I posted this same message on the Dragondoor forum.
Here is my question I need to lose body fat and get in back in shape but I also need to try and keep some of my size in the shoulders, neck, traps, and arms. I know what ya’ll are thinking but the reason is because I work as a correctional officer a.k.a. (prison guard) and having size in these areas helps to increase a more intimidating officer presence this is a good thing. So any advice would be helpful I have 2 kettlebells now a 16 and 24 kg and plan on buying another 16 and 24 kg, and a basic 300lbs. olympic set bar and weights.
I think they missed the question because most of the responses were along the lines the size is not intimidating attitude is the key factor. I also prefer to workout around the house as the gyms around here suck.
I can totally see why size would be a factor. You might be tough and small but no one will know until they find out the hard way. Just like doorman. Size matters to disuade people in these environments. How about Westside for Skinny Bastards plus some HIIT running, etc. Choose the deadlift on your leg day instead of squats and close grip bench on your max upper body day. Do neck work before each workout. Or how about Waterbury’s GPP ASAP for getting in shape instead of HIIT. Just a thought.
Here are my stats:
24 years old
5’9"
275 lbs
10 years experience wieght lifting steady for the 5-6 except for the past year broke 3 bones in my hand and have been off and on mainly powerlifts (bench/squats/deads/cleans/etc.) I did do neck harness work, curls, dips, leg extensions/curls, etc.
I never maxed out for just 1 rep but here are numbers I posted before my hand got busted
bench 295x3
squats 315x11
deads 325x4
power clean 225x5 never could get this lift right no matter how many coaches worked with me
[quote]security wrote:
I think they missed the question because most of the responses were along the lines the size is not intimidating attitude is the key factor.[/quote]
That sounds like advice given by someone who has never experienced actually having any size on them. Size alone is intimidating. It can keep you out of situations in the first place. While attitude is a part of it as well, no one is really afraid of the midget with a bad attitude…unless he bites.
My suggestion is that you get your body fat tested. If it is pretty high, you may have to simply face the fact that you will lose some size getting leaner. Overall, this is not a bad thing because someone under 17% body fat who weighs around 240-250lbs is more intimidating than someone who is a fat 270+lbs. No one is really afraid of fat. It may add to your overall presence, but without a muscular base, you lose the effect. No one is saying you have to look like a cover model, however, a solid sub-structure of lean mass is going to keep more people in check even if your body fat percentage is a little high.
In truth, without knowing just how much fat you are carrying, it will be hard to give advice. I am only guessing that you are probably pretty high in fat. That means dieting, eating better and adding cardio should probably be the route you take. Lifting regularly will help maintain muscle mass as well as your overall food intake.
I think you also need to understand that this is a life long situation. No one picks up a weight for a few weeks and goes from out of shape to professional athlete…unless you can afford the surgery.
I agree with Prof X, diet down to 250 or 240 and you will be the business.
Any good program will do, dieting is the key. But some advice from me is, while you are big, your strength levels are not that good for your size- no offence. You should look at increasing your strength as the focus of your program. This won’t be easy while dieting but it can be done. Try Westside or Bill Starr’s 5x5 program. Don’t overtrain. Try to progressively increase the poundages on your main exercises.
At work, do you have a short sleved shirt? If so, work your forearms. Huge forearms usually indicates that the rest is big aswell. Your upper body might have lost some size but they can’t see that. Forearms they can see though.
i think i have a good program for you. CTs “the power look.”
do a search or pm me your email address and i can send you the pdf file.
all you guys with much size are dead on with the situational avoidance theory. i am not that big and never have been but know that if you are big, people avoid confrontation. i have had a few big friends. they never got into fights. me, they seek me out sometimes i think.
I’m not sure what my bodyfat % is but i know its high one of those if someone saw me without my shirt the would instantly drop on the floor and pound out ab work then run high intensity sprints for the next hour.
When you say that I should increase strength levels and to look at Bill Star’s 5x5 program i’m having trouble finding it when I do searches. I have the book Bigger Faster Stronger by Greg Shepard is it a good program for increasing strength.
When you say that I should increase strength levels and to look at Bill Star’s 5x5 program i’m having trouble finding it when I do searches. I have the book Bigger Faster Stronger by Greg Shepard is it a good program for increasing strength.[/quote]
Check out Copland Training in the Archives here for more on a 5x5 training regimen.
Check out Mike Mahler’s stuff. He is definately not a small guy but solid with a low BF%. He also uses KB’s in many of his routines. You can find his stuff here.
[quote]security wrote:
I’m not sure what my bodyfat % is but i know its high one of those if someone saw me without my shirt the would instantly drop on the floor and pound out ab work then run high intensity sprints for the next hour.
When you say that I should increase strength levels and to look at Bill Star’s 5x5 program i’m having trouble finding it when I do searches. I have the book Bigger Faster Stronger by Greg Shepard is it a good program for increasing strength.[/quote]
What you also have to realize is that nearly everyone will give different advice. I don’t know anything about 5x5 training and don’t even care to look. That is because what I do now works for me. I personally think people make this way more complicated than it is as if they can waltz right over that genetic component. The advice people give comes from their own experience. That doesn’t make any of it wrong…it just may not be right for you.
I think someone just getting started, or just returning, needs to keep this simple, not launch out on some quest for the holy grail of training. I agree that you need to work on strength, but you also have a greater priority of LOSING WEIGHT. All else is secondary at this point if your body fat is that high. That means you should lift like you are trying to gain, do cardio like you are trying to lose, and eat like you are trying to hold onto every ounce of muscle you already have…if not gain some. The rest is up to your genetics.
I started out on the concept of doing about 3 different exercises per body part (aside from larger muscle groups like back where I may do 5-6 depending on how I feel). The concept of three’s isn’t written in stone, but it is a great place to start until you learn which way your body is pulling you. That essentially means 3 sets of each exercise while attempting to go as heavy as possible with rep ranges from as low as 3-4 (on that last set) to as high as 10.
Some of the most developed guys you see in the gym got that way from working harder than others, not necessarily because they found the perfect scientific rationale based on astrophysics and worm hole technology.
One of the biggest tips you may receive is that what you spend your day eating is even more important than what you do in the weight room. This is the difference between you logging in next year amazed at the progress you have made, and being one of those who lifts for years and either looks nearly the same or worse. The gym is FILLED with the latter. Don’t let it be you.
[quote]security wrote:
…I need to lose body fat and get in back in shape but I also need to try and keep some of my size in the shoulders, neck, traps, and arms. I know what ya’ll are thinking but the reason is because I work as a correctional officer…
[/quote]
Prof X put it well, lose some fat and hit the gym. There are plenty of articles on this website that will provide tons of info about both. And as far as big and intimidating, if you lose 25lbs you’re still at 250, which is still a big dude, plus then your shoulders will look twice as wide cause your waste will be half as small. The most intimidating gyms at my gym have huge traps, delts, and arms. But since you’re a guard I’d like to add in some grip work–I personally don’t think there’s anything more intimidating than an rock iron grip on your shoulder/arm/whatever. As far as lifts the k-bells should take care of most of the shoulder pressing movements and grip work (and maybe some bicep work as well) but I’d like to see you hit the deadlifts heavy and hard, which will beef up the back and traps. And when you don’t feel like going heavy or going to the gym think of the last time you had a confrontation with an inmate…Best of luck.