AllPro: A Simple Beginner's Routine part VI

[nightanole]

P.S. My main and really only goals are aesthetics of arms / upper body.

Have been enjoying All Pro, far more than the Starting Strength and Greyskull that I have tried (and probably really failed at) in the past.

But are there any modifiers or other programs I should look at with upper body in mind?

The squat pain is super frustrating, and I don't want that to kill my motivation or progress with my upper body.

If you want more upper body, that would be chinups and tricep dips.

You can try them rest pause style. That would be 1 set to almost failure, hopefully around 8-10 reps. Follow that set with 10 singles, resting 3-10 seconds between each single. The point is to only allow your upper threshold fibers recover, so you can hit them again, but not allow a long rest so the lower high endurance fibers kick in. You can do this for both exercises at the end of medium and light day. Depending on your recovery you may be able to do it on heavy day, but not if it causes too much fatigue build up for medium day.

As for your squat problem, i would drop to 135lbs and switch to high bar box squats. These will equalize torque on the knee and help you heal up. One point i will need to make about these box squats, is you must get the stance right. The shin needs to be perpendicular to the floor in all directions when you are sitting on the box, and there should be very little forward knee travel. You are basically pivoting on your knees.

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

[beemertec]

This is has been a lot of reading!

I am a 46yo male, and I am planning to start this program next week. I have been doing SS for about 6 weeks and have seen good progress, but with a wife, 2 kids, and my schedule I don't want to spend that much time working out. I also want to drop some body fat. I am 5'11" and 191 lbs. The army calculator puts my bf at around 21%. The BMI calculator has me at 27. I am not looking to get huge. I just want to look better and be healthier. My diet is pretty clean. I juice for breakfast and lunch usually (heavy veggies, very light fruits), and eat whatever my wife makes for dinner. On the weekends I don't juice. I just eat normal.

My lifts (3x5) are as follows (started 6-13 final number now):

Squat - 100/185
OHP - 45/85
Bench - 100/125
DL - 135/210

I am going to run the 10 rep test tomorrow evening, but I am trying to get a general idea of where I should try to start for testing. I could base it off of my 5 rep numbers, but those are for 3 sets of 5. I was thinking of just knocking 20% off these numbers and using the ratios that nightanole gives to test the other lifts. Is that reasonable?

I also understand that this is a 3 day a week program as SS is. I had to change my SS workouts to every third day so that I could recover. I was finding that after 48 hours, I couldn't get my reps, but if I waited for 72, I could and it helped me progress as fast as I did. I know my recovery was slow in part because I did not eat the calories that they recommend on SS. I basically maintained my weight. It fluctuates between 191-196 depending on time of day. I am a profuse sweater so my after workout weight is usually 2 to 3 pounds lighter than my before work out weight. My question is if recovery is an issue can I do this plan every third day or am I better off using light enough weights to recover in 48 hours?

Thanks for your input!

[PhantomEater]

Hi Nightanole

I'm currently on cycle 4 week 3 (had a few rough weeks and reset it over the past few months) I'm happy with progress however just reading what you've said about playing sports this is my problem so I've came to you

Started all pro on 11th feb for reference
I've cut 47.5lb since Christmas and my stats have gone from.
5ft8
18st 9lb - 15st 3.5lb
Squat: 50-95kg
Bench: 40 - 60kg
Bor: 40 - 65kg
OHP: 30 - 40kg
SLDL: 40 - 70kg (could probably go a quite bit heavier so I will try next cycle)
CURL: 20 - 30kg
CALF RAISES: who cares I have 18in calves that make girls blush 😉

However the last 3 weeks I've added cardio in I've been football (soccer) training swimming and doing hill sprints alongside this! I know its silly and a recipe for disaster my legs have constantly felt fatigued doing any type of running they feel spent already but have been okay when squatting! What would you recommend going forward as the football will continue twice a week and swimming probably similar

Thank you in advance I look forward to receiving your advice as always!

