmup for those sets?

[nightanole]

Gonna give this a try but I just had a comment, is 2 sets enough with no warmup for those sets?

You have warmups for the first 3 lifts, which use use all the muscle groups, The rest of the exercises are accessories for the first 3 lifts. Total there is 1 main lift and 1 accessory lift for each muscle group, so 4 sets total per muscle group, and the 2 warmups sets.

[polivoks]

How many calf raises should be done in this routine for beginner sets/reps one/two legs weighted/non-weighted?

[nightanole]

How many calf raises should be done in this routine for beginner sets/reps one/two legs weighted/non-weighted?

Anything goes. If you like you calf size you can skip them.

2 legged in the squat rack
1-2 legged sitting on a bench with dumb bells on the kees
1 legged on the step with 1 hand on dumb bell and the other on the hand rail

You can either keep it allpro style, adding a rep each week, or you can just do 2 sets to failure with the same weight all cycle, as long as its between 10-20 reps per set.

Personally i keep the volume pretty low, else i get night leg cramps.

[Qaqiaq]

Thanks for the guide,

I did the first workout following this but it left me quite unsatisfied in my biceps and more so in my triceps. Is this to be expect with the first 2 weeks of workout with the lower sets? I'm also finishing in 35-40mins, i rest about 45seconds in between sets

[polivoks]

Anything goes. If you like you calf size you can skip them.
Personally i keep the volume pretty low, else i get night leg cramps.

Yeah noticed too i had night cramps on days when pushed it too hard, even with foam rolling and stretching calfs.
So will keep it low.

[nightanole]

Thanks for the guide,

I did the first workout following this but it left me quite unsatisfied in my biceps and more so in my triceps. Is this to be expect with the first 2 weeks of workout with the lower sets? I'm also finishing in 35-40mins, i rest about 45seconds in between sets

You should feel like superman till 10 rep week.

[daawhitty]

Coming back to this old faithful routine after a serious injury and a layoff of 8 months from lifting. It’s amazing how it brings up your conditioning so quickly and strength comes back very soon too. Decided to jump straight to test day on week 3 as 10 rep day was too easy so yesterday restarted back on week 1 with more of a challenge. Also love that you can get in and out in under an hour other beginner programs can run into the 1hr 30 very quickly..

[aryonoco]

You should feel like superman till 10 rep week.

Indeed.

on 8-rep and 9-rep weeks, I feel like, "yeah... this is easy. I've got this! I'm going to smash them all this cycle!"

10-rep week, that feeling changes. It becomes more like, "ok this is getting interesting. I should make sure form doesn't suffer".

On 11-rep and 12-rep weeks.... I'm dead! I had my heavy 11-rep last night, crashed and slept for 8.5 hours afterwards (very unusual for me), woke up this morning and still feel wrecked.

It's amazing what 1 extra rep per week does. Before I started, I had no idea 1 rep would make such a difference!

[sthakrar]

I did my first workout today of the allpro routine.
The day after my first workout my entire body is paining. Cannot even climb the stairs.
Should I take one more day off to recover or just train till my body gets used to it?

[polivoks]

Just to be sure i understand, is lite day 20 percent less weight then heavy day or is it 20 percent of medium day?

[nightanole]

I did my first workout today of the allpro routine.
The day after my first workout my entire body is paining. Cannot even climb the stairs.
Should I take one more day off to recover or just train till my body gets used to it?

How about you just spend 2weeks just doing 1 set of heavy 8 rep sets till your body adjusts to the volume? Then you can double the volume to 2 sets and switch to heavy medium light.

[nightanole]

Just to be sure i understand, is lite day 20 percent less weight then heavy day or is it 20 percent of medium day?

based on heavy.
so
heavy is 100% of heavy so 100lbs
medium is 10% less than heavy so 90lbs
Light is 20% less than heavy so 80lbs

Then if you pass test day, the next cycle you just need to recalculate heavy
heavy is now 110lbs
medium is now your old heavy, so 100lbs
light is now your old medium, so 90lbs

and if you pass again
heavy is now 120lbs
medium is now your old heavy, so 110lbs
light is now your old medium, so 100lbs

Its not an exact math and 9 times out of 10 you wont have the right change plates to make it perfect. In that case you want to go with the next step down vs rounding too high.

[Time2Sleep00]

I have stopped lifting weights for a month, still a begginer, should I cut down below 15%bf first before continuing on this routine?

Maybe Im higher than 20 because of the lack of muscle mass

[nightanole]

I have stopped lifting weights for a month, still a begginer, should I cut down below 15%bf first before continuing on this routine?

Maybe Im higher than 20 because of the lack of muscle mass

The most successful folk do not alter their routines during a bulk/cut, at worse they may adjust the progression rate.

Like i said before, during a deep cut, you want to run the program to show you are not missing reps on 10 rep week, to prove you are not cutting so deep that you are losing muscle mass.

