Hi Guys, need your opinion on my current workout routine & nutrition.
My main goal is to get Strong and Look Good physically.

Bodyweight: 95kg
Body Fat: 30% (a rough estimate based on the body chart shown online)
Current macros: Protein: 35% , Carb 35% , Fat 30%
Rest Days: between 1800kcal - 1900kcal
Workout Days: between 2000kcal - 2300kcal

My Carbs mostly comes from white rice (easier to estimate) and for Protein mostly will come from eggs, chicken, & whey protein. once in a while I will switch to beef and fish to keep it interesting. I dont really track Fats. find it hard to estimate fat content from Malaysian food hahaha. On weekdays, I will eat out and weekends typically will cook my own meals.

My Current Workout Routine. Been on it for 3 months plus now. Previous routine was focusing more on higher reps (12-15) and my strength sucks.

Day 1: Legs

1. Squat :

Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4
Set 1 65% x 5 70% x 3 75% x 5 40% x 5
Set 2 75% x 5 80% x 3 85% x 3 50% x 5
Set 3 85% x 5+ 90% x 3+ 95% x 1+ 60% x 5

2. Leg Press: 4 Sets, 12-20 reps light to moderate weight as the number of sets increase
3. Leg Extension: 3 Sets, 12-15 reps light to moderate weight as the number of sets increase
4. Leg Curl: 3 Sets, 12-15 reps light to moderate weight as the number of sets increase

Day 2: Rest

Day 3: Chest & Triceps

1. Bench Press: Same as Squat. 531 method
2. Incline Bench Press: 4 Sets, 6-12 reps moderate to heavy weight as the number of sets increase
3. Overhead Triceps Extension using dumbbell: 3 Sets, 10-15 reps light to moderate weight as the number of sets increase
4. Triceps Pushdown: 3 Sets, 10-15 reps light to moderate weight as the number of sets increase
5. Machine Chest Fly: 3 Sets, 10-15 reps light to moderate weight as the number of sets increase

Day 4: Back And Biceps

1. Deadlift: Same as Squat. 531 method
2. Hammer Strength Overhead Row or Bent Over Row: 4 Sets, 6-12 reps moderate to heavy weight as the number of sets increase
3. Lat Pulldown: 3 Sets, 10-15 reps light to moderate weight as the number of sets increase
4. Close Grip Cable Row: 3 Sets, 10-15 reps light to moderate weight as the number of sets increase
5. Cable Biceps Curl: 3 Sets, 10-15 reps light to moderate weight as the number of sets increase or 2 sets of 21s
Optional: Hammer Curl (depends on my mood for the day haha)

Day 5: Rest

Day 6: Shoulders

1. Standing Overhead Press: Same as Squat. 531 method
2. Seated Shoulder Press: 3 sets, 6-12 reps, moderate to heavy weight as the number of sets increase
3. Lateral Raise: 3 Sets, 12-15 reps light to moderate weight as the number of sets increase
4. Reverse Fly machine or Dumbbell or Face Pulls: 3 Sets, 12-15 reps light to moderate weight as the number of sets increase
Optional: Shrugs 3 Sets, Rep it out. (depends on mood as well)

Day 7: Rest.

I dont really count my rest period in between sets. typically for the 1st exercise, i will rest around 3mins while for the other exercises my rest period is until my gym buddy finish his set. What you guys think? do I need to tweak anything? The only problem I'm having right now is my weight. Was at 110kg. Now that im 95kg, I find losing the fats are damn freaking hard!

This post has been edited by unclemike: May 18 2015, 03:40 PM

https://forum.lowyat.net/topic/371250

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=139911893

I'll let the pro do the talking because don want kena tembak

I am now doing what you are doing

basically its powerbuilding

where strength mix with body buidling


first of, whats your lift number in all the 4 main lifts? the squat, bench, deads and overhead press. and your height.

you have to know, with powerbuilding, its twice as hard, and twice as long to meet your target compare to people who focus on body building or powerlifting alone. so patience is a must!!

workout wise I think its pretty ok, the concept is start with compound strength exercise with low reps high intensity, and finish off with isolation exercise high reps low intensity body building style training, so you got it right.

