ph0bia.

I'm on the same program. Good luck!

widdoes2504

The program looks good but why only 1x5 for deads instead of 3x5? On the other hand I agree to start off light to get a feel for the program and add from there.

widdoes2504's Sig:

Height: 6 foot
Weight: 240 pounds

Bench: 415 (1x1)
Deads: 565 (1x1)
A2G Squat: 425 (1x1)

Cardio sucks

hunt0r

I'm not sure why it calls for just one set, but I got the information from this site: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/wotw52.htm

And I printed out the workout logs and it only calls for 1 set of deads. Maybe I should bump that up to 3 sets?

hunt0r's Sig:

"You can succeed if nobody else believes it, but you will never succeed if you don't believe in yourself."
-William J.H. Boetcker

22 yrs old
6'3 220lbs
Goals: Add lean mass and cut body fat.

hunt0r

Well I had plans of starting this program on Monday, but I injured my back over the weekend and it is still bothering me. I have heard that lower back pain comes with this routine and I dont want to go into it without being 100%. Plus I had to do PT after work on Monday so I figure I will just hit cardio up real hard all week and rest my back up and go into this strong on Monday.

Anyways I was pissed cause I wanted to go into this full steam this week!

hunt0r's Sig:

"You can succeed if nobody else believes it, but you will never succeed if you don't believe in yourself."
-William J.H. Boetcker

22 yrs old
6'3 220lbs
Goals: Add lean mass and cut body fat.

Eric3237

1x5 deads is appropriate. Deads are the most demanding metabolically. It is best to keep it down at first. It is how Rippetoe himself recommends. Later on a set or two can be added if recovery has improved enough.

The problem with more deadlifts is the way the volume is distributed. You'd have workout A being a whole lot more demanding than workout B which would be inappropriate for this program. BTW, I don't see how someone doing 135 on deads is going to turn around and do 135 on rows for 3 sets. It seems off. I understand about the squats if you are not used to A2G but for the rows it seems like a lot.

Just pick light to moderate weights on everything as Widdoes said(it should seem fairly easy at first) and go from there. Trying to find some perfect starting weight the first time you do this program just won't make a difference. On the other hand, screwing up and starting too heavy will ruin it. There is no real disadvantage to starting too light other than time spent accumulating (which can lead to MORE progress down the road).

Once you have gotten everything you can out of this and it is time for a new type of program then it will be more important to pick the appropriate strarting weights simply because you wouldn't want intensity to fall off too much.

Good luck on your injury and the program.

Eric3237's Sig:

Anybody can talk a lot. Smart people listen...
-Son's first grade teacher

hunt0r

Thanks for your insight on this Eric I appreciate it. As for the rows being high, I have been doing rows as part of my workout for awhile now and thought that I could handle that weight. After some reconsideration I have decided to lower that weight a little and ease my way into the new routine and find the right weight for me. I am thinking about purchasing Rippetoe's books also off Amazon.com

hunt0r's Sig:

"You can succeed if nobody else believes it, but you will never succeed if you don't believe in yourself."
-William J.H. Boetcker

22 yrs old
6'3 220lbs
Goals: Add lean mass and cut body fat.

hunt0r

Well I officially started the workout today and it was a really good workout. I thought I was going to struggle more with the ATG squats because I have never done them, but they felt very solid. Only thing that is iffy would be the deadlifts...I still got to work on proper form so im stickin light.

Workout A
3x5 Squat (ATG) - 135 lbs
3x5 Bench Press - 225 lbs
1x5 Deadlift - 135 lbs
2x20 Dips - bodyweight

Ab work: Decline sit-ups (1x55), Vertical Leg Raise (1x25), Dumbbell Side Bends (1x20)

hunt0r's Sig:

"You can succeed if nobody else believes it, but you will never succeed if you don't believe in yourself."
-William J.H. Boetcker

22 yrs old
6'3 220lbs
Goals: Add lean mass and cut body fat.

Boondock

When I started this program my bench press was also more then my squat and DL because I had never really done them B4. The good thing though is that If you keep at it your squat will naturally pass your bench since youll be squating 3 times a week. Ive also been able to make larger weight increases in my DL, ive been doing 5 - 10 -5 -10 - 5 etc. increases and now my DL is getting up there also.

I'm three weeks in and this program has been working for me.

Good luck

hunt0r

When you say "5 - 10 - 5 - 10 - 5" do you mean you went up each workout by 5lbs then 10lbs then 5lbs? Because that is a question I had with this workout, I thought I was suppose to increase each of my lifts by 2.5lbs each workout??

hunt0r's Sig:

"You can succeed if nobody else believes it, but you will never succeed if you don't believe in yourself."
-William J.H. Boetcker

22 yrs old
6'3 220lbs
Goals: Add lean mass and cut body fat.