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[jon bones]

If you follow one of the OP programs, preferably the full body routines, you should hit your goals very quickly and make some nice mass gains as novice due to noob gains.

Your frame reminds of this guy. He made great progress on a similar routine.

sweet. i'm also brown so i saw that picture and had a good laugh, but he did make some solid gains so i'll make my program a little more structured. thanks for the advice.

 

[Sallokin]

I know it's been asked before, but I don't really have a sense of just how much or what type of cardio I should be doing in addition to lifting.

I'm 5'11, 205. Wanting to drop about 15lbs of fat. I keep hearing different things from different people. One camp says I shouldn't be doing cardio at all and that the weight training I"m doing should take care of the fat loss, and that cardio burns up any chance I'd have at making gains. Another camp says that I should be doing cardio at least a few days a week to deal with the fat loss and that it shouldn't affect my gains that much at all. I've even gotten conflicting info from trainers at my local gym.

Is there a resource I can use to educate myself on this particular issue? I'm still very much a novice when it comes to various aspects of my personal fitness (though learning has been really fun).

 

[SeanR1221]

I know it's been asked before, but I don't really have a sense of just how much or what type of cardio I should be doing in addition to lifting.

I'm 5'11, 205. Wanting to drop about 15lbs of fat. I keep hearing different things from different people. One camp says I shouldn't be doing cardio at all and that the weight training I"m doing should take care of the fat loss, and that cardio burns up any chance I'd have at making gains. Another camp says that I should be doing cardio at least a few days a week to deal with the fat loss and that it shouldn't affect my gains that much at all. I've even gotten conflicting info from trainers at my local gym.

Is there a resource I can use to educate myself on this particular issue? I'm still very much a novice when it comes to various aspects of my personal fitness (though learning has been really fun).

How about some long brisk walks?

 

[otapnam]

I know it's been asked before, but I don't really have a sense of just how much or what type of cardio I should be doing in addition to lifting.

I'm 5'11, 205. Wanting to drop about 15lbs of fat. I keep hearing different things from different people. One camp says I shouldn't be doing cardio at all and that the weight training I"m doing should take care of the fat loss, and that cardio burns up any chance I'd have at making gains. Another camp says that I should be doing cardio at least a few days a week to deal with the fat loss and that it shouldn't affect my gains that much at all. I've even gotten conflicting info from trainers at my local gym.

Is there a resource I can use to educate myself on this particular issue? I'm still very much a novice when it comes to various aspects of my personal fitness (though learning has been really fun).

Basically you'd probably have to be training for a marathon to lose gains. I think the whole
"no cardio" thing is overhyped. If you do a little here and there it will definitely help you lose some weight. I actually prefer to do 15-20 minutes of cardio AFTER lifting so my body is already at a higher heart rate so I'll be burning more during the cardio.



EDIT: And make your diet as clean as possible if you really want to lose those pounds

 

[HisshouBuraiKen]

I know it's been asked before, but I don't really have a sense of just how much or what type of cardio I should be doing in addition to lifting.

I'm 5'11, 205. Wanting to drop about 15lbs of fat. I keep hearing different things from different people. One camp says I shouldn't be doing cardio at all and that the weight training I"m doing should take care of the fat loss, and that cardio burns up any chance I'd have at making gains. Another camp says that I should be doing cardio at least a few days a week to deal with the fat loss and that it shouldn't affect my gains that much at all. I've even gotten conflicting info from trainers at my local gym.

Is there a resource I can use to educate myself on this particular issue? I'm still very much a novice when it comes to various aspects of my personal fitness (though learning has been really fun).

You can walk on the treadmill a few times a week for 45 minutes to an hour and not worry about burning any precious muscle, but I'm of the mind that if you go for a two mile jog a couple times a week that's not going to hurt anything either. Light cardio like that doesn't stress you nearly enough to trigger serious catabolism.

In any case "All the weight training" still won't be enough to take care of the fat loss, you need to eat right and eat less regardless. I've been on a diet for about a month now and it's slowly sapping my strength but it comes with the territory I guess.

 

[fredrancour]

I know it's been asked before, but I don't really have a sense of just how much or what type of cardio I should be doing in addition to lifting.

