Hi guys,
I’m trying to cut down the bodyfat from 16 to at least 11% while at the same time putting on functional lbm.
I recently picked up a power rack and a bench press along with an olympic bar and weights. The power rack includes a chin up attachment.
Anyone have recommendations on a program?
Stats:
5’9, 155 lbs.
Bench Max = 160
Squat Max = 230
BF% = 16
sorry to be the first and less-experienced person to respond BUT dude you may need to gain some lean muscle mass. 5’9" and 155# you shouldn’t so picky, gain some to lose some.
Jslice,
Congrats on your power rack and such.
To be honest with you, with the equipment you have you can do any and all programs on this site. You can bench, squat, deads, chins, rows, etc…
Everyone on this site has their favorite program of course, but they all work. That is if you simply pick one, follow it as written, and lift with intensity.
Dont simply go lift, lift with a purpose. Go in the gym with a goal, go in angry, get your work done and get out.
That said I would recomend checking out CW’s ABBH 1 & 2, Quatro Dynamo, Singles, etc. These are all great and the combo of them all could keep you busy for some time.
This is just one suggestion though. All the programs on this site, like I stated are great. Just pick one that catches your interest and DO IT.
Hope this helps,
Phill
I started out a lot like you (was 6’ and 130 pounds, seriously…). I got a power-rack with dip bars, chin bar, leg attachment, low-high pully, olympic bar and plates, and some dumbbells – and an adjustable bench. Got the lat attachment later.
After a year I am now 183 pounds with the same bodyfat I started with, 10%. But I have to admit, the only real gains I saw was when I put on a bit of fat, you gotta eat to grow. I would hit plateus (I was stuck at 155 lbs, then 172 lbs-- each time I got outta the rut by taking in more carbs and protein and going for max lifts with lower reps)
It’s a piece of cake for guys like you and me to lose that fat, don’t sweat it. Just go with what looks good, the six pack turns into a 4 pack in the winter, but it only takes a couple weeks to get it down to the 6-pack again.
Stick to the basic big moves:
Chins
Squats
Bench
Deadlifts
Throw in the other excercises to round it out and keep yourself from getting bored.
Mon- Back/Biceps
Tues- Chest/Shouder/Triceps
Wed- off
Thurs -Legs/Calves/Abs
Fri- off
Make your workouts go no more than an hour and 15 minutes, there’s no need for marathon workouts. You’ll find you get more amped for your sets when you know you wont be working out for hours.
then start the cycle again. A lot of people don’t like to have the days switch like this, but it’s actually nice to have it change up weekly so you don’t start dreading one night or the other (I can’t stand leg night)
Go by feel, sometimes you’ll need two days off (I usually did after leg night). Tear yourself down while lifting, grow when you’re resting.
Don’t let any of these guys get you down on your weight and how much you lift. Just set your goals on which you prefer, strength or looks (I couldn’t give a crap how much I can lift, as long as the chicks dig my underwear ad body…). Also don’t set your weight as a goal, set how much you can lift as a goal, you won’t be tempted to just get fatter to meet that weight gain goal. Later on you can guage better by weight gain because you start to recognize your LBM as you get accustomed to your new look. I’ve got 6’ 200 lbs as my goal for the next year.
I used to wear small or medium shirts, which hung off me like a tent, now I’m in extra large. I had to go up a size in pants because the thighs got too tight, so basically I had to pretty much buy an entire new wardrobe. That sucked, it was expensive.
Working out with the power-rack was the best thing I ever did. The only thing I find myself lacking is a giant wing-spread, my lats just won’t develop like the rest of me did (chest is not as good as I’d like either, even though I had to seriously prioritize it to get it even close to the rest of me).
Oh, and I’m 37 and don’t do anything else than sit working on computers all day, so if I can do it, you can too.