Whats up Nation,

As the title stats this week I had the flu and had to take a week off from the gym to make sure I have that optimal recovery. My plan is to get back into the swing of things this Monday and I'm not going to lie its been really tough sitting around all day not being able to go to the gym or really do anything. The crappy part about this whole situation is that I went from 166lbs to 162lbs but my body fat percentage went fom 14% to 16% and that is really bothering me cause since im out for the week I cant do anything but sit and just feel like a damn fat ass (excuse my lanuage). 

Today I am planning on starting my new plan so I can atleast start meal Prepping tommorrow and get back on my feet for the weekend with the meal prepping and then Monday can start lifting the weights. My question is what should I do? I would assume lean bulking would be the way to go cause of the weight I lost but I also do not want to be on a bulk anymore for the main reason that I am developing love handles and my chest, arms and stomach are getting really flabby and soft and thats bothering the hell out of me cause my body fat is higher then it usually is. 

I was thinking that since summer will be right around the corner, should I just start a cut for the summer and then once the summer is over I can get back to my lean bulk grind and it will be a better situation cause Ill be at a better body fat percentage to work with and I can see my trouble areas that I would like to work with. 

Is it wise to use MyFitnessGenes nutrition calcuator? When I was using it, it advised me to cut at 2500 calroies and to consume 131g Protein, 90g Fat and 337g Carbs. Just the carbs seem to be way to high for a cut?

Right now these are my stats 

Weight:162.3lbs

Height: 5'10

Waist: 32 inchs

Chest: 43 inchs Flexed

Neck: 15.5 inchs

Thigh: 24.5 inchs Flexed

Hips: 38 Inchs Flexed

Arm: 17 Inchs Flexed

Shoulders: 50 Inchs

Calve: 15 Inchs Flexed 

My last question would be is it a bad idea to start a cut once you come off a sickness? I would probably be much happier starting a cut right now cause right now I just feel like I never worked out in my entire life. 

Thanks Nation. 

Ok let's see here Matthew!

First of all, being sick is part of the grand scheme of things. You cant be healthy all year long. So no reason to despair!

Here's what you need to do now that you're getting back on your feet.

Use the meal plan calculator on this site. http://muscularstrength.com/my-mealplan

Watch my meal plan video on the subject: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZjxWqwoWTg

Then decide what your goal is. I do not suggest cutting after an illness but you do not want to dirty bulk either. Lean bulking is the proper strategy here. I understand you have some fat going on but trust me this is nothing and there is no reason to cut till September, only to realize you have 0 muscle mass on you.

Realize that as you gain muscle you body fat percentage aumatically drops without losing any fat. And that's because its a percentage. if you are currently at 20% BF and you weigh 162lbs, that means 32,4lbs is fat. If you do not lose or gain any fat but gain 20 pounds of muscle after a year, you will be 182 lbs with 32,4lbs of fat which is closer to 10-12% BF, just like that.

And finally, after you figure out your macros (let me know if you have trouble doing it), and start following them, use an appropriate program to gain muscle and strength. If you do not have one OR if you have one but you are not so sure about it, check out my 12-week programs here: https://muscularstrength.com/12-week-challenge-workouts

I suggest you follow the first program (PUSH PULL LEGS) based on your stats!

Let me know if you need anything else!

Scott

So that's all good and well. I personally don't like bulking past 15% because I like to be slim year-round, so let's not forget about maintenance. You lost 4 lbs and gained 2% bf over the last week. You can most likely reverse those changes just as quickly as long as you get your ass in the gym and eat right. Maybe take the -4 lbs and put them back on as muscle (this should balance out your bf% as well, since the 2% increase is bc you lost 4 lbs that weren't fat). A lot of it might be water weight too, so keep that in mind. Once you're fully healthy again, you'll be able to hydrate and re-gain the weight.

I'm also coming off a flu, but I decided to just take a deload week instead of an entire week off (I was getting some OTS (overtraining) too, so it seemed like the right move). Whatever you do, make sure you like the way you look/feel so that you can stay motivated. If being 16% bf troubles you, then do maintenance for a little bit so you can get back in the groove and then cut. If it does not and you're fine with it, go straight into a lean bulk. My personal course of action would be:

1. assess my strength loss due to the deload/time off (at maintenance, abt a week)

2. build that strength back up (at a lean bulk, as long as it takes)

2.1. since I'm already seeing strength gains, continue on that path until I plateau

3. lean out in order to become more aesthetic (slow fat loss to keep the most muscle)

if the strength loss assessment comes back saying you lost no strength, you can go into a cut in order to look more aesthetic (if that's something you're interested in) and then lean bulk again.