I'm 5'11, 205. Wanting to drop about 15lbs of fat. I keep hearing different things from different people. One camp says I shouldn't be doing cardio at all and that the weight training I"m doing should take care of the fat loss, and that cardio burns up any chance I'd have at making gains. Another camp says that I should be doing cardio at least a few days a week to deal with the fat loss and that it shouldn't affect my gains that much at all. I've even gotten conflicting info from trainers at my local gym.

Is there a resource I can use to educate myself on this particular issue? I'm still very much a novice when it comes to various aspects of my personal fitness (though learning has been really fun).

Only thing I know for sure is to lift before cardio. Tired for cardio? You slow down. Tired for lifting? You break your shit.

 

[Veezy]

I know it's been asked before, but I don't really have a sense of just how much or what type of cardio I should be doing in addition to lifting.

I'm 5'11, 205. Wanting to drop about 15lbs of fat. I keep hearing different things from different people. One camp says I shouldn't be doing cardio at all and that the weight training I"m doing should take care of the fat loss, and that cardio burns up any chance I'd have at making gains. Another camp says that I should be doing cardio at least a few days a week to deal with the fat loss and that it shouldn't affect my gains that much at all. I've even gotten conflicting info from trainers at my local gym.

Is there a resource I can use to educate myself on this particular issue? I'm still very much a novice when it comes to various aspects of my personal fitness (though learning has been really fun).

20-30 minutes walks every morning walks when fasted.
Two mile walk at a few degree incline.
A metcon or two per week (see the 50 grayskull conditioning exercises books for examples)

Really, it's not gonna kill you unless you're HELLA skinny.

 

[Sallokin]

How about some long brisk walks?

I do about 30 minutes of running/walking. Basically I do 2-3 minutes of warmup walking, then 5 minutes at 50% intensity, then 2-3 minutes at about 75%. Then repeat three times with a 5 minute cool down.

Basically you'd probably have to be training for a marathon to lose gains. I think the whole
"no cardio" thing is overhyped. If you do a little here and there it will definitely help you lose some weight. I actually prefer to do 15-20 minutes of cardio AFTER lifting so my body is already at a higher heart rate so I'll be burning more during the cardio.

EDIT: And make your diet as clean as possible if you really want to lose those pounds

Thanks, I think I'll try this way instead of doing it first. Food hasn't really been an issue, so that part is easy. Still trying to hit the sweet spot in terms of daily calories. I'm at about 1700-1800.

20-30 minutes walks every morning walks when fasted.
Two mile walk at a few degree incline.
A metcon or two per week (see the 50 grayskull conditioning exercises books for examples)

Really, it's not gonna kill you unless you're HELLA skinny.

Yeah, hella skinny is definitely not the issue =)

 

[theytookourjobz]

I think too many people try to have their cake and eat it too. If you're on a strength program and doing some cardio, you'll be fine. But don't expect to get the results you want by running a caloric deficit at the same time. If you're lifting a lot, you need to eat a lot to recover. Be patient with the weight loss because as long as you eat clean you will eventually get the body you want. And you will also have muscle.

 

[ezrarh]

If you've got access to bands and chains, by all means. I know guys who use dynamic effort to great success.

My gym has all that stuff so I've been looking forward to giving it a go. I'll probably give it a shot, I'll report back in 6 months to let you guys know!

 

[CliqWriter]

Those are some pretty strong numbers for your height/weight! Most guys need a few more pounds on them to get up there in reasonable time.

Thanks, hopefully the pounds transfer to higher weights !!

 

[Mully]

Down from 212 to 201 in a little over a week and a half. Cut is going well. Most of it feels like water weight, but eh I'll take it.

 

[Pavaloo]

So would it be bad for me to bench in all of my workouts? That's 3 times a week. Would I not be getting enough rest/recovery in my arms to be doing them that often?

 

[Mully]

So would it be bad for me to bench in all of my workouts? That's 3 times a week. Would I not be getting enough rest/recovery in my arms to be doing them that often?

Matters what program you're doing. What are your goals?

