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Tom / Sabu113
Age: 20 || Height: 5'7"|| Weight: 132lbs/kg
Starting Date: 06/14/10 || Goal Date: 08/25/10
Weight goals -- 140lbs
Training goals -- Keep to my schedule of working out 6x a week. (Alternating Upperbody and Legs/Abs) Develop a
Nutrition goals -- Completely cut out sugary drinks. Add more vegetables into my diet.
* Learn more about protein powder stuffs: Where to get/ when/how much to use.
Misc goals -- Gain muscle, build an upper body.
Sleep by 1 am.
Minor goals: Lower body fat % and Prepare for soccer season
I just started working out seriously this past semester. I've seen some pretty big gains losing approx 10lbs or so within 1-2 months. With help from the weight training class at school, I developed my own rough routine. I would love your guy's opinion on whether this is sufficient/ advice to supplement it. **I am still in the process or reading through the links on the front page.**
Warm up all routines: 5-10 minute 1/2-1 mile jog.
My Upper body routine (std. 3x sets):
R W E
10 70lb Dips [Machine]
10 80lb Press -> 10~ 85lb press -> 5 90lb press [Machine]
10 80lb Chest Fly [Machine]
10-15 50lb Tri pulldown
13 80lb Lat Pulldown [Machine] **
8-10 20lb Bicep curl
8-10 20lb Hammer bicep curl
10-15 20lb tricep
10 20lb chest press with dumbells
15 20lb Powershrugs
10 30/40lb Shoulder [Machine}
I supplement this later in the day usually a few hours before I sleep with http://www.hundredpushups.com/
** Do I need another Back focused exercise?
Also should note that I have an injury to my thumb thats making some dumbell exercises tough to do ( I have difficulty with a dumbell chest fly) / makes me leery of bench press workouts. I do feel like I could do a bit more.
My own critique is that from glimpsing through the thread, I probably need to up the weight and shoot for 5 reps rather than 10 for every exercise.
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My Lower body routine
10 130lb Leg press [Machine]
10 80lb leg extension
10 70lb leg Curl
10 80lb Hip abductor inside/out? [Machine]
13 20lb Lunge [Only 2 sets]
10 65lb Squats [ just added this into my routine]
Ab routine supplement:
Exercises supersetted as grouped
Situp : http://www.twohundredsitups.com/
Squats: http://100squats.info/
40 crunches
50 Bicycle crunches
60 second plank
40 second Leg lift
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I used to play soccer through high school, but I never really developed an upper body. So right now my main focus is developing that upper body and gaining muscle mass. I'm going to a 24hour fitness regularly and I have a decent amount of free-time this summer. Any opinion for a new guy whether it's worth getting protein powder/ bars to eat after a workout or is that not too big a deal as long as I eat plenty of protein at my meals. Otherwise I'm pretty motivated.
Thanks for your help TL!
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No offense, but i would probably scrap that whole thing. And you should probably go 4 times a week instead of 6.
Stick to the core lifts, squats, dead lifts,bench, and then pull ups for back. Use freeweights where possible instead of machines. You have a lot of stuff thrown in that you dont need and in the wrong order. Try a routine like 5x5 http://stronglifts.com/stronglifts-5x5-beginner-strength-training-program/
and for protein, make sure you're getting 1-1.5 grams per pound of bodyweight. I usually have a whey protein shake within 30 minutes of working out.
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I don't think making the same workout 3 times per weak will do you any good. You need time to recover. You will burnout faster than make some gains.
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On June 14 2010 05:31 decafchicken wrote:No offense, but i would probably scrap that whole thing. And you should probably go 4 times a week instead of 6. Stick to the core lifts, squats, dead lifts,bench, and then pull ups for back. Use freeweights where possible instead of machines. You have a lot of stuff thrown in that you dont need and in the wrong order. Try a routine like 5x5 http://stronglifts.com/stronglifts-5x5-beginner-strength-training-program/and for protein, make sure you're getting 1-1.5 grams per pound of bodyweight. I usually have a whey protein shake within 30 minutes of working out.
second this. decaf basically has everything down. altho i would try out SS instead of stronglifts. a weightlifter friend of mind said the 5x5 was a good program but didn't seem the best for novice/beginners. so yeah i'm just being biased here 
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I'm getting back into the gym after a very long hiatus. I feel like I have fairly well recovered from my lower back injury. I believe I injured it by concentrating purely on raising my squat without doing any deadlifts or core work, I may have caused an imbalance. With that in mind I would still like to try and rebuild some of my lower back muscle before going back into heavy deadlifts and squats.
My stats before stopping were.
