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Since last month I've i was doing split workout 4 days a week. Since my current goal is fat loss I've changed my weekly routine to 3 workouts, full body & high intensity. I'm keeping my workout within 35-45 minutes. Each workout consists of compound exercises which include,

  1. Squats
  2. Deadlifts
  3. Bench Press OR Dumbell Press OR Incline Bench Press
  4. Military Press OR Dumbell Press
  5. Barbell Curls OR Concentration Curls
  6. Crunches

I do 1 warm-up set followed by 2 intense sets. Target in each set is to achieve muscular failure within 6-12 reps. I take 40 sec rest between each set.

  1. Suggest me what i'm doing right or wrong. How can it be perfected?
  2. What can i do to increase my chances to release more testosterone, growth hormones and increase EPOC?
  3. Whats your take on creatine and glutamine? I was suggested to take 2-3 grams of glutamine with each meal to release growth hormones?
  4. I used to take post workout shake but i was told not to take anything if your target is weight loss.
  5. Any other advice?
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 If your goal is weight loss remember body composition is 80% diet. So if you are going Paleo go all the way and you will lose weight regardless of exercise. – Mark V May 13 2011 at 23:32

8 Answers

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Hi Daniyal,

Your workout plan seems very good. Stick to it! Don't worry about the small details. Just as many around here say that being Paleo 80% of time will get you almost all of the benefits, so too will regularly doing compound lifts with free weights help you get very close to your body's potential in this area. Getting the last 20% requires increasing effort as one begins to experience decreasing marginal returns. So, one month into a program, I wouldn't worry about finesse.

Mark Sisson provides a good guide to building muscle. There is something elegant about using excess body fat to provide the calories needed to build muscle.

Below, I address the questions I feel I can and suggest what further information I, or others, might need to answer the others:

  1. I wouldn't worry about perfection as much as finding something that gives you results and a pleasing journey. As I wrote in the comments, can you tell me where you started from. Did you try something else that didn't work?
  2. I assume you want to increase serum levels of these compounds to enter a muscle-building & fat-burning state. May I ask though why you want to tinker? I know the site is named PaleoHacks, but why fix what isn't broken? If I knew more about your progress & baseline, I'd be able to make more detailed comments. 3/4. IMO supplementation for things other than say Vit D. during the winter run counter to the Paleo philosophy of minimizing the consumptions of things that aren't in natural form. Why do you think you need these supplements to help your workouts?
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Thanks for reply. I'm 23 years old, 6 feet 3', and weigh 240 pounds. It has been just 1 month i've started working out, 10 days I've started paleo diet. Before paleo i've been on high protien, low fat, low glycemic carbs diet for two months. – Daniyal Nawaz Feb 21 2011 at 2:02
Well i thought of using creatine to give me energy as i'm having issue with fatigue right now (low carb flu). Glutamine is something i started using 2 months ago. It helped me fix my gut and digestive problems. Since its popular in bodybuilding community, many people told me to use it increase your growth hormones. – Daniyal Nawaz Feb 21 2011 at 2:08
@Daniyal: Has it been 1 month since you began working out for the 1st time? In a while? Be wary of 'broscience'. Regarding creatine, I don't believe in 'no pain, no gain'. Nevertheless using it to distance yourself from your body is counter to the Paleo philosophy tenet of really sensing how your body reacts to food. If you're tired, don't work out until your energy returns. Don't mask it- spend the time to deepen your understanding of your body's reactions. – mac389 Feb 21 2011 at 15:06
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I use the stronglifts 5x5 program. Yours is pretty close. The main difference would be starting with a low weight and increasing it by 2.5kg each workout.

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Something like this? stronglifts.com/… .... Have you seen results with it?? – Daniyal Nawaz Feb 21 2011 at 2:14
Stronglifts helped me (5 ft 9 in, 150-60 lbs) bench over 225 for the first time. It's a good program to follow. However you really have to start light and focus on technique otherwise you will hurt yourself on the heavier weights. – mac389 Feb 21 2011 at 15:08
Stronglifts 5x5 is a great program, I had great results with it. I switched to HIIT+HIRT for one month to lose weight and are going back to stronglifts after this. – Kruno Feb 22 2011 at 1:32
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cut it into two WODS you'll hit on every workout day since there are 6 exercises. for example, #1#3#6 20 reps each 4 rounds for time. and you can switch them up any way you'd like. THEN break for a little say 10-15 mins. Slam the 2nd WOD for time. that answers questions 1&2. INTENSITY is the BEST way to achieve EPOC. Creatine is excellent for ATP production and can help, a scoop before, and scoop after wouldn't hurt what so ever. Check out BCAA's for recovery. ALSO i've never heard of glutamine for GH boosting. your better of taking 3-5 grams of GABA postworkout to inhibit somatostatin, which is the binding hormone that renders excess GH useless. By doing so you'll increase your endogenous natural free GH levels. I don't know who told you not to take a post workout shake. Try Beverly Muscle provider, its similar to the hydrolysate protein Progenex, just half the price. or you could try Optimum Nutrition's Hydro Whey. all low calorie but with the right protein to feed muscle and prevent your body from enter a catabolic state. You could also however just bang out a sweet paleo meal if that suits you. Other advice... Phosphatidyl Serine is good for reducing cortisol levels in the body, it'd be good to take post WOD. Also Bang those WODS unbroken, and even throw a strength day in there too. If you have any other questions Facebook message me.

