Results of This Workout Seem too Good to Be True..

DavidJohnson29

I was searching for a good beginner to intermediate strength and muscle program and i saw a the results of this program at the bottom of the page https://physiqz.com/jason-blaha-ice-cream-fitness-5x5-training-program-novice-intermediates/ it has a focus on building muscle but also some strength on the bench and deadlifts as well as squat.

Is this actually possible to do within a reasonable amount of time? I want to give this a shot because i used to lift weights back in high school and thought it was a good place to start. I also found this https://www.muscleandfitness.com/workouts/workout-routines/complete-mf-beginners-training-guide-plan which seems like it would be sort of the same thing but it doesn't have the same emphasis on compound movements which i believe should definitely be added.

sgt1372

The Blaha 5x5 routine is an unnecessarily complicated ripoff of Medhi's Stronglifts 5x5 which itself was ripoff of Bill Starr's original 5x5 program which was also ripped off (but at least adapted in a thoughtful way) into a 3x5 program by Mark Rippetoe.

Of all these programs, I like Starting Strength (SS) best but there are a lot of people on MFP who like Stronglifts (SL).

For a beginner program, it would be better to choose either SS or SL and just focus on the basic compound lifts used in those programs. You don't need to do any more than that until you plateau in 4-6 months.

All the addtional bench, shrug, curl and cable work in the Blaha program is all but useless for a beginner. Just a waste of time IMO.

Also just forget the full and split body routines proposed in the Muscle & Fitness program. It is an even greater waste of time for a beginner.

BTW, I have done both SS and SL with successs previously. When I plateaued, I did a modified version of both but I never did more than the specified compound lifts - - DL, SQT, BP, OHP, PC and Rows (which Rippetoe considers an accessory, not primary lift) . The only (other) accessory exercises I did were pullups, pushups and dips (both unweighted and weighted) and some GHRs on the GHD that I bought but now seldom use.

That's it.

Combined w/diet control, I lost 40# from 196 to 156, dropped my BF from over 20% down to 8.3% (as measured by hydro), developed strength at the elite level for men my age/wt (based on the StrengthLevel.com database) and developed a 6-pack and muscular definition that most men can only hope to achieve.

So, based on my experience, simpler is better as far as strength development programs are concerned.

Just pick SS or SL and forget the rest until you're ready to step up to an intermediate program (ideally in 4-6 months).

When you get to that level, take a look at the "Which lifting program is best for you?" thread posted and monitored in this subforum by @psuLemon and scan the list of intermediate programs at tge top of the thread that suits you best.

The link to that thread has been posted in the following message.

middlehaitch

Have a read of the programmes in this thread.

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you/p1

Cheers, h.

andreaen

Which results are you talking about and in what time? As the first reply says this is a twist on the other 5x5 programs, and those are very good so I assume this would yield some pretty good results as well

DavidJohnson29

sgt1372 wrote: »

The Blaha 5x5 routine is an unnecessarily complicated ripoff of Medhi's Stronglifts 5x5 which itself was ripoff of Bill Starr's original 5x5 program which was also ripped off (but at least adapted in a thoughtful way) into a 3x5 program by Mark Rippetoe.

Of all these programs, I like Starting Strength (SS) best but there are a lot of people on MFP who like Stronglifts (SL).

For a beginner program, it would be better to choose either SS or SL and just focus on the basic compound lifts used in those programs. You don't need to do any more than that until you plateau in 4-6 months.

All the addtional bench, shrug, curl and cable work in the Blaha program is all but useless for a beginner. Just a waste of time IMO.

Also just forget the full and split body routines proposed in the Muscle & Fitness program. It is an even greater waste of time for a beginner.

BTW, I have done both SS and SL with successs previously. When I plateaued, I did a modified version of both but I never did more than the specified compound lifts - - DL, SQT, BP, OHP, PC and Rows (which Rippetoe considers an accessory, not primary lift) . The only (other) accessory exercises I did were pullups, pushups and dips (both unweighted and weighted) and some GHRs on the GHD that I bought but now seldom use.

That's it.

Combined w/diet control, I lost 40# from 196 to 156, dropped my BF from over 20% down to 8.3% (as measured by hydro), developed strength at the elite level for men my age/wt (based on the StrengthLevel.com database) and developed a 6-pack and muscular definition that most men can only hope to achieve.

So, based on my experience, simpler is better as far as strength development programs are concerned.

Just pick SS or SL and forget the rest until you're ready to step up to an intermediate program (ideally in 4-6 months).

When you get to that level, take a look at the "Which lifting program is best for you?" thread posted and monitored in this subforum by @psuLemon and scan the list of intermediate programs at tge top of the thread that suits you best.

The link to that thread has been posted in the following message.

Thanks so much for your reply i will do the Stronglifts instead and read all that i can. I hope to update this thread with good results!