================================================

That being said, I like looking at the time of year to decide what I'm doing. I like being lean year round, but fall/winter are where I spend more focus on strength and bulk a bit more whereas spring/summer I like to shred down and look amazing. Spring is right around the corner, so I'm finishing out March as a strength-focused month (lean bulk) and then cutting down quick to look dope at pool parties and at the beach over the summer. I'm currently ~14-15%, but I used to be somewhere like 10-12, so the lean bulk is definitely working and I don't have much to cut down during the spring, so I'm not too worried.

Best of luck!

@Scott_Herman,

Thanks for replying to my fourm Scott.

I used your meal plan calculator a few minutes ago and came at a maintance of 2,288 Calories which I boosted up and this is what my meal plan is looking like as of right now.

Whats up Jorgeegroj,

I agree man that bulking past 15% just seems like a bit much cause for two reasons. I read an article saying that the higher your body fat percentage the harder it is to build lean muscle mass and this is a personal preference of mine. You don't have the cuts between the muscles and the definitions anymore which in my opinion really bothers me.

Yeah man Im actually really excited Monday to start my gym session back up and I think for the rest of the week upcoming I'm going to do cardio and HIIT training and then come Monday be ready to hit it hard again. Yeah man I think the main reason why I am dropping the weight so quick is cause I am probably not eating as much as I should cause I don't have any meals prepped for the week and all my family has is junk food in this house so its hard for me to find a healthy alternative to eat.

Yeah man I'm sorry to hear about your flu session as well, that must of suck but the good thing is atlas it is over. I wouldn't say I am too pleased with the way I look and the only thing that is bothering me is my love handles and the damn fat on the stomach and triceps. It literally feels like it is trying to bulge out of my shirts when lying or sitting down and I feel disgusting and gross. I think right now I am going to finish off the month of this “lean bulk” and then at the end of March see the way I look and feel and then decide whether I am going to cut or keep lean bulking. I think it will come down to me wanting to cut but we will see.

Im pretty sure I probably loss just a little strength cause me sitting here in bed doesn't feel like I have gotten weaker, all I feel is very jittery and just want to get my ass back in the gym but I'm playing this smart. Yeah man my main goal with working out is aesthetic.

Im going to be posting pictures of my current physique below.

@Scott_Herman

@Jorgeegroj

you're looking pretty good man, but I do like being a bit leaner than that. You still have some visible abs but that's about as far as I would take my bulk for aesthetic reasons. I agree with the fact that having more fat makes it easier to create more lean mass which is also why I stay under 15. I have kinda blocky abs so I'm fine with being ~14-15%, but won't take it much further. All those years of sports and training definitely made my abs look dope.

I would kill for those pecs tho, but I guess mine will come in time. My chest is my worst muscle group, but it's seeing some great gains as of late.

I would suggest doing maintenance for a week so you know where you're at and you don't feel an energy decrease coming back to the gym and then going into a cut. The reason I talked about assessing strength loss is because when you're doing strength programs you tend to put on some strength gains and then shed them quickly if you're not hiting the muscle frequently, but if you're doing a more bodybuilding type of workout you should be perfectly fine with your strength

Whats up Jorgeegroj,

Hey man I really appreciate that comment, me too I like being leaner then I am now too and its all a preference thing and I think thats why I am going to start my cut at the end of this month so I can finally get back to physique that I'm “comfortable” with. Thats a gift with the abs man, I wish I had blocky abs like you say. That would be awesome but it seems like I can only ever get that solid 4 pack and my lower abs are always lagging.

Haha dude its so funny you mention that you would kill for my chest cause honestly my chest is my least favorable body part. Like I honestly hate it so much cause I hate the way my nipples sag and it always looks like my chest is saggy is hell. Thanks though for the kind comment dude and I guarantee you'll see the gains you want soon enough! You sound smart.

Im doing a PPLRPPL routine man and I'm hoping when I get back into the gym I wouldn't have lost any strength gains and if you want I can share my routine with you. Just let me know.

That sounds awesome, I'd love to take a peek at your routine and see what you're doing.

I'm doing a PPL adaptation (I like making my own routines, it keeps me motivated). I've been meaning to share it on here but can't seem to find a proper channel for it lol

Once you cut out some body fat and fill out the skin around your chest it will look much better, don't worry about it too much. For lower abs, I would suggest leg raise ab variations, like hanging from a pullup bar and raising your legs or stuff like that. They work like a charm on the lower abs. Another thing is reducing your body fat in order to get more visible abs.

