3 months to get in shape
Discussion
Hi,
I'm looking for advice on a training routine to get me looking reasonably good in 3 months time. After some internet "research" I have come up with the following:
Monday - Stronglift 5x5
Tuesday - Cardio 30min run or 1h cycle
Wednesday - 5x5
Thursdau - Cardio
Friday- 5x5
Saturday - rest
Sunday - Cardio
I am 5"11 and 175lb and generally have a slim build but have a beer belly I can't get rid of. The look I am after is not too big but with very good definition ideally like Brad Pitt in Fight club, however gay that sounds.
I have read that to bulk up I will need to eat a lot but will this not stop me from losing my beer belly and make it difficult to achieve the "ripped" look?
Is my schedule too intensive? Will the cardio inhibit the 5x5 and vice versa?
thanks
I'm looking for advice on a training routine to get me looking reasonably good in 3 months time. After some internet "research" I have come up with the following:
Monday - Stronglift 5x5
Tuesday - Cardio 30min run or 1h cycle
Wednesday - 5x5
Thursdau - Cardio
Friday- 5x5
Saturday - rest
Sunday - Cardio
I am 5"11 and 175lb and generally have a slim build but have a beer belly I can't get rid of. The look I am after is not too big but with very good definition ideally like Brad Pitt in Fight club, however gay that sounds.
I have read that to bulk up I will need to eat a lot but will this not stop me from losing my beer belly and make it difficult to achieve the "ripped" look?
Is my schedule too intensive? Will the cardio inhibit the 5x5 and vice versa?
thanks
3 months?
Can't you streeetch it out to 12 months because you may have left if a bit late to get a body like Brad Pitt from Fight club or that bloke Daniel Craig out of James Bond in the scene that alot of people seem to want to emulate..
Anyway, if you've never been to the gym or weight trained before you'll definatley 'feel' a lot better after three months and you'll make noticable strength gains... but please don't give up if you don't look like a Spartan after the first few weeks.. it all takes time.
Just go at it hammer-and-tongs, eat like a very hungry Elephant and sleep like a narcoleptic.
Can't you streeetch it out to 12 months because you may have left if a bit late to get a body like Brad Pitt from Fight club or that bloke Daniel Craig out of James Bond in the scene that alot of people seem to want to emulate..
Anyway, if you've never been to the gym or weight trained before you'll definatley 'feel' a lot better after three months and you'll make noticable strength gains... but please don't give up if you don't look like a Spartan after the first few weeks.. it all takes time.
Just go at it hammer-and-tongs, eat like a very hungry Elephant and sleep like a narcoleptic.
Brad Pitt had about 5% bodyfat in fightclub/snatch - I'm sure you could do that for a holiday or a month in the summer with a ton of training, but (IMO) unless you are genetically gifted its not sustainable long term.
Most people would look pretty runtish with that physique IMO anyway - especially with clothes on!
/gayest post I've made on PH
Most people would look pretty runtish with that physique IMO anyway - especially with clothes on!
/gayest post I've made on PH
Maxf said:
Brad Pitt had about 5% bodyfat in fightclub/snatch - I'm sure you could do that for a holiday or a month in the summer with a ton of training, but (IMO) unless you are genetically gifted its not sustainable long term.
Most people would look pretty runtish with that physique IMO anyway - especially with clothes on!
/gayest post I've made on PH
OMG. Most people would look pretty runtish with that physique IMO anyway - especially with clothes on!
/gayest post I've made on PH
Gayest. Post. EVER!
Maxf said:
Brad Pitt had about 5% bodyfat in fightclub/snatch - I'm sure you could do that for a holiday or a month in the summer with a ton of training, but (IMO) unless you are genetically gifted its not sustainable long term.
Most people would look pretty runtish with that physique IMO anyway - especially with clothes on!
Anyway.. that's quite right. Mr Avergae Joe @ the same BF% would just look scrawny / skinny, not, what's the word people use..Most people would look pretty runtish with that physique IMO anyway - especially with clothes on!
..ripped?
. So back to the routine, is it ok for a beginner?Maxf said:
Brad Pitt had about 5% bodyfat in fightclub/snatch - I'm sure you could do that for a holiday or a month in the summer with a ton of training, but (IMO) unless you are genetically gifted its not sustainable long term.
Most people would look pretty runtish with that physique IMO anyway - especially with clothes on!
/gayest post I've made on PH
A friend of mine was quite chunky to put it mildly, he worked out like a man possessed, serious amounts of working out but mostly doing martial arts classes and circuit training and eating very carefully and cut down to around 5% bodyfat and he looked like an anorexic, looked completely different to what he normally looked like.Most people would look pretty runtish with that physique IMO anyway - especially with clothes on!
/gayest post I've made on PH
Have you thought about which 'parts' you are going to train on the three 5x5 days? Are you just following the 'strong lifts' routine?
