Thoughts?

[Black03SVTCobra]

To make a long story short I am sick of the whole gym scene, all these 24 hour fitness places are starting to make me sick. I want to build my own home gym, I found a bench and squat rack set up all in one. My question is do you think it would be a bad idea to only focus on squats, deads, bench, and clean and jerks?

 

[mistahsaleen]

Depends on if your going for Mass then yes great. But if you are looking to be lean/cut then no

 

[Black03SVTCobra]

I have been cutting now for the first time in my life now for 2 months and I am down to 223 13% to 14% BF 6', I am planning to continue my cut. Is there any way to make it work with just these lifts? I have lost the majority of my BF by doing cardio 4 times a week and having my diet in check. Thanks for your time!

 

[bignate73]

absolutely! you'll get way more metabolically with the compound movements you mentioned.

 

[Black03SVTCobra]

absolutely! you'll get way more metabolically with the compound movements you mentioned.

Bignate, is there anyway you would suggest putting a plan together for these lifts. Thanks for the reply K

 

[bignate73]

so much you can do, really how you put them together is up to you.

bench
standing military press
push press
squat
deadlift
cleans
snatches
clean and press
rows
pullups
skullcrusher
curls

you're definitely not at a loss for choices. now it depends, what are your goals with regards to lifting?

 

[Cynical Simian]

Sounds fine. Like bignate said, there's a ton of stuff you can do with just a bar, bench and squat rack. As for routines, just take a template like the 5x5 that's built around compound lifts and modify the rep scheme and variants (substitutinging different deadlift styles, Oly lifts, etc.) depending on what you want to do.

 

[Black03SVTCobra]

As of now I am cutting for the first time in my life, I have been lifting for eight years and never really cared about being cut, so i thought I would give it a try. So goals as of now is basically trying to retain my strength as much as possible while dieting, I am only at 500 cals below maintence, and I have been doing cardio 4 times a week.

 

[mistahsaleen]

In my opinion the exercises you mentioned will work but if you want to get the most out of a workout those compound movements will not work as much as free weights and DB's Light weight/high reps.

 

[silver_shadow]

Depends on if your going for Mass then yes great. But if you are looking to be lean/cut then no

i don't agree with this. there are bros (myself included) who've worked on the same compound movements that brought mass and strength and who've adjusted their diets to cut successfully. the volume/intensity may have to be dropped slightly because of the lower energy levels that come from a cutting diet.

 

[silver_shadow]

and yes, as mentioned earlier, there are still plenty of good assistance exercises that can be done with bars, so it doesn't have to be all compound movements.

 

[BiggT]

i don't agree with this. there are bros (myself included) who've worked on the same compound movements that brought mass and strength and who've adjusted their diets to cut successfully. the volume/intensity may have to be dropped slightly because of the lower energy levels that come from a cutting diet.

You're absolutely right. This myth will NEVER die though. Exercises don't 'bulk' or 'cut' you, adjusting your diet accordingly does.

 

[bignate73]

In my opinion the exercises you mentioned will work but if you want to get the most out of a workout those compound movements will not work as much as free weights and DB's Light weight/high reps.

what...the...hell...are...you...talking...about?

 

[Black03SVTCobra]

Thanks for all the advice guys, I am going to work something up, and then I will post it up for review, k to all that helped. One last thing, I have been looking at the 5x5, but do you think it would even be a good idea to try since I am cutting right now and energy is low.

 

[BiggT]

Thanks for all the advice guys, I am going to work something up, and then I will post it up for review, k to all that helped. One last thing, I have been looking at the 5x5, but do you think it would even be a good idea to try since I am cutting right now and energy is low.

Sure, it is a good idea. Again, you may need to slash volume and frequency, depending on the severity of your diet, and you may not. You can make it '3x5'. The 5x5 is a template, it is model of how to employ a sound training philosophy. You can make it individual to suit your goals.