heres the thing, since you are fat, you need to cut out calories, but if you want to life heavy, you need calories. so it contradict each other, so your macros have to be pin point correct so that you do not consume too less calories or your strength will go down the drain.

and if you already lifting quite heavy (intermediate and up level), dont expect the lift numbers to increase as well especially if you are trying to restrict calorie, the trick is to maintain the same intensity through out your calorie restriction period as much as possible.

once you reach your desired body fat level, you can slowly start increase your calorie intake and also increase your lift. when your body fat level reach to a certain high, restrict your calorie, and maintain your lift, rinse and repeat.

This post has been edited by ah_suknat: May 18 2015, 11:34 PM

My Main 4 Lifts? nothing to shout aboutt really.
Squat: 245lbs
Deadlift: 255lbs
Bench Press: 190lbs
Overhead Press: 120lbs

I dont mind the wait, as long as i could get strong and look good doing it . Regarding my calorie intake, i have been experimenting with the amount of calories and found out that the one i posted earlier works best for me in terms of pushing my limits in the gym. keeps me sane as well. I dont want to be too strict with my caloric intake mainly because I don't have the time to prepare my meals. So i estimate when i'm eating outside.

so far based on my caloric intake, I still manage to increase 5lbs for the bench, overhead press and 10lbs for my squat and deadlift every 4 weeks. Some people might find it slow but i see it as a progress.

HAHAHA. how do u train in the gym bro, what routine you currently on?

This post has been edited by unclemike: May 19 2015, 09:58 AM

what i see is your Squat and Deads vs Bench and press ratio is quite off, your bench and press is pretty decent compare to your weaker squat and deads

heres my stats @ 93kg
squat : 155kg
dead : 190kg
bench : 105kg
Strict Overhead press (bit of shoulder injury): 65kg

according to some articles, your dead,squat,bench,n overhead press ideal ratio should be 3:2:1:0.5-0.7

so since your lower body and back is lagging, I suggest you to mix your shoulder and chest day together, with more emphasize on your chest, and increase your lower body and back frequency.

so a Leg, push, pull , off , leg push, pull weekly split is ideal here. just dont do your 1RM training, hit double or triple on 90%RM, and only assign one day per month to test your RM.

your progression is ok until you reach my stats..you will be happy to just increase 5lb(2.5kg) a month...while still watching on your diet.

This post has been edited by ah_suknat: May 19 2015, 09:46 AM

Wow i find your stats damn impressive!

I guess it is quite off mainly because i've only started doing squat and deadlift this year (regretted i didnt start earlier). The funny thing is that I dont really like training chest. my favourite training day is back.

training 6 days a week? i might have an issue as i'm only able to train between 3 to 4 times a week due to other commitments. maybe i can try to put chest and shoulders together, and have one day to mainly focus squat and deadlift with no accessory work. what do u think?

damn bro i wish i dont need to face that phase. hahaha. but gains is still gains!

Split leg day into 2.

QUAD - front squat, leg extension, step-ups, etc.
HAMSTRING - low bar squat, stiffed legged deadlift, leg curl, etc..

Then add glute exercise such as thrust & calf raises to either one of the above OR maybe both..

Meaning to say that I should eat the other way round? more calories in rest days and less in training day?

#TeamNoCalves hahaha. Most of the time after doing squat and leg press, man im almost fainting.... dont think i can add more leg exercise besides what was mentioned.

I dont really train forearms as it gets sore after back and biceps day. I feel like i should start training abs when i reach 25% bodyfat and below. maybe I can add 1 calf exercise on shoulder day.

I'm not entirely sure about the "lower calorie intake on rest day". I should read more about it prolly later or if someone kind enough to explain about it here.

You need to train those calf or else it might be lagging a lot. Or you can do calf, forearm, abs extensively on shoulder day.

