Looking Like a Fitness Model

F@ck it, just name a routine and I will follow it

[quote]jacktheman wrote:
F@ck it, just name a routine and I will follow it[/quote]
Yeah, come on guys. Will someone please help this kid and suggest a specific routine?

[quote]JFG wrote:
If you think 6 months of SS is going to “ruin” your chanced of a fitness model career, I don’t know what to say.[/quote]

[quote]dt79 wrote:
I think it would be best that you pick a routine from here

or do 5/3/1 before you start doing your own thing.[/quote]

[quote]EyeDentist wrote:
IMO the most efficient style of training for hypertrophy is that espoused by John Meadows.[/quote]

[quote]I wrote:
there are several plans are discussed here:

12 Programs to Follow [/quote]

[quote]Spidey22 wrote:
If you’re looking for a good P/P/L split, look in the thread dt79 posted.[/quote]

[quote]1 Man Island wrote:
there are advantages to a short SS focus, even if you limited the duration. You could look into greyskull LP if you’re looking for more volume, it’s slower progression, though.[/quote]

Dude, it’s been a week and you’re still stuck thinking. At your current level, [i]it absolutely does not matter[/i] what program you do. The most important thing is that you actually start something, train hard, eat right, and stick with it for several uninterrupted months to see real progress.

[quote]Chris Colucci wrote:
Dude, it’s been a week and you’re still stuck thinking. At your current level, [i]it absolutely does not matter[/i] what program you do. The most important thing is that you actually start something, train hard, eat right, and stick with it for several uninterrupted months to see real progress.[/quote]

This, exactly.

Old man rant alert: The internet is an amazing thing–so much info at one’s fingertips. That said, the downside of this info cornucopia is how easily it can lead to paralysis-by-analysis. When I was 17, no one dithered over their ‘macros,’ and/or whether 5/3/1 was better than SS was better than Waterbury was better than etc, because none of us would have had access to such info even if it had existed back then. So in our ignorance, we just lifted and ate. A little ignorance would go a long way toward solving OP’s dilemma.

[quote]EyeDentist wrote:

[quote]Chris Colucci wrote:
Dude, it’s been a week and you’re still stuck thinking. At your current level, [i]it absolutely does not matter[/i] what program you do. The most important thing is that you actually start something, train hard, eat right, and stick with it for several uninterrupted months to see real progress.[/quote]

This, exactly.

Old man rant alert: The internet is an amazing thing–so much info at one’s fingertips. That said, the downside of this info cornucopia is how easily it can lead to paralysis-by-analysis. When I was 17, no one dithered over their ‘macros,’ and/or whether 5/3/1 was better than SS was better than Waterbury was better than etc, because none of us would have had access to such info even if it had existed back then. So in our ignorance, we just lifted and ate. A little ignorance would go a long way toward solving OP’s dilemma.[/quote]

Yeah and if only teens from the time when you were 17 stayed the same and didn’t become beauty-standards freaks who would pick on someone for being fat and leaving him with dismorphia and paralysis-by-analysis after losing the weight by going through hell - that would also been great yolo

[quote]jacktheman wrote:

[quote]EyeDentist wrote:

[quote]Chris Colucci wrote:
Dude, it’s been a week and you’re still stuck thinking. At your current level, [i]it absolutely does not matter[/i] what program you do. The most important thing is that you actually start something, train hard, eat right, and stick with it for several uninterrupted months to see real progress.[/quote]

This, exactly.

Old man rant alert: The internet is an amazing thing–so much info at one’s fingertips. That said, the downside of this info cornucopia is how easily it can lead to paralysis-by-analysis. When I was 17, no one dithered over their ‘macros,’ and/or whether 5/3/1 was better than SS was better than Waterbury was better than etc, because none of us would have had access to such info even if it had existed back then. So in our ignorance, we just lifted and ate. A little ignorance would go a long way toward solving OP’s dilemma.[/quote]

Yeah and if only teens from the time when you were 17 stayed the same and didn’t become beauty-standards freaks who would pick on someone for being fat and leaving him with dismorphia and paralysis-by-analysis after losing the weight by going through hell - that would have also been great and wouldn’t make me search for the program that will put an end to me being uncomfortable with my shirt off
[/quote]

quit bitchin’, get liftin’

