Help me create my workout

[franginho]

Gypsy Jazz:
1) I don't worry so much about aesthetics as about having a shoulder injury. I had my shoulder pop out and right back in a few years back when a monster of a purple decided it was a good idea to use brute force rather than technique. I still get an ugly feeling when going total ROM on certain exercises (like the pack deck).

2) Sounds interesting (the gym has a considerable amount of strap on weights) but what is your issue with (weighted) dips?

Mister:
As I mentioned earlier, it is easier for me to change my body composition and maintaining my weight than gaining some. At least in the past and with my old way of training it was.
So my reasoning is: I drop body fat I will be replacing it with muscle, getting stronger....
Not doing this for the looks... Especially since I want a strong back and legs, not massive arms and packs, thought I made that clear.
My old work out was a simple 3x5 squat, dead, dip, pull up thing, so very similar to the starting strength program.

[Gypsy Jazz]

Gypsy Jazz:
1) I don't worry so much about aesthetics as about having a shoulder injury. I had my shoulder pop out and right back in a few years back when a monster of a purple decided it was a good idea to use brute force rather than technique. I still get an ugly feeling when going total ROM on certain exercises (like the pack deck).

Spend 5 minutes people watching one day and notice if their shoulders are symmetrical. There MAY be some cut off point for where asymmetry predisposes people for pain or injury, but except in a few specific cases this isn't known. If everyone who carried one shoulder higher than the other had shoulder pain, then this would be a cause for concern.

2) Sounds interesting (the gym has a considerable amount of strap on weights) but what is your issue with (weighted) dips?

I have no issue with any exercises, but I feel that certain exercises are better or worse fits for different people. If you have pain or discomfort using a full ROM (or more likely shoulder extension) then dips fall into that category even more so than bench pressing. I could hazard quite a few guesses mechanically why this might be the case, but I think that would more likely over complicate the situation. If you like dips and you can do them pain free with good form, by all means do not change a thing on my account.

[Mister]

As I mentioned earlier, it is easier for me to change my body composition and maintaining my weight than gaining some. At least in the past and with my old way of training it was.
So my reasoning is: I drop body fat I will be replacing it with muscle, getting stronger....
Not doing this for the looks... Especially since I want a strong back and legs, not massive arms and packs, thought I made that clear.
My old work out was a simple 3x5 squat, dead, dip, pull up thing, so very similar to the starting strength program.

Fat doesn't turn into muscle it doesn't work that way.

To gain muscle and strength you need a caloric surplus.

To lose fat you need a deficit.

In your case at your weight I would drink a gallon of milk everyday and do starting strength relentlessly until the end.

Once you're finished you will be THE ****, you can cut back down to any level of bodyfat you want with your newfound huge muscles and brute strength. It will be loads easier too because you will be (relatively) HUGE, COLOSSAL, put simply BEEG AS ****.

My humble opinion.

I'd stay away from ring dips if I were looking for shoulder health.

[TheRuss]

-- "Ain't nobody got time for dat" I will try though... I had a training log for jits at some point but I gave up on it due to time constrains. And I still don't have much of it.

A training log should take a vanishingly small amount of time and effort.
Before the workout, you write down the exercises, load and reps you intend to do, because trying to remember things and do math in your head sucks, especially when you're exhausted.
During the workout, after you finish each set, check it off in your log so you don't lose track of where you're at (again, fatigue makes us stupid).

For a bare-bones 5/3/1 workout, that may literally be two words, twelve numbers, and six check marks for the entire day. That's it.

I am at the same weight, 150lbs, for the last 10 years. No matter if I trained like a beast or ate junk food for a year. The only way I could move my weight is down to 145lbs for competitions by dehydration and not eating the day before. But I am right back. No move up, no down. I used to have a lower body fat count when I did lots of jits back then.

To repeat myself, that's mostly a matter of diet. Exercise matters, but you're already time-constrained.

Right now I am around 14% according to my physical evaluation (caliper method)

My preferred inaccurate method is what hole of your belt you're using. Don't worry too much about calipers.

In between at times I eat chocolate or candy, I'm a big sucker for candy :D

Think about substituting the candy with beef jerky.

I have a shoulder imbalance, my right shoulder is about 1.5 inch lower than the left one (or the left one is higher, depends on how you look at it). My left side looks way stronger though I am right handed and can lift more with right.

As Gypsy Jazz said, symmetry is not the same thing as imbalance.