[nightanole]

Hi Nightanole

I'm currently on cycle 4 week 3 (had a few rough weeks and reset it over the past few months) I'm happy with progress however just reading what you've said about playing sports this is my problem so I've came to you

Started all pro on 11th feb for reference
I've cut 47.5lb since Christmas and my stats have gone from.
5ft8
18st 9lb - 15st 3.5lb
Squat: 50-95kg
Bench: 40 - 60kg
Bor: 40 - 65kg
OHP: 30 - 40kg
SLDL: 40 - 70kg (could probably go a quite bit heavier so I will try next cycle)
CURL: 20 - 30kg
CALF RAISES: who cares I have 18in calves that make girls blush 😉

However the last 3 weeks I've added cardio in I've been football (soccer) training swimming and doing hill sprints alongside this! I know its silly and a recipe for disaster my legs have constantly felt fatigued doing any type of running they feel spent already but have been okay when squatting! What would you recommend going forward as the football will continue twice a week and swimming probably similar

Thank you in advance I look forward to receiving your advice as always!

Sports, allpro, weight loss, pick two.


Your choices are:
2 heavies of allpro per week, without the recommended 3rd set added to the first 3 lifts. This will reduce volume by about 25%.
Or run this 1 set program in 2 week blocks:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pm-mYQ7a3xM

[nightanole]

This is has been a lot of reading!

I am a 46yo male, and I am planning to start this program next week. I have been doing SS for about 6 weeks and have seen good progress, but with a wife, 2 kids, and my schedule I don't want to spend that much time working out. I also want to drop some body fat. I am 5'11" and 191 lbs. The army calculator puts my bf at around 21%. The BMI calculator has me at 27. I am not looking to get huge. I just want to look better and be healthier. My diet is pretty clean. I juice for breakfast and lunch usually (heavy veggies, very light fruits), and eat whatever my wife makes for dinner. On the weekends I don't juice. I just eat normal.

My lifts (3x5) are as follows (started 6-13 final number now):

Squat - 100/185
OHP - 45/85
Bench - 100/125
DL - 135/210

I am going to run the 10 rep test tomorrow evening, but I am trying to get a general idea of where I should try to start for testing. I could base it off of my 5 rep numbers, but those are for 3 sets of 5. I was thinking of just knocking 20% off these numbers and using the ratios that nightanole gives to test the other lifts. Is that reasonable?

I also understand that this is a 3 day a week program as SS is. I had to change my SS workouts to every third day so that I could recover. I was finding that after 48 hours, I couldn't get my reps, but if I waited for 72, I could and it helped me progress as fast as I did. I know my recovery was slow in part because I did not eat the calories that they recommend on SS. I basically maintained my weight. It fluctuates between 191-196 depending on time of day. I am a profuse sweater so my after workout weight is usually 2 to 3 pounds lighter than my before work out weight. My question is if recovery is an issue can I do this plan every third day or am I better off using light enough weights to recover in 48 hours?

Thanks for your input!

Allpro has a few variants to mitigate fatigue.
Run 2 heavies per week, with 3 sets for the first 3 lifts instead of 2 sets. Test day is still 2 sets (24 reps)
Run "novice" which is 3 sest of the first 3 lifts, in 4-8 rep range. This gives you an extra 90 seconds of rest, and test day is still 24 reps.

Here is a chart for transitioning from 5 reps to 10 reps:



Odds are you were working at your 75-80% of 1rm on SS (85% is stall week) and you would want to start off allpro in the 70% range unless you are used to high rep sets.

[beemertec]

Allpro has a few variants to mitigate fatigue.
Run 2 heavies per week, with 3 sets for the first 3 lifts instead of 2 sets. Test day is still 2 sets (24 reps)
Run "novice" which is 3 sest of the first 3 lifts, in 4-8 rep range. This gives you an extra 90 seconds of rest, and test day is still 24 reps.





Odds are you were working at your 75-80% of 1rm on SS (85% is stall week) and you would want to start off allpro in the 70% range unless you are used to high rep sets.

Based on what you are saying, if I understand you right, I should drop at least 10-15% off of the current weight. These weights are very tough for me. I want to be conservative with my start since as you stated before, I can add more than 10% at the end of the first cycle.

