Workout Plan - Advice Welcomed

[AuntMaud]

Hey Guys,

I've been seriously slack these last few months and my gains have been stagnating. I've also gained a heap of weight.
I've decided that I need to get my act together and organize a proper diet and exercise routine.

I'd really appreciate any help and advice you guys can offer.

As far as stats go, I'm 23, 6 foot something, 88kg, and probably around 20% bodyfat.
I've been lifting on and off (mostly off) for about 2 years, but as I said, I've been slack as f*ck and so I'm pretty weak.

As far as lifts go:
Bench: 60kg
Dead: 120kg
Squat: whatisthisidonteven


-ANYWAY-

Here is the routine I have come up with.


Sunday - Accessory Push:
    - Leg Press 3x8
    - Incline dumbbell bench 3x10
    - Standing Overhead Press 4x6
    - Planks   

Monday - Pull:
    - DeadLift: after warmups go heavy 2x3 1RM 1x3
    - Tbar Rows: 3x10
    - Assisted pull ups: 70reps, 35 wide pulls then 35 chins, in as many sets as it takes, with as little assistance as possible.
    - Cable Machine Bicep Curls 3x10
    
Tuesday - REST

Wednesday - Push:
    - High Bar Squat 3x3
    - Flat Bench 5x3
    - Incline Dumbell Flyes 3x10
    - Tricep Pulldowns 3x10
    
Thursday - Accessory Pull:
    - Assisted Pullups - warm up with 2x10 then do 3x5 isometrics
    - Bent over dumbbell rows
    - Barbell Shrugs
    - Planks
    
Friday - REST

Saturday - REST



---DIET---

2100 Calories
40c:30p:30f
155g of protein
207g of carbs
70g of fat



I'd appreciate any ideas or advice, so looking forward to hearing from you.

[AuntMaud]

I'm especially concerned about my diet.  At 20% bodyfat I sure as hell don't want to be getting any fatter, but is 2100 cals enough to sustain decent growth in the gym?

[maccaz]

you will lose weight at 2100cal i reckon

[BeastBuilder]

You should lose weight at 2100 calories a day.

Where did you get this programme or did you just make it up yourself ?

Seems like strangely put together movements, and intensity is all over the show and won't be sustainable for long if you actually go heavy in those prescribed rep ranges.

Don't try and reinvent the wheel, find a programme like 5x5 that's tried and true, stick to it and you won't even recognise your lifts in six months time.

Can add Arm/Back/Shoulder accessory work if you feel the need but recovery is paramount.

Keep this journal going with your progress and you'll be amazed when you look back on it down the track if you stick to the basics first.

[Pseudonym]

How advanced is the 5x5 program? I've never looked into it much, but I had it in my head that it was possibly better to do something less intense to start with?

 

AuntMaud, I just plugged your stats into a macro calculator, and got 2100 for a cut. So you're not wrong. Having said that, if you're just getting back into and training hard, you can probably get away with a "recomposition" rather than a full-on cut. I'd increase the cals a bit (say 2400-2500) and see how you go. You can always drop them lower if nothing's happening.

[BeastBuilder]

How advanced is the 5x5 program? I've never looked into it much, but I had it in my head that it was possibly better to do something less intense to start with?

5x5 isn't advanced at all. Especially if you follow the correct loading parameters suggested by Stronglifts.

It is literally made for beginners and gives them the most bang for their buck movement wise, keeps it simple and uncomplicated so they don't get confused, lays everything out for them.

All they have to do is a little maths and have the patience to stick at it for six months or more.

If he wanted to start with something else then that's great, 5x5 is just a tried and proven method that he is nearly guaranteed progression in the right direction with rather than just chucking together numbers and exercises like I believe he has done eg 3x1RM Pulls once a week ? And 3x3 Squats every week ? Etc

[maccaz]

5x5 isn't advanced at all. Especially if you follow the correct loading parameters suggested by Stronglifts.

It is literally made for beginners and gives them the most bang for their buck movement wise, keeps it simple and uncomplicated so they don't get confused, lays everything out for them.

All they have to do is a little maths and have the patience to stick at it for six months or more.

If he wanted to start with something else then that's great, 5x5 is just a tried and proven method that he is nearly guaranteed progression in the right direction with rather than just chucking together numbers and exercises like I believe he has done eg 3x1RM Pulls once a week ? And 3x3 Squats every week ? Etc

In 11 weeks of sl 5x5 i beat my previous pbs that i had set over 2 years of doing dumb body part splits in gym.

Its not advanced, starts easy and gradually gets hard. Will be a good few months before you fail a rep. I highly recommend it

[AuntMaud]

Thanks for the feedback guys.
I actually used 5x5 when I first started out lifting. Definitely a great routine and I made great progress, problem was I hated doing it. 5x5 Squats every workout is vomit inducing. I much prefer lifting heavier and for fewer reps, then polishing it off with some hypotrophy afterwards.