Squat: 242
Deadlift: 305
Bench: 176
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I'd like to start 5x5 from tomorrow but with the following stats
Squat: 132
Deadlift: 225
Bench: 110
Even though I haven't lifted any weight in a while, the numbers above are probably still a lot lower than what I can lift. My question is that am I wasting time starting again so low to slowly get back into it?
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def start lower and be extremely rigorous with form checks, you could be tight after an injury layoff and might have existing form issues anyway given that you injured your lower back
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On June 14 2010 20:08 Energies wrote:
I'm getting back into the gym after a very long hiatus. I feel like I have fairly well recovered from my lower back injury. I believe I injured it by concentrating purely on raising my squat without doing any deadlifts or core work, I may have caused an imbalance. With that in mind I would still like to try and rebuild some of my lower back muscle before going back into heavy deadlifts and squats.
My stats before stopping were.
Squat: 242
Deadlift: 305
Bench: 176
--
I'd like to start 5x5 from tomorrow but with the following stats
Squat: 132
Deadlift: 225
Bench: 110
Even though I haven't lifted any weight in a while, the numbers above are probably still a lot lower than what I can lift. My question is that am I wasting time starting again so low to slowly get back into it?
You're never wasting your time by starting lower. Actually, when you put in your 5RM on Madcow's 5x5, it forces you to start at 10% under your maximum for your fifth set. This is done to get you to pay strict attention to your motions and give you a place to go up. If you start with your 5RM and try to work up from there immediately, you'll be failing in the first few weeks of the program.
There is an excel file you can download here that will set up 9 weeks of the program for you. Its easy to follow and with it you will be seeing big results.
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Totally agree with the above. Having done Madcow for quiet some time, I would go as far down as my pride would allow me too before having to cut my balls off and buying a purse.
Get the technic straight in all lifts during the first few weeks with easy weights and set yourself up for motivating 3 months with constant progression. When you're looking back afer several months, you will not even remember that you started with some light weights.
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Thanks for the frank advice. My only worry with the 5x5 and generally barbell activities is that my thumb is still recoverying so I am a bit wary of putting to much strain on it.
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Weighed myself this weekend, lost 10 pounds (1-2 months?) and am now 160 (6'0). Feel a lot better and am much happier with my general physique. As noob/cliché as it is, what would you recommend for core strength/abs (at home only), I need something to add to my 10 minutes of daily skipping.
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On June 15 2010 06:03 Sabu113 wrote:
Thanks for the frank advice. My only worry with the 5x5 and generally barbell activities is that my thumb is still recoverying so I am a bit wary of putting to much strain on it.
What kind of thumb injury are we looking at here? Does it still give you problems if you're doing a pulling motion with your hand (i.e. pull ups)? The bench might be questionable, but I think you'll probably be fine with the squat, deadlift, and pull ups.
Another alternative for upper body exercises if you can't do the bench is the planche progressions. I believe it's been mentioned multiple times before on this thread.
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On June 14 2010 10:50 unknown.sam wrote:Show nested quote +On June 14 2010 05:31 decafchicken wrote:No offense, but i would probably scrap that whole thing. And you should probably go 4 times a week instead of 6. Stick to the core lifts, squats, dead lifts,bench, and then pull ups for back. Use freeweights where possible instead of machines. You have a lot of stuff thrown in that you dont need and in the wrong order. Try a routine like 5x5 http://stronglifts.com/stronglifts-5x5-beginner-strength-training-program/and for protein, make sure you're getting 1-1.5 grams per pound of bodyweight. I usually have a whey protein shake within 30 minutes of working out. second this. decaf basically has everything down. altho i would try out SS instead of stronglifts. a weightlifter friend of mind said the 5x5 was a good program but didn't seem the best for novice/beginners. so yeah i'm just being biased here
Well it all depends on what kinds of muscles you want to build. If you want those disgusting weightlifter muscles (short and bulky) you should go for heavier/fewer repetionts while if you want a nice body (in my opinion ofcourse) you should go for lighter training with more repetitions.
My workout mainly consists of running and some excercises without and some with light weights.
Again, decide what you want to achive with the training - then set up the program for getting there.
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If you're looking for a good place to find information about health and fitness I'd recommend http://www.3run.co.uk. Their forum sections are pretty well maintained! Parkour is the way to get in shape!
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So, my shitty weightlifting attitude and a minor injury have basically stalled my progress pretty badly. I've been lifting for the past six months give or take and my current numbers are
Squat: 68 kg
Bench: 55 kg
DL: 82 kg
Military press: 38 kg
Row: 55kg
I'm noticing that most of my lifts are stalling at this point, possibly from making a couple of breaks 1 due to being lazy and 1 due to an injury. Should i continue with the Starting strength program or maybe try something else, 5x5?
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Well it all depends on what kinds of muscles you want to build. If you want those disgusting weightlifter muscles (short and bulky) you should go for heavier/fewer repetionts while if you want a nice body (in my opinion ofcourse) you should go for lighter training with more repetitions.
