Balancing Beginner gains with recovery

[DrDuktayp]

I am only 2 weeks in to the SS program but think that I need to switch to squats only on Mondays and Fridays for recovery and dropping the Power Clean until my DL is stronger. My hope is that if I go to 2 days per week I can get a 5lb per session increase in squats and DL for at least a month or more. Please tell me if I have gone crazy here. Oh, I am 46 sleeping 7-8 hours and eating pretty clean.


I started the SS program on 8/1 with
Squats 120
Press 95
PC 95
DL 140
Bench 140


After 2 weeks 8/15
Squats 135
Press 95 started too high I'll RESET to 85lb
PC 100 I think I should drop this until DL is better
DL 150
Bench 145

The changes I am thinking would make my program look like
Mondays
Squats add 5lb per session?
Press add 1lb per session?
Deadlift add 5lb per session?


Wednesdays
Squat & Deadlift bar only for 10x3
Bench increase 2.5lb per week
Chins 3x5 don't know if I should add these or not


Fridays
Squats add 5lb per session?
Press add 1lb per session?
Deadlift add 5lb per session?

Thanks

[MikeC1]

Yes, these changes would probably make a lot of sense for you. You probably don't need the chins though, and you can probably go heavier than the empty bar on Wednesdays, maybe 65-95 on squats, and you might consider using the RDL since it's a very high quality exercise and a good option to help recovery. Your proposed jumps are on the money.

[DrDuktayp]

Yes, these changes would probably make a lot of sense for you. You probably don't need the chins though, and you can probably go heavier than the empty bar on Wednesdays, maybe 65-95 on squats, and you might consider using the RDL since it's a very high quality exercise and a good option to help recovery. Your proposed jumps are on the money.

Thanks Mike. The Romanian Deadlifts look interesting.

[DrDuktayp]

Wow! I over did the RDL. It really gives a stretch.

[MikeC1]

Yeah, it gives you a great stretch!

[DrDuktayp]

Yeah, it gives you a great stretch!

Mike, I think switching to RDL might help me as I have pretty poor flexibility and weak back. Between the stretch at the bottom of the squat and the RDL maybe I can improve my flexibility. Do you think once my flexibility is good I should switch back to regular Deadlift and just keep Wednesday a light day? On my new modified program I am only working bench on Wednesday and doing Squats and RDLs with warm up weights to 80% of Monday's working set.

Also, at 4 or 5 lbs a week I am looking at hitting 200lbs for squat in about 10 to 12 weeks and 225lbs around December. Do you think I am being too conservative with the weight increases?

[dkggpeters]

I wouldn't worry about being conservative on weight increases. Even if you are squatting only 2 times a week, a 5 lb increase would equated to 40 lbs every month. It may take a couple more months to get there but this is better in the long run.

[DrDuktayp]

Actually about 20 lbs a month (2-3 per session)

[MikeC1]

RDLs are great for flexibility, which you'll notice the second or third time you do them when you are able to go lower than you did the first time you try them.

At 46 years old, it's almost more important to have a pleasant training experience than it is to push up the numbers as fast as you can. Which is to say I think keeping Wednesday as a lighter day will be a better idea for you. But if you personally enjoy the punishment that is lifting heavy every workout, then more power to you.

5 lb jumps on squat and deadlift is plenty fast enough. The real question is, how many months can you stretch it out for?

The RDL works very well as a primary lift, and my opinion is that if you're going to do them, you should keep doing them as long as you continue to get stronger in the movement, that is, the numbers keep going up. Once it plateaus a little bit, that's a good time to put it back on the shelf and start pushing harder on the deadlift.

[johnnys]

You didn't mention your weight, but your age and start weights are similar to mine and I'm making good progress with the novice program just by adding an extra day for recovery, so my 3-workout "weeks" are 8 or 9 days each.