Help with lifting routine please!

Rayman79

OK, as much as I'm loathed to admit it, I fear I becoming yet another ADD lifter. I am questioning the program I'm on, not sure if I should shorten my lifting times to get in a bit of cardio each session etc etc. I probably just need someone to give me a slap

My main goals at the moment are muscle sparing and fat loss. I realise I don't have a lot of LBM, but I'm not seeing any results anymore with a recomp style approach so I'm going to aim to cut a bit more aggressively over the next few months before attempting a slow bulk (maybe... one day). I really do think my body is resisting the fat loss now so time to kick it up a notch!

As a background to my training I have done 3 months of SL 5X5, and saw some good strength gains on that, and have tried out another program for the past couple of months that I'm not super impressed with.

So can all you experienced folks help me out? I reckon I'm probably over-complicating things and should just do a program like Starting Strength or get back into the 5X5 with a couple of assistance exercises, but any opinions or suggested programs/splits would be appreciated.

I can be in the gym 5 days a week for about an hour at a time.

Thanks guys!

chrisdavey

Looks to me like you've lost plenty of weight and are at a healthy weight range so you "could" attempt a slow bulk. It's not going to get those abs in the short term though.


What are you're current stats?

What program did you switch to?

What are you're current lifts again?

3 months isn't a long time on SL though. I think in general most people could stick with something like that for about a year and be getting close to intermediate lifts of 140kg squat, 100kg bench & 180kg deadlift.

Rayman79

Current stats: On my way to skinny-fat :laugh: 80kgs but still holding onto a lot of fat in the midsection, I'd say just under 20% overall (though this is on a visual measure, not calipers).

What I'm currently doing:

Monday: Bench Press, Close Grip Bench Press, Military Press, Pendlay Row

Tuesday: Deadlift, Front Squat, Good Morning, Barbell Shrugs

Wednesday: Rest

Thursday: DB Bench, Incline Bench, Plate Raise, Pullups/Pulldowns

Friday: Squats, Dimel Deadlifts, Dumbell Shrugs, Tricep Pulldowns

Saturday: Cardio

I haven't tried any 1RM's yet, but on the main lifts I'm at:
Deadlift: 5 x 100kg
Bench: 5 x 70kg
OHP: 5 x 40kg
Squat: 5 x 90kg

I've only been lifting for about 5 months now and have been on a deficit pretty much the whole time so don't judge me too harshly on the numbers

chrisdavey

I'd say those numbers are pretty good for the amount of time you're lifting actually but I'd also think that there is plenty more gains to be had by a basic linear progression program. SL, starting strength or PTC beginners (that's what I did)

Squat 3 x 10
Bench press 3 x 8
Bent row 3 x 8
Military press 3 x 8
SLDL 3 x 8
BB curl 3 x 8 (except I did pullups)

Do this 3 times a week. Progressively add weight. Details here http://ausbb.com/strength-training-power-lifting/9460-beginners-program.html

If you've been in cal deficit the whole time then it is going to be hard to continue upping the weights. Maybe a diet break for a few weeks and eat around maintenance and see how the lifts respond. (In saying that I've still been able to set PB's on 1200cals for 2 weeks before but I don't think it would continue for long).

You can add some assistance exercises to the above if you wanted to but generally after giving it my all on them I was destroyed LOL.

Oh & I personally love the higher reps squats at 10 compared to SL & SS. The higher reps are great for testing mental strength IMO. (Try and test you're 20rm sometime )

Rayman79

Thanks again mate. Just the reality check I was looking for.

I'm with you though, I think I'll go for the pullups instead of the brocurls! I do wonder why SLDL's over regular deads though?

Three days lifting and 2-3 days cardio sounds like a decent mix to me too. The longer recovery times might be a bonus given the deficit. BTW, Ive eaten at close to maintenance for the last couple of months while on this program but none of my measurements are changing which makes me think the recomp isn't working as well as I'd like.

I think when you get to a level of bf you haven't been to before, the body must go through a period of staunch resistance and it is going to take something extra for me to get down to the sub 15% range.

I might skip smolov training and the 20RM for now though (unless bodyweight counts) :laugh:

chrisdavey

The reason it is SLDL's is because they are less taxing on the body & means you can recover better. If you were to do regular deadlifts 1 set of 5 is recommended.

Recomp is HARD! If you've already been around maintenance for a while then I'd either drop the cals a little up the cardio on you're off days a little or add a bit of cardio to the end of a weights workout.

All of these things are going to make it harder to add weight to you're lifts but as you're looking for mainly LBM retention that doesn't "really" matter anyway

mustgetmuscles1

Just my opinion:

The LBM retention will happen just from continuing the lifting program. Minimum 3 days per week is probably enough. With the split you have been doing 5 days a week is not overdoing it. I just read a study where even on an extreme calories deficit resistance trainers were able to retain all LBM for a 12 week period while the cardio trainers lost a lot.

http://fitnessblackbook.com/dieting_for_fat_loss/maintain-muscle-mass-on-800-calories-per-day/

Personally I do cardio to condition my heart and lungs and increase endurance help with recovery. I know people say you do this while lifting but I have seen some pretty big dudes get their *kitten* kicked by a couple flights of stairs. LOL. I will do some longer cardio sessions if I want to over eat for a day but dont count on it for my calorie burning normally.

Your recomp phase is probably over by now and you will need to choose fat loss or muscle gain from here on. It might be possible to eat at maintenance and do some conversion but it will be SLOW if any. I would dump the calories down 500 and leave the program the same or add 20-30 minutes of cardio after your lifting. Rest days should be for recovery and repair. Hard enough to do with a calorie deficit without taxing your body more with a long cardio session.

Once you are at the BF% you want, start your lean bulk.

Again this is only my opinion and I am a total beginner. : )

Rayman79

Cheers guys, that all makes good sense.

I'll give the SLDL's a go. I followed the link you posted Chris - whoa, 93 pages! Loved that the first question on there was what I asked though.

Going to go for a net deficit of 500-1000 per day the above routine for 3xweek, and 2-3 cardio sessions (1 HIIT day and the rest nice and steady).

Heading o/s for a holiday in late October so hopefully I'll see some good results by then. I might be dreaming but sub 15% would be awesome!

FoxyMcDeadlift

If you're a beginner, you should only be looking at maximising your beginner gains, dont waste your time recomping. Either do a 3x8 or a SL style full body, maximise your potential at first. Its much harder to put on muscle then fat, and the longer you lift, the harder it gets. Eat at a surplus and gain muscle. You will run out of steam on a 1000kcal surplus whilst trying to put weight on the bar, pick one or the other, and commit to it fully.

slimlifter

Ummm, food?
No mention here of what you're eating, although we all (should) know that "abs are made in the kitchen"