did 5x5 on deadlifts yesterday. i forgot how much work it is to do more than 2 lul.
Hi guys, I've been working out for around the past year or so using Dumbell a while eating at a deficit and I'm ready to start making some muscle gains. I'd really like some advice:
Age: 33
Height: 178cm (5'10")
Weight: 64kg
Goal: 72kg
Current Training Schedule:
Weights Mon/Wed/Fri using this template: https://cdn.muscleandstrength.com/sites/default/files/workouts/dumbbellonly.pdf
HIIT Tues/Thurs - Alternating sprints & jogging (10 minutes total)
Current Training Equipment Available: Dumbbells, bench, pull-up bar, trampoline
Comments:
I bought Jim Wendler's 5/3/1 book and I've picked a variation of The Periodization Bible, doing the 3-day a week variant where what I do on different days just shifts by one each week.
That means my workout looks like this with the main exercise listed first:
Day 1: OH Press / Chinup / Bent Over Row / Lying Extensions
Day 2: Hip Thrusts (in lieu of Deadlifts) / Lunges / Situps / Leg Curls
Day 3: Bench / Dumbell Bench / Dumbell Shrugs / Seated Extensions
Day 4: Goblet Squat (in lieu of back squats) / Back Raises / Bulgarian Split Squats / Dumbell Side Bends
Anyway, I have a few questions:
1) I'm not even going to attempt back squats - my flexibility is so bad even dumbbell squats are a struggle. Will 5/3/1 even work for goblet squats or will I have to just treat goblet squats as another assistance exercise and make up for it in volume?
2) Ditto for deadlifts. I can't get down that low and still have my feet flat on the ground. I'm doing hip thrusts as the main exercise instead, but I worry that it won't be enough. Backing it up with lunges and shrugs.
3) It only just occurred to me that there are no curls mentioned anywhere. I do hammer curls and regular ones right now - though modest, my wife loves the progress I've made so far where my arms are concerned. Will these muscle groups be covered if I'm doing the main lifts and the exercises I've listed above?
I'm eating at maintenance since my BF% is sitting somewhere around 16-17% and I'm averaging 120g of protein a day.
It isn't an injury that impedes my flexibility. I actually think it's one of the physical symptoms of ASD - tight hamstrings and calves. My son was diagnosed just over two years ago due to a lot of similar behaviour I displayed as a kid. Squatting just isn't natural for me and even sitting upright on the floor is difficult due to my tight hip flexors pulling my spine backwards (I tend to either slouch forward or hold my knees for balance).1) and 2) Is there some specific injury impeding your flexibility? Because not being able to squat or deadlift sounds pretty dire to me. Have you tried moving your feet out to more of a wide/sumo stance (talking about both lifts)? At any rate, I'm a traditionalist on this and to me, nothing can replace squats and deadlifts for getting stronger and more muscular overall.
3) I realize what I'm about to say is a matter of personal judgment and also individual genetics. But I feel like my arms are plenty muscular (a few weeks ago, I got called out as such by a law enforcement officer, the old "his arms are the size of my legs," during a safety exercise at work, if that tells you anything, lol) and the only exercises I've done since mid-July have been deadlifts, front and back squats, pull-ups, and overhead press. And it's been years since I've done more than, say, a few sets of curls a month. My two cents is that going hard on the basic lifts and eating big will give you what you need.
Wow, sorry to hear that. To answer your original question, I think it's going to be very tough to reproduce the results of squats and deadlifts for the lower body.It isn't an injury that impedes my flexibility. I actually think it's one of the physical symptoms of ASD - tight hamstrings and calves. My son was diagnosed just over two years ago due to a lot of similar behaviour I displayed as a kid. Squatting just isn't natural for me and even sitting upright on the floor is difficult due to my tight hip flexors pulling my spine backwards (I tend to either slouch forward or hold my knees for balance).
Squats I could probably safely do down to parallel, if I'm careful. Stretched and warmed up, I can get down that far in a sumo stance. Most of what I've seen asks me to get lower though, so I wonder how much benefit I'm getting.
Sumo stance doesn't help me deadlift with proper form however, because I'd have to put my knees out past where my arms are. Because my knees have to be close together, my back always arches at the bottom when I go to grip the bar. I've injured myself doing this on two occasions now and I'm not keen for more. The only other thing I've considered that I haven't tried is putting sandstone blocks underneath the two ends of the barbell and seeing if that helps.
