Legato

Today: Deadlift: 1x5@190, 1x3 @ 225, 1x2@240 (failure) Weighted Chin-ups: 3x5 @ 25 lbs Front Squats: 3x8 @ 95 lbs Bicep curls: @25 lbs, 1x15, 1x12 The deadlift is a PR, which feels pretty awesome. The 5-3-1 progression is really a fantastic way to program. Next week is deload week, and I'm only going to train the 4 main lifts. I won't be doing any of the accessory/supplemental work. I'm going to take a breather next week on weight lifting and really focusing on flexibility and mobility, as well as non-strenuous movement like walks and relaxed bike riding. I watched an Elliott Hulse video the other day where he talked about making the most of off days. The model he proposed stated strength days heavily taxed the sympathetic nervous system, and so non-training days needed to be focused on balancing that by working on parasympathetic nervous system. He advised long, slow walks as well as a series of stretches. Deload week is going to be based on a lot of the principles he spoke about.

Hey CrazyMags, thanks a lot for offering to ask about a suggestion. I actually decided to continue lifting on my own and adding in some conditioning pieces. I did find a box I liked quite a bit, but it was 20 minutes away. The distance plus the cost made me realize now isn't a good time for me to join Crossfit. I'll probably join sometime down the road because I find the whole training paradigm really intriguing, and done well I have no doubt it turns people into absolute beasts. Now isn't the time for me, but its time will come! Thanks again for your offer! Take care.

I'm on the 3rd week of 5-3-1, then deload week, then the new program. It's a touch different after taking everyone's suggestions into account. 1) Squat (5-3-1). good mornings, glute/ham raises, power cleans 2) Pec flys, Bench press (5-3-1), incline press, Kroc rows, tricep extension. 3) Rest 4) Deadlift (5-3-1), front squat, bicep curls, calves 5) Rest 6) Oh press (5-3-1), weighted pullups, lateral and front raises, Farmers walk, Magic 50 7) Rest The pec flys are going to be dropped as soon as I feel comfortable with my pectoral recruitment. Grip will be worked by Kroc rows, pullups, and farmers walk. Conditioning will be worked by Magic 50 and power cleans. It might get slightly tweaked as I get into it. But this is looking pretty solid. I can't wait to get to it. Thanks for your help everyone!

As mentioned above, weight loss mostly comes from smart eating habits. The "toned" look you seek comes from strengthening the muscles underneath any unwanted fat. An efficient way to strengthen the muscles is barbell strength training. Starting Strength and Stronglifts are two popular beginning strength routines. They can also be good for weight loss, provided you're eating a slight caloric deficit as well as eating a lot of protein (this prevents your body from eating your muscles). Equipment you may see in the gym: This is a power rack. It has a rack for the bar, and rods along the sides to catch the bar if you cannot complete a squat rep. The power rack can meet all of your needs for a beginner strength program. This is a squat rack. As its name implies, you squat in it. It's also useful for overhead pressing. And of course, you can use the bar for deadlifts, rows, etc. This is a bench press setup. Free weight dumb bells. These are useful for a lot of different miscellaneous exercises. This is a Smith Machine. There's a lot of (justified) hate for the Smith Machine. To the uninitiated, it looks like a safer squat rack. The bar is on a dedicated path, and there's hooks that catch the bar if it falls. It's a trap. Do not fall for it. Do not squat, press, or row in the Smith Machine. However, it's not all evil. It is an excellent place to do bodyweight rows. Mostly though, just avoid it. None of this is the end-all, be-all. I'm just sharing what I know from experience. Bodyweight exercises can work very well in losing weight and gaining strength. There's other strength programs out there as well. For beginners though, I think starting simple with a strong focus on diet and gaining strength is a great way to begin. Pick a beginner program and stick with it for 3 months. As far as diet, get plenty of protein and eat at a slight caloric deficit. Good luck and I hope this helped a bit!

Awesome! Accountability is definitely a good motivator!

2 behind. I'm terrible at keeping up on these. :/ This is my 3rd week in a 5-3-1 style of training. Next week is deload, and I have a few exercises lined up to try out for the new program. I'll continue with the 5-3-1 style progression on the squat, DL, OH Press, and bench, and accessorize/supplement to help shore up any weaknesses. The deload week will be a chance to mess around with some new exercises, see how they feel. Yesterday: 1) Squat 1x5 120, 1x3 135, 1x2 150 (to failure) 2) Romanian deadlift. I warmed it up, but when I went to rep it, my grip failed. No idea why. 3) Straight leg calf raises. 3x20 140 I don't know why my grip failed in the Rom DL. It was 145 lbs, which isn't a lot of weight. I've deadlifted for reps at much higher weights with no issue. Probably just a weird day. Today: 1) OH Press 1x5 85, 1x3 100, 1x3 100 (to failure) 2) Front/lateral raise+face pulls superset!: 2x34@15lb/ 2x17@50lb 3)Farmers Walk 2xFail@50 lb 4) Magic 50: 35 lb for 3 rounds 60 seconds rest. I couldn't make it 5 rounds in the magic 50 today. Well, maybe I could have, but it wasn't worth it. I bumped it up 5 lbs from last time, so I consider that a win. ****In the next exciting adventure of Legato, he will attempt to deadlift more than he has ever deadlifted before! Will he succeed! Or will he crumble into a fine chalky powder adequate for superior lifters to smear on their hands for grip?!?!? Find out, after a few messages from our sponsors!****

El Exorcisto: So would you say drop the pec flys and seated row, and put in incline bench and kroc rows? And drop the ham/glute raise, insert good mornings? I trust your experience in these matters. Kidney bean: I like your pull-up idea. Weighted chins have been a part of my routine for so long I never think of taking them out. But when pull-ups definitely tax a some different musculature grip-wise, so a month of pull-ups is probably a good move.