How does this look for cycle 1?

Squats - 150
Bench Presses - 110
Bent-Over Rows - 75 (I haven't done these so I want to start light to get the form right.)
Overhead Barbell Presses - 60
Stiff-Legged Deadlifts - 160 (These are harder than regular deadlifts, right?)
Barbell Curls - 55
Calf Raises - 150

[nightanole]

Based on what you are saying, if I understand you right, I should drop at least 10-15% off of the current weight. These weights are very tough for me. I want to be conservative with my start since as you stated before, I can add more than 10% at the end of the first cycle.

How does this look for cycle 1?

Squats - 150
Bench Presses - 110
Bent-Over Rows - 75 (I haven't done these so I want to start light to get the form right.)
Overhead Barbell Presses - 60
Stiff-Legged Deadlifts - 160 (These are harder than regular deadlifts, right?)
Barbell Curls - 55
Calf Raises - 150

Squat - 185
OHP - 85
Bench - 125
DL - 210

I would just cut every thing back 25%.

Squat - 140
OHP - 65
Bench - 95

SLDL i would try out 95lbs and see how it goes. It will be lower than your squat(weight will be over your toes, and zero quad, so its going to be lower vs mid foot/quad squat). The SLDL goal is increasing range of motion, its not a power/meat builder like the standard deadlift. It will really hit your glutes/lower back/hamstrings though with the extreme stretch. The end goal is to get the bar to the top of the ankles, with a straight back, most cant get past the knees with good form when then first start.

The reason im going with 25% cut, is because you are not used to high rep sets, nor very short rests. And as you said you can start light and bump 15-20% once you get used to the routine. Just focus on keeping bar speed as fast as possible, and rest time as short as possible on medium/light day (some get it down to 30 seconds) and the light weight wont matter. This is a completely different training style vs starting strength, and as you noticed, there is a very high drop out rate on SS after 90 days.

[beemertec]

Squat - 185
OHP - 85
Bench - 125
DL - 210

I would just cut every thing back 25%.

Squat - 140
OHP - 65
Bench - 95

SLDL i would try out 95lbs and see how it goes. It will be lower than your squat(weight will be over your toes, and zero quad, so its going to be lower vs mid foot/quad squat). The SLDL goal is increasing range of motion, its not a power/meat builder like the standard deadlift. It will really hit your glutes/lower back/hamstrings though with the extreme stretch. The end goal is to get the bar to the top of the ankles, with a straight back, most cant get past the knees with good form when then first start.

The reason im going with 25% cut, is because you are not used to high rep sets, nor very short rests. And as you said you can start light and bump 15-20% once you get used to the routine. Just focus on keeping bar speed as fast as possible, and rest time as short as possible on medium/light day (some get it down to 30 seconds) and the light weight wont matter. This is a completely different training style vs starting strength, and as you noticed, there is a very high drop out rate on SS after 90 days.

That is what I will do. Thank you for your help!

[zumie]

This link in the FAQ isnt working:
Q3: Will I gain muscle mass on this routine?
forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=121703981

Any alternative?

[nightanole]

This link in the FAQ isnt working:
Q3: Will I gain muscle mass on this routine?
forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=121703981

Any alternative?

It links to the nutrition stickies, that section has been rewritten:
https://forum.bodybuilding.com/forumdisplay.php?f=13

If you still want to read the original post of 121703981 here it is

http://exerciseresearchetc.blogspot....ent-needs.html

[Shadybaby316]

Hello dear sir Nightanole,

I hope all is well. I have a question, I know it is recommended to do cardio 2 times a week on this program however me being quite skinny fat and obese, would like to do some more cardio.

What do you advise when else can I do cardio? Do you suggest me to do cardio even on lifting days after I lift? Would like to hear your thoughts on it.

[nightanole]

Hello dear sir Nightanole,

I hope all is well. I have a question, I know it is recommended to do cardio 2 times a week on this program however me being quite skinny fat and obese, would like to do some more cardio.

