Any personal trainers out there......

[Dr. Starcs]

willing to give some free advice?

[hvsupastar]

Not a personal trainer but I might could offer some advice

[Dr. Starcs]

Thanks buddy.

I'm 6'0. 170. Really wanting a workout and diet plan that I can use to lose some fat (i tend to gain in my face, chest and belly) Really sick of the man boobs. But I would also LOVE to bulk up.

I've kinda been doing my own thing for a while and just feel like I needs some direction from someone who knows.

[Hogfly]

Thanks buddy.

I'm 6'0. 170. Really wanting a workout and diet plan that I can use to lose some fat (i tend to gain in my face, chest and belly) Really sick of the man boobs. But I would also LOVE to bulk up.

I've kinda been doing my own thing for a while and just feel like I needs some direction from someone who knows.

6'0 and 170 isn't, at first blush, a fat dude's measurements. Look into Wendler 5/3/1 program. It's pretty much the gold standard.

[clutch]

6'0 and 170 isn't, at first blush, a fat dude's measurements. Look into Wendler 5/3/1 program. It's pretty much the gold standard.

That was my first thought as well. Doesn't sound like a fat guys measurements at all.

From the way it sounds, a solid plan that builds you some muscle should cure a lot of that. As was already mentioned, look into the 531 program. It will bulk you up as fast as anything. Once you pack on some muscle in the chest area those man boobs will be a thing of the past. It sounds like that is all you need really. I just can't imagine a guy at 6'0 ft only weighing 170 having too much fat to cut.

Cut out bad foods and look up that Wendler 531 plan and you should be well on your way.

[Hogsmo Kramer]

Can you give a brief synopsis of what you've been doing and kinda what your diet is like?

Doesn't have to be crazy detailed just enough so we can get an idea.

[Dr. Starcs]

Sure thing.

I've been eating 5x a day. About 2000 calories. 150 g of protein.

Lifting pretty regularly 3 or 4x a week. Split routines, 4 sets of 6 on about everything. Pretty low intensity.

No cardio at all.

I also eat pretty much whatever is around or sounds good on the weekends.

Thanks

[Hogsmo Kramer]

Sure thing.

I've been eating 5x a day. About 2000 calories. 150 g of protein.

Lifting pretty regularly 3 or 4x a week. Split routines, 4 sets of 6 on about everything. Pretty low intensity.

No cardio at all.

I also eat pretty much whatever is around or sounds good on the weekends.

Thanks

http://www.t-nation.com/workouts/boring-but-big-3-month-challenge

Not to cop out and just post a link but the above touches on almost everything you're talking about and it's easier to do that than ask you 100 questions.

In that article he touches on diet, cardio, and lifting and lays out a 3 month plan one I've used personally to great success.

As far as supplements disregard with the exception of protein powder if you have a hard time getting it in your diet.

As far as cardio I usually do a mix of weighted walks and sleds drags or hill sprints (subbed for prowler work cause I don't have one) but you don't necessarily have to and if you haven't done sprints or drug a sled in a while or ever just ease into it. If you don't have a sled or any hills you can do flat sprints or intervals on a treadmill.

The guy who wrote the article is Jim Wendler who I and a lot of guys who post here are fans of.

I've been in the game a long time myself so feel free to ask any questions bout that program or otherwise you might have. I don't know it all but I'm sure if I don't know the answer someone else might be able to answer it.

[Dr. Starcs]

Awesome Hogsmo.

I've looked at a lot of stuff online but its just hard to know what is reliable or not. I'll definitely check this out and get back with you.

In the meantime, if there's anyone else who would recommend something else, let me know.

Thanks again.

[Hogsmo Kramer]

Awesome Hogsmo.

I've looked at a lot of stuff online but its just hard to know what is reliable or not. I'll definitely check this out and get back with you.

In the meantime, if there's anyone else who would recommend something else, let me know.

Thanks again.

No problem.