I currently run this routine outline:

day 1: chest (push) - focus on Flat Bench and Incline Bench (5x5)

day 2: back (pull) - focus on DL and BBRow (5x5)

day 3: rest (basketball)

day 4: legs - focus on Squats (5x5)

day 5: shoulders (push) - focus on OHP (5x5)

day 6: arms - focus on the pump, this day is just for fun haha

I throw in some assistance work. The reason I stopped using my PPL routine was because I dislike Chest, Shoulders and Triceps all being worked on the same day, because one of them usually lags behind since you only have so much time to work out (my lag was my chest, but when I focused on it my shoulders started lagging, etc). I find that PPL works great in general but that's it's biggest drawback, so I made my own routine that would account for that by throwing a PPLPP with one push being chest oriented and the other one being shoulders and that worked really well. So I would do chest+tri, back+bi, legs, shoulder+tri, back+bi, then decided to take arms out of the equation and throw in arm day at the end (and take out the extra back day since my back is already pretty strong in comparison to my chest).

The beauty of making your own routines is that you can switch it up every few months and personalize it to account for lagging muscle groups, but I'm always interested in seeing other people's routines so that I can find new ideas for my own!

I can share the full routine I outlined with you if you want!

or my modified PPLPP workout as well (which gave me great results in 6-8 weeks)

Whats up Jorgeegroj

Awesome man ill post my workout below. Yeah man i completely agree that creating a workout routine brings about more satisfaction.

Yeah man thats what always happens, when I start to lose some body fat my Chest starts to looks tad better but when I start putting fat on my chest starts to look like complete shit and I hate it but its just the way my genetics are and I got to deal with that. Haha dude would you believe me when I tell you that a lot of my ab routines consist of the leg raises hanging from the pull up bar.

This is what each workout day is going to consist of. Keep in mind that I a will be including drop sets and my HIIT sessions into the mix.

Push A
- Barbell Flat Bench Press 4 Sets 5-8 Reps
- Incline Barbell Bench Press 4 Sets 5-8 Reps
- Standing or Seated Overhead Barbell Press 4 Sets 5-8 Reps
- Dumbbell Side Lateral Raises 3 Sets 8-10 Reps
- Dumbbell Skull Crushers 4 Sets 8-10 Reps
- Tricep Pushdowns 3 Sets 8-10 Reps
- Machine Tricep Extension 3 Sets 8-10 Reps
- Dumbbell Shrugs 4 Sets 10-12 Reps

Pull A
-Pull Ups 4 Sets 8-10
-Barbell Bent Over Row 3 Sets 8-10 Reps
- Seated Rows 4 Sets 8-10 Reps
- Rope Face-Pulls 3 Sets 10-15 Reps 
- Barbell Bicep Curl 4 Sets 8-10 Reps
- Dumbbell Hammer Curl 3 Sets 8-10 Reps
- Close Grip EZ Bar Curl 3 Sets 8-10 Reps

Leg Day A
- Barbell Squat 4 Sets 5 Reps
- Stiff Leg Deadlift 4 Sets 8-10 Reps
- Leg Press 3 Sets 8-10 Reps
- Leg Extensions 4 Sets 8-10 Reps
- Hamstring Curls 4 Sets 8-10 Reps
- Standing Calf Raises 5 Sets 10-12 Reps

Push B
- Flat Dumbbell Bench Press 4 Sets 8-10 Reps
- Incline Dumbbell Bench Press 4 Sets 8-10 Reps
- Dumbbell Shoulder Press 3 Sets 5-8 Reps
- Dumbbell Front Raises 3 Sets 8-10 Reps
- Tricep Dips Weighted 4 Sets 8-10 Reps
- Seated Tricep Overhead Press 3 Sets 8-10 Reps
- V-Bar Tricep Pushdown 3 Sets 8-10 Reps
- Cable Flies 4 Sets 8-10 Reps
- Smith Machine Shrug 4 Sets 8-10 Reps

Pull B
- Sumo or Conventional DeadLift 4 Sets 5 Reps
- Wide Grip Lat Pulldown 4 Sets 8-10 Reps
- One Arm Dumbbell Row 4 Sets 8-10 Reps
- Rope Straight Arm Pull-Down 3 Sets 8-10 Reps
- Cable Rear Delt Fly 4 Sets 10-15 Reps
- Dumbbell Bicep Curl 4 Sets 8-10 Reps
- Incline Hammer Curls 3 Sets 8-10 Reps
-Over Head Cable Curl 3 Sets 8-10 Reps