What do you advise when else can I do cardio? Do you suggest me to do cardio even on lifting days after I lift? Would like to hear your thoughts on it.

For the average person who is in a slight caloric deficit, the recovery limit, is around 3 10k jogs per week. These jogs should take at least 45min each.


If you would like to do more cardio, feel free to do so as long as you follow this rule. The cardio needs to be light enough that you can sustain it for at least 45min, even if you do it in 20min increments. That means if you want, you can fast walk (1 foot is on the ground at any given time) a half marathon for a few hours every day of the week, as long as its done after that days allpro session. This low intensity steady state cardio does not affect the recovery system we are taxing on allpro. The recommended 3x 10k jogs is known to actually increase recovery during the 90 second rest periods of the allpro workout. For some people, the added cardio will make that 2nd set feel alot better.

[hussiendarwish]

Hello. This is My first ever post.im 29 years old 173 LB man. Im a beginner when to comes to weight lifting i've been working out on and off in the past. i started again like 3 month ago and experimented with 2 different split programs but had to abandon them because they were too much for me. So i was lucky to stumble upon this great program and it seemed right for me to start with and to build a strong weight lifting base. Thank you for keeping this thread alive and helping people including me become fit.

Before i start the program i tested my 10 rep max for each exercise. From the beginning i always have a difficulty with OHP i always struggle to complete that last rep. On heavy day. Im currently on week 4, just did heavy day week 4 today. I managed to complete squats with difficulty but managed to complete all reps, as well as smoothly complete all reps of BOR, SLDL, curls and calf raises. But with BP i completed the first set but only did 6 reps on the second set, for OHP i completed the first set with difficulty, i was struggling to complete the last 2 reps. But only did 5 reps on the second set. I always feel weak doing OHP as i mentioned and i feel that its a difficult exercise for me and this is even from the start.

My questions are:

1- if i failed to complete reps. On any exercise. do i do a 3rd set to complete the reps. That i missed or just continue without doing them and move on to the next exercise. Also if yes do i complete them with the same weight or decrease weight or what ?

2- i failed  in BP and OHP in the 4th week heavy day so obviously im gonna fail on the 5th week heavy day. So do i decrease weight for these exercises when i move on to the 2nd cycle or keep weight as it is ? Also is it alright to decrease weight for any excercise mid cycle ?

3 - below are my numbers for all exercises does anything look not right or are they normal for a beginner ?


1-Squats      165lb   75kg 
2-Bench Presses    125lb  57kg
3-Bent-Over Rows    121lb  55kg
4-Overhead Barbell Presses 85lb  39kg
5-Stiff-Legged Deadlifts   127 lb  58kg
6-Barbell Curls  40lb   18kg
7-Calf Raises    187lb   85kg 


Thanks in advance and would appreciate your feedback. And also a million thanks for your effort.

[Shadybaby316]

For the average person who is in a slight caloric deficit, the recovery limit, is around 3 10k jogs per week. These jogs should take at least 45min each.


If you would like to do more cardio, feel free to do so as long as you follow this rule. The cardio needs to be light enough that you can sustain it for at least 45min, even if you do it in 20min increments. That means if you want, you can fast walk (1 foot is on the ground at any given time) a half marathon for a few hours every day of the week, as long as its done after that days allpro session. This low intensity steady state cardio does not affect the recovery system we are taxing on allpro. The recommended 3x 10k jogs is known to actually increase recovery during the 90 second rest periods of the allpro workout. For some people, the added cardio will make that 2nd set feel alot better.

Thank you for the quick reply. I didnt get what does 3x10k jog mean? You mean 10k steps? That would be really hard to count. Or so u mean k as kilometer? 10km 3 times? Apologies for lack of knowldge.

However, I normally do 2 HIIT cardio for 20 mins in a week on non lifting days.

So how much more can i do?

Again, thanknyou in advance for your support. Sory for my lack of knowldge.

[nightanole]

Thank you for the quick reply. I didnt get what does 3x10k jog mean? You mean 10k steps? That would be really hard to count. Or so u mean k as kilometer? 10km 3 times? Apologies for lack of knowldge.

