Rilla wrote:I'm more or less always doing FB routines and they work great for me. You can lift heavy 3 days a week with no problems if you switch up lifts/play around with rep ranges/steer clear of failure/know your body/etc etc etc.

You wont be doing heavy DL singles three times a week, but I don't see why you shouldn't be able to squat twice a week and DL once. At least not for a limited period of time.

You start off with a 4-6 week block of it and after a few runs your body adapts and you can do it for as long as desired.

HST is a well thought-out way of approaching things IMO. Craig's suggestion looks good too.

I think FB training can yield really good gains - the problem I've had with it before is that it's all too easy to leave body parts lagging. I guess you just need to monitor progress/how you feel and react quickly as you may need to. Useful for learning what sorts of things you need though - I definitely learnt the importance of direct arm work, for example.

I think people get too concerned with "lagging body parts" and the like. Unless you're a competitive (top-end) bodybuilder who is "built for show" then it doesn't matter too much.

Core lifts, with supplementary & auxiliary exercises will work very well.

Program design is lacking in most people. Many have no plan. No idea what they'll do after 4-6 weeks. Many feel they must change the entire style & strategy of training (HST then HIT then FST blah blah). When in fact all you need to do is modify some reps (maybe sets) and alter the exercises slightly. That's still a change. Progression will still be seen.

I suggested Full Body for Will as it's very much far removed from what he is doing now. Add into the mix that it's only 3 sessions a week with lower body being worked at each session and fat will be reduced. Then add in 1-3 20-40min conditioning sessions either on the same day (at a different time) or more likely for Will on another day and the fat will fall off. But without an effective program the results will be slower coming.

If I were creating a program for Will, then sometime down the line I'd change it to an Upper/Lower split. But for 8-12 weeks (or more even) I think a Full Body program will work well.

health4ni wrote:I think people get too concerned with "lagging body parts" and the like. Unless you're a competitive (top-end) bodybuilder who is "built for show" then it doesn't matter too much.

Maybe, but I think it's the person's perception that matters. If a body part is lagging and the trainee doesn't like it, then it's no good. Maybe people do get too concerned with it, but ultimately the trainee has to be happy with the results they're getting, or be confident that they can quickly redress any lagging parts that they're not happy with.

Surely enjoying your training and being pleased with the results are the 2 most important facets of the whole thing?

Agree Ollie

If im doign a full body split then i still like to do the likes of side laterals as i think they make a massive difference to the shoudlers and how they look. Gotta be pleased witht he overall results

I do think a full body split is the way to go here though for Will. SOmething ill be doing at somepoint for a wee spell this year no doubt

Yep, I'll be doing the same, probably in the new year.

ollie wrote:Maybe, but I think it's the person's perception that matters. If a body part is lagging and the trainee doesn't like it, then it's no good. Maybe people do get too concerned with it, but ultimately the trainee has to be happy with the results they're getting, or be confident that they can quickly redress any lagging parts that they're not happy with.

Surely enjoying your training and being pleased with the results are the 2 most important facets of the whole thing?

Will's goal is to maintain muscle mass and lose body fat; worrying about lagging body parts should be a low priority. If not, then the primary goals will be affected.

There's nothing wrong with doing a month's "lagging body part training". And as I say secondary lifts are a must; and if side laterals work for you and your shoulders need more work then cool.

I think with a good program people tend to enjoy training no matter what tbh. You need to get results of course.

health4ni wrote:

ollie wrote:Maybe, but I think it's the person's perception that matters. If a body part is lagging and the trainee doesn't like it, then it's no good. Maybe people do get too concerned with it, but ultimately the trainee has to be happy with the results they're getting, or be confident that they can quickly redress any lagging parts that they're not happy with.

Surely enjoying your training and being pleased with the results are the 2 most important facets of the whole thing?

Will's goal is to maintain muscle mass and lose body fat; worrying about lagging body parts should be a low priority. If not, then the primary goals will be affected.

There's nothing wrong with doing a month's "lagging body part training". And as I say secondary lifts are a must; and if side laterals work for you and your shoulders need more work then cool.

I think with a good program people tend to enjoy training no matter what tbh. You need to get results of course.

Definitely agree mate - I was just pointing out a weakness of full body training, not suggesting that it wouldn't be ideal for Will at the moment

Ok.

I'm still not convinced it's a weakness. It just means that the prog as a whole needs to reflect the trainees desire to improve a certain area.

For example: if someone's biceps need more work to "bring them up" (whatever that means lol) then chins (instead of pullups), standard DB rows, BB Curls, hammer curls and incline curls would be added to give adequate stimulation. This would at the very least appease the trainee.

/absorbs info like a sponge

Not used to having such an indepth discussion about me!!

I'd love to be able to commit to rugby at the moment, but I jsut can't, so there's no point in considering it an option at the moment, unless I find a local club, and get rid of my social life, family and actually wanting to recover some sleep from the week My weekends are too precious at the moment.

I can however, commit to the gym, and other exercises that I can do as part of my day-to-day life.

I'm going to get Scott to give me a hand, I've explained my dilemas to him (sorry about that!!) so we'll see!

health4ni wrote:Ok.

I'm still not convinced it's a weakness. It just means that the prog as a whole needs to reflect the trainees desire to improve a certain area.

For example: if someone's biceps need more work to "bring them up" (whatever that means lol) then chins (instead of pullups), standard DB rows, BB Curls, hammer curls and incline curls would be added to give adequate stimulation. This would at the very least appease the trainee.

It's a weakness that can definitely be mitigated, as I said I think it's something you just need to keep an eye on. It's just an issue that you need to give more thought to (if you care) than you would with a conventional or even upper/lower split.

By the way, I'm fully appreciative of your suggestions for my current training, which has given me the best gains overall I've seen all year. Will stick some pics up shortly to show progress.

ollie wrote:

health4ni wrote:Ok.

I'm still not convinced it's a weakness. It just means that the prog as a whole needs to reflect the trainees desire to improve a certain area.

For example: if someone's biceps need more work to "bring them up" (whatever that means lol) then chins (instead of pullups), standard DB rows, BB Curls, hammer curls and incline curls would be added to give adequate stimulation. This would at the very least appease the trainee.

It's a weakness that can definitely be mitigated, as I said I think it's something you just need to keep an eye on. It's just an issue that you need to give more thought to (if you care) than you would with a conventional or even upper/lower split.

By the way, I'm fully appreciative of your suggestions for my current training, which has given me the best gains overall I've seen all year. Will stick some pics up shortly to show progress.

If just looking to keep muscle mass whilst leaning a bit I tend to go down the three days a week option too - but train each body area twice over the three sessions, something like:

Wide stance squats
Good mornings
Pullups
Incline benches
Curls
Calf raise

Powercleans
Dips
Bent rows
OH press
DB incline curls
Skull crushers

Front squat
OH squat
RDL's
High pulls
CGP
Calf raise

Then on three non-weights days a week will do cardio, doing steady state stuff (running, cycling, swimming) on one session then HIIT type stuff on alternate sessions. Often do a few plyometric exercises on cardio days too.

For a diet that is more anti catabolic than anabolic is important to eat good protein frequently throughout the day, and use energy foods mostly in the pre and immediately post exercise times of the day.

When looking to lose fat I don't ever drop calories any more - i just back off the weights a bit and increase the cardio. Sometimes I even increase calories a little if my workload goes up a lot. Can always drop a few b/f percentage points in a month-six weeks training this way.