haz

i would encourage core exercises, especially for a new lifter. planks, roll outs, hang leg raisers, swiss ball crunches, supine bridges etc.

core progressions, a good article.

__________________
Harry

birch

I did SL5x5 for 2 months so don't you think I know enough to be able to do all the exercises? The only one I haven't done is bent over rows, which I'm sure I'll get the hang of.

And yeah I get what you're saying about the cardio stuff. I'll just stick to basic stuff I guess.

birch

4/03/10

Meals

9:00AM - 3 fried eggs. Shake with 1/3 cup oats, 1 banana, 1 scoop WPC & 350ml milk
12:00PM - 125g tuna slices in olive oil, cheese, lettuce, tomato, cucumber & mustard sandwich on mixed grain bread
3:00PM - Apple & handful of almonds
5:00PM - PWO shake
6:00PM - 200g pan fried chicken breast in el paso simmer sauce & mixed vegetables

Exercise

5km run (32 mins @ 10kmph with incline)
Summer soccer


Only did a 5km run today because I have summer soccer tonight. Overall was a good week I think. Didn't really expect to lose weight so I'm happy about that. Jet out to QLD tomorrow morning so I'll see you all on Monday

Kyle Aaron

I've no idea, mate. Your form could be precisely perfect on every rep, or you could be a complete mess - lots of people are a mess for a long time. A person with ten years' experience could have ten years of steady improvement, or ten years of repeating each year! If you learned form from Stronglifts, then I would say you probably have the basics right, but have some things to work on.

Years ago in the Army I did lifting for 3 or so years. When I came back to it last year I had to relearn. Then I injured myself, and after recovery have had to relearn again. Our bodies are like that. So even if you were awesome before, you might need a while to get into it now.

The other issue is psychology, motivation. 90% of new gym members give up in the first three months. Here at ausbb.com we've seen a lot of people come and go. A very common mistake people make is to do too much too soon, they really thrash themselves - get sore, have some time off, then some more time off, and before you know it months have gone by and they can't face starting all over again.

Better to ease into things, leave a bit in the tank, so that next time we come to exercise we look forward to it rather than dreading it. Six exercises is a lot, even if 1 of them is bicep curls. It'd take you a couple of hours to begin with, though you might push it down to 1hr15'. 3 exercises can be done in 30-45' if you work hard.

The best workout is the one you'll stick to. So I always think of it in terms of being hard enough to give you results, but not so hard you'll give up. I know, I know, you'll be the one who never gives up no matter what. I hope so! But we're all human.

I think that, given that we're exercising for a lifetime not just for a year or two, it does no harm to err on the side of keeping it simple and short.

In the end it's up to you. I'm just offering my personal experience, that of people I've worked with, and seen coming and going in the gym. Again, if you have a coach or trainer this is all moot, follow what they say and you'll do well. But if you're on your own, I'd keep it simple: squat, deadlift, bench, all for 2-3 warmup and 3 work sets of 6-8, do that for 3 months then see where you are.

There is nothing wrong with cardio. It's all about what you can do now and what your goals are. As I understand it, you are a somewhat skinny guy with a bit of a belly who wants to gain muscle and lose fat. For that, one of the best ways to achieve it reasonably quickly is,

• squat, conventional (not stiff-legged or sumo) deadlift, bench
• 2-3 warmup and 3 work sets of 6-8 reps
• do 3x6, next time 3x7, then 3x8, after that add weight and drop reps to 6
• stretch after each workout
• do this three times a week with a full clear day of rest in between
• if you stall, add a set
• on your off days, do something else physical but not really taxing like a brisk walk, a session of indoor soccer or basketball, etc
• eat lots of fresh fruit and vegies, nuts and beans, some meat, fish or dairy every day, and some starchy stuff
• after three months, reassess

This is what I would advise if you were paying me to train you, assuming no significant health or postural issues.

Have a good weekend, and don't throw up on any pretty waitresses.

__________________
Recent clients' best results: BW +10kg/-27kg ... BF-11% ... ♀/♂1RM/kg SQ65/145 OHP30/65 DL75/170
"fitness and lifting is just an interest I have. Plain and simple. Some people like music, others like shopping, I like deadlifts." - a client[/SIZE]

birch

Fair enough Kyle, I'm starting to understand what you mean. After all, I should be looking at this as a long term thing, not short term, so I shouldn't want to just jump into things and risk ruining my plans lol. I'll start with the 3 basic exercises for the first 2-3 months then add the others after that, sound good?