However, I normally do 2 HIIT cardio for 20 mins in a week on non lifting days.

So how much more can i do?

Again, thanknyou in advance for your support. Sory for my lack of knowldge.

10km jog. You might be able to do 5km jogs, but some youngins try to do them sub 18min paces, and thats too stressful and robs recovery from allpro.

True HIIT is not recommended on this program. It counts as another 20min of lifting, which again robs recovery from allpro.

As i stated, the rule is "a pace you can sustain for at least 45min". That is the ONLY requirement. You could jump rope for 45min if you wanted.

Most modern HIIT doesnt have you doing hill sprints, burpees, or other high taxing items, its mostly just a normal pace, and they just raise and lower intensity. So as long as you are not actually resting, but just switching cardio exercises, you should be fine.


As for how much you can do, you can do liSS (low intensity steady state) till you are blue in the face. You can watch day time television while on a recumbent bike for 4 hours a day if you want. I have people who grind at world of warcraft with one of those fixed peddle exercisers under there desk for a few hours a night.

The most important thing is to not go below the min diet, which is 100g of fats/protein, and 200-300g of carbs. You go below that and your recovery will turn to crap, and injury rate will go up.

[nightanole]

Hello. This is My first ever post.im 29 years old 173 LB man. Im a beginner when to comes to weight lifting i've been working out on and off in the past. i started again like 3 month ago and experimented with 2 different split programs but had to abandon them because they were too much for me. So i was lucky to stumble upon this great program and it seemed right for me to start with and to build a strong weight lifting base. Thank you for keeping this thread alive and helping people including me become fit.

Before i start the program i tested my 10 rep max for each exercise. From the beginning i always have a difficulty with OHP i always struggle to complete that last rep. On heavy day. Im currently on week 4, just did heavy day week 4 today. I managed to complete squats with difficulty but managed to complete all reps, as well as smoothly complete all reps of BOR, SLDL, curls and calf raises. But with BP i completed the first set but only did 6 reps on the second set, for OHP i completed the first set with difficulty, i was struggling to complete the last 2 reps. But only did 5 reps on the second set. I always feel weak doing OHP as i mentioned and i feel that its a difficult exercise for me and this is even from the start.

My questions are:

1- if i failed to complete reps. On any exercise. do i do a 3rd set to complete the reps. That i missed or just continue without doing them and move on to the next exercise. Also if yes do i complete them with the same weight or decrease weight or what ?

2- i failed  in BP and OHP in the 4th week heavy day so obviously im gonna fail on the 5th week heavy day. So do i decrease weight for these exercises when i move on to the 2nd cycle or keep weight as it is ? Also is it alright to decrease weight for any excercise mid cycle ?

3 - below are my numbers for all exercises does anything look not right or are they normal for a beginner ?


1-Squats      165lb   75kg 
2-Bench Presses    125lb  57kg
3-Bent-Over Rows    121lb  55kg
4-Overhead Barbell Presses 85lb  39kg
5-Stiff-Legged Deadlifts   127 lb  58kg
6-Barbell Curls  40lb   18kg
7-Calf Raises    187lb   85kg 


Thanks in advance and would appreciate your feedback. And also a million thanks for your effort.

Those are some dam good starting stats.

As for your bench press and OHP question, would try this: If you can complete medium day, just try and fail test day, and repeat next cycle with the same weights. If you can not complete medium day(week4 11 reps), taking 5lbs off the bar is normally good for 2 reps, and i would do next cycle at 5lbs(or 10lbs if you can only get in 6 reps on medium day 2ns set) less than this cycles heavy day.

Unfortunately this is a fatigue based program, and nothing builds fatigue and robs recovery like missed reps. Most beginner programs have you doing the same lift every other workout, so if you miss a rep, you have 72-96 hours of recovery time before you need to attempt the lift again. On allpro you only get 48 hours, even though it really does take 72-96 hours to fully recover from heavy day, thats one of the reasons why medium day is 10% lighter.

