Starting Strength for Previous Endurance athlete

[Carl.nunziato]

Yo guys,
So I've read rippetoe's book, and used his squat/deadlift/bench program as ancillary training to my rowing workouts for a while, until our coach switched us over to crossfit. after about a year of that a new coach dropped lifting altogether - all rowing and erging.

2 years later - im retired, and a great erg score, while nice, is no longer my focus. I am trying to start a lifting plan to put on some bulk. I was a very heavy lightweight rower, so the 30 lb swings between weigh ins always decimated any muscle I put on in the off season. I've been out of it for a month, so i'm out of shape compared to my peak, but not like gasping going up the stairs. I want to spend the next year getting strong, then possibly see about getting back into crew in a openweight division.

So I had a few questions about starting strength for a recently lapsed athlete.

I have no problem following the plan exactly, but it seems like a light workload for someone used to endurance athletes. Are there excersises to add? would going on shorter runs on the off days help?

What about diet? I want to put on mass, but also can't afford to look like the hulk.

Last time i lifted seriously, about a year and a half ago, I was squatting 220, benching 180, and deadlifting 430 for the 3x5 weight sets. I weigh now about 182 at 6 ft and 11 percent fat (gone up a few clicks recently). I read about the gallon of milk a day thing - but I get the feeling that is more for kids who are twigs and have a hard time gaining.

Any diet/training advice would be great.

[Dan Miller]

I was also a former endurance athlete - ran cross-country and track (1600m and 3200m) in HS, and kept up the running since then. I agree "it seems like a light workload" for somebody accustomed to running 5-6 days a week, but even with a conservative starting point for all your lifts, in a month or so the workouts will be everything you can handle and you'll need the off days completely off in between. Low-intensity conditioning like walking your dogs isn't going to interfere with your strength gains, and the light activity seemed to help me stretch out and get my muscles moving in between sessions. Some light rowing would probably be fine. Anything more than that isn't really necessary - you do regain conditioning fairly quickly later anyways. I did the GOMAD thing at first, then started using protein powder so that I wasn't getting all the carbs from milk.

[Kazzin]

Lift for 4-5 weeks following the program to the letter. With aggressive loading and enough food/rest you should be close to/at your old PR's by then. I'd do the milk (at least a half gallon a day), because 182lbs @ 6' is pretty skinny. You can re-evaluate this at 200-220ish.

I guess this doesn't answer your question about the workload being 'light', but if you actually want to understand strength programming read PPST--otherwise no, just follow the program.

[FatButWeak]

Good luck with avoiding accidentally becoming the Hulk. I too was a former endurance athlete - cross country skier. Then I started SS and accidentally blew up to gargantuan proportions. Now I look like Derek Poundstone!

Its awful. Be careful dude. Barbells are no joke.

[mrflibble]

last time i lifted seriously, about a year and a half ago, i was squatting 220, benching 180, and deadlifting 430 for the 3x5 weight sets.

Wtf?

[borzoi06]

^^That's gotta be a typo. Otherwise, well, fuck. Nope. That has to be a typo.