Roland Plain

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eating after working out is getting to be very controversial in medical literature. Lots of new data out that GH peaks better at 2-4AM (like we were built) if you DONT feed post workout. Glutamine is great to heal a leaky gut has no issues with GH increase. L-Arginine however does. Lots of advice from Roland is solid but not paleo. Once your very fit you can do what Roland suggests because you are no longer leptin resistant at the brain muscle liver and fat levels......but if your not its not spot on. You must always consider context when giving advice. – The Quilt Feb 21 2011 at 1:17
@Dr. K: Do you have sources for the detrimental effects of eating post-workout? – mac389 Feb 21 2011 at 1:22
@Daniyal: Can you be more specific about your weight loss goals, baseline, & milestones? – mac389 Feb 21 2011 at 1:25
mac you can read any endocrine text to see the effects of eating on pituitary release of GH. I never said detrimental.....I said GH release is not as good if you eat after working out. Muscle heads do it to cause hypertrophy which is not physiologic. Context always matters. – The Quilt Feb 21 2011 at 5:51
@Dr. K: Why do you care how much GH is released after a workout? Endocrine texts cite small clinical studies of either highly trained or non-trained individuals and show attenuated release of GH after eating. But, that doesn't automatically mean a less anabolic state. Both Growth Hormone and Insulin are anabolic even though they somewhat inhibit each other. What study motivates you to say GH peaks at 2-4 AM? To understand your stance, I want to know what you've read, not find similar articles. – mac389 Feb 21 2011 at 15:15
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Take a good objective look at your primary goal. Weight loss right?

If you truly want to accomplish this goal in a timely and healthy manner, you need to be eating 100% clean paleo. Anything less indicates lack of commitment to your goal. Buckle down and get after it. Make sure you're taking an aggressive dose of fish oil. Go here.

What you do or don't put in your mouth is the primary factor in body composition. Workout is secondary. CrossFit or similar programming will support your goal the best and answers your questions 1 and 2 above. I would not recommend supplementing (questions 3 and 4) until you reach an ideal body composition through diet and exercise.

Question 5: Find something that motivates you and don't let anything keep you from your goals.

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It's a good program but substitute curls for pullups/chins.

You dont need any isolation moves keep it all compund excerizes.

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you could eliminate crunches and add pull-ups instead. Just my two cents - you do not need to stress your spine doing crunches.

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if you do crunches the correct way to avoid intradiscal pressure no issues. – The Quilt Feb 21 2011 at 5:51
Any links having instructions/video to do it right will be appreciated – Resurgent Feb 21 2011 at 12:11
you can purchase a product called the abmat (available on amazon), or just hack it. I bought one. It makes the situp much harder because you go through a longer range of motion, but at the same time it (supposedly) reduces stress on the spine. – Domer88 Feb 21 2011 at 21:24
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From what I read on the site of Stronglifts it's oriented towards guys. Does anyone know any good starting programs for women? I don't want to become a pumped-up bodybuilder,but I'd like to become strong for once in my life. I've always been doing chronic cardio to lose fat and actually lost muscles,but also due to my disease. (I actually have too low of a bodyfat&weight percentage now,but I don't want it all to gain back in blubbery fat and still not feel fit.But I must also be careful not to strain myself and my knees hurt really bad most of the time. I can't swim due to haevy metal intoxication....and there's no natural pools in my area. So weights it'll be)

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It's a marketing decision to be guy oriented. Just ignore the guy centricness, and lift like crazy. There is no chance in hell that you'll end up pumped unless you really dedicate yourself to it. With regular strength training you'll just end up stronger and better defined. stronglifts.com/strength-training-for-women – Jon Thoroddsen May 25 2011 at 17:49
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Crossfit is dangerous random crap.

On a defecit diet traing can be very stressful, if things start going wrong I suggest

1) Squat bench chin 2) Dead OHP abs 3) Squat bench chin

3 weeks building the weight and lowering the reps, 1 week deload, just do an easy workout on Wednesday with lightish weights.

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