Did a quick google and I found this: http://seannal.com/articles/nutrition/diet-on-rest-days.php

This post has been edited by alien9: May 19 2015, 05:04 PM

if you want to get strong, Grip strength is a must. you cant deadlift heavy or rows if you cant even hold them bar, heck you cant even do pull ups. you cant always rely on straps.
you still can get away with weak, small calve, but strong forearm is a must if you want to get overall strong, plus, its very aesthetics to have large forearm.

if you want to train calve but feel exhausted, try to rest for around 15 mins after leg exercise, catch some breath, then only do your calve.

just consume the same amount of food everyday.
you need calories for energy on your workout day, and you need calories for recovery on your rest day.

maybe you should start training them now, it is part of your core, helps support you during your deadlifts, and squats, heck, even rows

Maybe i should get back into eating the same amount of calories everyday. probably will start off between 2000kcal-2200kcal since my tdee is 2500kcal as mentioned by @ah_suknat article provided by @alien9

Anyways thanks guys for the tips. will incorporate it into my current routine.

Hmm.. what sort of ab exercise should i add? probably will add in shoulder day

If you have an ab wheel, use it. Excellent core exercise along with planks. Regular crunches and knee/leg raises are good too.

core exercise is the better term for getting stronger mid section.

abs excercise are more like terms for body building/aesthetics with exercise like abs raise, V sit up, cycle kick etc. you dont say you got strong abs, you say you got strong core.

standing barbell twist, landmine 180 (russian twist) are good to strengthen and train your oblique.

for mid section try cable abs pull down or hanging leg raise with dumbbells hook on your feet.

add more weights to challange your core.

This post has been edited by ah_suknat: May 20 2015, 11:47 AM

Alright. will give one of the exercises a try. thanks guys!

Forget aesthetics build ur foundation first

I do believe having a solid foundation is necessary to achieve my goals but to what extent? when do I know that my foundation is solid and I can focus more on building strength and aesthetics? the form? how much weights i can lift?

what is the benchmark of a solid foundation?

To what extent? It's like making a cake brotha. You don't want to do the icing first. You make the cake then do the icing later. Mirror is your best guide.

True, but by looking at the mirror, your end goal then should be aesthetics.. looking good. but u told me to forgo aesthetics and go on to build a solid foundation.

so again i ask, how does one know that his/her foundation is good?

no body knows, only you yourself know

foundation means everything, including your knowledge, strength, muscle mass, experience. have you got them all basics covered?

some people like armesh says he is an intermediate lifters and publishing books although lifting less than a year and still at underweight, dont be like that.

This post has been edited by ah_suknat: May 21 2015, 10:35 AM

That question my friend i can't answer because at the end of day it's up you. I've seen all begineers really doing all those isolation and machine thinking that they will build those aesthetics body but it doesn't make any difference to their body. A solid foundation makes big difference from doing isolation or accessory movements.

This post has been edited by degraw1993: May 21 2015, 10:43 AM

nah man. that's not what im all about. Compound movements using barbell or dumbbell is always a priority for me hence, the big 3+1 is always my first exercise. i use accessory movements to bring up my weak points.

You're fat and do you expect you can build those aesthetics in such short period? Wrong brotha right now your bodyfat 30% and it takes even years in fact you're beginner.

This post has been edited by degraw1993: May 21 2015, 11:04 AM

I'm already elite lifter now.

u serious bro?

eh chill chill

Only need a few months. Just make sure you have your:



Juice.. orange juice

Not srs.

This post has been edited by Armesh: May 21 2015, 12:12 PM

I don't consider myself as an intermediate lifter mainly because i have alot more to cover in terms of knowledge and strength such as finding the form that is right for me to be able to lift more etc. for muscle mass, i guess i can only know when im down to 20% or less bodyfat.

I do think i got the basics covered such as rep ranges, compound vs isolation movements, hypertrophy & strength training, rest period and so on. been training for 3 years but the first year was on and off. only the second year onwards im able to consistently train. Still long way to go.

I think Armesh's advice is mainly based on what others had published and proven to work. knowledge is power but if there is not result shown then, people will think that you are bullsh*tting. 90days is not enough to prove that one is an advance lifter. This is my opinion la. dont tembak me hahaha.

