Just to clarify I'm doing 351 not traditional 531 but I'm sure that doesn't change much

With the forced reps, is this really only possible with bench press?

How does one do 115% forced reps with a spotter deadlifts?

Or squats? Or press?

would you suggest this for a multi vitamin?

http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/opt/men.html

so far still in keto, down about 25 lbs only taking fish oil from my local grocery store, green tea extract and one a day mens vitamin. was thinking of switching my multi vitamin to this opt men, unless you can suggest something better? and would you suggest any other supplements?

With squats, you'd use a spotter, hook-spotting you from behind.

With deadlifts, the spotter stands in front of you and assists with the initial pull.

Sounds dangerous as fuk m9

Could I do 115% rack pulls, high box squats and press from the rack instead?

Hi there!

I am 5''11, 19 years old and I weigh about 185 lbs. I have a rather strong body at base thanks to genetics (my father is about 225 lbs and is very strong, but has that damn beer belly), but I totally suck at cardio.

I used to work-out after school at my school's gym back when I was 15-16 years old and remember being stronger than pretty much anyone of my age (in my school), yet I wasn't sure of how to work-out (and still don't quite know which exercises to do). I was doing pretty much all the machines (work stations) that were offered to me and kept raising weights weeks after weeks. I was satisfied with my body, yet I lost all determination of working out over time.

What I'd like to know :

-What is a good routine I could start doing that would mix cardio and general body bulking? (what I'm looking for is a very healthy shape, in other words, replacing some of that body fat into pure muscles)
-How could I remain motivated to work-out 3-4 times / week (making it a habit as obvious as taking a shower)?
-What kind of diet should I have? (I eat tons of meat, but I've started a few weeks ago to go crazy on fruits, especially 100% natural fruit smoothies (http://www.arthursfresh.com/en/))

Please help me out!

This post was edited by HunteRofAH on Aug 4 2014 07:34pm

Rack pulls are great, however they miss the key component which is the initial lifting from the ground. If you are really uncomfortable with using a spotter, continue the 3x5x1 as you have been doing. However, add at least 1-2 sets of 1RM each week of each exercise in addition to that.

As far as box squats go, these also can help, but again, it's just not the same as the actual exercise.

Hey there!

Because you are a beginner, I would recommend that you start with this:

http://forums.d2jsp.org/topic.php?t=21269614&f=60&p=379997654
4 day upper/lower split for beginners or maintenance


Run that plan for at least 12 weeks. After 12 weeks, re-evaluate, and if you feel like you are ready, move on to the 5x5.

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



Your diet will be fairly standard for bulking with your stats.



3,000 calories on WORKOUT DAYS:


Meal 1 - 4 whole eggs + 7 egg whites , 1 cup oatmeal, 1 apple, 2 oz sliced/diced ham OR bacon OR chicken/turkey
Meal 2 (snack) - 8oz 2% skim milk + 1 cup of blueberries or strawberries + 15 almonds + 2 large celery stalks + 4 oz lunchmeat (turkey/chicken/roast beef)
Meal 3 - 1 cup brown rice + 6 oz chicken breast + 1/2 cup black beans + green peppers/onions + 1 tbsp olive oil
Meal 4 (Post-Workout) - 50g protein shake + 1 banana + 1tbsp peanut butter + 1 tsp jelly + 2 slices whole grain toast
Meal 5 - 6oz 93/7 lean beef + 4oz whole grain pasta (dry weight) + 6 tbsp tomato sauce + grated cheese + 1 cup broccoli
Meal 6 - 1 cup cottage cheese + 1 tbsp peanut butter + handful of blueberries/strawberries + cinnamon to taste



2,500 calories on NON-WORKOUT DAYS:

Meal 1 - 3 whole eggs + 5 egg whites + green peppers and onions + 3/4 cup oatmeal (uncooked volume) + handful of mixed berries (any)
Meal 2 - 6 oz grilled chicken + 1 cup cooked brown rice + 1 large salad + 1 tbsp olive oil + vinegar
Meal 3 - 2 slices whole grain bread + 1 can of tuna + 1 oz of 2% cheese + 1tbsp mayo + veggies (tuna sandwich)
Meal 4 - 6 oz grilled sirloin steak 90/10 or leaner (trim off the fat) + 1/2 cup black beans + 1/2 cup brown rice + veggies + 1 tbsp olive oil
Meal 5 - 40g protein shake + handful mixed berries + 1 slice whole grain bread w/ 1 tbsp peanut butter and 1 tsp jelly
Meal 6 - 3/4 cup of 2% cottage cheese + 1tsp heavy cream + handful mixed berries + 10 almonds + cinnamon to taste


Also make sure you drink at least 1 GAL of water per day. Pure water, not soda/sport drinks/etc.