 

[Cudder]

Down from 212 to 201 in a little over a week and a half. Cut is going well. Most of it feels like water weight, but eh I'll take it.

Are you on an all water diet? 11 pounds in just over a week? How much of a deficit are you on?

 

[Pavaloo]

Matters what program you're doing. What are your goals?

My program is honestly a really sloppily put together routine for strength, but it's done me good so far. I'm looking on building my upper body strength since I'm pretty happy with my squat and deadlift. I really lagged on bench for a while, so I'm deadlifting and squating like 315lbs, but my bench is around 155lbs and OHP is at 120lbs. I figure if I could get up to 225lbs bench I would increase in enough mass and strength to be comfortable to start a cut.

 

[Mully]

Are you on an all water diet? 11 pounds in just over a week? How much of a deficit are you on?

Working on an 2000-1800 cal/day diet. I start my next cycle of 5/3/1 on Wednesday. I'm pretty hopeful I'll be able to put up atleast 8-10 reps on my final OHP set tomorrow.

My program is honestly a really sloppily put together routine for strength, but it's done me good so far. I'm looking on building my upper body strength since I'm pretty happy with my squat and deadlift. I really lagged on bench for a while, so I'm deadlifting and squating like 315lbs, but my bench is around 155lbs and OHP is at 120lbs. I figure if I could get up to 225lbs bench I would increase in enough mass and strength to be comfortable to start a cut.

If you're going for strength, just focus on one bench day a week. You're going to overwork your chest.

 

[Petrie]

My program is honestly a really sloppily put together routine for strength, but it's done me good so far. I'm looking on building my upper body strength since I'm pretty happy with my squat and deadlift. I really lagged on bench for a while, so I'm deadlifting and squating like 315lbs, but my bench is around 155lbs and OHP is at 120lbs. I figure if I could get up to 225lbs bench I would increase in enough mass and strength to be comfortable to start a cut.

Why use a program you know is sloppily put together? You're doing something wrong if your squat and deads are the same along with those numbers.

Don't bench 3 times a week, that'll hurt the progress you want. Pick a proven program and do it.

 

[Cudder]

My program is honestly a really sloppily put together routine for strength, but it's done me good so far. I'm looking on building my upper body strength since I'm pretty happy with my squat and deadlift. I really lagged on bench for a while, so I'm deadlifting and squating like 315lbs, but my bench is around 155lbs and OHP is at 120lbs. I figure if I could get up to 225lbs bench I would increase in enough mass and strength to be comfortable to start a cut.

I'm not too familiar with a lot of programs to be honest, but 3 benches per week sounds like too much volume to me. No matter how you spread those 3 days out over the week, you are probably not allowing ample recovery time for your chest, which are more important than the days you actually bench.

 

[Veezy]

My program is honestly a really sloppily put together routine for strength, but it's done me good so far. I'm looking on building my upper body strength since I'm pretty happy with my squat and deadlift. I really lagged on bench for a while, so I'm deadlifting and squating like 315lbs, but my bench is around 155lbs and OHP is at 120lbs. I figure if I could get up to 225lbs bench I would increase in enough mass and strength to be comfortable to start a cut.

Here's a whole list of amazing LP templates that will cater to your needs.

 

[Pavaloo]

Ah okay, that's settled I won't be benching 3 times a week. I chose this lazilly put together program because honestly the thing that got me going to the gym in the first place was a buddy got into SS and wanted to show me as well. I always wanted to get in shape, but was always lost at the gym, olympic lifting routine seemed like a path I could finally follow. However, I was too lazy to look into the reading or nutritional stuff, my friend also never bought the book so I'm sure we missed out on a lot.

I know I wasn't pushing my deadlift hard enough until late into my lifting routine as well. I'm trying to fix things now, eating clean and healthy rather than the dirty bulk I had been doing for so long. As for my routine if anyone's curious it looks like this:

Day A:
squat 3x5 315
bench 3x5 155
deadlift 1x5 315

Day B:
squat 3x5 315
ohp 3x5 120
power cleans 5x3 115 (started power cleaning late, did bent over rows until then)

I alternate on mon-wed-fri, I eat 3000 calories a day, currently weight ~206lbs @ 5'11''.

edit:

Here's a whole list of amazing LP templates that will cater to your needs.