This is after a year of regular stretching, flexibility exercises and physiotherapy, by the way.
I figured that'd be the case. Believe me, I've been trying to work my way up to doing these two exercises with proper form all year. I'm starting to lose hope I'll ever manage it.Speaking of biceps, I just got back from a 5 mile ruck, and I discovered that I can't do that high school boy 'thumbs hooked under the backpack straps' thing. I can touch my thumbs to my shoulders but only if they're extended out.
Wow, sorry to hear that. To answer your original question, I think it's going to be very tough to reproduce the results of squats and deadlifts for the lower body.
So, I have a full body routine that is designed around 3 sessions (days) / week. For first few months this program was very good, but now I feel like I could do more days / week or more intense training in general. So if I wanted to add a 4th session / week, which would be the best way to go?
1) Copy one of the 3 days to be the routine for 4th day
2) Have 4th day be a "freestyle" day where I do whatever I feel like @ the gym
3) Find a new routine that is designed around 4 days / week
4) Something else, what?
So, I have a full body routine that is designed around 3 sessions (days) / week. For first few months this program was very good, but now I feel like I could do more days / week or more intense training in general. So if I wanted to add a 4th session / week, which would be the best way to go?
1) Copy one of the 3 days to be the routine for 4th day
2) Have 4th day be a "freestyle" day where I do whatever I feel like @ the gym
3) Find a new routine that is designed around 4 days / week
4) Something else, what?
I figured that'd be the case. Believe me, I've been trying to work my way up to doing these two exercises with proper form all year. I'm starting to lose hope I'll ever manage it.
All the same, I'd like to do something for those muscle groups, even if I'm never going to get the kind of growth squats and deadlifts will get me. Especially when it comes to my back - I started lifting because I don't want to walk all bent over like a bow in my old age like my grandfather and uncles. The hip thrusts, rows and pull-ups will hopefully help with the back, while the lunges, leg curls and goblet squats will help my legs and glutes.
I just want to make sure I'm not missing anything major or doubling up unnecessarily.
Lost a ton of weight over the last few months (possibly too much too fast - down to 160lb at 6'5); now in the gym trying to get some strength back. Been there a week now. I "get" squats, bench and DL, but I absolutely stall out on OHP. Like can barely do a total of 15 reps even with an empty bar. What are some accessories I can do to improve that? I've got access to an entire gym's worth of bar, dumb, and kettle bells. Right now when I fail under the bar I go and do some rows / skullcrushers / dumbbell presses or something just to keep my time there productive. I'm not sure if that's useful, but I would guess that literally anything is better than nothing.
I had a shoulder injury a few years back (basically healed) and an elbow injury this year (ongoing) which mess with my head a bit during presses. The other day I was struggling with a lift and my spotter literally just put a single finger under the bar and I was able to finish it, even though he was basically doing nothing more than moral support.
Brains are stupid sometimes.
Don't use a bar for a press if you need lower. I do single set to failure which has me at 8 max. If it can get it to 12 I got up in weight.
Thanks for the response. Using the training bar in the meantime is a good idea - I'm constantly working on my flexibility, so I might eventually get there. Having the form set in stone ahead of time can only help me.When I got a sacroiliac joint injury and couldn't squat or dead for a while I did a lot of stairs and hill walking to get leg/glut work. It would be lower impact and I'd make it a workout by going long distances. In the meantime you could keep working on flexibility and form with training weight (10 lb wide disks on a bar). I always do a few with that weight before a set to check form anyways. I also only dead 1 out of every 4 workout sessions. I do 3 days a week and do leg day every other day. Leg days I alternate squat and dead so that I do dead every other every other workout.
I may change up this routine once I stop making progress.
Good advice, thanks! The gym also has the non-olympic 35 lb bars there. Next time I'll eat my shame and try with those lol. If that fails I'll drop down to dumbbells for a while for ohp.
I'd say something full body just less intense than one of your more targeted days. Maybe some more cardio perhaps? Hard to say without knowing what the other 3 days are really. Maybe a high weight 'high & slow / low rep' day?
