watto1980 Member

I just started the routine, it seems pretty good. I'm following the LT version though, for 12 weeks. It's the one with the 4 work sets - S1. 5reps, S2. 10reps, S3. 15reps and S4. 20reps. Set 3 and 4 are an endurance test for set 1 and 2. Add weight to S3 & S4 in week 1, if you hit reps then add weight to S1 & S2 for weeks…

Man this thread never dies. OP, if your diet is on point - you will get muscle gains doing 5x5. I wouldn't think about changing exercise rep ranges and would instead focus on following a decent program, putting all your effort into getting stronger (by either adding weight or adding reps).

Might not be enough, you will need to monitor your weight and add calories to your diet if required.

Not sure how you can gain AND maintain your weight. But adding calories is all you need to do. If you eat 1300 calories per day, make it 1400 a day for a week, still not gaining or maintaining? Then the next week eat 1500 calories per day and continue this process until you reach maintenance. To find maintenance weigh…

'59 times the pain - stay hardcore with 59' followed by the rest of the album 'more out of today'.

That push/pull split looks like poop. If you're not enjoying ICF 5x5 I doubt you would last long doing that. All Pro's SBR would be good, it has built in progression / deloads so you wouldn't need to worry about trying to regulate this yourself as you would with the split. Just use the strength you've gained from ICF to…

It looks fine, the compressed version looks pretty good if you are short on time. No conventional deadlifts though? That might suck. ICF might be a bit too much for you right now. I remember it used to kick my *kitten* when I ran it for about 6 months and I was eating a tonne of food. If you stick with ICF maybe consider a…

I know the program doesn't call for this method, but an option could be to add reps instead of weight for the accessories lifts. So you could run 5 week cycles, for example if you wanted to work in the 6-10 rep range: Week 1 - 3x6 Week 2 - 3x7 Week 3 - 3x8 Week 4 - 3x9 Week 5 - 3x10 If you hit 3x10 in week 5 you would add…

It looks like decent progress over the past few months. To look the way you want, if you do things right it will probably take a couple of years or more. I might be wrong but do you think your mindset might hold you back? You can be stronger than you think if you get your mindset right and push yourself hard. I have been…

lol I do them one day each week, they are tough going!

You need to log your food everyday. There is a pattern happening in your diary, you log food for 5 days straight, maybe you get frustrated at not getting instant results, then you don't log food for 3 or so days. You are probably eating more calories on the days you're not logging so at the end of each week you are likely…

It's good for me so I don't overeat. I eat between 10am-6pm and do all my training, both strength and cardio fasted in the morning. It takes a couple of weeks to get used to the diet but then it's good.

You will have to monitor what your weight does and adjust based on that. I wouldn't use hunger as an indicator of whether you are eating enough. I was always hungry (and ate) when I bulked and I got pretty fat.

As a beginner you will get faster results doing linear progression full body routine, as said stronglifts 5x5 might interest.

Take a look at stronglifts 5x5 or ICF 5x5. You don't want to be doing any other lifting routine while doing either of these. It would be safe to switch and more beneficial to do a full body routine as a beginner, rather than a body part split. As for the MFP settings - I have no idea!

Cycling gives a good calorie burn for a low impact exercise. Weight lifting is good to retain muscle. At the end of the day it's your diet that will dictate how much weight you lose.

Sure, you could buy a power cage/rack, bench, barbell and some weights. The program stronglifts 5x5 seems like a popular choice around here.

Unless you are noticing a drop in performance or mood due to being hungry it shouldn't really matter. So long as you are reaching your calorie goals each day you will be fine.

I think if you are lifting weights work both sides equally with the same weight and check form. If it's fat, it should even out eventually as you continue losing weight.

I'm using 16hr(fast):8hr(eating). I usually don't eat like this but it helps reel my diet back in when it gets out of control (Xmas time :smile: ). Once I'm used to it I'm only hungry for the 30 mins before the fast ends. I wouldn't worry too much about meal timing, I don't think it makes that much difference unless you're…

Yes warm up to your working weight then do 5x5

Good advice, I do enjoy going for a walk. Last bulk I did zero cardio and felt like a bit of a slug (a strong slug lol). I might keep walking but drop back to 2 walks instead of 3. It's pretty casual and low impact so it's not going to be a problem. As I transition into a calorie surplus, I'll be changing my lifting…

Thanks for the replies everyone, they helped heaps. When the time comes, I'll have patience and reverse slowly. The first week I'll either stop cardio or cut down to one walk (currently 3 x 30 minute walks per week). Each week after that I'll add 100 calories per day of mostly carbs. It should be a guaranteed success if…

It's also possible to lower BF% without seeing much of a weight loss. Sometimes focusing on weight loss only isn't the best way to measure success. Like others have said, set other goals that interest you relating to exercise and fitness. And if that is you in your profile pic I don't think you have to worry about never…

I meant 'my' last post sorry, slack being local slang for mean :smile: Your post was good.

I felt a bit slack with that last post. So here is something that might help. Sometimes eating smaller meals every 2-3 hours can help curb hunger. I know myself if I go too long without eating, usually 4-5+ hours it can lead to binge eating.

Let me introduce you to celery sticks :wink:

That made me hungry, sounds pretty nice. Potatoes are awesome, I eat them all the time - white and sweet potato. I have never heard anyone say they're bad.

A 24 year old man who can't eat more than 1100 calories is unusual. You should go and get a checkup to make sure everything is okay.