Starting Strength after 5/3/1

[Buff DrinkLots]

Hey Everyone,

Has anyone here come back to Starting Strength (Squat/Bench/Deads and Squat/Press/PC) after running 5/3/1? I searched for this, but all I could find was posts about people coming back to SS after a layoff.

Anyways...
Some background, I'm a 44 year old male. I was doing a similar LP before when I started to stall(on some of the lifts), so (instead of grinding it out) I switched to a full body 5/3/1 routine thinking I was ready for a switch. I really enjoyed it and did have some success; however, after about 8 months - my sessions started taking over an hour and half and i was getting really sore. So after a prescribed deload, I started running Starting Strength again. I feel great, my sessions are not taking as long and I really appreciate just added weight to the bar instead of working on percentages.

I am just curious if anyone else done this? What kind of success? Any suggestions? Did you start lighter(FYI, I started light on Squats and Deads due to increased frequency, but for bench and press, i used the suggested method stated in SS); if so, did you find it helpful? Did you progress further than before(if you were running SS?), the same; less(I really hope not)?

Let me just be clear, I did really enjoy 5/3/1 and I plan on going back. But for now, I feel running SS is the right thing for me to do.

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

P.S. Has anyone ever alternated SS and 5/3/1? Say 6 months on each?

[Andy Baker (KSC)]

If you can make progress on an LP then you do an LP because it is the fastest road to getting stronger. We switch to intermediate programming (slower progression) because we can no longer recover and adapt in a 48-72 hour window. Once that passes you by you don't return to LP unless you have a prolonged layoff from training and even then it's only for a short window of time. At 44 I wouldn't expect you to get 6 months of LP even if you were completely new to barbell training. So you cannot return to it throughout the year like this and expect to make progress.

[Buff DrinkLots]

If you can make progress on an LP then you do an LP because it is the fastest road to getting stronger. We switch to intermediate programming (slower progression) because we can no longer recover and adapt in a 48-72 hour window. Once that passes you by you don't return to LP unless you have a prolonged layoff from training and even then it's only for a short window of time. At 44 I wouldn't expect you to get 6 months of LP even if you were completely new to barbell training. So you cannot return to it throughout the year like this and expect to make progress.

Andy,
Thank you. I appreciate the information and advice.

[Andy Baker (KSC)]

No problem, let me know if you need anything else.

[jfriley]

Greetings,

I was going to post something very similar as an intro to the forum, lol. I too am a 44 year old lifter. Over the years I've done my fair share of program surfing including SS, SL, 5/3/1 and a host of made up BS. After coming off a couple of minor injures I decided to go back to the basics with SS LP to try and get my numbers back where they need to be.

I get confused as to where to go from there? I suspect I'll max out the LP in a few months tops. Am I supposed to go to TM, Hybrid, or a different program from there? I just ordered The Barbell prescription, lifting after 40, so I assume that will have some ideas. If anyone can point me to the right spot on this forum (threads or articles) I'd love to dive in and read more.

[Andy Baker (KSC)]

Definitely read BBRx, but I'd also suggest going back and reading the intermediate chapter in PPST3. Not just looking at the programs, but also all the boring shit that talks about how Stress-Recovery-Adaptation works for an intermediate. Once you get a really good handle on that its easier to design or select programs that will work for you. <

As an over 40 intermediate we know you still need volume. But it can't be overwhelming in the dosing. You also need some exposure to some higher intensity training (think 1-3 rep range / < 90% of 1RM). These things need to be balanced during the training cycle so that you get enough of both, but not overdo either. Duh. There also needs to be some weekly fluctuation in the nature of the stress.

One thing I do a lot more of now is to wave the volume for people week to week. Generally working between 75-85% of 1RM and between 15-25 total repetitions. Same thing with intensity. For instance I rarely ask people to perform a 3RM for multiple weeks in a row. Instead we'll oscillate between 1s, 2s, 3s or 5s, 3s, 1s or whatever.

I understand that this can get a little complex, but if you can grasp the principles behind this then the details kinda fall into place.

[crookedfinger]

Greetings,

I was going to post something very similar as an intro to the forum, lol. I too am a 44 year old lifter. Over the years I've done my fair share of program surfing including SS, SL, 5/3/1 and a host of made up BS. After coming off a couple of minor injures I decided to go back to the basics with SS LP to try and get my numbers back where they need to be.

I get confused as to where to go from there? I suspect I'll max out the LP in a few months tops. Am I supposed to go to TM, Hybrid, or a different program from there? I just ordered The Barbell prescription, lifting after 40, so I assume that will have some ideas. If anyone can point me to the right spot on this forum (threads or articles) I'd love to dive in and read more.

After you follow Andy's suggestions, do this:

Baker Barbell Club ? Andy Baker