During most of exercises I can compensate this imbalance but I am worried about bad form and doing more damage then good.

You are right to be worried, but rather than worrying about the relative height of your shoulders, you need to think about form and range of motion, and you need to do this regardless of which exercise you pick. Bench press, strict press, dips, and push-ups can all **** up your pec or your shoulder. There are very bright, well-regarded people in the strength field who will argue that (bench/press/dips) are too dangerous and should be replaced with (press/dips/bench) in most programs instead; push-ups don't come under as much scrutiny, but that's because heavily loaded push-ups are rare.

As I told you, the instructor doesn't install much confidence as a spotter.

Does the gym have a power rack with spotter bars? That's what I use for heavy bench. Even a good spotter won't catch the bar before it hits your throat if something really goes south. Solid steel between throat and chest height are generally more reliable.

Alternately, dumbbells usually will not crush your windpipe, although the jumps between weights tend to be undesirably large.

Will look into it, supplements are expensive as can be around here, fish oil going for R$ 60-80 for 100 units, that is about $30-40... Protein never looked into it but from what folks say it costs.
I will have a look and check with my wife if we can spare that cash or not.

Whoops, I'd assumed you were in the continental US; whereabouts are you located?

---

2. I usually agree with Russ, but here's where we part ways. I think push ups with sufficient challenge via leverages and/or external loading can be a great replacement for bench pressing. The key is not to stop at bodyweight and increasing reps indefinitely. Instead try feet elevated, band resisted, weight vest, and one arm progressions, I personally prefer push ups over both benching and dips on the risk-reward spectrum, but this is a matter of preference and opinion.

A valid point, but I personally would have difficulty loading a push-up such that my triceps are under a comparable load to during a barbell bench press, and when you change leverage you're also changing the joint angles (a handstand pushup is no longer a pushup).

[itwasntme]

Like TheRuss, I'm not sure what R$'s are either, but I'll throw some suggestions out there for where to look for supplements at a good deal. Bear in mind these are where I have found good deals; it wouldn't hurt for you to look around either.

bodybuilding.com
vitacost.com
amazon.com
ebay.com

[franginho]

Thank you guys.
Sorry for not getting back at you on the weekend, but this is reserved for my wife.

Did the first work out with the new routine this morning,
Back Squats (3x5x80lbs),
Strict press (first a couple of times with an empty bar to nail down form and then with a light 3x5x35lbs) and Dead Lifts (3x5x66lbs).
And I practiced my form for bench press on an empty bar (unfortunately the spotter bars on the power rack only go a bit over my knee, which is okay if I have to sit a squat but I couldn't find a bench that is low enough for me and the bench.

Started my training log as well...not that hard with those few exercises.

I guess my future work out will look something like this
0) Warm up
1) Squats (I will focus on back squats until I can easily squat the double of my body weight, after that I will do front squats and lungs as well)
2) Strict Press, loaded Dips, Bench Press our Loaded Push ups
3) Dead lifts, Pull ups/Chin ups
4) Solid stretch

As for the supplements, I will check how/if I can import stuff into the land of Basically Just Judo (Haven't been to the US in half a decade), problem is, the "free limit" is US$50(product+shipping) and the FDA/DEA restrictions are rather heavy for supplements (people juice a lot here, for no apparent reason but they do and thus most stuff is heavy regulated. Creatin was banned until recently) and I don't want to risk spending some solid cash for then paying 150% tax on top(exceeding the free limit) or not getting things through customs.... I guess I have to find a store that already successfully ships down south.

Once more, Thanks and I will check back here if I have issues or in two months to report on progress.

[Mister]

How will you be programming your strength workouts?

[franginho]

Honestly not sure what you mean by that... Are you talking planned increase in weight or frequency of training through the week or something else...

[Mister]

I'm talking about the sets and reps and weight you'll be doing for each workout.

Obviously you can't run the same everything for all workouts.

You wouldn't be training if you did.

[franginho]

Sets: simple 3x5 (3 sets with 5 reps each, about 1:30 break between sets)
Weights: I will increase 5lbs - 10lbs each training unless I feel that I can do more during the first set, then I will add another 5lbs - 10lbs for the next set until I feel I couldn't do 5 proper reps. - Rinse&repeat.
When I hit a stall I will either drop reps and increase load or I will drop load and increase reps. (Any thoughts on what is more advantageous for strength and pushing your limit futher?)