Sets of 3: I walk away feeling pumped
Sets of 5: I crawl away and die in a corner.

I might sound like a pussy, but if I'm not enjoying the workout, it's going to be twice as hard to stick to it.

[AuntMaud]

I based the routine I posted above on the 2 day Push Pull split.
On the two high intensity days I do heavy compounds for low reps and then polish off with some hypotrophy.
On the other two days I do light-weight accessory work.

Is there something wrong with 3x3 for squats and deads? Should I lower the weight and add more sets? I really don't want to add more reps if I don't have to.

The 1RM in the middle of my deadlift set is just thrown in for shits n gigs because I love the feeling of busting out a chunky dead. (Not that my deads are particularly chunky, but you know what I mean). Can easily be removed.

 

[maccaz]

I based the routine I posted above on the 2 day Push Pull split.

On the two high intensity days I do heavy compounds for low reps and then polish off with some hypotrophy.

On the other two days I do light-weight accessory work.

Is there something wrong with 3x3 for squats and deads? Should I lower the weight and add more sets? I really don't want to add more reps if I don't have to.

The 1RM in the middle of my deadlift set is just thrown in for shits n gigs because I love the feeling of busting out a chunky dead. (Not that my deads are particularly chunky, but you know what I mean). Can easily be removed.

 

 

 

to be honest I think 3x3 is on the low side in terms of volume, what kind of % of 1rm would you use for those do you think? 

 

I think anything is better than nothing mate so give it a go, keep up a log on here and people will give you input as you go.

 

all just different ways to get the same result in the end, just whether its optimal or not, for now what you have planned will be sweet imo

 

i will follow

[AuntMaud]

Ok, first week down.
I've stuck to my diet and been hitting my macro targets pretty consistently all week.
Major lifts for the week:
Deadlift: 3x3 100kg

Squat: 3x3 60kg

Bench 5x5 56kg

Will weigh myself when I go to the gym tonight.
 

[AuntMaud]

Week 2

Weight on Monday: 86.3kg
Deadlift: 3x3 110kg

Squat: 3x3 60kg

Bench 5x5 56kg

Wednesday was a pretty bad day at the gym for me.
All my Squats keep turning into good mornings, my ass comes up first and then I straighten out my back. I think this is because my quads are weak compared to my posterior chain.
I keep dropping the weight down to try and fix the issue, but I am unable to. If I can't fix it by the end of this week I think I might swap over to front squats.

[BeastBuilder]

All my Squats keep turning into good mornings, my ass comes up first and then I straighten out my back. I think this is because my quads are weak compared to my posterior chain.

I keep dropping the weight down to try and fix the issue, but I am unable to. If I can't fix it by the end of this week I think I might swap over to front squats.

Usually a case of not coordinating the muscle groups right or lack of tightness in the upper back causing the chest to fall.

Also it could potentially be an over activation of the quads and you don't activate your glutes etc well enough hence why your knees extend before your hips.

Try feeling like your breaking the bar over your back or doing a behind the neck pulldown. This will really engage your upper back and should help you lead with your chest out of the hole. Think pulling your scapula down into your back pockets. And take a big breath into your belly, push out against your belt if you have one, if not breath in all the same and tighten up your core.

Also try a few glute activation drills (eg glute bridges, fire hydrants etc) before you Squat, should notice a difference hopefully if you work on those two things.

That's about as good of advice as I can give you without seeing a video, hopefully it's enough as let's be fair you should be able to get your Back Squat over 60kg without giving up on it.

[AuntMaud]

Usually a case of not coordinating the muscle groups right or lack of tightness in the upper back causing the chest to fall.

Also it could potentially be an over activation of the quads and you don't activate your glutes etc well enough hence why your knees extend before your hips.

Try feeling like your breaking the bar over your back or doing a behind the neck pulldown. This will really engage your upper back and should help you lead with your chest out of the hole. Think pulling your scapula down into your back pockets. And take a big breath into your belly, push out against your belt if you have one, if not breath in all the same and tighten up your core.

Also try a few glute activation drills (eg glute bridges, fire hydrants etc) before you Squat, should notice a difference hopefully if you work on those two things.

That's about as good of advice as I can give you without seeing a video, hopefully it's enough as let's be fair you should be able to get your Back Squat over 60kg without giving up on it.

Thanks for the advice,

I definitely can get my Squat above 60kg, I just keep having to drop the weight down to try and fix form, Having my tiny asian girlfriend squat the same weight as me, with better form, is demoralizing as f*ck lol, even at 40kg my bad form is still noticeable.

I feel like I shouldn't be trying to push the weight up when my form is still bad, but even when I lower the weight I can't seem to improve it.

 

[Pseudonym]

Try feeling like your breaking the bar over your back or doing a behind the neck pulldown. This will really engage your upper back and should help you lead with your chest out of the hole.