[Weaver13]

Hello nightanole, I've been following the program for quite sometime now and recently I notice that my left arm is a little shorter than my right arm. As I did heavier barbell curl, this imbalance affected the workout, putting more stress on my right arm. I tried to change the grip but it still felt unnatural. Should I switch to dumbbell or standing cable?

[nightanole]

Hello nightanole, I've been following the program for quite sometime now and recently I notice that my left arm is a little shorter than my right arm. As I did heavier barbell curl, this imbalance affected the workout, putting more stress on my right arm. I tried to change the grip but it still felt unnatural. Should I switch to dumbbell or standing cable?

It depends on what your end goal is. If your right forearm is longer, then your bicep will need to be bigger to compensate, such as lifting just about anything in the real world.

If its a cosmetic problem, then yes you will have to db curl with 1 arm and then switch. They may get the same amount of reps, but one arm will naturally be slower, so it will have less stress on it.

Or you could switch to chinups, which removes the forearm length problem. Or you could switch to upright rows, which would also mitigate the problem, to a lesser degree.

Plenty of people have different length legs(or one socket higher than the other), they do not leg press/pistol instead of back squat...

[andresrosas]

Hey,

So because of the current situation in my gym (no 5lb plates) it is hard for me to have medium days. I was wondering if I should do 1 hard day and 2 light days or the other way around. Thanks.

[nightanole]

Hey,

So because of the current situation in my gym (no 5lb plates) it is hard for me to have medium days. I was wondering if I should do 1 hard day and 2 light days or the other way around. Thanks.

Your choices are; 2 days a week of heavies spaced at least 72 hours apart, or switch to auto regulated so you dont have to change weights

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...post1376160513

God speed on how you will bump up 10%, if you cant bump down 10%. Might have to invest in a few pairs of diy 5lb chain weights.

[Time2Sleep00]

The most successful folk do not alter their routines during a bulk/cut, at worse they may adjust the progression rate.

Like i said before, during a deep cut, you want to run the program to show you are not missing reps on 10 rep week, to prove you are not cutting so deep that you are losing muscle mass.

Do I need to cut down to below 15 bf 1st before bulking?

[nightanole]

Do I need to cut down to below 15 bf 1st before bulking?

Its recommended...

This is about a 1 year process

So there are 2 paths.

Gain the 5-10lbs(and 2-3 lbs of fat) of muscle over 9 months, then cut for 3 months. If you do this, you will always look good in a shirt, but have zero definition and will never really see (other than thickening of body parts) results till half way through the cut. This can be demotivating for some.
Lose 15lbs over 3 months while learning the lifts. Progress will be very slow compared to the first option. This can be demotivating for some.. You will also not look good in a shirt, because you will be "thin" yet lifting weights, people will thing WDF are you doing. Then you slow bulk for 8 months, followed by a final 1 month cut to remove any baby fat.

Both will get the same results in a year, its your decision on how that year plays out.

Now if you want to screw things up, there are plenty of ways to do it. Program swap 4 times and waste most of the year adapting and not progressing. Trying to "recomp" natty, and just end up spinning your wheels because you dont want to lose the flat stomach, and dont want to put in the effort to get ab definition, so end up with a crap diet that doesnt let you perform.

[aryonoco]

Night, looks like I need your help.

I have just finished my 11-rep week, and at this point it's clear that I will fail all of my main lifts on test day next week.

Also, my body is aching all over and I have a couple of flared up tendons.

Should I just skip the 12-rep week and restart the cycle on the 8-rep week and focus on form?

Or or is ok if I take a week off from lifting and just let my body recover?

Or should I just push through with test day and see how I go?

[nightanole]

Night, looks like I need your help.

I have just finished my 11-rep week, and at this point it's clear that I will fail all of my main lifts on test day next week.

Also, my body is aching all over and I have a couple of flared up tendons.

Should I just skip the 12-rep week and restart the cycle on the 8-rep week and focus on form?

Or or is ok if I take a week off from lifting and just let my body recover?

Or should I just push through with test day and see how I go?

How about you "reset" next week down to 7 reps and make it a 6 week cycle? I normally recommend that for people who take a month off or are sick for a few weeks.

[Presentvalue]

Hi, a year or two ago I have done AP simple beginner and got strenght increase. about 3 months ago I started lifting seriously again and achieve pretty good results using calisthenic method, today I am about to do AP Simple Beginner again.

I have question

1. May I add 2 sets of pull down/pullup at the end of the workout? I love pulldown/pullup so much.
2. For the OHP, can I substitute the movement with dumbell seated shoulder press? since my gym does not have rack for OHP.

Today Im going to start
Squat 135 Lbs for 8 reps
Bench press 105 lbs for 8 reps
BOR 95 Lbs for 8 reps
Dumbell seated shoulder press 30 Lbs each hand for 8 Reps

My body condition
76 KG
175 cm
BF around 18-22 percent.
I dont count calories I just eat whenever I want but my target is to eat atleast 500 grams (before cooking) of grilled chicken breast each day and eating anything that I want to eat as long as it is healthy. I eat maximum 2 cup of rice every day. a few meatballs and veggies.

Will report the progress.

Thank you.