Secondly, as far as motivation goes - the way you will get used to working out is following a routine. For the first 3-4 weeks, you will simply need to use discipline to get into the gym on a set routine (example - mon-fri, 6pm-8pm).

Once you fall into a very specific routine for a few weeks, it will come naturally.

I don't have the opportunity to go at the gym unfortunately (pretty low on money, lack of free time, no gyms I can walk to nearby).. here's what I have at my home though :

Bench
Dumbells
Elliptical machine (NordicTrack 130) --> Can this replace a bike / running?
Abdominal machine (extremely similar to the bottom left one on this image : http://www.worldfitness.com.au/images/ab%20king.jpg)

As you can see, I'm mostly looking for exercises I can do with few / no weights and machines, sadly...


For the diet, you'd recommand eating 6 little meals per day instead of 3 bigger ones (the usual breakfast / lunch / dinner)? I'll have to get used to that hahaha, that sounds rather uncommon to me, but as you've stated, I'm quite the beginner! I noticed I lose/gain fat and muscles much more rapidly than the average person, therefore I'm used to eating astronomic amounts of food when I eat (extremely quick metabolism).

I was also wondering.. is there a better time of the day to work-out? I've heard some people say it's better upon waking up, others say they'd rather do it before going to sleep.. and should I eat before or after working-out?

Hello there.

Given the equipment you have, you will only be able to do very basic exercises.

Here's a 5-day split with freeweights:



Day 1 - Flat Bench Press, Incline DB Press, DB Pullovers, Decline Press, Weighted Crunches (5 sets until failure), Hanging leg raises (with a DB held between feet - 5 sets until failure)
Day 2 - Deadlifts, Bent over BB Rows, DB Lawnmower Rows, Pullups (5 sets until failure), Standing BB Calf Raises, Seated DB Calf Raises (DBs on your knees).
Day 3 - Seated DB Press, Standing BB Press (military press), Front DB Raises, Lat DB Raises, BB Shrugs, DB Shrugs
Day 4 - BB Squats, DB Lunges, STRAIGHT-LEG Deadlifts, BB Calf Raises, DB Forearm Curls (wrist curls), BB Reverse Curls
Day 5 - Olympic Bar Curls, DB Curls, Seated hammer Curls, Skullcrushers, DB Tricep Kickbacks, Close-Grip Bench Press, Close-grip pushups (3 sets until failure at the end of the workout)


Also yes, you can definitely use the nordictrack to replace jogging if you so desire. Cardio in and of itself is not required, especially if you have a very fast metabolism.

In addition, if you are a hardgainer, you will certainly need a larger diet than I provided you.

Here is a sample 6,000 calorie a day diet for a hardgainer:


6,000 calorie meal plan sample

Meal 1 - 4 scoop Cytogainer shake w/ 1 cup fruit and 2tbsp peanut butter and mixed with 1-2 cups milk (approximately 1,000 calories)
Meal 2 - 6 whole eggs + 4 strips low sodium bacon + 2 slices whole grain bread w/ peanut butter and jelly (approximately 1,000 calories)
Meal 3 - 4 scoop Cytogainer shake w/ 1 cup fruit and 2tbsp peanut butter and mixed with 1-2 cups milk (approximately 1,000 calories)
Meal 4 - 6 oz chicken breast w/ olive oil + 2 cups brown rice + 1 cup black beans + large serving of veggies + 2 oz cheese (approximately 1,000 calories)
Meal 5 - 6 oz ground beef + 1 cup tomato sauce + 1 large serving of whole grain pasta + 2 oz cheese (approximately 1,000 calories)
Meal 6 - 4 scoop Cytogainer shake w/ 1 cup fruit and 2tbsp peanut butter and mixed with 1-2 cups milk (approximately 1,000 calories)



EDIT - forgot to mention to you - you can workout whenever it is convenient for you

This post was edited by SKCRaynor on Aug 4 2014 09:22pm

I'll try to be as faithful as possible to what you've suggested me and I'll see how it all works out! The thing is, I'm a french speaking individual and some of these exercises do not ring a bell to me, is there a website you could suggest me in order to have a visual display of what they're implying? That'd be awesome.

Thank you for your time sir, I'll keep you updated about my progress!