Leg Day B
-Leg Press 5 Sets 8 Reps
-Glute Pull Through 4 Sets 8 Reps
-Hamstring Curl 3 Sets 8 reps
-Quad Extension 3 Sets 8 Reps
-Seated Calve 4 Sets 8 Reps

I kinda like the idea you did about seeing that your chest was the lagging part of your body so you are still doing a PPL routine but instead of setting it up how it originally is, you kinda customized it to your own liking and how it will work best for you and honestly I think thats awesome.

Yeah man don't be shy, go ahead and share it. We might learn something from the both of us.

Hey man, that looks awesome, I definitely wish I could put more days into the gym with that intensity! I might try to get back to my PPLPPL days

just fyi, I like doing shrugs on pull days, feels more right for me. I do them right after DL/BBRow and often times get an extra set of DLs with it (since I set it up from the floor, DL the bar and then hit the shrugs, some other times I start from a rack pull if I'm too tired or from hip height from the rack if I'm absolutely destroyed.

How do you like the Glute Pull Through? I've been thinking about throwing it into the mix for a while

Anyway, here's what I do (Monday and Tuesday are absolutely killer):

All 5x5 exercises are compound BB motions and I do progressive overload on them.

I take long enough rests so the muscle is actually recovered, so M/T tend to be a bit longer workouts.

I also do AB exercises as supersets on all my 5x5 exercises.

Monday - Back
DL (5x5)
BBRow (5x5)
Shrugs (4xAMRAP)

Lat Pulldown (4x8-10)

Horizontal Row (or one arm DB row) (4x10)

Back Hyperextension (4x8-10) - these help the back soreness from DLing and BBRowing

Tuesday - Chest

Flat BB Bench (5x5)

Incline BB Bench (5x5)

Incline Flyes (4x8-10)

Flat Close Grip Bench (4xAMRAP) - I do these either with a barbell or superset the flyes by grabbing a plate and pressing it AMRAP

Reverse Grip Bench (4x10) - upper chest activation, which is lagging for me or, when the benches are taken, I do supenated front raises while crossing my arm over to the other side (also upper chest activation)

Wednesday - Rest

I play basketball with my friends

Thursday - Legs

Squat (5x5)

Leg Press (4x8-10)

Superset Leg Press with Calf Raises (on the press). I hit two different angles in between each set.

I also take one set of Leg Press and make it single leg, Just unracking the weight (without unlocking the press), great for the teardrop.

Leg curls (4x10)

Hip Thrusts (4x8-10) - Sometimes I'll do Bulgarian Split Squats or Lunges instead, but most of the times my legs are destroyed after leg press

Friday - Shoulders

Standing OHP (5x5)

DB Shoulder Press (4x10)

Superset with Rear delt db raises (4x10-15)

Superset with Lat raises (4x10-15)

(the 3 above are essentially a circuit)

I don't know what these next ones are called, but essentially set a cable at hip height with a handle. Grab with one hand, step away from the cable machine and look sideways (arm with the handle on the far side), and just pull with a fixated elbow (rotate your shoulder). These hit your rear delts really well. (4x10)
If I have any gas left in the tank, I'll throw in random ab work or arm work

Saturday - Arms
Dips (4xAMRAP)
JM Press into Close Grip Bench variation - (4x5-6)
BB Curls - (4x10)
Rope Tricep Pushdowns - (4x10)
Superset with rope tricep overhead extension - (4x10)
Hammer Curls - (4x10)
Overhead DB Tricep Extension - (4x8-10)
Preacher Curls - (4x6-10) (this really depends on how tired I am)

Sunday -
OFF (also usually a cheat day for my diet)

Lmk what you think about it! If there's any exercises you would add, I'll give them a try, or if you think I might be forgetting to hit something or not doing enough for something, lmk for sure and I'll try to fix it.

WARNING: If you're thinking about doing something like this program, make sure you set DL and Squat far apart. I'm also thinking of lowering both of those to (3x5) and then a lower weight volume set because my CNS is getting fried too often with this current routine. Additionally, I wish I had time for RDLs/SLDLs or Good mornings, but 5x5 squats takes me like 20-25 minutes lol. The rest periods get super generous because strength requires the muscle to recover (hypertrophy training on the other hand can use 60 second rests and you're fine to go again).