I want to try something new for my next round of 5-3-1 (I'm not doing pure 5-3-1, just using that progression on the 4 big lifts). I looked at what I think are my weakest spots and really want to focus on building weak links this time. I also want the workouts to be as lean as possible. Also, I've been working a few minutes of explosive conditioning in at the end of workouts as finishers. I do The Magic 50 one day, and power cleans with 30 seconds rest between sets the other day. My weak links are as follows: Squat: Hamstrings, lower back. Bench: Pecs (I think from lack of recruitment) and triceps. Deadlift: Lower back and grip. Oh Press is actually pretty solid. This is what I was thinking. 1) Squat (5-3-1). Glute/ham raise, calves, power cleans. 2) Pec flys*, Bench press (5-3-1), Seated rows, tricep extension, grip work. 3) Rest 4) Deadlift (5-3-1), front squat, hyperextensions, hanging leg raises. 5) Rest 6) Oh press (5-3-1), weighted chins, bicep curls/lateral and front raises**, Magic 50, grip work. 7) Rest *I'm using the pec flys at high rep, low weight strictly to get the feel for activating my pecs. I don't feel like I use them enough during the bench. ** Bicep curls and shoulder raises are done for 2x20. Grip work will either be farmers walks or wrist/reverse wrist curls. Thoughts would be very welcome.

This was yesterday's workout. Bench Press: 1x3 115, 130. 1x7 (max) 145 Barbell Rows: 3x5 115 Dips: 3x max BW 16, 13, 9.5 Power Cleans: 5x3 100 with 30 second rests between sets. 5-3-1 is excellent for progress.

Deadlift: 1x3 175, 200, 225 Weighted chins: 15lb 1x10, 1x8, 1x7 Will add weight next week. Front Squats: 3x6 95 Bicep curls: 20lb 2x20 I love deadlift day. I feel so good. I'm going to start doing some light conditioning/skill work on off days. Probably a light run to and from the gym which would be about a mile round trip. I'm also going to do ab work and calf work on off days. The abs will be on days 3 and 5, the calf work on day 3. I've been reading the calves must be trained often for best results, and I have tiny little calves. Off days are also my handstand days.

Better set up the tripod to check my form.

Personal record. <fist bump>

Things with simple carbs that aren't packaged with anything else lead to higher insulin spikes. Long-term, this can mess with people's metabolism. I think for a "healthy" lifestyle, consideration for the long term implications of what you're eating and how it can effect your endocrine system is a smart thing to do. The other value of so-called "good" carbohydrates is feeding and maintaining an ideal gut biome. Obese people have different flora in the their intestinal tract. I know gut bugs are all the rage right now, but it's a missing piece of the puzzle. It's going to play a part in personalized healthcare as the research gets better and better. I don't think high fiber carbs are better because they slow digestion, I think they're better because they aid digestion and absorption through adequate maintenance of gut bacteria. I apologize for a minimum of citations. I generally like to cite sources so I don't look like I'm talking out my ass. But, I've got a test coming up and I'm studying right now, so I shouldn't be on here at all. This is an interesting topic though, so I wanted to throw my opinion out there.

Today was a great day. I PRed my squat. It's not an impressive number, but I really suck at squatting, so it's a big deal for me. It was funny, right before I got under the bar, I had butterflies in my stomach. The only times I've had similar situations was when I was about to perform, or when I was interviewing for med school. It was an interesting experience. Anyhoo... Box Jump: 10 high, 3x10 Squat: 1x3 115, 130, 145 OH Press: 1x3 80, 95, 105 Rom DL: 3x8 145 Lateral and front raises: 2x30 15lb Magic 50: 30 lb, 5 rounds, 60 seconds rest. These workouts are taking to long. I'm going to a 4 day thing. From here on out, the program will look like this: 1: box jumps, squat, rom DL, calves 2: Med ball, OH press, lateral and front raises, face pulls, magic 50 3: rest 4: Box jumps, deadlift, weight chins, front squat, bicep curls 5: Resty rest 6: Med ball, bench, rows, dips, power clean 7: Rest That should let me get in and out quicker. Each strength move has its own day, and they're the real time suck. The accessory stuff doesn't take much time.

I'm waiting for trades for Sandman. I don't think I can handle another series with an erratic release schedule. I have to wait longer, but then I get to binge. I can't wait though. I love Gaiman, and I love JH WIlliams III, so that book is just full of win.