TBH, for three months you might just be better off doing the cardio with lots of body weight training (incorporate it into your runs?).
100 press ups challenge, 100 pull ups, core BW excersises (Google them all).
You'll lose body fat with the cardio and gain useable real-world strength gains from the BW moves and the combination of both will strengthen your core and 'hopefully' pull your abs in a little, reducing the paunch.
The 5x5 will get you stronger but there won't be a lot of hypertrophy (building LARGER muscles) going on in 3 months.
After you've been on holiday this summer you can come back and start working towards summer 2012 and achieve something closer (in terms of a larger more muscular frame) to what you pertained to in your original post.
TBH, for three months you might just be better off doing the cardio with lots of body weight training (incorporate it into your runs?).
100 press ups challenge, 100 pull ups, core BW excersises (Google them all).
You'll lose body fat with the cardio and gain useable real-world strength gains from the BW moves and the combination of both will strengthen your core and 'hopefully' pull your abs in a little, reducing the paunch.
The 5x5 will get you stronger but there won't be a lot of hypertrophy (building LARGER muscles) going on in 3 months.
After you've been on holiday this summer you can come back and start working towards summer 2012 and achieve something closer (in terms of a larger more muscular frame) to what you pertained to in your original post.
B3njamin said:
Would you gain equally usable real-world strength with resistance weight training?
Yes, you would, with a good varied workout. But as far as we know he 'only' has 3 months. What's the point of spending time learning good form and technique with weights if it's only for a bit of 'holiday' bling?If the worst happened and he did his back in trying to do a massive dealift or pulled something whilst squating, his holiday would be wrecked. He'll gain a fair amount of 'shape' through bodyweight moves in 3 months (if he puts the effort in) with little to no fear of hurting himself.
IMO.
Attempting the same thing (although not specifically looking to emulate Brad).
Have done a lot of research, now 1.2 months in to it, already getting "have you been working out" comments from friends and can see a big difference in the mirror.
I'm 5'8" and was a bit round at 178lbs, closet to 172lbs now but body fat % has gone down a good amount.
My regime...
Eat under maintenance at around 1500cals per day, trying to get 50% of that from protein.
Mon: legs & abs
Tue: chest
Wed: cardio
Thu: back & shoulders
Fri: arms
Sat & sun rest (although I may pop in and do 1/2 hour cv and whatever weights I fancy).
As this is the first time I have ever gone near a weight I am benefiting from "newb gains" my lifts are going up each day and mass is improving.
I do 3x10 for hypotrophy mostly, however I hit chest harder, maybe 7x10 as it seems to need more punishment than other areas.
Working for me so far - my goal date is 16th June (moved it on to 4 months as I now realise results take a looong time.
Have got into it now, will probably attempt a bulk over the winter (same training just up cals to 2500).
Hope this helps.
Have done a lot of research, now 1.2 months in to it, already getting "have you been working out" comments from friends and can see a big difference in the mirror.
I'm 5'8" and was a bit round at 178lbs, closet to 172lbs now but body fat % has gone down a good amount.
My regime...
Eat under maintenance at around 1500cals per day, trying to get 50% of that from protein.
Mon: legs & abs
Tue: chest
Wed: cardio
Thu: back & shoulders
Fri: arms
Sat & sun rest (although I may pop in and do 1/2 hour cv and whatever weights I fancy).
As this is the first time I have ever gone near a weight I am benefiting from "newb gains" my lifts are going up each day and mass is improving.
I do 3x10 for hypotrophy mostly, however I hit chest harder, maybe 7x10 as it seems to need more punishment than other areas.
Working for me so far - my goal date is 16th June (moved it on to 4 months as I now realise results take a looong time.
Have got into it now, will probably attempt a bulk over the winter (same training just up cals to 2500).
Hope this helps.
Ordinary_Chap said:
okgo said:
As long as he ate right and went heavy on deads, bench, and sqauts I
Reckon the difference would be noticeable.
This!Reckon the difference would be noticeable.
On a fun note I will race you Tom! I'm doing exactly what you're doing!
Good luck!
Lee
and again:
!Deads, bench, squats
but work up to heavy. Form is EVERYTHING. Weight comes naturally when you start out properly - I recommend reading Brawn by Stuart McRobert. A real eye-opener for me and has upped by 1RM by 15% in three months after being pretty much static for several years.
LordGrover said:
Ordinary_Chap said:
okgo said:
As long as he ate right and went heavy on deads, bench, and sqauts I
Reckon the difference would be noticeable.
This!Reckon the difference would be noticeable.
On a fun note I will race you Tom! I'm doing exactly what you're doing!
Good luck!
Lee
and again:
!Deads, bench, squats
but work up to heavy. Form is EVERYTHING. Weight comes naturally when you start out properly - I recommend reading Brawn by Stuart McRobert. A real eye-opener for me and has upped by 1RM by 15% in three months after being pretty much static for several years.
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