STAY/GET BACK IN SHAPE VOL 3.0 -- A New Niketalk = A New Thread

[awwsome]

How long do you guys stick with the same routine?

My routine pretty much stays the same, built around the main lifts like squats/deads/bench/military press with accessory work

Only thing that changes is volume/intensity

Wanna get into Oly lifting though, that explosiveness. Need to find a coach or someone to teach me proper form and ****.

 

[flyknitlvr]

Wanna get into Oly lifting though, that explosiveness. Need to find a coach or someone to teach me proper form and ****.

inb4 ksteezy recommends you join a Crossfit box

 

[bigboss]

How long do you guys stick with the same routine?

Until I plateau/stall then deload and start over.

Don't fall to the BB hype brahs 

 

[Mark Antony]

I don't even do routines right now I just lift, make sure I hit the bodyparts for that day or more if I feel like it. Dem gains looking right.

 

[jocruz89]

Until I plateau/stall then deload and start over.


Don't fall to the BB hype brahs 

This as long as you're making gains then it doesn't matter. I still would swap isolation exercises every couple of months... ie barbell curls for dumbbell curls or rope push downs for overhead extensions

 

[macbk]

Thoughts on weekly full-body routines?

I've been messing with that since New Years Day, and I've been enjoying it. I truthfully feel stronger in some areas as well. The key is to not rest too long in between exercises, which at first was tiring me out greatly hitting every body part, but I've gotten used to it.

Plus, if I'm there solo, I'm in and out in an hour and change.

 

[timbo109]

How long do you guys stick with the same routine?

8-10 weeks for me

Program hopping is stupid. Stick with a program for at least 6 months (obviously you can tweak little things). The whole Bb.com hype machine puts out all these unsustainable 6 week plans because they want you to keep on coning back to their site and because they want to sell supps.

Above all if something is working why would you change it? Even if you plateau, it's a lot more logical to deload then to abandon ship

 

[ayzee]

What's a good way to increase my hip, ankle flexibility to facilitate more comfortable squats? Feels like the closer to ATG I go, my hips tighten up and my knees start taking on the bulk of the lift.

 

[stuntman mike]

timbo

from rippetoe on t-nation

Monday — Volume Day
A) Squats, 5 x 5 @ 90% of 5RM
B) Bench press or overhead press, 5 x 5 @ 90% 5RM
C) Deadlifts, 1 x 5 @ 90% 5RM
Volume 5: Sets of 5 reps across (the same weight repeated for the work sets) has proven to be the optimum combination of volume and intensity.
Load: The weight should be such that all five sets of all five reps can be finished without more than 8-10 minutes rest between sets. For most people, this works out to about 90% of 5RM.
Assistance Work: If it were up to me, I'd limit any assistance exercises to some brief arm work on Monday.

Wednesday — Recovery Day
A) Squats, 2 x 5 @ 80% of Monday's work weight
B) Overhead press (if you bench pressed Monday), 3 x 5 at slightly lighter load than previous 5 x 5 OHP weight, or bench press (if OHP on Monday), 3 x 5 @ 90% previous 5 x 5 weight.
C) Chin ups, 3 x Bodyweight
D) Back extensions or glute-ham raise, 5 x 10

Friday — Intensity Day
A) Squats, warm-up, then work up in singles or doubles to one single, new 5RM
B) Bench press, (if you bench pressed Monday) or overhead press (if OHP on Monday), warm-up, then work up in singles or doubles to one single, new 5RM
C) Power clean, 5 x 3 reps or power snatch, 6 x 2 reps

thinking of doing it almost exact - mayyybe add some accessory work on wed and friday and then do 2 days of cardio (blah).

 

[timbo109]

What's a good way to increase my hip, ankle flexibility to facilitate more comfortable squats? Feels like the closer to ATG I go, my hips tighten up and my knees start taking on the bulk of the lift.

what mobility work do you do currently?


In terms of packaged routines, check out Defranco's Agile 8/elite 11. YouTube it, you'll find it. I've noticed a lot of benefits even though I don't follow it to a t

 

[truballa101]

How long do you guys stick with the same routine?

Until I plateau/stall then deload and start over.


Don't fall to the BB hype brahs 

Word. I usually stick with a routine until I get bored which is probably every 2 months
A workout routine is usually effective if you're gradually increasing weight.

 

[bigboss]

timbo

from rippetoe on t-nation
thinking of doing it almost exact - mayyybe add some accessory work on wed and friday and then do 2 days of cardio (blah).

You will for sure get stronger doing this. 