It's a little hard to answer this without seeing the routine. But I also do a 3 day a week, full body routine (deadlift, squat, overhead press), and I'd never just do it again for a 4th day. It would be too much. The program I do has a 4 day routine but it's pretty different (I don't want to just give away the program here, you understand). I would suggest either 3 or 4 above.
So, I have a full body routine that is designed around 3 sessions (days) / week. For first few months this program was very good, but now I feel like I could do more days / week or more intense training in general. So if I wanted to add a 4th session / week, which would be the best way to go?
1) Copy one of the 3 days to be the routine for 4th day
2) Have 4th day be a "freestyle" day where I do whatever I feel like @ the gym
3) Find a new routine that is designed around 4 days / week
4) Something else, what?
I would either add cardio or flexibility/mobility work on the 4th day (especially if your training is short on that), or do a simple 4 day strength split.So, I have a full body routine that is designed around 3 sessions (days) / week. For first few months this program was very good, but now I feel like I could do more days / week or more intense training in general. So if I wanted to add a 4th session / week, which would be the best way to go?
1) Copy one of the 3 days to be the routine for 4th day
2) Have 4th day be a "freestyle" day where I do whatever I feel like @ the gym
3) Find a new routine that is designed around 4 days / week
4) Something else, what?
Thought this was really interesting and seems to align with people's experiences of rebuilding themselves after "losing muscle":
"according to a review published in Frontiers in Physiology, modern lab techniques now allow us to see that nuclei gained during training persist even when muscle cells shrink due to disuse or start to break down. These residual 'myonuclei' allow more and faster growth when muscles are retrained—suggesting that we can "bank" muscle growth"
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2019-01-muscle-memory-discovery-dogma.html
Huh at first glance i find it surprisingbecause you swim but your upper seems to be lagging behind lower body. Perhaps you could work some sprints into your pool routine ? Maybe add deadlifts of some kind ?I'm in need of advice and improvements to my routine for everyday and prefer to stick with the same routine. Currently subscribed to a gym. I've also got a treadmill, 30 kg barbell at home but don't have a bench. Currently the biggest obstacle for me is not really knowing what I'm doing, things get tiring as I'm not sure if I'm doing things correctly.
Right now as I'm fairly weak just to get idea of my limits
Gym - Morning
100 kg leg press 5x5
Maximum 15 kg Bench press 5x5
Lat pulldowns 5x5 40
Bicep Curls - Free Barbell 5x5
Chest Press 5x5 40
Home - Whenever I have the chance. Sometimes I do it before heading to bed.
20 sit ups
1.30 minutes planks
20 pushups
5 minutes treadmill speed 13 - Really bad at cardio.
20x 30 kg squats
Afternoon - Swimming - 15 laps.
I could add more things if necessary. I've got a skipping rope at home and ab roller (which is actually damn hard to use)
Does anyone who is training for hypertrophy have any experience with breaking up volume over more than one day? I've been doing a little research lately concerning taking maybe 15 sets of chest and doing 8 sets on Monday and 7 on Thursday, for example. I'm used to doing bro-splits and just hammering one body part per day, once a week and right now after having stopping doing that, it feels like I'm not doing much. I'm probably training all my bodyparts twice a week now and I like doing it since I get more stuff in and don't have to worry about overtraining anymore but I'm still worried that this won't produce size results that I want.
All I care about is looking good and building size but I haven't been too successful in doing so despite putting in a lot of time and effort. I think I'm eating cleaner than ever with enough protein intake and decent macros otherwise. I'm doing four-week cycles and adding two sets to my volume every week and then dropping back down at the end of the cycle, and repeating.
Many advanced lifters do one body part per day which ends up being once per week . I did it for a decade but If you monitor for overtraining no reason you can't do 2 times per weekAnecdotally speaking, my first year i did 3 sets of flat bench, decline bench, and incline bench, all of this was super set with normal/incline/decline fly's, this consistently produced great results for 12 months before i hit a brick wall. So it seems like it works great for beginners, but intermediate/advanced lifters seem to have 2-3 upper body days instead of 1 big chest day.
The trainer i trust the most is Athlean-X, i remember him saying something to the effect of "You want to stimulate the muscle, not annihilate the muscle", so he doesn't program a chest day like that.