[quote]Yogi wrote:
quit bitchin’, get liftin’[/quote]

[quote]jacktheman wrote:
Yeah and if only teens from the time when you were 17 stayed the same and didn’t become beauty-standards freaks who would pick on someone for being fat and leaving him with dismorphia and paralysis-by-analysis after losing the weight by going through hell - that would have also been great and wouldn’t make me search for the program that will put an end to me being uncomfortable with my shirt off[/quote]
I totally get what you’re saying and I think you’d be surprised by how many guys on this site were in some kind of similar position. I definitely agree that high school can suck when you’re too fat, too skinny, too much acne, glasses too thick, too much mustache, you’re on the poetry magazine instead of the baseball team, whatever it is.

Also, dude, did you not see on the previous page of this thread where I had a grown man ask me “DYEL”, saying I looked sick or injured or like a marathon runner? It’s not a high school thing. Childish shit will happen regardless of how old you are or where you are in life. The sooner you stop taking it to heart, the better. That goes for criticism in and out of the gym. Consider that my old man rant.

Anyway, like EyeDentist said before, it’s something you can absolutely work on but it isn’t an overnight transformation kind of thing. If you want to change it, then get pissed and use that as motivation to bust your balls while working step by step towards a big picture goal you’ve set for 2-3 years from now.

Even if your “main goal” is 3 years away, if you get started right fucking now with serious effort and dedication, you can make some serious progress over the next 6 months. Or spend another week and another week and another week not training because you’re waiting to be told what the perfect program is. 100% your call.

Read these to get your head right:
http://tnation.T-Nation.com/free_online_forum/music_movies_girls_life/iron_by_henry_rollins

http://www.T-Nation.com/powerful-words/confidence-switch

[quote]jacktheman wrote:
By the way, have been wanting to address a problem I have been having - my legs look a bit disproportional to my upper body ( dunno the exact reason - genetics, a lot of cardio I did in the past; maybe even my body fat is more spread on my lower body. By training legs ( I don’t want to skip them, I enjoy training them but I am afraid) can I expect them to become leaner and not to bulk up soon, because my upper body is visibly more underdeveloped than them and that look creeps me out. Thanks[/quote]

If you’re like me, then it’s probably because you have no muscle and your bf is focused around your lower body.

Trust me on this- Just get stronger and it’ll go away.

My legs are leaner now that I squat 275lb than it was when I squatted 245lb for singles. My bf has essentially redistributed itself to my upper body (specifically my belly).

You said it yourself- you don’t have a lot of muscle. You probably won’t even notice the first 20-30lb you put on your body.

[quote]jacktheman wrote:
Yeah and if only teens from the time when you were 17 stayed the same and didn’t become beauty-standards freaks who would pick on someone for being fat and leaving him with dismorphia and paralysis-by-analysis after losing the weight by going through hell - that would also been great yolo
[/quote]

I cannot imagine that society was gentler to fat people in the past compared to in the present.

I know I got picked on for being fat.

You have received some great advice here. The most important piece is to attack your plan violently and with purpose. I feel that, if you focus on that part of the discussion, and spend your energy learning how to accomplish THAT, rather than the ideal training plan, you will make the progress you seek.

[quote]ryanbCXG wrote:

[quote]Facepalm_Death wrote:

[quote]infinite_shore wrote:

[quote]Facepalm_Death wrote:

[quote]infinite_shore wrote:
Another thread that shows that most posters on here are ignorant about basic principles.

@OP: Shit is simple: (a) Pick a standard 5 day BBing split (fuck 5x5 etc) and hit it hard, (b) eat sufficient good food.
[/quote]

OP is ignorant of basic principles as well and therein lies the problem. Anyone following a 5x5 will learn some basic principles, they’re inherent in the programs (like progressive overload, this is important). But tell someone with no training experience to just follow a 5day BB split and there is no guarantee they will learn ANY basic principles.

