Ok thank you, now just two more questions. Would this be the most beneficial weightlifting program for me to run or do you think there is something better?
My second question is what are the benefits of weighted hiking? I use a fire line pack with a strap around the waist

Yes that would be the best program given your CURRENT cardio and general goals. 5x5 as a normal plan is superior for building strength and mass, however you would have to stick to it, at least 5x per week.

Secondly Weighted hiking, jogging, walking, etc., will all improve your stamina when carrying additional weight and can greatly increase your stamina under normal conditions. It also improves muscular endurance, particularly in the legs and back.

Hey there raynor just wanted some advice on my dieting.. I've been training pretty hard but I really haven't been watching it as of late. I'm working out 2-3 time a day pretty hard some is done with weights the rest is body weight and martial arts and running. I'm trying to compact about 3500-4000 calories in a "clean" healthy way to help me perform better on hills, the weight room and the mats. Also due to lack of time I am trying to get them in 3 meals

Hey

Just started doing full body routines around 6 weeks ago

Current routine is all 2 sets (not inc warmup) 3 times a week

Deadlift
Bench
Squat
Military press
Pull ups and chins
Shrugs
Barbell curl

Maybe this is too much?

Any suggestions how i can improve this routine?
Generally training for mass

Thanks

4,000 calories (bulking)

Meal 1 - 1 cup organic greek yogurt (any flavor), 1 cup oatmeal, 2 eggs, 2 apples/bananas, 1 protein bar (approximately 850 calories)
Meal 2 - 10 oz chicken breast w/ 2 tbsp olive oil + 2 cups brown rice (cooked size) + 1 cup black beans + large serving of veggies (non starch) w/ butter + 2 oz cheese (approximately 1,100 calories)
Meal 3 - 8 oz ground beef or steak + 1 cup organic tomato sauce + 1 large serving of whole grain pasta (about 4 cups cooked) + 2 oz cheese (approximately 1,200 calories)
Meal 4 - (PWO) - 50g protein shake w/ 12 oz milk + 1 banana + 1tbsp peanut butter + 1 tsp jelly + 2 slices whole grain toast - (approximately 800 calories)



I will break it down for 4 meals, as 3 meals will be very difficult to hit 4,000 cals in a CLEAN manner. Meal 4 is post workout after weight training, so you can adjust it accordingly. It requires virtually no preparation, so that shouldn't hurt you on time.

I would avoid full-body anything if you are training for size/strength/mass, etc.

Full body training is more for endurance than anything else.


The best plan for pure mass is hypertrophy, but that's only after you have a good platform to work off of (which can be attained by 3x5 or 5x5 training).


here are samples:

http://forums.d2jsp.org/topic.php?t=21269614&f=60&p=345300636
5x5 plan


http://forums.d2jsp.org/topic.php?t=21269614&f=60&p=345358141
Hypertrophy Plan 3-on-1-off (regular)


http://forums.d2jsp.org/topic.php?t=21269614&f=60&p=352563664
Hypertrophy 5 day split (modified)

How long would you recommened staying on the 5x5 before moving to the hypertrophy 5day split (modified)?

Until my strength gains go up considerably?

Thanks so much for your help btw much appreciated

This post was edited by SlashMePlz on Apr 27 2015 09:09am

Yes that is correct. I would run it for at least a year and make sure your baselines are in the 300s for all the major lifts (bench/dead/squat). Once you are in 300+ for those, you can begin hypertrophy.

Hey Raynor,

Don't mean to barge into the convo but

300s 1rm or like 6 reps?

Do you think I'll be able to break 300 in one year if my current bench is 205 1rm?

(squat 275 1rm, dead (I don't attempt 1rm on dead until someone can vouch my form is perfect) prolly around the same so not too worried about those ones)

1RM in the 300s. Also, yes, with 5x5 (or 3x5) you should be increasing each exercise by approximately 5 lbs per week, which at 52 weeks in a year (minus around 10 weeks of total deload/days off etc) you are looking at around 42 weeks x 5 lbs per week which totals out to 210 lbs increase per exercise, on paper. In reality, you will hit a wall here or or there and slow the overall gains. That being said, it is ABSOLUTELY attainable to increase each exercise by 100-150 lbs in the first year, at MINIMUM for a good 5x5/3x5 plan with proper diet.