[blackfieldgates]

Been a while since I've been on here. I've been running Allpro regulated for a while now and done my best to fix my diet, with my numbers now looking like this:
Squat: 23kg
Floor Press: 32kg
BOR: 25kg
OHP: 13kg
Stiff Leg Deadlift: 21kg
Barbell Curls: 19kg

Still pretty low, but progress at least has been made. However, I feel like at the moment autoregulated is not working for me simply because I started a new job and am on my feet most of the day, which in turn leads me to actually do the routine with gaps of 3 days to sometimes even 7 days. Would it be wiser to switch back to regular Allpro, which at least is fewer lifts until the last week and has deloaded work outs in it?

Also, the goddamn OHP has _still_ made zero progress! I've tried everything: I have done arnold presses, I've done it suicide grip, I've added push presses to the end of my routine, I've watched that Rippetoe guy demonstrate it over and over and nothing ever seems to make it progress. The funny thing about it is that I can simply never hit two sets of 12 and it doesn't appear to matter what the weight even is- case in point I decided in my frustration to use a heavier weight (around 17kg) and I pretty much got the same number of reps as I normally would with the 13kg. I just can't seem to be fast and 'snap it' up like Rippetoe demonstrates, and in turn I just get to too tired to lift up for enough reps. Is there something I am doing wrong? Is there anything I can do to fix this?

Oh also what would you say would be a good thing to do for a isolated tricep exercise? I saw you mention tricep dips but for someone who works out from home and has dumbells and a barbell what would you suggest?

[nightanole]

Been a while since I've been on here. I've been running Allpro regulated for a while now and done my best to fix my diet, with my numbers now looking like this:
Squat: 23kg
Floor Press: 32kg
BOR: 25kg
OHP: 13kg
Stiff Leg Deadlift: 21kg
Barbell Curls: 19kg

Still pretty low, but progress at least has been made. However, I feel like at the moment autoregulated is not working for me simply because I started a new job and am on my feet most of the day, which in turn leads me to actually do the routine with gaps of 3 days to sometimes even 7 days. Would it be wiser to switch back to regular Allpro, which at least is fewer lifts until the last week and has deloaded work outs in it?

Also, the goddamn OHP has _still_ made zero progress! I've tried everything: I have done arnold presses, I've done it suicide grip, I've added push presses to the end of my routine, I've watched that Rippetoe guy demonstrate it over and over and nothing ever seems to make it progress. The funny thing about it is that I can simply never hit two sets of 12 and it doesn't appear to matter what the weight even is- case in point I decided in my frustration to use a heavier weight (around 17kg) and I pretty much got the same number of reps as I normally would with the 13kg. I just can't seem to be fast and 'snap it' up like Rippetoe demonstrates, and in turn I just get to too tired to lift up for enough reps. Is there something I am doing wrong? Is there anything I can do to fix this?

Oh also what would you say would be a good thing to do for a isolated tricep exercise? I saw you mention tricep dips but for someone who works out from home and has dumbells and a barbell what would you suggest?

If you have a gap of 3-7 days, how are you going to do regular allpro that as a much more strict sched? Auto you just pickup were you left off.

OHP you can try a few things. Switch to varying the weight, instead of the reps. You can try just greyskull style of 2 sets of 5 (3min rest min 5min rest max) and one AMRAP set, and just bump every workout till you fail, then reset 10% and work your way up again. The other idea is to find a wall you cant damage(or dont care if you damage) and do the bar bell OHP facing the wall, and are so close that the weight is almost touching the wall. This will break you of the habit most people have, of pushing the weight forward.

For tricep exercises, you can do behind the head skull crushers. For good form, you start with the elbows inline with with the shoulder joint, just like a bench press, and end with the elbows inline with the top of the ears.

[blackfieldgates]

Oh wow you can do greyskull with OHP? I thought that was just for the squat, bench and row- awesome I'll try that out.

Also, I had tried that wall move before but I did it the other way around (as in kept myself facing away from the wall) but this method makes way way more sense so I'll try that out- thanks as always!