With the part about doing 3x6, 3x7 then 3x8 do you mean like week 1 I do 3x6 on Monday, 3x7 on Wednesday and 3x8 on Friday? Having a bit of trouble understanding that 100%.

Kyle Aaron

Yes, that's what I meant. Your guess was right, so have confidence in your instincts.

The principles of progressive resistance training are quite simply to progress, go forward, do more today than you did yesterday. You can do more weight, or more reps, or more sets.

What I suggested is simply a formalised way of progressing. For example, the squat part of your workout might look like, with warmup sets,

#1, Squat 30kg 10, 40kg 10, 50kg 6,6,6
#2, Squat 30kg 10, 40kg 10, 50kg 7,7,7
#3, Squat 30kg 10, 40kg 10, 50kg 8,8,8
#4, Squat 30kg 10, 40kg 10, 55kg 6,6,6
#5, Squat 30kg 10, 40kg 10, 55kg 7,7,7
#6, Squat 30kg 10, 40kg 10, 60kg 8,8,8
#7, Squat 35kg 10, 45kg 10, 65kg 6,6,6
#8, Squat 35kg 10, 45kg 10, 65kg 7,7,5
#9, Squat 35kg 10, 45kg 10, 65kg 7,7,5,3
#10, Squat 35kg 10, 45kg 10, 65kg 7,7,7
#11, Squat 35kg 10, 45kg 10, 65kg 8,8,8
#12, Squat 35kg 10, 50kg 10, 70kg 6,6,6

The bolded part is the part that is more than last time. Workout #2 has more reps than #1. #4 has more weight. Workout #8 you couldn't make the target reps (7,7,5), but 7 reps is still more than 6, so fine. But workout #9 you got the same weight and same reps as in #8, so you did more sets. And so on.

You should record all your workouts, then you can make sure you're progressing. If you continue to stall, have a look at your exercise technique. If that's good, the next likely issue is diet, and after that poor sleep. So record what you eat and how much sleep you get, too.

Be confident, be strong.

__________________
Recent clients' best results: BW +10kg/-27kg ... BF-11% ... ♀/♂1RM/kg SQ65/145 OHP30/65 DL75/170
"fitness and lifting is just an interest I have. Plain and simple. Some people like music, others like shopping, I like deadlifts." - a client[/SIZE]

birch

Ah now I'm understanding it a bit better. I'll get the hang of it eventually. I might used that as my squat plan and do the 3 exercises for 12 weeks before adding the rest.

Do you think starting with 50kg squats is alright? When I stalled on stronglifts I was doing 80kg (70kg + bar (10kg)). I'm confident to start with 50kg (40 + bar).

birch

8/03/10

Meals

10:00AM - 3 fried eggs. Shake with 1/3 cup oats, 1 banana, 1 scoop WPC & 350ml milk
1:00PM - 125g tuna slices in olive oil, cheese, lettuce, tomato, cucumber & pepper sandwich on mixed grain bread
4:00PM - PWO shake & an apple
7:00PM - Banana
7:30PM - Steak & veges

Exercise

10km run (64 mins @ 10kmph with incline)


Was feeling really shit today mentally and physically. I was pretty sleep deprived due to QLD. Slept a total of 13 hours over 3 nights. Had a good sleep last night, woke up an hour later than planned because I forgot to put my phone clock forward an hour lol. But I pushed out as much as I could and I'm happy with what I did. I know I'll gain this week because of QLD but I want to make it as little as possible.

birch

Have been trying to decide what creatine to get and have decided to get SizeOn. Also going to order some Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard WPI to replace my Protein Direct WPC when I run out.

Kyle Aaron

I couldn't say what weight you should start on. Just get under the bar and keep adding weight until your form breaks down. When your form breaks down, the weight you had just before that, that's what you should start on.

__________________
Recent clients' best results: BW +10kg/-27kg ... BF-11% ... ♀/♂1RM/kg SQ65/145 OHP30/65 DL75/170
"fitness and lifting is just an interest I have. Plain and simple. Some people like music, others like shopping, I like deadlifts." - a client[/SIZE]