Thanks for this! these look like exactly what I want for when I decide to try to do some hypertrophy

 

[balddemon]

lol that is literally starting strength. you're good.

 

[ezrarh]

That's pretty funny. You just came in here and called Starting Strength a sloppily put together program for strength building. Prepare to do battle.

But seriously, you're fine. And having your deadlift the same as your squat doesn't necessarily mean you're doing it wrong at this point in the game. Granted that your squating below parallel.

 

[Pavaloo]

haha jeez I guess I thought we lazilly put it together because we just said "what were the big lifts" and went from there. I literally never read the book and I always read about "psuedo-starting strength programs" so I thought I had made one as well.

I am squatting at parallel though, I can go below parallel if I squat 275 and under, but I try to play to safe on my working weight right now.

 

[Petrie]

lol that is literally starting strength. you're good.

Pretty much. Just need to know how he's progressing the weight.

 

[Mully]

Speaking of SS, I want to incorporate Power Cleans into my 5/3/1 routine. I've been nervous about the form, but seeing other people in my gym do has me interested.

Any advice on which day I should add it into, how much weight, etc?

 

[Pavaloo]

Pretty much. Just need to know how he's progressing the weight.

I try to go up 5lbs every week or two, but I mostly listen to my body. I am pretty patient with my progress on OHP and I keep my cleans where they are to work on my form.

 

[Veezy]

Speaking of SS, I want to incorporate Power Cleans into my 5/3/1 routine. I've been nervous about the form, but seeing other people in my gym do has me interested.

Any advice on which day I should add it into, how much weight, etc?

Lifted directly from 5/3/1 2.0:

Question: Can I use power cleans (or something similar) in this program? If so, where would you put them?

Answer: Yes, this is a great idea. I’d recommend doing power cleans, hang cleans, power snatches or hang snatches if want to choose an Olympic movement. If you want to do these along with the regular training, I’d recommend doing them before you perform your squat or deadlift workout.

As for weight, just start something comfortable and scale it up weekly/monthly similar to SS or 5/3/1. It'd stick to heavy singles or heavy triplets.

 

[Cudder]

Lifted directly from 5/3/1 2.0:

Question: Can I use power cleans (or something similar) in this program? If so, where would you put them?

Answer: Yes, this is a great idea. I’d recommend doing power cleans, hang cleans, power snatches or hang snatches if want to choose an Olympic movement. If you want to do these along with the regular training, I’d recommend doing them before you perform your squat or deadlift workout.

As for weight, just start something comfortable and scale it up weekly/monthly similar to SS or 5/3/1. It'd stick to heavy singles or heavy triplets.

But but but fitness GAF says to never add anything to proven routines!

 

[Veezy]

But but but fitness GAF says to never add anything to proven routines!

This is lifted from the 5/3/1 book.

So, ya know, it is the routine.

Hell, GSLP and 5/3/1 are both INCREDIBLY modular. That's one of the reasons they're so popular/work so well.

 

[Doodis]

Okay GAF, I'm at the point where I'm struggling to increase my deadlift because my hands are failing to stay gripped around the bar. What to do? Besides the obvious "get stronger hands."

 

[Pavaloo]

Weight lifting chalk my friend. It is a thing of beauty.

 

[Mully]

Okay GAF, I'm at the point where I'm struggling to increase my deadlift because my hands are failing to stay gripped around the bar. What to do? Besides the obvious "get stronger hands."

Chalk, synthetic chalk, prosthetic metal hands.

 

[Veezy]

Okay GAF, I'm at the point where I'm struggling to increase my deadlift because my hands are failing to stay gripped around the bar. What to do? Besides the obvious "get stronger hands."

Chalk, inverse grip, or use straps to up your weight with straps which will carry over to your weight without straps (just make sure you only use straps on your maxes).

 

[balddemon]

chalk is pretty legit. I wouldn't have been able to to a set of 15 double overhand deadlifts at 225 without it.

 

[entremet]

Here's a great series of squat technique videos from EliteFTS. Ridiculously informative.