Well that's just it basically it comes to preference but normally you either do 12-18 sets per body part but then you've blown it up so take 6-7 days off or you split those to say a push/ pull split that you can so a couple times per week but you won't be doing that volume unless planning for 1.5-2hr workouts .I'd say I've been getting most of my info on programming lately from Dr. Mike Israetal from Juggernaut. I revamped my entire routine from doing everything once per week to splitting things up more. I'm using set and rep ranges that he recommends. I was doing 12-15 sets per bodypart every week and I don't know how I'd even have the time to start doing some that twice a week.
Thanks for the advice. It's surprises me how weak my upper strength especially since I used to work in a glass factory doing a lot of lifting as well. I did initially do 3x10 for machines early on and misguidedly read about people doing 5x5. For Deadlifts, do you recommend doing 5x5 as well or using heavier weights but less? Will also add push press.Huh at first glance i find it surprisingbecause you swim but your upper seems to be lagging behind lower body. Perhaps you could work some sprints into your pool routine ? Maybe add deadlifts of some kind ?
Also is this 5x5 ? I'm not a big fan of doing 5 reps on machines like a leg press they are designed to isolate muscles . I would do the 5x5 on compound movements and just shoot for a broader 3x8-20 for legs on 2 machines instead ....
But that's just me . Also if you've already got the dbs at home maybe a push press or full clean and press for shoulders? I don't see any shoulder stuff
I think 5x5 should be good to build strength on compound movesThanks for the advice. It's surprises me how weak my upper strength especially since I used to work in a glass factory doing a lot of lifting as well. I did initially do 3x10 for machines early on and misguidedly read about people doing 5x5. For Deadlifts, do you recommend doing 5x5 as well or using heavier weights but less? Will also add push press.
Bought myself a half-cage recently and started working out at home (following the full body beginner program from the OP).
Haven't done weightlifting in 2.5 years due to lack of quality gyms and moving around. Now I can mentally relax after a day at the office while lifting weights in my own home. No packing gym bag, no small talk, no wasted time etc.
First goal is to lower my body weight over the next two months through diet but this should help keep/make me fit.
Youll have to find what works. Try not to see different meal plans as a miracle but rather find one that's sustainable. I will just give a +1 to intermittent fasting for weight loss if you're interested check the thread out. Also maybe check out the weight loss challenge thread ?After ping ponging between slow carb diet, normal "healthy" calorie counting, and a gym routine so unstable it borders on schizophrenic, starting this week I'm gonna just try to fully commit to a ketogenic diet and continue lifting 4 days a week, with proper splits.
Very brief history: I was around 330 lbs a couple years ago, had never done any exercise in my life (mid 30's and not an exaggeration). I got involved with a healthier crowd, and used the slow carb diet to drop around 120 at the peak. Unfortunately, life started kicking the shit out of me, I moved into a food desert, and now roughly half of that 120 has come back. Luckily, the basic principles I put in place during the time I was doing well has saved me from having all my progress erased, but this is not where I want to be. I think the real problem is that I still skitter wildly between all these diets and workout regimens, week after week. I mean, clearly something isn't working.
So, here's my question: If I really lock into the ketosis thing (I know you can't screw up whatsoever, I can handle it), lift 4 days a week (at my admittedly low strength level) and walk a mile with maybe some light jogging, yoga, and ab work on 2 of those rest days will I basically become a human god in about a year? Honestly, all I really want is some basic strength gain (which I have had almost NONE of after a full year in the gym, despite eating correctly, resting etc) and to get my body fat percentage down to where maybe I actually look like something. Another reason I want to build muscle is to get that vaunted higher resting metabolic rate.
The real draw on the ketosis thing is that it's actually less restrictive than the diet I'm on currently. Man do I miss some cheese. Sorry if this post is basically unanswerable due to being all over the place, I'm mainly hoping someone here will point out a critical flaw if they see one. And I'm also literally the only person I know currently who has ANY interest in fitness so.. don't have a lot of people to talk to about it all.
After ping ponging between slow carb diet, normal "healthy" calorie counting, and a gym routine so unstable it borders on schizophrenic, starting this week I'm gonna just try to fully commit to a ketogenic diet and continue lifting 4 days a week, with proper splits.
Very brief history: I was around 330 lbs a couple years ago, had never done any exercise in my life (mid 30's and not an exaggeration). I got involved with a healthier crowd, and used the slow carb diet to drop around 120 at the peak. Unfortunately, life started kicking the shit out of me, I moved into a food desert, and now roughly half of that 120 has come back. Luckily, the basic principles I put in place during the time I was doing well has saved me from having all my progress erased, but this is not where I want to be. I think the real problem is that I still skitter wildly between all these diets and workout regimens, week after week. I mean, clearly something isn't working.
