Teen Stalling on Squat - Unsure why?

[Trevor45]

Hello,

I am an older teen, and have been lifting now for around 3-4 months. I was following another program (StrongLifts) but switched to Starting Strength about 2 weeks ago after stalling on Squat and Overhead. Although I don't have the SS book right now, I may receive it for Christmas. If I don't, I am going to order it the next day. As such, I apologize if this is covered in the book.

My main problem is that I have now stalled on my squat twice, once at 165lbs and once at 170. When I stalled at 165, I was still doing StrongLifts, and deloaded to 150. After some research, I started doing SS instead, and managed to finish 165 fairly easily. My next workout, I tried 170, and proceeded to not be able to even complete one rep (I got stuck at the bottom, and had to dump onto the safeties). I then took 5lbs off, and had a very hard time completing 165 3x5, despite having done it just 2 days before.

I will be squatting again tomorrow, so I will try 170 again, but I was just wondering whether anyone could see any reason why I'm stalling so quickly. Here are all of my stats and lifts:

Height: 5' 6"
Weight: 130lbs
Squat: 165lbs
Bench Press: 95lbs
Overhead Press: 85lbs
Deadlift: 180lbs
Power Clean: Bar (just started adding these last workout)

As I only weighed 115 when I started lifting, I have put on a fair chunk of weight, but I know I'm still pretty light. On the other hand, I am eating a ton of food to keep gaining weight, so I don't think calories are a problem. For example, here is my usual post-workout meal (I train early, before breakfast): 4-5 fried eggs, 1-2 cups of mashed sweet potatoes or brown rice, 1-2 cups of yogurt with a bannana and an apple, a glass of water with 5g of creatine, and any leftovers from dinner.

I do pushups, pullups, and dips on the days in between. Occasionally (usually no more than once a week) I will do a pseudo-CrossFit workout with some friends at the gym, but I am always careful to keep from burning myself out and overdoing it, so I don't believe that this should be causing me to stall.

The final problem I could think of would be my form, but everyone I have asked has told me that my form is pretty good, with just a little knee wobble that I am working on correcting. I squat low-bar, and go as far below parallel as I can without rounding my back.

Do you have any ideas about why I'm stalling so often?

Thank you for your help!
Trevor

[Satch12879]

The First Three Questions | Mark Rippetoe

[Karl Schudt]

Quit doing the other stuff. No pullups, pushups, dips, or pseudo-crossfit stuff.

[Trevor45]

Satch,

To answer those questions:
1. I am resting around 4-5 minutes between sets.
2. I have been increasing my squat by 5lbs per workout (and have done so since I started with the bar).
3. Although I can't give you an exact calorie count, here is an example of what I typically eat during the day:
Breakfast: 5 eggs, 2 cups of mashed sweet potatoes/brown rice, 2 cups of yogurt with a banana and an apple, a glass of water with 5g of creatine, and any leftovers from dinner.
Snack: Raw veggies (dipped in mayo), handful of rice crackers, and a couple slices of sausage/liverwurst/salami/etc.
Lunch: Can of sardines or some sliced meat, 2 cups of mashed sweet potatoes/brown rice, raw veggies (dipped in mayo).
Snack #2: Raw veggies (dipped in mayo), handful of rice crackers, maybe some protein.
Dinner: Major protein source (maybe a chuck roast, steak, whole chicken, etc.), 3-4 cups of sweet potatoes/brown rice.

Hope this helps!
Trevor

[Trevor45]

Quit doing the other stuff. No pullups, pushups, dips, or pseudo-crossfit stuff.

Karl,

Might I ask why? I could see why it might be beneficial to knock out the CrossFit stuff, but how would pullups, pushups, or dips (mainly, arms) interfere with my squats?

Thanks,
Trevor

[Karl Schudt]

Karl,

Might I ask why? I could see why it might be beneficial to knock out the CrossFit stuff, but how would pullups, pushups, or dips (mainly, arms) interfere with my squats?

Thanks,
Trevor

Because you have finite recovery resources, and you already are doing enough work. Just do the program.

[Trevor45]

Because you have finite recovery resources, and you already are doing enough work. Just do the program.

Karl,

OK, I'll drop them for a while and see what happens.

Thanks,
Trevor

[Murelli]

Growth = supply - demand. If you increase demand you might hamper growth. That's Selye For Teens right there.

Also: how much weight are you gaining per week? It's more important than how many kcal you get a day. Are you aiming for 1#/wk, 2#? Maybe increasing weight gain rate might work for you.

Finally: eat before your workout. Maybe just a whey shake and some Gatorade, but you need energy before your workout.

[Trevor45]

Growth = supply - demand. If you increase demand you might hamper growth. That's Selye For Teens right there.

Also: how much weight are you gaining per week? It's more important than how many kcal you get a day. Are you aiming for 1#/wk, 2#? Maybe increasing weight gain rate might work for you.

Finally: eat before your workout. Maybe just a whey shake and some Gatorade, but you need energy before your workout.

Murelli,

I am gaining around 1-2# per week. I've never gained less than 1, but also no more than 2. I'll have to see what I can do about eating beforehand, as I currently workout in the morning fairly soon after waking (around an hour).

Thanks,
Trevor

[Murelli]

Murelli,

I am gaining around 1-2# per week. I've never gained less than 1, but also no more than 2. I'll have to see what I can do about eating beforehand, as I currently workout in the morning fairly soon after waking (around an hour).

Thanks,
Trevor

I've had to workout in the morning a few times and in similar situation (1h after waking up) and here's how I did it:
1) drink whey right after waking up;
2) eat some fruit bar (they usually have a lot of dextrose/glucose) with the protein;
3) caffeine 0,5h before training;
4) 10g bcaa right before training.