RedRightHand

Thanks to everyone for weighing in on this; the feedback is great.

The running is mostly to get out and get moving on non-lifting days. I've read that running can actually be detrimental to lifting gains (or thought I've read something to that effect). I'm currently on a StrongLifts 5X5 routine. How did you approach increasing the amount you lifted? Was it a planned "each week, add 5lbs/side to the bar" or was it a more gradual approach, where you would add. let's say, an extra 5lbs/side and then stay at that weight until you could get back up to 5x5?

Why not focus on everything at once? I was under the impression that was the purpose of the Barbell Battalion portion of NF. Full body exercises that work everything to build overall strength & trim down...

I'm never quite sure if I'm working out "properly" - I believe my form is good, but I'm never sure if I'm lifting the correct amount of weight the appropriate amount of times for the desired effects. My strength has definitely increased; when I began Barbell Battalion on Jan. 2 I was working with just the bar and barely able to do a pullup; now I'm up to about 20-25lbs/side of the barbell & 4 chin ups / 3 pullups. Not earth shaking, but steady improvement. From the BB manual, it suggests 5 sets of 5 reps at your desired weight. Yet in the "How to build Your Own Workout" post, there's this: What’s the significance of the different number of repetitions? Reps in the 1-5 range build super dense muscle and strength (called myofibrillar hypertrophy). Reps in the 6-12 range build a somewhat equal amounts of muscular strength and muscular endurance. Reps in the 12+ range build muscular endurance and size (this is called sarcoplasmic hypertrophy). My personal goal is to build strength & muscle while trimming fat through adoption of a stricter, paleo diet along with some cardio (running, using the Couch to 5K app for iPhone) on non-lifting days. With that goal in mind, should I then indeed by lifting in the 6-12 range? If that's the case, I'd read that 8 is really the max you should shoot for. Again, that being the case, if I'm maxing out at 5 reps of 50lbs on the Push Press, it makes sense to drop that to say, 35/40lbs @ 8 reps then? I'm trying to do this the most efficient way possible; I've spent a lot of time in the gym in the past not really accomplishing much. Thanks all for reading & any comments/suggestions you can offer!

Great tips. I'll try the negatives & inverted rows in the coming weeks.

Greetings all. I'm closing in on the end of my first week with both Operation: Slim Down & The Barbell Brigade. One of the main components of Barbell Brigade plan is pull ups; specficially, 5 sets of 5 (at least in the beginning). I can do maybe three sets of 2, then it's a struggle to get even close to one for the last two sets. Should I continue struggling to hit even 1 pull up in those last sets, as well as try to hit 5 in the first few sets? Would it be better to do pushups for a few weeks to build some strength, then go back to the pullups? I know that I can do pullups; at one point (not too long ago) I was able to do multiple sets of 10+ pullups. Thoughts?

Did you find that Operation: Slimdown just wasn't practical?

My current nut / fruit intake take the form of mid-meal snacks; so far it's been 6 almonds along with a granny smith apple, twice a day. Other than that, I've stripped sugar out of my diet completely.

Thanks all for your answers! Much to mull over. I guess my confusion is due in part to two things: 1) I was under the impression that Paleo was meat, vegetables, fruit & nuts. From what you've all been saying, veggies and nuts aren't apart of Paleo? 2) What I have been eating is coming straight from Steve himself, bundled in with the Deluxe Rebel Strength Guide. Part of the reason I went with the Deluxe version was because it included a detailed, 6 week eating plan which helps me tremendously. Left to my own devices I tend to go off the rails fairly quickly. As for not snacking: I have some, ah, health issues that preclude me from eating gigantic meals. I find that I'm better able to manage cravings & food thoughts by kind of grazing throughout the day. Can anyone who's posted so far see any large detriments to continuing on with the plan I'm on as is, with some modifications re: intake of nuts & carrots?

Greetings! I started both the Barbell Brigade & Operation: Slimdown yesterday and while the lifting part was great (my legs are SCREAMING but I feel better than I have in months) I have some questions about the Paleo-based Operation: Slimdown diet. Chiefly, am I getting enough calories? Yesterday, (Day 1) I ate: Breakfast - 2 pcs turkey bacon, 2 eggs Snack - 6 almonds, 1 granny smith apple Lunch - (skipped; not intentionally I just got wrapped up playing Skyrim and all of a sudden it was dinner time) Snack - 8 baby carrots Dinner - stir fry zucchini, large baked chicken breast Snack - 6 almonds, 1 granny smith apple I;m using Dailyburn to keep track of all of this and it says the total for all of this was 793 calories! Now my goal is definitely to lose weight; I'm 6'3" and about 210 right now, which is the most I've ever weighed. However, while perusing the rest of the forum I came upon a link that, based on your starting height/weight/age * your lifestyle, it gave you the amount of calories that you need to maintain your current weight. Mine was in the range of 3100/day! As I have no intention of maintaining my current weight, I know I need to create a caloric deficit. But of how much? ~800 seems WAY too low... How closely do I need to follow the diet plan in Operation:Slimdown? Think I'm on a much better track for day 2 of the diet though: Breakfast - 2 egg omelet with green & red peppers Snack - 6 almonds, 1 granny smith apple Lunch - Giant chicken breast, 8 baby carrots Snack - 6 almonds, 1 granny smith apple Dinner - Pot roast (probably) assorted veggies Snack - 6 almonds, 1 granny smith apple Thanks!!!

Thanks all! I'm going to go with Rebel Strength and will hopefully be posting results after the new year!

Hoping this is the right place to post this; I'm new here but anxious to get started. I was all set to purchase the Rebel Strength Guide when I noticed the Rebel Fitness Guide in the store; after reading the description I'm unsure which to purchase. Any help, one way or the other, would be tremendous. About me: I'm 6'3 and seem to move between 180 - 200 lbs, though it's been closer to 200 lately. I've been working out on and off for the past 10 years; I generally really get into it for about 6-8 months, start to see results, then wander off and eat cookies for the next 6 or so months, completely erasing my progress. One of my goals is to shed the gut I've slowly been accumulating as well as add + define some muscle weight. Unsure if those are cross purposes or not. I like the gym, I like working out and I'm looking for a plan I can stick with. Which would be more appropriate: Rebel Fitness or Rebel Strength? Thanks!