High School Programming

[Kyle Stevens]

Hello,

I'm working on our Winter Lifting Programming for our High School kids. Because teenagers suck at eating and sleeping, I'm going to start with a 4 week NLP, then progress to a Star 5x5 type program for the last 4 weeks. I feel that the Star 5x5 program will work well with our kids since almost all of them aren't going through the recovery process like they should. I read Andy's 5 ways to 5x5 and liked his addition of dynamic effort sets to accumulate additional stress. I applied this to sets 3 and 4 of Heavy Squats/Bench and Medium Squats. All sets will be Ascending as Star outlined in SSS. Since HS kids need things spelled out for them I wrote them in as 4-3-2-1 EXPLODE! adding in an eccentric phase to those 2 sets. Should I program and coach it like this, or should I just enforce that those sets need to be FAST? My worry is that the eccentric emphasis may end up being TOO MUCH stress added.


Here is a link to the program Lifting Sheets (3 day) Winter 2019 - Google Sheets


The 1st page is just a 4 week NLP, 2nd page is the 4 week HLM.

I welcome any critique of the programming, this is an area I'm working hardest on. I am an avid reader of the blue and gray books, just working on building experience applying the concepts to real humans.

[Mark Rippetoe]

Anything other than the NLP for the whole duration is probably a misapplication of the method, unless you have some advanced lifters in the group. It all depends on the individual athletes, but the use of advanced programming for novices just represents both a waste of time and a desire to be perceived as "advanced" when it's not the case.

[Kyle Stevens]

We'll just do 8 weeks of NLP then. I have done it in the past and I would say 80% or better of the athletes stalled out right around 4 weeks. 3 reasons, they don't eat/sleep enough and most haven't learned to grind on weight. I have no desire to just *poof* make these kids advanced. Just learning from previous experience. Seemed like Star's 5x5 was designed well for young men who's social lives are more important than focusing on recovery.

[Erik Y]

The first time I ran a LP, I ate and slept like a moron and lifted with bad form, but I was in my early twenties and a rank novice, so I still managed to more than double the weight on my squat, despite being a poorly coordinated mess with a far-below-average SVJ. Your kids will be fine for eight weeks. Control what you can.

[Kyle Stevens]

I've adjusted it, NLP will run 8 weeks. If needed I'll use MED to throw in a light squat day, reduce Deadlift to 1 session per week, and/or micro load Press/Bench/cleans. Then, if I have kids lifting consistently enough to run out Advanced NLP I'll look at using a more simple HLM format.