One thing I will say is don't make it too complicated.

The reason I say that is every body has the next best workout, diet or whatever but there is no "best" workout or really "best" diet. Some people try to make crap complicated just to sound smart or whatever. Wendler for the most part doesn't which is why I like him.

I've been around the block and back again in this stuff from a BS in exercise physiology, to personal training, to training D1 athletes at the collegiate level, etc., etc.

I've tried crossfit, doggcrapp methods, 531, HIT, split routines, full body routines, rings, boxing, MMA, etc. You name it I've probably tried it at least once and they've all worked and stopped working eventually.

That said whenever I'm struggling I always come back to what I know works and has always worked. Big compound movements, "man style" cardio, clean eating with occasional "earned" cheating, and hard, hard work.

None of it is rocket science I mean our bodies haven't changed so what worked in he 70's will still work today. That's not to say advances haven't been made but don't lose sight of the forest for the trees.

Lock onto a program for a while, keep it simple, and work your butt off and you'll get where you wanna be.

I'm no expert and more a joker of all trades, master of none but I've learned more under the bar through consistent hard work and experimentation than I ever learned in the classroom.

Off soap box now and good luck!

[Dr. Starcs]

Here's one question already. I've had lower back pain and am in my mid 30s.

Is there any good substitute for the squats and dead lifts?  A little concerned about that with heavy lifting.

[Hogsmo Kramer]

Here's one question already. I've had lower back pain and am in my mid 30s.

Is there any good substitute for the squats and dead lifts?  A little concerned about that with heavy lifting.

Well honestly yes and no.

There really aren't real "substitutes" for those exercises but you can still build a decent foundation without them.

I've battled the same thing and still do today with my back and am also in my mid thirties.

What helped me was focusing on strengthening my core and improving my hip, ankle, and hamstring flexibility as well as strengthening my posterior chain (glutes, hamstrings, erector spinae in particular) with specific exercises like pull throughs, reverse hyperextensions, regular back extensions, Romanian deadlifts, kettlebell or DB swings etc.

Also I started doing a lot of single leg exercises like Bulgarian split squats, lunges, one legged squats from an elevated platform (not pistols), weighted step-ups, etc. along with front squats and using the trap bar for deads.

The front squat typically is easier on the lower back due to the mechanics and location of the load and the same thing goes for using the trap bar for deads so if you can do those two I would say they'd be your closest substitute. You could also try sumo deads instead of regular deads since they are typically easier on the low back as well.

Most important thing though is to maintain good form and don't rush it for the sake of adding weight. If you've never learned to squat or pull properly its worth getting qualified instruction on it but that's sometimes hard to find unfortunately and can be a rather tedious endeavor at first.

I've personally done it with some of my clients who never lifted before and it would usually take a couple 1 hr. sessions of nothing but deads and squats before they'd start to actually get it down pretty good. Then we'd load the bar and it'd all go to shite again so there's definitely a learning curve and most people who hurt themselves with squats or deads are simply doing them wrong.

I know I was once one of them. 

[Hogsmo Kramer]

http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/most_recent/backfriendly_leg_training&cr=

Good article on single leg training written by Ben Bruno.

He's got a lot of other good ones too on how to gain leg strength and size without traditional squats or deads.

Another thing I will say is DO NOT frick up your back just to do squats or deads. I'm pretty hardcore when it comes to weights but after partially rupturing a disk and dealing with sciatica I quit doing heavy squats or deads for almost two years. I was simply scared to death to do them.

I'm back at them now and have been for a while but that's after a lot of time strengthening weaknesses and nailing down my form.

I'm going heavy again but don't play with pain anymore nor shitey form. Ignoring low back pain and pulling or squatting heavy with crap form is a one way ticket to back surgery and I think we all wanna avoid that.

Never forget you're in there to improve yourself and you can't do that from a hospital bed with an incision in your back.

