I found SL to be kinda bleh, and SS is just a far superior product in what you get for the money. That said, I am actually starting to lean more toward Wendler's "5/3/1 Beginner Prep School" template from his new book 5/3/1 Forever.

It's basically an A and B workout, where A is used for squat and bench, and B is used for DL and overhead press with undulating volume. It would essentially look like this:

Week 1:
Monday:
warm-up/mobility work
10-20 jumps/throws
Deadlift: 70%x5/80%x5/90%x5/5x5@70%
OHP: same as deads
Assistance:
Kettlebell Swing/Snatch or DB/bodyweight squats: 25-100 total reps
Pushups or Dips: 25-100
Pull-ups: 25-50
Ab wheel or hanging leg raise: 25-50

Wednesday:
warm-up/mobility work
10-20 jumps/throws
Squat: same reps and %s as deads
Bench: same reps and %s
Assistance: same as Monday

Friday:
Same as Monday

Week 2:
All that changes is reps and %s on main lifts go to 65%x5/75%x5/85%x5/5x5x65%

Week 3:
All that changes is reps and %s go to 75%x5/85%x5/95%x5/5x5@75%

You basically just keep alternating A and B back and forth, adjusting the percentages by the week, and trying to increase the amount of assistance work done to the maximum amount.
The goal with the assistance work is mostly to increase your work capacity, so the faster you get through them, the better. The ultimate goal is to complete all assistance work at max reps in 20 minutes or less.

As you can see, it's a LOT more work than the piddly crap SL and SS throw at you, but the weight is a bit lighter. Essentially the overall goal is to improve form, bar speed, explosiveness and work capacity.

After each three week cycle, you increase your training max (which should be set to 85-90% of your real 1RM) by 5 lbs. on upper body lifts (bench/ohp) and 10 lbs. on lower (squat/dead) and repeat. Ultimately the increases are a bit slower than 5x5, but a LOT more consistent, and it helps cover GPP, whereas SL just hands you some weights, and expects you to figure out the conditioning work on your own.

5x5 is not really meant to be run while on a caloric deficit

If you're eating at a deficit, you won't gain muscle unless you're a complete beginner.

With that steep of a deficit you might look in to Reverse Pyramid Training. It's higher intensity but lower volume, so recovery on a cut should be easier:
http://www.leangains.com/2008/12/reverse-pyramid-revisited.html

Heni300 wrote: »

Well I haven't lifted since high school 11 years ago. So I'm sure I will gain some. However I'm lifting for the excess calorie burning. I have my calories set at 1800/day. For my size my metabolic rate is 3024/day. I am not really focusing on gains, it would be nice, but my main goal is fat loss.

I will never discourage anyone from exercise as it has a plethora of benefits. However, you lose pounds in the kitchen and ounces in the gym. What you eat will make far more difference than how much you exercise.

It is not uncommon to find too much exercise to be detrimental, especially at a steep caloric deficit, because it will stoke your hunger which can lead to bad things.

Sarah Halberg actually tells her patients when they first start exercising that they have 2 rules to follow:

1 - They must exercise every day for 30 days, and
2 - They are not allowed to exercise for more than 10 minutes a day.

This helps them not overdo it initially and to build the correct habits. People, and us guys in particular, tend to be overly competitive with ourselves. This results in us trying to do more each day. If you have every heard the story about getting paid a penny the first day and getting it doubled each day for 30 days, you can understand how dangerous that could be.

Of course after the initial 30 days, setting another level as a "not to exceed" is done, but still kept reasonable.

Heni300 wrote: »

Working out really does not make me hungry. I tend to go to the gym around 10 or 11 pm when I get done it's time for a shower and bed. I usually don't eat the next day till noon and I don't eat past 8pm. This is working for me right now. I started at 351 and am down to 322, so anything I do right now will work as long as I am in a deficit. I know it's going to start slowing down with every pound I drop. I on rest days I walk/jog for 60 min. On workout days I still get in a 30 minute walk/jog. As of right now I am in ketosis with a 1200 cal deficit. I weigh and track everything that I eat.

Thank you all for suggestions, I am a very open minded person, and I welcome criticism

Awesome job so far!
I for one found it's not really so much lifting that makes me hungry. I think some degree of the hunger issue comes from those that do larger amounts of cardio (IE people that start doing part time job amounts of cardio weekly).

As far as looking for a routine, the route I initially went was definitely worth it IMO. One of my main training goals has always been strength (since I lift people regularly for a living).
I found a local pro powerlifter, and did some jumpstart training with him. Prior to that I was following SS. Basically I did 3 sessions, with the intent of: Making sure my technique was correct on the lifts, critiquing my existing routine and making suggestions.

It wasn't super expensive, and it turned out to be a really great experience.

kirkor wrote: »

With that steep of a deficit you might look in to Reverse Pyramid Training. It's higher intensity but lower volume, so recovery on a cut should be easier:
http://www.leangains.com/2008/12/reverse-pyramid-revisited.html

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/comment/39657065/#Comment_39657065

LolaDeeDaisy23 wrote: »

Cutting...coach has me on a 5 day split as well but way less volume.
More of a reverse pyramid training style.