What if a year from now OP has made no progress because he never added weight to any exercise and just relied on “pumping”? See, anyone that understands the basic principles already knows why this happens, but in the raw beginners mind he just thinks “i’m following a BB split routine, this is supposed to be working”. Another possible scenario is something like OP bench for a few weeks with terrible form, gets messed up shoulders, continues instead with dumbbell bench in future workouts, shoulders don’t get better and eventually he switches to 3 variations of flies with dumbells and various machines instead. And this seems reasonable to him becasue the only logic guiding the workout is its “chest day”

tl;dr OP doesn’t know basic principles and BB splits don’t necessarily teach any basic principles. 5x5 programs teach some basic principles. BB splits don’t work without some foreknowledge of basic principles[/quote]

I disagree. If a beginner cannot grasp what it means to train HARD within the context of a BBing split, after telling him that he should chase PRs in reasonable set/rep schemes without resorting to retarded form breakdowns, then nothing will help him. Certainly not wasting time with a program like 5x5.

The reason so many beginners never properly progress on BBing splits is NOT that they use BBing splits BUT that they are taking the easy way (they are pussies who avoid putting in the hard work). In my experience, you cannot help these guys. They just don’t have the right mental attitude. Unfortunately, 90% of the people in the gyms are part of this group.[/quote]

Well, you can still try to help these guys. Thing is, the people that grasp hard training can jump into BB split and succeed, thus they don’t hop onto a forum and say “how do i train?” THe fact you are even answering the question for someone tells you a BB split won’t work right out of the gate for them. but a 5x5 routine will sure teach someone what hard training is
[/quote]

5x5 doesn’t mean they train hard? How does that teach hard training? You teach yourself how to push yourself. The routine doesn’t do that [/quote]

Sure, if the 5x5 is written as a straight linear progression starting with light weights and adding weight every week, you learn hard training whether you want to or not. On stronglifts 5x5, you squat 3x/week, adding 5lbs every workout. The progression starts with an empty bar so continuous progress is possible for a while. The wporkouts become intense pretty fast.

But I’ve known plenty of people with no idea how to train that did split routines and always used light weight to get a pump, and as they adapted they just added more sets to get more pump, because no one ever told them about adding weight. Split routines are great for people that only know how to train, but to the complete beginner that only sees sets and reps they might never get it (and a lot don’t) because the routine as written won’t make you use difficult weights. 5x5 linear progression always leads to a difficult weight

[quote]Chris Colucci wrote:

I totally get what you’re saying and I think you’d be surprised by how many guys on this site were in some kind of similar position. I definitely agree that high school can suck when you’re too fat, too skinny, too much acne, glasses too thick, too much mustache, you’re on the poetry magazine instead of the baseball team, whatever it is.
[/quote]

Nothing can’t be solved by more mustache.

Buck up, kid.

[quote]Facepalm_Death wrote:
Sure, if the 5x5 is written as a straight linear progression starting with light weights and adding weight every week, you learn hard training whether you want to or not. On stronglifts 5x5, you squat 3x/week, adding 5lbs every workout. The progression starts with an empty bar so continuous progress is possible for a while. The wporkouts become intense pretty fast.

But I’ve known plenty of people with no idea how to train that did split routines and always used light weight to get a pump, and as they adapted they just added more sets to get more pump, because no one ever told them about adding weight. Split routines are great for people that only know how to train, but to the complete beginner that only sees sets and reps they might never get it (and a lot don’t) because the routine as written won’t make you use difficult weights. 5x5 linear progression always leads to a difficult weight
[/quote]

I’ve actually seen many people on abbreviated programs run into the same issue you mention with split training. Primarily, they start off with the bar, and as long as the weight they are lifting is light and easy, they have no issues. However, as soon as they have to actually start struggling with the weights, they freak out over the need to exert themselves, decide they have “stalled”, and then reset the weight and start the whole process over again. They never actually move heavy weights, and instead decide they have “stalled” 3 times at light weights and wonder if it’s time to move on to an intermediate program.

I was a big fan of abbreviated training, but I’ve stopped suggesting it for beginner trainees, because I find many simply won’t endure the necessary amount of misery to be able to make progress on it.