Does this tricep exercise require a bench or could it be feasibly performed on a regular short legged long stool or a Swiss ball?

[nightanole]

Oh wow you can do greyskull with OHP? I thought that was just for the squat, bench and row- awesome I'll try that out.

Also, I had tried that wall move before but I did it the other way around (as in kept myself facing away from the wall) but this method makes way way more sense so I'll try that out- thanks as always!

Does this tricep exercise require a bench or could it be feasibly performed on a regular short legged long stool or a Swiss ball?

The tricep exercise is generally done in a slight decline position. You can do it any way you like, as long as you follow those elbow positions. If the elbow starts going below the shoulder joint, you will start getting elbow pain, if the eblow is not going to the upper ear, you are not stretching/hitting the long head of the tricep. Hell if you had the right pulley attachments, you could do them standing up.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_KZxkY_0cM

[hussiendarwish]

Those are some dam good starting stats.

As for your bench press and OHP question, would try this: If you can complete medium day, just try and fail test day, and repeat next cycle with the same weights. If you can not complete medium day(week4 11 reps), taking 5lbs off the bar is normally good for 2 reps, and i would do next cycle at 5lbs(or 10lbs if you can only get in 6 reps on medium day 2ns set) less than this cycles heavy day.

Unfortunately this is a fatigue based program, and nothing builds fatigue and robs recovery like missed reps. Most beginner programs have you doing the same lift every other workout, so if you miss a rep, you have 72-96 hours of recovery time before you need to attempt the lift again. On allpro you only get 48 hours, even though it really does take 72-96 hours to fully recover from heavy day, thats one of the reasons why medium day is 10% lighter.

Thank you a lot for your helpful feedback and quick response. Im sorry but i still dont understand the part about missed reps. Do i need to make up for them on the same session by adding say a 3rd set or just move on normally wthout doing them. Thanks again.

[nightanole]

Thank you a lot for your helpful feedback and quick response. Im sorry but i still dont understand the part about missed reps. Do i need to make up for them on the same session by adding say a 3rd set or just move on normally wthout doing them. Thanks again.

Let me reword it, "failed reps" or "failed sets". You do not need to make up the volume, you just move on and try again next session.

[hussiendarwish]

Ok got it. Thank you a lot.

[beemertec]

The wife and I completed our first workout today. She abhors excersise, but she agreed to do this with me. I started with the numbers I listed earlier based on my SS weights, but I realized quickly that they would be too heavy in later weeks. Here are my weights for the worksets at 8 reps in pounds.

Squat - 100
Bench - 85
Bent Row - 75
OHP - 65
SLDL - 95
Curls - 45
Calfs - 100

I set the calves to match the squat, but they will go up a lot next cycle I am sure.

My wife is 5'3", 101 lbs. She did:

Bench - 22
Bent Row - 22
OHP - 22
SLDL - 42
Curls - 22
Calfs - 22

She is uncomfortable so we started super light. I know that she can do more, but she needs confidence.

I assume that since we don't have a lighter bar than the junior bar that she is using, she just runs this weight all three days. Also, on my curls, should I do medium/light since we have lighter bars (ladies and junior) so I can adjust or can I just run the 45 all three days and see how I do?

[nightanole]

The wife and I completed our first workout today. She abhors excersise, but she agreed to do this with me. I started with the numbers I listed earlier based on my SS weights, but I realized quickly that they would be too heavy in later weeks. Here are my weights for the worksets at 8 reps in pounds.

Squat - 100
Bench - 85
Bent Row - 75
OHP - 65
SLDL - 95
Curls - 45
Calfs - 100

I set the calves to match the squat, but they will go up a lot next cycle I am sure.

My wife is 5'3", 101 lbs. She did:

Bench - 22
Bent Row - 22
OHP - 22
SLDL - 42
Curls - 22
Calfs - 22

She is uncomfortable so we started super light. I know that she can do more, but she needs confidence.

I assume that since we don't have a lighter bar than the junior bar that she is using, she just runs this weight all three days. Also, on my curls, should I do medium/light since we have lighter bars (ladies and junior) so I can adjust or can I just run the 45 all three days and see how I do?

