Newbie Seeking Sagely Advice.

Bigger Stronger Leaner Beginners
1

Howdy y’all, been lurking T-Nation for a few months and really enjoying it.

Decided to join the forums to get a bigger and better perspective than all the haters surrounding me.

Started this year at 220 lbs, 26% bodyfat. (fattest i’ve ever been)

Cleaned up my diet alot, started hitting the gym, and stopped with the carb rich foods.

right now, i’m at 185 lbs and 17-18% bodyfat.

i’ve hit a plateau and was wondering where to go next.

As far what i eat, 4-5 meals a day, as low carb as possible, (like 20-60 grams daily max) with eggs and tuna being the main characters.

I’ve also just started adding in as many “Power Foods” (Great Article) as i can while staying well under maintenance.

Example meal would be 4 eggs, 1 liter of water, and salad.

With training, i’ve mostly stayed with the machines but i’m starting to use free weights more often.

My brother actually hurt his back deadlifting (unfortunate accident, although he is better now) and it’s sort of kept me away from the heavier lifts (I.E. Squats, Deadlifts, Olympic Lifts) but i’ve realised that thats part of what’s holding me back.

This hasn’t stopped me from working my upper body though as i’ve nearly doubled my max weight on most lifts (Ex. started 95 lbs horizontal press, now at 205lbs)

strong areas: legs, chest, triceps.
weak areas: biceps, shoulders, lower back.

I’ve decided to try Thib’s Pendulum training for a cycle (5 weeks) and see where it takes me.

Any advice for a somewhat newbie?

oh and as far as cardio, HIIT is my favorite and i do it 2-3 times per week.

Thanks in advance :smiley:

2

So, are you trying to cut weight still or bulk?

Defienitly use free weights. Make sure you have the form down before you go heavy. Free weights >>>>>>>> machines.

Lift hard on every set of every exercise.

3

Well up til now i’ve been just trying to get to healthy size, i plan on cutting for the rest of the summer, then bulk during the winter.

Not a huge issue to get shredded just yet, thats for next year :slight_smile:

What with all the big feasts upcoming it’s the perfect time :stuck_out_tongue:

oh forgot to say, i’m 5’6’’

4

You might want to think about doing something the rippetoe beginner program found here:

Eat a lot of good food, and lift heavy. The rest should take care of itself.

5

[quote]Aragon034 wrote:
With training, i’ve mostly stayed with the machines but i’m starting to use free weights more often.

My brother actually hurt his back deadlifting (unfortunate accident, although he is better now) and it’s sort of kept me away from the heavier lifts (I.E. Squats, Deadlifts, Olympic Lifts) but i’ve realised that thats part of what’s holding me back.

This hasn’t stopped me from working my upper body though as i’ve nearly doubled my max weight on most lifts (Ex. started 95 lbs horizontal press, now at 205lbs)

[/quote]

There is nothing wrong with using machines (says the guy that doesn’t use machines), but a combination of both is preferred.

Sucks what happened to your brother, even has happened to me before, but you have to get past that mental barrier and do the compound exercises that will put meat on your bones. If you start small and load progressively, you should not have a problem. I mean 2.5-5 lb increases.

You really need to be working your back and legs more. A lot more.

Boyscout mentioned a fantastic program. I have done that twice in the past, and he is currently (?) doing that routine as well as many others on here.

6

[quote]TheDudeAbides wrote:

Boyscout mentioned a fantastic program. I have done that twice in the past, and he is currently (?) doing that routine as well as many others on here.[/quote]

Not anymore. I plateaued very quickly–after about three weeks. So I took a week and backed down/deloaded, the hit it again with the same result after another three weeks. I put about 20ish lbs onto my squat, and my deadlift went up (It does no matter what I do). I took bench from doing a big ole 165 for 1 rep to 170 for five, and still suck at pressing movements.

I’m currently experimenting around with other things. I can’t make a lot of progress increasing weight every session any more it seems, I plateau quickly. So currently I’m doing a more CW inspired total body split with a lot of super sets, etc. I enjoy training like that, and make progress with a lot of variation. Unfortunately life, and not having a gym when I move south, will be getting in the way of consistent training in the next month. Might be doing a lot of BW and band work for a few weeks. After school starts, I’ll have access to a nice gym and will probably give one of the linear 5x5’s a try.

7

liking the advice, will modify my program to include more lower body.

it’s true what you say though, it’s more of a mental barrier than anything else.

heading to the gym now actually. Thanks guys!