How to adjust programming (because I have to do cardio)

[timmathews]

I need some advice on adjusting my programming in light my job requirement to do cardio.

Background:
43, 200lbs, no injuries

From January to April, I made the following progress with my 5RMs, which I was happy with:
Squat increased from 225 to 335
Bench from 185 to 235
Press from 105 to 145
Deadlift from 285 to 390
I had transitioned to Texas method for my squats.

Then I changed jobs.

I’m in the Army. I’ve always been in the Army, but this unit I’m in now mandates 5 days/week, industrial-scale, one-size-fits-all exercise from 6:30am to 7:30am. This has been a disaster for my training. The Army’s idea of “physical training” is cardio cardio cardio (this is not consistent with our written doctrine, but it’s what occurs in practice). We run almost every day (2-4 miles). We do lots of bodyweight exercises at very high repetitions. There is no programming behind what we do, and no goal. We just punch the clock every day, fatiguing ourselves for no benefit.

Obviously, the answer to my problem is to stop exercising with the Army, but that’s not an option available to me (trust me, I’m not the only person who hates this, but I’m not in charge).

I’ve regressed as follows:
Squat 270
Bench 205
Press 130
Deadlift 340

I’m stuck at these numbers. I’ve tried resets, but keep getting stuck. This appears to be my equilibrium when I combine my training with the Army’s exercises. I’ve lost ten pounds and, interestingly, I actually run slower (my 2-mile run time slowed from 16:08 to 17:12).

What is the best (or, least bad) way to adjust my programming so I can make some progress toward returning to the 5RMs I was at in April?

Here is what I’ve been attempting:
The standard starting strength novice linear progression, M/W/F. This means I workout (at 4:00am), then I drive to work (at 5:30am) and do an hour of Army exercises. That interferes with recovery. It also requires me to wake up about 90 minutes earlier on those days, thereby preventing me from getting enough sleep (I get 6 hours). I can’t go to bed any earlier. I get home late from work and have two toddlers to feed, bathe, and put to bed, and then clean the kitchen, do dishes, etc.

I’m thinking of spreading my workouts out a bit (to save time and allow me to sleep an extra 30-45 min/day), and cutting back on volume (to aid in recovery). But I wonder if this is enough volume or frequency.
Monday: bench (3 sets of 5)
Tuesday: squat (3 sets of 5)
Thursday: press (3 sets of 5)
Friday: deadlift (1 set of 5)
Saturday: Pullups and dips

Any tips?

[Mark Rippetoe]

Sounds like a dietary problem. Tell us about that.

[timmathews]

Daily:
80oz water
60oz milk (with protein powder)
4 servings fruit
4 servings veggies
Bowl of oatmeal (no sugar)
2 cups yogurt (oikos)
Lean meat for lunch, snack, and dinner (usually pork or chicken, sometimes beef)
Sides sometimes include sweet potato and pasta made from chickpea
No more than 300mg caffeine

Average 225-250g protein and 3500-4000 calories

[Mark Rippetoe]

This looks really exciting. Why the low fat? Aerobic shit uses fat.

[timmathews]

I figured the whole milk and whatever is in the meat would be enough fat.

But I hadn’t thought about it that much because it worked… until I started with all of the cardio. I figured my current problem was just too little sleep and too much pointless cardio.

I’ve got no problem adding more fat, and will give that a try. Peanut butter isn’t expensive.

[Mark Rippetoe]

Too little sleep and pointless cardio is the problem, but addressing it is the issue. Eat a jar of peanut butter every day and see what happens.