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Thread: Program modification for life stress

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jan 2019
    Posts
    12

    Default Program modification for life stress

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    If it is true that one can only recover from so much stress, how would one go about modifying SS program for higher than normal non-training-related life stress?

    Background: 44 YO male, 5'-10", 165 lbs, w/ full time job, wife, two active teenage daughters, and an elderly mother with cognitive impairment issues.

    I am currently running standard (Mon-Wed-Fri) LP for all lifts, but feel like nearing the end of LP for Bench (177 lbs) and OHP (117 lbs). I have recently reset on squat (230 to 215 lbs) and DL (285 to 225 lbs) due to form tweaks per suggestions on the SS Technique forum, so I'll be running those back up on LP. I have been missing reps on all lifts except DL, and I feel like it has to be related to the additional life stress that I have going on right now. If that is actually the case, and the life stress cannot be reduced for the foreseeable future, and given that I do not want to lose training progress, should I modify training to reduce total overall stress? I believe I have heard this is the recommendation, but I do not recall what that would actually look like in practice.

    Thank you in advance.

    Matt

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Apr 2010
    Posts
    7,856

    Default

    I wouldn't modify SS in any major way - the stress will probably just mean you have to make your way through the normal progression of the program at weights lighter than you otherwise would (i.e. reducing heavy DL frequency, light day squat midweek, micro-loading bench and press, top set + back-offs, etc).

    If you are doing everything else right - see The First Three Questions - then you should do the program properly. Which doesn't mean constantly missing reps. If you miss assigned reps on the same lift two workouts in a row, you re-set 10-20% and work your way back up quickly with bigger jumps. Do one re-set per lift, two at the most, and then your LP is done when you miss again. That's it, simple as that. There isn't a programming change that will magically undo the stress effects. You just don't get as far as you would absent them.

    And if you are doing one of the things wrong in the first three questions article aside from what you don't have control over, then fix it.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jan 2019
    Posts
    12

    Default

    Makes sense. Thank you!

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Apr 2010
    Posts
    7,856

    Default

    I haven't listened yet but it seems like the latest BBL podcast might be helpful for you:

    YouTube

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