Whats up jorgeegroj,

Why cant you put more time and days into the gym, too much work? Heck man that sounds like a pretty good idea doing shrugs on the pull day but at the same time if it works for you then keep going for it haha. I just like doing my shrugs on my push days cause I like to hit them with the shoulders.

Dude I honestly enjoy the Glute pull through a lot. It took me a second to actually learn it fully without looking like I was trying to rub my dick on the rope pull lol but once I figured it out it was a very good exercise and I can feel it working.

Whats up dude for Back on Monday why is there no Pull-Ups? Im not trying to tell you they need to be in there but pull-ups are a great back exercise and I would so try to put them in if you could dude. I used to do the navy seal pull-up workouts and boy!!! those were killer and fun.

For your chest day why do you do Flat BB bench press and then after your incline work you go back to the same exercise but do it close grip? I may be confused but please explain that to me.

I remember the good ol days playing basketball with the peeps. Back in High School I used to play the point guard position. Now I'm getting to old to be running around with the youngsters man.

I honestly enjoy your leg day but I think you should try to add in some quad extensions and hamstring curls if you can dog or some lunges.

For your shoulders day Instead of doing dumbbell shoulder press right after then overhead press, I would do the Arnold press a go just a little lighter on weight to really focus on the form. I would do a superset with dumbbell side raises and then ez bar upright row. Do some rear felt work too man like the rope face pull or rear felt cable fly.

For your arm day I would do Weighted dips for 4 sets of 5-8 reps. I would then do some overhead tricep press and then some dumbbell skull crushers to finish off the triceps with a straight arm pushdown and then rope pushdown. I like the biceps portion but instead of the preacher curls I would sub that out with a close grip ez bar curl.

Man honestly i like your workout and I'm always willing to help change or add some stuff but its your workout and I don't want to go nit picking at it constantly cause that would just make me an asshole lol. I do think though that you should be trying to add a little more on certain body parts if you can cause judging by your picture you seem like a fairly skinny guy who would benefit more from heavy weighted work with less reps then AMRAP.

I can't put in that much time because of work and just general life, gf, friends, etc

On Back: I do some pullups, but I'm not very good at it (I can do sets of like 4, so I do them but I don't count them as an exercise).

On Chest: CGBench is actually more of a tricep exercise. Also, when superset with flyes, it helps get the center of your chest really tight. I don't do CGBench for nearly as much weight, and more of just a fun superset to do. (try doing DB flyes and then just pushing the DBs against one another and pressing them, you'll feel a completely different chest activation). It's also because my chest is lagging and pressing = more depth.

hahaha I'm 24 and I play ball with my friends from HS, it's pretty great, we're all kinda bad, but it evens out plus I get some exercise.

For Legs: I don't do quad extensions because my squats are incredibly quad dominant (and leg press is also pretty quad dominant so my quads are destroyed by this), I actually feel like I'm not hitting hamstrings enough which is why I want to do SLDL or good mornings (especially great for when you're just grinding out that last rep of the squat). I want to do lunges, maybe I'll add in walking lunges for grip + legs on saturday.

For Shoulders: I do Arnolds and/or Shoulder press, depending on how I feel. It's usually not too bad. I dislike the upright row, I feel like it's too risky. I'm looking for more rear delt exercises! Mine are pretty developed, since my upper back is growing like crazy haha, but I'm gonig to try adding in more rear delt flyes! thanks for the tip!

For Arms: I don't have a chain for weighing down my dips, but I can only do like 10-15 at a time anyway, so I'm not too worried about weighted dips yet. the JM Press variation I do is essentially the negative of a skull crusher (but heavy enough that you can't lift it back up, so you drop the elbows and close grip bench it back up). It is ABSOLUTELY killer, you should try it. For bicep, are you suggesting standing ez bar curl? I like those. Then again, since its arm day, I tend to switch it around, sometimes I'll do crossover hammer curls, sometimes concentrated curls, whatever feels right at the time haha, sometimes I will also curl a plate AMRAP and then go for a 35 AMRAP, then 25, 10, 5, usually when I'm closer to being done with my workout. My arm day is not as structured because it doesn't have a main lift assigned to it.

I agree that I should not be doing as much BW, but I don't yet have a belt for doing weighted exercises. I'm looking around for one lol. I also essentially max out on my 5x5 exercises and I'm destroyed afterwards (that's the biggest drawback of training strength together with bodybuilding, sadly), so I don't have much energy to be lifting heavy dips or pullups.

