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Thread: Barbell Prescription program question with sports schedule

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Feb 2017
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    18

    Default Barbell Prescription program question with sports schedule

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    55 yo male, I play soccer 2 seasons of the year - seasons are about 3 months on, 3 months off. I was starting to progress through a Starting Strength novice progression when Sullivan's book arrived. 160 lbs, and squat at 150 as of yesterday.

    I'm a little confused as to how to adapt the program to take my soccer day into account, which is every Saturday. The intensity of games is variable, depending on the importance of the game, caliber of competition, how many players we have, etc. Soccer represents my main conditioning for soccer, although there is the occasional run or bike ride thrown in.

    I'm always mindful of proper recovery. Perhaps depending on intensity of the game and how much recovery I feel my body needs, I could lift on Mon/Wed, Mon/Thurs, or Tue/Thurs. Is it possible to progress at my level at twice a week, and if so what sorts of changes might I make to the programming? Off the top of my head, I think I'd generally prefer lifting Tue/Thurs in terms of recovery but I'm open to suggestions.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Feb 2009
    Location
    Atlanta area
    Posts
    4,909

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    My preference would be for you to bag the soccer for 6-8 weeks and run a 3-day NLP for a short time, then jump into Advanced Novice. To answer your question that you did ask, yes it is possible, and you would do as you state: M/Th. But I like M-W-F with W being a light day in the gym. T/Th probably would not work as it's a long gap between Th and T with no stimulus. You're only squatting 150. You're not gonna die. Screw around with it until you find something that works for you. Finally, you don't exactly say which program you're trying to adapt. NLP? One from Sully/Baker's book?

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Feb 2017
    Posts
    18

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    Yes, sorry, I assumed it would be known from just stating "Barbell Prescription" in the subject, but of course there are several programs in the book. I didn't read them all (for example, there is a 2-day/week program, but it's in the O60 section so I hadn't read it when I first posted.) But it is the basic novice progression.

    I should probably have mentioned - soccer is set in stone - I'd quit lifting weights before I quit that. Originally, soccer performance was the only reason for me to lift weights. After reading more, I can see the health, anti-aging, and work benefits as well (some of my work is manual in the home improvement business.)

    I understand your point about the long gap between Th and T. The problem I think I'm running into is the recovery time for the games themselves. But I think I'm going to plow through, and do Mon/Thurs. Maybe Mon would be fine - my legs sometimes feel stiff and sore, but with a full warmup routine maybe I'll be able to handle more than it feels like. I have a concern about lifting heavy on Friday with a game the next morning, but I'll experiment with that.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Dec 2015
    Location
    Boston, MA
    Posts
    696

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    Jeff, give Sreve's suggestion some serious thought. You would benefit greatly by less soccer for a few months to run a solid LP. The Barbell Prescription is about the importance of strength and having muscle mass as we age. More of the same old same old on the soccer field will likely not get you to where you want to be for strength.

    Envision returning to the field stronger than anyone else out there and being able to lean in and get opposing players off the ball. You won't lose any speed, you will be stronger and a more difficult opponent.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Feb 2010
    Posts
    794

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    He does say he'll have three months off between seasons. He could implement Steve's 3x/wk for 6-8 wk plan then. Meanwhile -- hmm -- interesting problem -- "just wait" as long as he has a non-negotiable intense aerobic workout planned once a week -- maybe especially at his age? (I'm only a few years behind ). Or "practice" the lifts during the soccer season -- not go for lp? Or try to thread the needle of age and competing modes of training?

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