The wife might be better off with this program for a month or 2 till she gets used to the weight. It is roughly the same, but has weight bumps every 2 weeks, and only 1 set:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pm-mYQ7a3xM

The problem with starting VERY light, is its real easy to pick up bad form habits. Its real easy to push a light weight load way too far forward in the OHP, its real easy to bench press with the weight always over the shoulders. You will get moment arms out the wazoo, since you are using a weight that will lock out regardless of form. Keep that in mind when you are form checking. If shes lifting 22lbs, or 220lbs, it should look the same and require the same bracing and form. You are ingraining these motor patterns over and over, so make sure its efficient form and she is pushing hard. Else when the weight gets heavy, she will use the same pattern, so if that pattern is slow and easy, and the weight is way off center, shes going to have a bad time.

As for your curl issue, the curl and calf raise are accessories, you can do what you want with them, as long as they dont affect recovery of the core program. Some replace curls with chinups or upright rows, and some have big calfs already, and skip calf raises.

[beemertec]

The problem with starting VERY light, is its real easy to pick up bad form habits. Its real easy to push a light weight load way too far forward in the OHP, its real easy to bench press with the weight always over the shoulders. You will get moment arms out the wazoo, since you are using a weight that will lock out regardless of form. Keep that in mind when you are form checking. If shes lifting 22lbs, or 220lbs, it should look the same and require the same bracing and form. You are ingraining these motor patterns over and over, so make sure its efficient form and she is pushing hard. Else when the weight gets heavy, she will use the same pattern, so if that pattern is slow and easy, and the weight is way off center, shes going to have a bad time.

Agreed on the form. I am watching every rep. It means that I have a longer rest than what I am supposed to have on my sets, but I do want her to do it properly. I believe that she will be able to make a pretty good jump after the first cycle if she sticks with it. Like I said, she really needs confidence. Thank you again for your help!

[PhantomEater]

Sports, allpro, weight loss, pick two.


Your choices are:
2 heavies of allpro per week, without the recommended 3rd set added to the first 3 lifts. This will reduce volume by about 25%.
Or run this 1 set program in 2 week blocks:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pm-mYQ7a3xM

Weightloss and allpro, maybe I will just keep the sports down to football alone, I find the lifting weights good mentally so I can't end that however I am glad to be back playing football, with that 1 set program will sports and weightloss be okay to go along side it without so much fatigue on my legs?

[beemertec]

I watched the video. The one workset and lower reps makes sense for building strength first. Since she will work out with me on my heavy and light days, what do you think of using the Allpro excersises, but using his 1 set, 5-reps? If she does that, at what point do you think that she could switch to the standard Allpro (weightwise)? She is thin and mainly wants to tone and add little to her butt.

[Gray1985]

I read from one of the nightanole's posts in this thread that ideally the calves should have the same diameter as the neck and forearms. I wonder if what's the overall ideal ratio... like including chest, hips, etc.

If your lower body is stronger than your upper, is it proper if you purposefully avoid further strengthening your lower until such time your upper is able to keep up (in terms of body measurements... in which case what should the ratio be like?).

I weigh around 132 lbs but can squat 150 lbs 3X10. My bench however is very weak at only 90 lbs and I usually can't complete 10 reps by the 3rd set. I haven't been pushing myself on the squats because I want somehow for my bench to keep up. Is this proper?

[nightanole]

Weightloss and allpro, maybe I will just keep the sports down to football alone, I find the lifting weights good mentally so I can't end that however I am glad to be back playing football, with that 1 set program will sports and weightloss be okay to go along side it without so much fatigue on my legs?

Volume is what will affect recovery, so if you just reduce frequency or reduce sets, you increase recovery. And the 1 set program is not going to cause that much of a slow down. Say you gain 7lbs of muscle on allpro after a year, on the 1 set program it might only be 5lbs gained. Each additional set in a program has dramatically reduced returns. Going from 3 sets to 5 sets(SS vs SL vs ICF), might net only ounces of muscle gain per year.