Only things I would change is do assistance work that helps your weakness in the main lifts and also so you actually look like you lift somewhat lol 

Also 5x5 at 90% for squats is going to be tough, you might have to scale it back a little at first.

 

[timbo109]

timbo

from rippetoe on t-nation
thinking of doing it almost exact - mayyybe add some accessory work on wed and friday and then do 2 days of cardio (blah).

Ya I follow that pretty much tho no glutehamraises and I do my dead lifts instead of power cleans on intensity day. I also do triples for dead lifts as opposed to a 5 set

 

[truballa101]

What's a good way to increase my hip, ankle flexibility to facilitate more comfortable squats? Feels like the closer to ATG I go, my hips tighten up and my knees start taking on the bulk of the lift.

Stretch. Here is a video of an example. Not sure exactly what they are called but it'll allow your hips to be more flexible and do lower squats.

 

[ghenges]

"Abs are made in the kitchen." I hate that phrase cause I've been struggling to drop this layer of fat on my stomach.

I'm of Caribbean decent and one of our main dishes is rice. I've been trying to limit it but its tough cause I don't eat much of anything else.

An example of what I might have in a day:

Breakfast - 3-4 eggs, fruit.
Post workout - Protein shake
Lunch - rice, chicken breast
Dinner - chicken cesar wrap
Snack - Protein shake

Anything I can add/or remove?

All comes down to getting your body fat % low enough to where they show. If you're not seeing that with your current diet then you need to cut even more calories.

From a distance the meal plan looks decent but there are still a couple of spots where you could cut back. Are you on white rice or brown? If not brown, switch to whole grain brown rice. What kind of fruits are you eating the morning? Canned? Fresh? How many cals per protein shake?

For lunch, incorporate some broccoli with the rice and chicken breast. Basically just cut back on the rice and chicken portion and replace it with broccoli.

What's in those wraps? Sauce? Home made or bought? Calories in it could vary A LOT.

 

[durden7]

How long do you guys stick with the same routine?

8-10 weeks for me

Program hopping is stupid. Stick with a program for at least 6 months (obviously you can tweak little things). The whole Bb.com hype machine puts out all these unsustainable 6 week plans because they want you to keep on coning back to their site and because they want to sell supps.

Above all if something is working why would you change it? Even if you plateau, it's a lot more logical to deload then to abandon ship

Not sure I agree with this.

Out of curiosity, what is it about BB.com workouts that you feel is unsustainable?

 

[truballa101]

"Abs are made in the kitchen." I hate that phrase cause I've been struggling to drop this layer of fat on my stomach.

I'm of Caribbean decent and one of our main dishes is rice. I've been trying to limit it but its tough cause I don't eat much of anything else.

An example of what I might have in a day:

Breakfast - 3-4 eggs, fruit.
Post workout - Protein shake
Lunch - rice, chicken breast
Dinner - chicken cesar wrap
Snack - Protein shake

Anything I can add/or remove?

Anyone?

It's not just about the quality of food but the quantity of food.
Also, your body fat has to be at certain percentage to see abs. Abs are made in the kitchen in one sense but the abs are still a "muscle" which means you still have to break them down and then build them up through nutrition.

 

[stuntman mike]

Ya I follow that pretty much tho no glutehamraises and I do my dead lifts instead of power cleans on intensity day. I also do triples for dead lifts as opposed to a 5 set

hmmm thanks. think i might give it a go in a month or so. looks brutal.

 

[truballa101]

Not sure I agree with this.

Out of curiosity, what is it about BB.com workouts that you feel is unsustainable?

I think most of the advertised workouts on the BB.com are solid. Some of them give a lot of detail though which may overwhelm the average person. Some of them have 2-a-days with strict meal plans an such so people may feel discouraged.

For the most part, it's not about the routine as much as it is about the consistency and effort.

 

[r23j]

What are the cheapest/best gym chains where I can get a MONTH pass. No contract/no initiation fee?

Just graduated and only can do a month-to-month due to money and impending moves.

Cincinnati if that matters.

 

[robin thicke]

 

[dabottom305]

All comes down to getting your body fat % low enough to where they show. If you're not seeing that with your current diet then you need to cut even more calories.

From a distance the meal plan looks decent but there are still a couple of spots where you could cut back. Are you on white rice or brown? If not brown, switch to whole grain brown rice. What kind of fruits are you eating the morning? Canned? Fresh? How many cals per protein shake?

For lunch, incorporate some broccoli with the rice and chicken breast. Basically just cut back on the rice and chicken portion and replace it with broccoli.