[clutch]

I suffered from lower back pain quite a bit when I was first starting out. Even simple things such as jogging would flare my lower back up to the point that I couldn't stand up straight. After a lot of reading and researching causes I decided I needed to focus on my hamstrings. I started doing a lot of work to strengthen them as well as doing a lot of stretching and the pain started to ease. I have an office job, so sitting in a chair for 9 hours a day caused my hammys to get wound up so tight that I was basically useless.

After a few weeks of loosening them up and strengthening them I started back with the squats and deads. I started out slow, easing into it with light weights and really focusing on form. I gradually added weight until I had strengthened my lower back up enough that I was confident I wasn't going to get hurt. It's a somewhat slow process, but definitely worth it. The combination of hamstring work and strengthening my lower back has been a life saver. My back pain is now gone.

Before, just sitting in a chair would become unbearable by the end of the day.

Also, invest in a foam roller. I use a foam roller every night after I workout. I use it on my whole body, but give my hamstrings and quads extra attention with it. You don't actually have to buy one though. I made mine. I'd had a few of the foam ones that they sell in stores and they would eventually lose their firmness. I got tired of spending $30 on them so I decided to make one. I got a piece of 6 inch PVC pipe and cut it to the length I wanted. Then I wrapped a very thin foam around it. You want the foam to be really thin so that it doesn't take away from the firmness. Only reason I added the foam was because I have hardwood floors and I needed something to get traction or else the roller would slide instead of roll. My roller I made seems to be the best one I've had yet. It's firmer, so it works better, and it will never lose it's firmness.

[Hogsmo Kramer]

I suffered from lower back pain quite a bit when I was first starting out. Even simple things such as jogging would flare my lower back up to the point that I couldn't stand up straight. After a lot of reading and researching causes I decided I needed to focus on my hamstrings. I started doing a lot of work to strengthen them as well as doing a lot of stretching and the pain started to ease. I have an office job, so sitting in a chair for 9 hours a day caused my hammys to get wound up so tight that I was basically useless.

After a few weeks of loosening them up and strengthening them I started back with the squats and deads. I started out slow, easing into it with light weights and really focusing on form. I gradually added weight until I had strengthened my lower back up enough that I was confident I wasn't going to get hurt. It's a somewhat slow process, but definitely worth it. The combination of hamstring work and strengthening my lower back has been a life saver. My back pain is now gone.

Before, just sitting in a chair would become unbearable by the end of the day.

Also, invest in a foam roller. I use a foam roller every night after I workout. I use it on my whole body, but give my hamstrings and quads extra attention with it. You don't actually have to buy one though. I made mine. I'd had a few of the foam ones that they sell in stores and they would eventually lose their firmness. I got tired of spending $30 on them so I decided to make one. I got a piece of 6 inch PVC pipe and cut it to the length I wanted. Then I wrapped a very thin foam around it. You want the foam to be really thin so that it doesn't take away from the firmness. Only reason I added the foam was because I have hardwood floors and I needed something to get traction or else the roller would slide instead of roll. My roller I made seems to be the best one I've had yet. It's firmer, so it works better, and it will never lose it's firmness.

Totally agree definitely focus on your hamstrings as well as your piriformis and hip flexors.

You can roll your hammies, piriformis (a muscle that runs kind of on the outside of your butt), and hip flexors as well as static stretch them once they're loose.

Actually a lot of sciatic pain is related to an overly tight piriformis and there's a thing called piriformis syndrome.

Anyway the foam rolling Clutch is talking bout is self myofascial release, if you're not familiar,  which is kind of like a self deep tissue massage but don't be fooled it hurts like hell at first but well worth it.

Also try rolling your lats or using a golf ball or lacrosse ball on the bottom of your feet it's amazing how it'll loosen you up.

[Hogsmo Kramer]

Here's a warmup I just started doing on my training days as well as on some of my off days that works pretty well and doesn't take a ton of time.

http://www.chicagochirosports.com/documents/Working_Agile_EightCCSM.pdf