Thinking about taking a break from 3x5 squats

[cjangelo]

Dude, this is the internet, reason and logic have no place here.

It's not so much that as people notice a problem developing (eg. uneven muscular growth or uneven workouts resulting from fatigue) and take a fucking flame-thrower to their program when minor tweaks or revisions can resolve the problem.

How many times have you noticed a poster struggling with something and someone like Stacey steps up and offers a simple solution, eg. doing 5x3 instead of 3x5 on the press, and the problem is resolved? That's the way to handle it.

[TrackJunkie]

How much do you weigh, Mr. Balloon Ass?

[nobody]

I don't think squatting three times a week makes you a man. Obviously you guys are more interested in circlejerking than anything else. Whatever.

[Sami]

Sorry, what was that? Did I hear someone? Oh, it's nobody.

[nisora33]

I don't think squatting three times a week makes you a man. Obviously you guys are more interested in circlejerking than anything else. Whatever.

You asked a question, didn't receive the answer you wanted to hear, and then you accused everyone of mindless circle jerking. You've obviously already made up your mind what you want to do, regardless of what anyone else might say, so why do you fucking care what we think? Why even ask the question to begin with.

Thread closed, right?

[nobody]

The main question I was asking is for an alternative to 3 sets of 5 reps of squats.. which no one addressed... I doubt it will be. One person suggested doing bench presses before squatting. That's the only useful advice, but it's not even addressing the question. SS is supposed to be a balanced workout, but it doesn't seem to be working that way in my case, which is why I came to this programming forum for a way to alter it for my desires.

[coreJack]

A very useful question was asked, but never answered:

How are you shoulders fatigued by holding the bar?

Which relates directly to this:

The squats are at a point where my shoulders are so fatigued from holding the weight against my back that it is becoming very hard to do press or bench press, even going up 2.5lbs each time.

Ergo, if you can solve this problem of shoulders being exhausted by squats, you'd be able to progress on OHP and bench and get your upper body bigger.

[nisora33]

The main question I was asking is for an alternative to 3 sets of 5 reps of squats.. which no one addressed... I doubt it will be. One person suggested doing bench presses before squatting. That's the only useful advice, but it's not even addressing the question. SS is supposed to be a balanced workout, but it doesn't seem to be working that way in my case, which is why I came to this programming forum for a way to alter it for my desires.

You don't get it. Muscles are supposed to be in proportion. The muscle fagazines depict a cartoonish male specimen with upper bodies that grossly eclipse the lower. If that's what you expected to get from SS, you were deluding yourself. If you do the program as prescribed, and keep all the factors affecting recovery in check (these are all big IF's, because few people actually do it this way), then what you'll get is an upper body in proportion to the lower. You squat is supposed to be bigger than your bench, you deadlift is supposed to be bigger than your chin-up, etc., and in accordance with the amount of muscle mass involved on each of the various lifts, the squat and deadlift are the ones that will progress longest and fastest before stalling out. All of this is normal and natural, but you're not happy with it. Okay, fine. But no one's going to be happy that you're not happy because this is, after all, the SS forum.

Go ahead and put the bench and press first if you feel like it. That's one option, probably the best. Cut your squats back to twice a week and just try to maintain, if you like. Fine, that'll work too. But it makes me sick to suggest it.

-S.

[BruteForce]

The main question I was asking is for an alternative to 3 sets of 5 reps of squats.. which no one addressed... I doubt it will be. One person suggested doing bench presses before squatting. That's the only useful advice, but it's not even addressing the question. SS is supposed to be a balanced workout, but it doesn't seem to be working that way in my case, which is why I came to this programming forum for a way to alter it for my desires.

Sounds to me like you aren't eating or resting enough. But the bar resting on your back while you are squatting shouldn't have anything to do with your OHP. The bar sits on your rear delts, traps. Your OHP is front delt, tricep, some upper chest. If the bar on your back hurts your shoulders, use a pad, or try a higher bar position to compensate. But you will get a lot more physique and strength wise worrying about your squat than you will worrying about your bench or OHP. But again, refer to the bolded statement

[cjangelo]

This kid's a fucking idiot. Fuck him.