This post has been edited by unclemike: May 21 2015, 12:51 PM

well, no where in my comments state that i want aesthetics to come fast. like i said, my end goal is to get strong and look aesthetic at the same time.

if it takes longer to do both at the same time so be it cause i love going to the gym and lift weights.

learn many stuff here until i ROFL when someone post about <insert elite name here>, gawddamn,, u guys r funny and strong

The only other thing I'd say is to put in more effort into tracking fats. It's difficult with typical Malaysian food, yes, but myfitnesspal entries do give relatively accurate numbers. This is better than not tracking fats at all which, as you probably know, can mess up your daily macros due to their energy density.

Do you mean logging foods such as "nasi ayam", "mamak mee goreng", "pataya rice"?

Yes. There are typically a few entries for the same food. It's pretty easy to get ballpark figures for protein and carbs from fried rice dishes for example. You can then just guesstimate the fat numbers from the entries. It's not ideal but then again, life isn't ideal.

Ic, thanks for the tip. Will try that.
Normally when I'm out I just buy KFC, MCD, Subway burgers since they come with the macro values.
If chicken rice I always estimate the rice grams, chicken grams and simply add ~300 cals for the oil.

Alternatively you can break foods down if there isn't an exact entry or if the macros listed seem off. For example nasi goreng pattaya is pretty much fried rice and fried egg. So by searching for two items you can likely get a more accurate log.

yeah myfitnesspal is a great tool to track macros. normally i would try to breakdown the foods as well.

Same question that comes into my mind. My final goal is aesthetic but I've always been in strength all the while for the purpose of "foundation building" and still fixing all my lifts, forms, stamina, diet and etc. I born weak, ecto, have small bones and I'm not an athletic person but I'm trying to do all the best my body can perform, I try to run, hike and lift. How should I benchmark myself if I'm ready to drop the strength program and proceed to hypertrophy program? I don't wanna train strength forever because that's not what I'm aiming for. I understand hypertrophy is not about insane heavy weight that I can pull but more towards muscle & mind connection.

My last PR as below, I don't know my 1RM
3x5 1x body weight on squat
3x5 1x body weight on bench
1x5 1.3x body weight on deads

Doing SL with added chins and dips atm, starts from empty bar so there should be another month to hit my PR

This post has been edited by helven: May 11 2016, 04:12 PM

I believe no one was born weak, i believe the reason we cant lift heavy(beginner to early intermediate level) is because we havent fully waken our CNS up yet, and also doing the proper form of lifting.

When i teach a totally new lifter, they can lift comparitively heavier weight than what they did themself by just correcting their form and 1-2 months of linear progression to jump start their CNS.

My opinion is that for leisure lifter not going to represent or compete should atleast reach imtermediate level of strength in their lifting journey, and because intermediate is in the middle level of strength standard, beginner > early intermediate > intermediate > advanve > elite , and also intermediate level are very possible as natural lifter.

Majority of intermediate lifter 3 lifts 1RM ratios are 1.2-1.3x BW bench, 1.3-1.5x BW squat, 2.2-2.4x BW dead. So if you havent reach that, keep eating and training. Muscle will grow.

There are a few 1RM calculator apps you can download in playstore to calculate your 1RM base on reps lifted

Strength = Hypertrophy. 3x4 same as 3x8 for someone like you.

Stop obessing over dumb shit.

Just run any decent balanced UpperLower\ PPL\PushPull\FullBody with optimum volume, train at RPE 8-9, and add weight/reps to lift over time. You'll reach your goal in like 3~4 years.

Alright. By the time I reach 1.2-1.3x BW bench, 1.3-1.5x BW squat, 2.2-2.4x BW dead, there should be some other question popping. Thanks

-- edited --
Does this co-related to bulking or cutting? In terms of calorie intake. I am eating at surplus (+5% from TDEE, I understand the value from calculator is not 100% accurate) but body fat is shooting up, at 20% bf now, it is kind of depressing
Should I eat at maintenance and train until i stall my lifts? I do notice the macro difference on cutting / maintenance / bulking is only on the carbs intake. I realize I'm eating about half of the suggested carbs value and still gaining body fat and body weight, something must be wrong.

This post has been edited by helven: Apr 24 2016, 05:21 PM