Part I
http://youtu.be/2ME8gEN54Ao

Part II
http://youtu.be/LV8ZxGICsL0

Part III
http://youtu.be/MQIAzzMDhSI

Part VI
http://youtu.be/MQIAzzMDhSI

Part V
http://youtu.be/MwKRhwjRZnM

 

[Servbot24]

The last month is the first time I've ever made an effort to bulk.

Here's my progress:

Somewhat noticeable I think, probably need to be eating more.

Though I'm actually going to cut for the next couple weeks, I know one month of bulking isn't much but I'm spending a weekend at the beach soon, lol

 

[otapnam]

Lookin good servbot

 

[Cudder]

Wow serv, it doesn't even look like you put on any fat! Was it a super clean bulk?

 

[Davidion]

Impressive improvement serv. What was your routine?

Here's a great series of squat technique videos from EliteFTS. Ridiculously informative.

Part I
http://youtu.be/2ME8gEN54Ao

Part II
http://youtu.be/LV8ZxGICsL0

Part III
http://youtu.be/MQIAzzMDhSI

Part VI
http://youtu.be/MQIAzzMDhSI

Part V
http://youtu.be/MwKRhwjRZnM

Wow, this is really helpful. Many thanks.

 

[Servbot24]

Wow serv, it doesn't even look like you put on any fat! Was it a super clean bulk?

Fairly so, mainly ate oatmeal, tuna, beef, almonds, protein shakes and eggs. Had fast food twice I think. And quite a bit of candy, lol. Addicted to Reese's ;_;

 

[MrOogieBoogie]

They look good, but we can only see your legs. It'd be nice to watch a video from farther away.

Okay, cool, will try to get video of that. Btw, how's the rounding in my back? Too much?

 

[BadTaste]

I only gained 0.9kg since last Wednesday, so I'm at 64.2kg now. 2 weeks ago I was 58kg.

 

[Keen]

Tattooed guy is occupying both the bench and the squat rack doing supersets of close-grip bench, and you guessed it, bicep curls. Wtf? Also really loud with hardly any weights to speak of.

 

[sphinx]

Tattooed guy is occupying both the bench and the squat rack doing supersets of close-grip bench, and you guessed it, bicep curls. Wtf? Also really loud with hardly any weights to speak of.

hehe, right now? are you posting from your phone to make some time until he goes away?

 

[Keen]

hehe, right now? are you posting from your phone to make some time until he goes away?

I was doing OHP at another station, so I wasn't bothered. Just funny.

40-50 and with THUG tattooed across his obliques...
He of course had the locker right next to mine in the changing room

 

[EviLore]

Tattooed guy is occupying both the bench and the squat rack doing supersets of close-grip bench, and you guessed it, bicep curls. Wtf? Also really loud with hardly any weights to speak of.

Today, against my better judgment, I went during peak after-work hours, and all of the squat racks were in use.

One guy was standing in front of a squat rack slamming a giant ball down on the ground repeatedly.

Another one had brought a set of dumbbells to curl in front of a squat rack because that rack had a mirror, and you can't dumbbell curl without standing in front of a mirror.

A third guy had brought a flat bench, put it in front of a squat rack, put a barbell on the floor in between, and was rolling the barbell up and down the floor while laying on the bench.

 

[theytookourjobz]

haha jeez I guess I thought we lazilly put it together because we just said "what were the big lifts" and went from there. I literally never read the book and I always read about "psuedo-starting strength programs" so I thought I had made one as well.

I am squatting at parallel though, I can go below parallel if I squat 275 and under, but I try to play to safe on my working weight right now.

My opinion is that you should drop the weight on the squats and go below parallel. 275 for 5 doing a full range of motion is much more impressive than 3 plates of half squats.

 

[grumble]

What is all this eating clean business? Sounds like something out of bodybuilding.com or something. What does it mean exactly to the posters here?

 

[Petrie]

What is all this eating clean business? Sounds like something out of bodybuilding.com or something. What does it mean exactly to the posters here?

To posters here it tends to mean simply eating what's considered healthy. Bulking up on beef and chicken and brown rice and veggies instead of cheeseburgers and fries and pizza.