Hello from the other side of the ocean.

[MarinePMI]

Derik,

I'm almost 47 myself. I started Bigger, Leaner, Stronger about a year ago, and while it helped lose a lot of body fat, and gain some strength/mass, the volume (four day a week program) was limiting (I felt) strength growth (in favor of aesthetics). It was also my first attempt at being serious about weight lifting/strength training (as in, having a plan and sticking to it, week in and week out).

I just began SS a few weeks ago (along with eating a crap load more than I normally do) and am starting to see results. My squats were my big lagging lift, and after stumbling onto SS I think I understand why (basically, not preforming squats correctly and deep enough). I'm currently at 170lbs, 6'2" and am only squatting 125lbs, DL is 280, Bench is 150 and MP is 105. I am hoping with the greater recovery time between work outs, I'll be able to add more muscle mass over time. My squats are finally feeling more "comfortable", in that they aren't easier per se, but that mechanically they feel more solid. I did experience some lower back pain when I began low bar squats, but over the last week it has began to fade. I suppose my back has just gotten stronger or adapted to the additional "sheer"(?).


Ironically, I've come to enjoy my time in the gym as well (I use a gym at work, so get in at 5am and usually have it almost completely to myself), and also like the routine. The Marine Corp never really pushed strength training (always running, ugh) and PT was forced, so this has been a new chapter of physical development/activity for me. As I get older and things just don't work quite the way they did when I was a 22yr old knuckle dragging door kicker, I've come to appreciate the value of time spent improving strength and improving my health, even as I age.

Anyways, just a post to say "Hi", and that I'm another person around your age going through this as well.

[Derik]

Nice to hear from you. I posted videos of my first sqats in the forum and the advices helped me a lot. I wad squatting far to deep with knees shooting forward. Thats was how I always squatted without weights in kung fu training. Since then I regulary film my technique for myself and check the movements. I often can tell when I had a bad technique before I even see the recording.

When I was in the army thirty years ago, the only thing I learned for life was running. I came in as a skinny whimp exhausted after 2 miles and when I left a year later I could do 10 or march 15 with 40 pounds on my back. I'm still ok whith running, but sometimes my joints hurt after 5 miles and running doesn't build muscles so I tried lifting to stay in shape.

I work different shifts and enjoy to go in the morning when i have the gym for myself. I can throw in my music and ocupy the rack as long as i want. Love it. I still have to find out how much to eat, right now I have the feeling that my belly grows faster than my muscles. My goal is to lift and eat for nine month, reduce the calories and the belly and then decide for the next step.

[Derik]

It works. I'm doing lighter squats one day and changed deadlifts to backoff-sets. It feels much better, less tired, and the slower progression seems to help keeping a better deadlift technique.

[Mr. Bingley]

i started at 50, and it took me longer than it should have to realize that at this age i simply can't recover as quickly as a 25yr old, so what has helped a lot is going to the type of H-L-M program described in the Barbell Prescription book. rest, and do your heavy squats on a different day than your heavy deads

[VikingCellist]

Moin, moin, Derik!

I started a year ago. I read the Matthews book, but didn't do his program. I hadn't done any lifting since high school, but was running and cycling for a few years. After running SS LP for about 2 months and failing reps at 275, I reset and did a Heavy/Light Split from Andy Baker, which had a slower progression and also had me doing some triples and singles. That was good to learn how to handle heavier loads on squats. During the transition, I also had a coaching session and posted some form checks. I've gotten stronger and put on weight, although the second item was not my intention.

There's a recent thread by a 44 year old that has a list of dos and don'ts including what to eat from Coach Butland (SSC). I don't know if you read PPST3, but it goes together with BBRx. In addition to the coaches forum, where you can post form checks, the Barbell Medicine and Powerlifting to win sites are good to review. Also posts by Izzy Narvaez, John Hanley and Callador discuss intermediate programming alternatives.

Along the lines of what Mr. Bingley said, I agree that a H-L-M structured program would be good to try after the advanced novice stage with light day and back-off sets. Its a logical transition and keeps things going without being too taxing on recovery. There's a good thread called "SS SQUATS becoming Grandest!" where Cody takes a lifter through the progression. If you check out some of the more advanced lifters' logs, you see they use rates of perceived exertion. I've started using this recently and found it helps me do more work without beating myself up. The Powerlifting to Win programs introduce this rather early.

Pete

[rgcone]

Thanks for the warm welcome. After a cough four weeks ago I had to do a second reset and now I seem to be stuck. My squats are 185, DL 210. I still do tree DL and squats per week, but can't recover, because my lower back hurts (erector spinae) when I put on more weight, I cant lift it with a good technique and the hurt stays for a few days, feels more like a cramp and my back is stiff in the morning. I think I have to slow down a litte like recomended in Programming for strenght for older atheletes. I like to keep three workouts a week and not to switch to the recomended two days off between the workouts, because I enjoy the time in the studio.

My idea was to change the wendnesday to a light squat-day and the squat Workout to 5x5 (also recomended in Programming strength for older atheletes). Also I think its time to cut on the deadlifts and introduce the clean and chin-ups. Maybe its good to introduce a backoff-set for the DL to allow a slower progress. Any thoughts?

Are you deadlifting more than once a week? If so, cutting that to once a week might help a lot.

[Derik]

One week I deadlift once, the other week twice. I will change that to once a week in two weeks when introducing chin-ups and hyperextensions. Just cuting the squats to heavy, light, heavy and puting on more weight only once a week, helped a lot. I'll stick to that until the next plateau.