Fewer reps = bigger muscles/higher reps = leaner muscles is actually a myth.
People can stay practically the same size and move all of their lifts up 50 pounds on 5x5. It is built to give you explosive strength, not huge muscles. All of this depends heavily on diet of course; if you're on a 4000 calorie/day diet, you're going to get some pretty big size from 5x5. If you're eating at around your maintenance, you probably won't, but your strength will improve significantly.
When it comes to size, people generally go for hypertrophy training (HST), which places more emphasis on the 10-12 rep range. This too depends entirely on diet of course, as 10-12 rep exercises are used in many cutting programs as well.
Honestly, you can lose weight, maintain your weight, or gain weight on any program. It doesn't matter if you do 1 rep, 3 reps, 5 reps, 10 reps, 15 reps, or alternate between all of them. The way your body reacts to any training is the food that you eat.
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had another good training session today. went through the lifts without too much trouble. actually it was pretty weird how the last set doing the press was the easiest. it must've been improved technique or something cause i felt like i could've done 2 more sets. why can't every training session be like this lol.
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Eshlow, I have a question about Dorsal Pushups. I've seen them mentioned on gymnasticbodies multiple times. now with dorsal pushups you're supposed to turn your hands inwards as far as you can, with the goal being getting your hands pointing directly backwards. now, unsurprisingly, I can't go that far. my question is, how do I develop the sort of flexibility that would allow me to do that.
On June 15 2010 20:47 Stormer wrote:
So, my shitty weightlifting attitude and a minor injury have basically stalled my progress pretty badly. I've been lifting for the past six months give or take and my current numbers are
Squat: 68 kg
Bench: 55 kg
DL: 82 kg
Military press: 38 kg
Row: 55kg
I'm noticing that most of my lifts are stalling at this point, possibly from making a couple of breaks 1 due to being lazy and 1 due to an injury. Should i continue with the Starting strength program or maybe try something else, 5x5?
what's the problem with your attitude?
sounds like you already have an idea of your problems, I would keep at it and work on fixing those problems.
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On June 16 2010 01:19 travis wrote:
what's the problem with your attitude?
sounds like you already have an idea of your problems, I would keep at it and work on fixing those problems.
Well I get lazy at times, so I stop working out for a week or 2. It's not really that much of a problem, I just think my body might already be adapted to doing the same exercises so it stops making gains. I'm still pretty much a noob regarding adaptation but since my gains have slowed I feel I might need to mix it up a bit. That's why I came here to ask about it cause I don't know if thats just normal, having plateaus here and there for a bit or if I need to switch up exercises/sets/reps
Considering my attitude, the main problem is if i skip once I'll skip the whole week, but this stopped occuring and I'm pretty much regular now, usually 3x, rarely 2x gym visits a week.
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On June 16 2010 02:21 Stormer wrote:Show nested quote +On June 16 2010 01:19 travis wrote:
what's the problem with your attitude?
sounds like you already have an idea of your problems, I would keep at it and work on fixing those problems. Well I get lazy at times, so I stop working out for a week or 2. It's not really that much of a problem, I just think my body might already be adapted to doing the same exercises so it stops making gains. I'm still pretty much a noob regarding adaptation but since my gains have slowed I feel I might need to mix it up a bit. That's why I came here to ask about it cause I don't know if thats just normal, having plateaus here and there for a bit or if I need to switch up exercises/sets/reps Considering my attitude, the main problem is if i skip once I'll skip the whole week, but this stopped occuring and I'm pretty much regular now, usually 3x, rarely 2x gym visits a week.
1.) stop being lazy. motivate yourself. watch videos of people working out and being awesome. the more you do something the more it will become habit. the laziness is very detrimental, not just to working out but to the rest of your life.
2.) if you stop making gains already i doubt it's because your body has adapted. you need to work consistently and revel in trying hard. trying hard is fun and will make you feel good. you just need to get used to doing this.
3.) set goals for yourself. what do you want your lifts to be? then work to that point, try hard to get there as quickly as you can. then set new goals once you reach it.
4.) check your nutrition. you should read the stuff eshlow says about nutrition in the OP. it's important for making gains, and if you plateau easily nutrition could be a factor.
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Ya I think being on a low carb (anabolic diet) might be the main problem. Mainly cause it's 5 day low carb 2 days (36-48 hours) carb refill which should serve as the main muscle building time. Unfortunately I'm a weekend alcoholic (old habits die hard) and I've read that alcohol while not only having a lot of empty calories also hinders muscle growth. I think it stops growth hormones from entering your body or something similar so I'm kinda in a tough boat now seeing as I don't want to give up my weekend drinks...
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EPT