Agreed. I've never tried the "pulling down" techniques, but getting your chest up makes squatting a whole lot easier.  I do two things for this:

 

1) Look up. For me the top bar of the squat rack is reflected in the mirror at just the right height, so I look at that. It may vary for you, but find your spot and stare at it. Imagine you're being pulled up with a string attached to the top of your chest.

 

2) When you get to the bottom of the squat, push your elbows forward. This pulls your chest up too.

 

Give all this a shot, and if that doesn't fix things, post a video here.

[BeastBuilder]

Agreed. I've never tried the "pulling down" techniques, but getting your chest up makes squatting a whole lot easier. I do two things for this:

1) Look up. For me the top bar of the squat rack is reflected in the mirror at just the right height, so I look at that. It may vary for you, but find your spot and stare at it. Imagine you're being pulled up with a string attached to the top of your chest.

2) When you get to the bottom of the squat, push your elbows forward. This pulls your chest up too.

Give all this a shot, and if that doesn't fix things, post a video here.

It's funny how different cues work for different people.

For example both your points don't work for my squat lol. Nothing against your advice, they're valid points for different styles of squats/different people, just the opposite of what I have discovered works best for me. Eg I tilt my head down and look down slightly, and I push my elbows back and down and push the front of my wrist forward otherwise I put stress through my elbow and get tendinitis on the inside of the joint.

Honestly Maud, best bet is tell us what your goals are with squats, post a vid so we can see what's going on and go from there.

From the sounds of your form breaking down with 40-60kg it could be a mobility issue in which case you'll just make it worse if you keep engaging that motor pattern. The quicker you fix the issue, if there is any, and your squat the easier it will be to progress and learn good technique. It's hard to get someone to unlearn bad motor patterns and relearn it the right way.

10,000 hours/reps of practice to become a master. But if those 10,000 hours/reps are shit, you'll become a master of shit to put it bluntly.

[AuntMaud]

My goals with squats are essentially, to get good at squats.
I want to be able to lift heavy weight with good form.

I've watched heaps of squat videos and I think that for one my form is probably too narrow (I initially adopted a narrow stance to help me get depth). Even just practicing the movement without the bar I have to concentrate a lot to keep my chest up and finish the exercise in one fluid movement. If I widen my stance the issue goes away, but it feels pretty awkward and I'm unable to get ass to grass. I'm hoping this will get better over time as I train the motor patterns and gain some strength and mobility in my adductors.

Anyway, I'll be squatting again tomorrow and trying this theory out with some weight.
I'll be experimenting with your guys advice as well so I'll let you know how it goes.

[AuntMaud]

Week 3:
Deadlift: 5x3 100kg
Bench: 5x5 60kg
Squat: 4x5 50kg

Squat feels a little awkward in my wide stance, but the good morning issue has gone away. Pushing my elbows forward whilst pulling the weight into my back also helped a lot. Thanks for the tips!

I'm going to start training squats at light weight for volume every session. I figure this will help drive in the motor patterns since it feels a little awkward at the moment.

[Pseudonym]

High five, BeastBuilder! AuntMaud is using some cross-bred mongrel hybrid of our advice, but it seems to be working. I reckon that's a win!

[BeastBuilder]

High five, BeastBuilder! AuntMaud is using some cross-bred mongrel hybrid of our advice, but it seems to be working. I reckon that's a win!

If it works, it works !

I'm claiming 40% of any royalties/future sponsorships.

[Pseudonym]

I'm claiming 40% of any royalties/future sponsorships.

 

Sucker! I'd have settled for 50/50.

[BeastBuilder]

Sucker! I'd have settled for 50/50.

Are we not giving him anything out of it lol.

I spose not, that does seem to be how the fitness industry works these days haha

[AuntMaud]

Deadlift: 5x3 110kg
Bench: 5x5 65kg
Squat: 5x3 65kg

[AuntMaud]

Deadlift: Tried out some sumo, finished off with 4-5 reps of conventional at 100kg
Bench: 5x3 70kg

Squat 2x1 80kg, couldn't get any more reps out so dropped back to 60kg and did 2 sets of 5 paused.

[AuntMaud]

Haven't updated in a while, but haven't given up!
Been following GreySkullLP and keeping track of my progress in a spreadsheet.
http://www.powerliftingtowin.com/greyskull-lp/

Currently my lifts are at:
3x5 77.5kg -- squat
2x5, 1x9 65kg -- bench
2x5, 1x6 40kg -- press

1x8 110kg -- dead

Been sick as a dog for the last 3 weeks so progress has been slow, Picked up some squat shoes from the local crossfit shop last week (TOA on Kent Terrace).
Was the only place in Wellington that I could find which had squat shoes in stock and let me try them on before I bought them.
http://cpconstantlyvaried.com/2014/09/30/review-inov-8-fastlift-370-boa-weightlifting-shoes/

Only worn them once so far, so looking forward to spending some more time in them.

Will probably keep using the spreadsheet to track my progress as it is a little more convenient, but might throw an update on here every couple of weeks.

Peace