So, here's my question: If I really lock into the ketosis thing (I know you can't screw up whatsoever, I can handle it), lift 4 days a week (at my admittedly low strength level) and walk a mile with maybe some light jogging, yoga, and ab work on 2 of those rest days will I basically become a human god in about a year? Honestly, all I really want is some basic strength gain (which I have had almost NONE of after a full year in the gym, despite eating correctly, resting etc) and to get my body fat percentage down to where maybe I actually look like something. Another reason I want to build muscle is to get that vaunted higher resting metabolic rate.
The real draw on the ketosis thing is that it's actually less restrictive than the diet I'm on currently. Man do I miss some cheese. Sorry if this post is basically unanswerable due to being all over the place, I'm mainly hoping someone here will point out a critical flaw if they see one. And I'm also literally the only person I know currently who has ANY interest in fitness so.. don't have a lot of people to talk to about it all.
I'm sure that I eat way too much fat per day. How much is too much? (I know that there are good and bad fats)
Thanks for the responses, I guess it's normal to cling on to these low carb diets because they work so well. It's strange - why do I have the discipline to cut out more than half the foods I enjoy for up to six months at a time, but not the discipline to count calories? Every time, I've succeeded with low carb, failed with calories and a balanced diet. I'll give myfitness pal a shot, see if maybe I can handle the calorie thing.
As for IF, IF has worked wonders for me before. It's just.. a little hard to manage for me these days. When I lift weights I get insanely hungry in the morning, and it's too distracting to ignore. I do still try to cut all calories by 5pm if possible tho.
Really what I want to do is lose weight while building muscle, but I understand that you can't serve two masters in that regard. I can't really do much cardio because every cardio exercise is murder on my knees, and I legitimately enjoy lifting weights. I make sure to get the heart rate up while doing it, too. So instead of losing weight, I'm hoping to just lose body fat. Ideally it would be just a real slow draw down of overall weight, like over a year, while the underlying muscles get better at their function and my resting metabolic rate goes up.
Ironically, after feeling all depressed and woe is me this morning, I went and had the best gym day I've had in months. I've been like top of the world mood wise and performed half as well. The more I learn about diet and exercise, the less I understand.
Hey everyone. I've been looking at my routine, and I've been following it for about two years now (with slight modifications here and there), and was hoping for a critique or recommendations on changes. Going to the gym 4x a week fits into my schedule well, and I'm not looking to change that. I've noticed that my muscles have all developed well except for my deltoids, biceps, and triceps, so I'd like to add some focus on them. I'd be willing to add a temporary extra fifth day on the weekend to target those, but I think training them 3x a week may be overkill.
Upper Body Power (Monday)
3x Bench Press (Barbell)
3x Incline Dumbbell Press (Dumbbell)
3x Pull Up
3x Overhead Press (Barbell)
3x Bent Over One Arm Row (Dumbbell)
3x Tricep Extension (Dumbbell)
3x Bicep Curl (Barbell)
Dropset Lateral Raise (Dumbbell)
Lower Body Power (Tuesday)
4x Squat (Barbell)
1x Deadlift (Barbell)
3x Walking Lunge (Dumbbell)
3x Leg Press (Wide Stance)
3x Standing Calf Raise (Machine)
3x Cable Crunch
3x Knee Raise (Captain's Chair)
3x Side Bend
Upper Body Hypertrophy (Thursday)
3x Bench Press (Barbell)
3x Incline Bench Press (Dumbbell)
3x Arnold Press (Dumbbell)
3x Chin Up
3x Chest Fly (Machine)
3x Seated Row (Cable)
3x Tricep Pushdown (Cable/Straight Bar)
Dropset Bicep Curl (Dumbbell)
Lower Body Hypertrophy (Friday)
3x Squat (Barbell)
3x Romanian Deadlift (Barbell)
3x Walking Lunge (Dumbbell)
3x Leg Press (Wide Stance)
3x Seated Calf Raise (Plated Loaded)
3x Cable Crunch
3x Side Bend (Dumbbell)
3x Back Extension