1 Like

[quote]T3hPwnisher wrote:

[quote]Facepalm_Death wrote:
Sure, if the 5x5 is written as a straight linear progression starting with light weights and adding weight every week, you learn hard training whether you want to or not. On stronglifts 5x5, you squat 3x/week, adding 5lbs every workout. The progression starts with an empty bar so continuous progress is possible for a while. The wporkouts become intense pretty fast.

But I’ve known plenty of people with no idea how to train that did split routines and always used light weight to get a pump, and as they adapted they just added more sets to get more pump, because no one ever told them about adding weight. Split routines are great for people that only know how to train, but to the complete beginner that only sees sets and reps they might never get it (and a lot don’t) because the routine as written won’t make you use difficult weights. 5x5 linear progression always leads to a difficult weight
[/quote]

I’ve actually seen many people on abbreviated programs run into the same issue you mention with split training. Primarily, they start off with the bar, and as long as the weight they are lifting is light and easy, they have no issues. However, as soon as they have to actually start struggling with the weights, they freak out over the need to exert themselves, decide they have “stalled”, and then reset the weight and start the whole process over again. They never actually move heavy weights, and instead decide they have “stalled” 3 times at light weights and wonder if it’s time to move on to an intermediate program.

I was a big fan of abbreviated training, but I’ve stopped suggesting it for beginner trainees, because I find many simply won’t endure the necessary amount of misery to be able to make progress on it.[/quote]

Then what would you recommend

You may have missed my post before, so I’m reposting it. This is what I would recommend.

[quote]T3hPwnisher wrote:
I cannot imagine that society was gentler to fat people in the past compared to in the present.

I know I got picked on for being fat.

You have received some great advice here. The most important piece is to attack your plan violently and with purpose. I feel that, if you focus on that part of the discussion, and spend your energy learning how to accomplish THAT, rather than the ideal training plan, you will make the progress you seek.[/quote]

[quote]jacktheman wrote:
Then what would you recommend [/quote]

T3hPwnisher is right.

More often than not, doing the training with intensity and will is more important than the training program itself.

It’s not like you’re training for a sport or anything. There’s no need to over-think anything. Just move something that is heavy, and then either move something heavier or do more reps the next time.

This is why I like logs, tbh. It lets me know what I did last time so that I know what I have to beat the next time to know that I made progress.

[quote]T3hPwnisher wrote:
I’ve actually seen many people on abbreviated programs run into the same issue you mention with split training. Primarily, they start off with the bar, and as long as the weight they are lifting is light and easy, they have no issues. However, as soon as they have to actually start struggling with the weights, they freak out over the need to exert themselves, decide they have “stalled”, and then reset the weight and start the whole process over again. They never actually move heavy weights, and instead decide they have “stalled” 3 times at light weights and wonder if it’s time to move on to an intermediate program.[/quote]

I think this was a main culprit for a lack of progress in my case. Specifically, ‘working up’ to a weight you can handle, then going beyond that to a weight you can’t handle and resetting again. This way, you’ll spend 2 out of ten sessions with an ideal weight.

That being said, I think those programs are pretty good to get to your first or second stall. However, people who can’t break past 155 on bench and keep resetting, spending months on a 5x5 program… Yeah, there might be an issue.

What is you guys’ take on a push/pull/legs/1dayoff/repeat

[quote]jacktheman wrote:
What is you guys’ take on a push/pull/legs/1dayoff/repeat[/quote]

Have you learned nothing?

PICK SOMETHING. ANYTHING. Put all the programs that have been listed here on a dartboard, close your eyes, throw a damn dart, and then do whatever the dart hits.

(Seriously, that type of training split of push/pull/legs would be fine. As would damn near anything else in your position if you will pick it, stick with it, believe in it, and attack it hard while eating enough to fuel muscle growth)

[quote]jacktheman wrote:
What is you guys’ take on a push/pull/legs/1dayoff/repeat[/quote]

It’s almost better than sex. Almost.

[quote]dt79 wrote:

It’s almost better than sex. Almost.
[/quote]

That’s the “pull” routine for some of us.