What's in those wraps? Sauce? Home made or bought? Calories in it could vary A LOT.

The rice is normally brown. As for the fruits, its mainly bananas or grapefruit cups/greek yogurt. Some guys posted a milkshake last year in here that I make a lot.

Almond milk
Banana, Strawberry, Blueberry, raspberry
Peanut butter
Protein powder
Greek yogurt.
I'm not sure how many calories are in here.

It's not just about the quality of food but the quantity of food.
Also, your body fat has to be at certain percentage to see abs. Abs are made in the kitchen in one sense but the abs are still a "muscle" which means you still have to break them down and then build them up through nutrition.

Gotcha. I try to eat about 5 'meals' a day which may include a shake or some fruits as a snack.

Here is what I'm having today:

Boneless Chicken breast and vegetables.
Substituted rice and beans for vegetables, I hate them but I want results so I'm gonna eat them, lol

Plain Chicken wrap. Told them no onions, mayo, or ketchup.

 

[hendrix watermelon]

The rice is normally brown. As for the fruits, its mainly bananas or grapefruit cups/greek yogurt. Some guys posted a milkshake last year in here that I make a lot.

Almond milk
Banana, Strawberry, Blueberry, raspberry
Peanut butter
Protein powder
Greek yogurt.
I'm not sure how many calories are in here.
Gotcha. I try to eat about 5 'meals' a day which may include a shake or some fruits as a snack.

Here is what I'm having today:

Boneless Chicken breast and vegetables.
Substituted rice and beans for vegetables, I hate them but I want results so I'm gonna eat them, lol

That shake sounds great if you're bulking. I wouldn't recommend putting peanut butter on a shake or eating peanut butter on a cut.

That looks like a delicious meal.

Get a calorie trackin app and track your daily intake. Make it a habit to track your meals. It can get a bit annoying, but you get used to it. Eat a caloric deficit and and workout ie lifting weights, running, playing sports, etc..
Rice is fine as long as you're tracking how much of it you're eating. Some people advocate to cut down on grains or whatever, its a personal choice I would say. I wouldn't cut most grains out seeing how meals can be good in calories with some grains in there.

When I was cutting, I cut down my daily fat intake and cut the carbs as well. Nothing crazy, I was more weary of cutting down fat consumption while uppin my protein intake as well. It worked for me.

I personally would limit any type of bread or tortilla or whatver intake though, those carbs can be cut out.

 

[truballa101]

dabottom305

You have some solid foods in there but you may want to start counting calories and measuring foods (I know, somewhat of a tedious process).

Really start counting your weekly intake and gradually cutting down as you continue to lose weight.
It's really about being in a caloric deficit...or implementing more activities into your routine that burn more calories.

Good luck

 

[dabottom305]

That shake sounds great if you're bulking. I wouldn't recommend putting peanut butter on a shake or eating peanut butter on a cut.

That looks like a delicious meal.

Get a calorie trackin app and track your daily intake. Make it a habit to track your meals. It can get a bit annoying, but you get used to it. Eat a caloric deficit and and workout ie lifting weights, running, playing sports, etc..
Rice is fine as long as you're tracking how much of it you're eating. Some people advocate to cut down on grains or whatever, its a personal choice I would say. I wouldn't cut most grains out seeing how meals can be good in calories with some grains in there.

When I was cutting, I cut down my daily fat intake and cut the carbs as well. Nothing crazy, I was more weary of cutting down fat consumption while uppin my protein intake as well. It worked for me.

I personally would limit any type of bread or tortilla or whatver intake though, those carbs can be cut out.

dabottom305

You have some solid foods in there but you may want to start counting calories and measuring foods (I know, somewhat of a tedious process).

Really start counting your weekly intake and gradually cutting down as you continue to lose weight.
It's really about being in a caloric deficit...or implementing more activities into your routine that burn more calories.

Good luck

The thing is I'm trying to bulk as slowly as possible if that makes sense. I know most people bulk for weeks then spend weeks cutting. I weigh about 155lbs and I'd like to get up to a solid 165 eventually. I decided not to use weight gainers cause always have a tough time cutting the fat. I'm at 13% bodyfat according to LA Fitness' handheld fat checker. I did have surgery a few years ago(bowel obstruction) and I used to think that might've been the reason I couldn't see my abs so I'm trying the diet thing now to see if it works.

edit - @ Hendrix, I eat A LOT of Publix subs. I try to get the wheat bread most times but I think I'm gonna eliminate that for a few months.