I'm also around ~183 lbs, which is not bad, but I'm just now starting to bulk after being 175 for a while (I was eating at maintenance, putting on muscle and dropping fat, it was pretty great, but now I want to get swole)

Thanks for the advice, I'll look into some of the tips you gave me and maybe switch my routine up a little bit. I also switch around pretty often (~every 6-10 weeks) so I'll make sure to come back to this post and see what's good when I'm making my next routine!

and don't worry at ALL about critiquing my routine, I'm here to learn more and always like getting feedback from others in order to see how I can improve! totally does not make you an asshole!

Whats up bro and yeah man I can understand life getting in the way of working out but I'm the kind of guy where I strongly believe there is always time sometime during the day to get a workout it. I used to work 12 hour jobs 6 days a week and I still managed to get my workouts in and meal prep for the week while still responding to emails about various stuff and going to nursing school. Im not trying to make you feel like crap but I just truly believe you can do it if you set your mind too it.

Well if you struggle with the pull-ups have you tried doing inverted pull ups where you use a smith machine and lye underneath it and pull yourself up? Doing this can seriously help improve your pull-ups. Just cause you can only do four pull-ups does not meal you should not include them into your workout. The whole point about working out is working on our weak points and if pull-ups are a weak point of yours then you should start your workouts with pull-ups to get better at them.

See when I first read about the Close Grip bench press I thought maybe he is meaning to work his triceps but I just couldn't say for 100% cause some people bench with a closer grip but I'm glad you cleared that up. My question though is why are you doing a tricep movement on a chest day and then doing triceps on arm day? Why not just keep the close grip bench press on arm day. I would either get rid of the dips and put the close grip bench press there or reverse, take out the close grip bench press and put dips. Personally I like the dips better especially when they are weighted if you can do that.

For your legs you should serious incorporate either barbell straight leg deadlift or dumbbell straight leg deadlift and then add a hamstring curl machine into your workout as well cause you certainly do not want to have weak hamstrings and strong quads. I made this mistake cause I was really inflexible and thats why my legs were really lagging.

Yeah man for arm day switching it up is always a great idea cause in my opinion its really easy to hit these muscles and majority of these muscles in your triceps and biceps are secondary muscles to a lot of other muscles groups.

Well if you can afford it dude defiantly go and get you a belt cause I was able to buy myself a really nice cheap belt for 20 dollars that is way better then the one at my gym.

Dang man good for you being able to still put on mass and losing fat while eating at maintenance.

No problem on the advice dude and yeah I'm always happy too help out whenever I could cause a lot of people here on this website help me out as well.

Im actually starting my cut tommorrow at 175g Protein, 240g Carbs and 50g Fat. We will see how a moderate carb and low fat diet helps me lose this fat. I used to try a low carb which helped me out but I wanted to switch it up a little this time and see if it actually helps me more.

I mean, I still manage to work out like 4-5 times/week, the problem is more that my CNS cannot take these heavy workouts that often (not that I don't have the time, which I also don't, but I could easily make time by scheduling around other stuff)

As far as pull ups, I do actually do them, I just don't count them as my routine. I feel like going 4x4 is not worth putting on my routine explicitly (but I definitely still do them because I want to get better).

For chest I think CGBench is just momentum from my previous routine. I'm going to cut it to add in some other type of chest action. Thanks for pointing it out! I had 100% overlooked this. Maybe I'll do more reverse grip bench or bang out some pushups.

As far as legs, my hammys are pretty strong, I include leg curls (I think that's what you're referring to as hamstring curls), but always end up too beaten up from squatting to hit my posterior chain. Maybe I'll add it on back day? I could see that working, particularly after a strong DL session. (My hammys are definitely not weak, the reason I have so much trouble with pullups is because I'm bottom-heavy. I squatted 245 lbs (5x5) this week and DLd 275 lbs (5x5) last week whereas I only bench 155. My upper body in it's entirety is lagging because I always played sports where running was a huge part of playing, so my legs were always super strong but my upper body wasn't.

I just got 2.5 lb plates from amazon for my progressive overload to take smaller jumps (my gym only gets down to 5 lb plates).

So my next purchase is going to be some wrist wraps and a belt (with a chain).

Thanks for the advice! I love it!


Good luck on your cut too! I know for a fact I can't cut my fats out. I love eating meat too much and if I don't get fats I just get kinda blue overall, so when I cut I just cut my carbs mostly and take proteins a bit higher, but let me know how it goes!