Intermediate programming

[Jovan Dragisic]

Age: 38
Weight: 98 kg / 215Lb
Height: 5'11''

Pr's:

1) Squat: 150 Kg / 330 Lb - 3 reps - 1 set
2) Deadlift: 167.5 Kg / 368.5 Lb -3 reps - 1 set
3) OHP: 74 Kg / 162.8 Lb - 3 reps - 3 sets
4) Bench: 120 Kg / 264 Lb - 3 reps - 3 sets

I'm 5,'9'', 110 kg and 39 years old. By not doing the program, this is where I am now:

Squat: 170 kg for three sets of five
Deadlift: 190 for a tripple, then two singles
Press: 85 kg for five sets of three
Bench: 120 kg for three sets of three, working towards five sets

So at 10 kg more than you my total is like 40 kg ahead. Plus you got three inches on me, so I am probably a lot fatter than you. I am putting these numbers out there to show you you have complicated your programming far too soon. By not doing the program, I mean that I am doing a bastardized NLP in which I do my A and B days. A days are squats, benches and chins, B days are presses, deadlifts and chins. Three days a week. Sometimes I will fail the lifts, so I repeat them on the next workout, but I am still adding weight to the bar every workout. My guess is I can push my squat to 185 kg before I do anything fancy with it. Your upper body lifts are not bad, but your squats and deadlifts can go up significantly from where they are now if you will just eat more and push it harder.

[PatricioMelendezCongrains]

Hi John,

I have a job, no family just a girlfriend. I have read the book and I am doing it again now. I am going to try the split routine, and update here on my results. Today is going to be my first volume day. Thanks for the replies.

[dalan]

By not doing the program, I mean that I am doing a bastardized NLP in which I do my A and B days. A days are squats, benches and chins, B days are presses, deadlifts and chins. Three days a week.

I really like this. Due to my age (56) and my job, which is manual labor, often in the Florida heat, it's becoming quickly apparent that squatting three times a week is going to be unrecoverable very soon even though I'm just a few weeks in. And squatting and pulling on the same day is difficult when I'm so wiped out from work that training at all is a massive undertaking. Unfortunately, due to life shit, I must train on work days. Thanks for the idea.

[Jovan Dragisic]

I don't have the perfectly understandable reasons you do, I am just a lazy fuck.

[francesco.decaro]

Hi John,

I have a job, no family just a girlfriend. I have read the book and I am doing it again now. I am going to try the split routine, and update here on my results. Today is going to be my first volume day. Thanks for the replies.

I agree with Jovan, you did not finish your NLP yet, and changing your programming messed up your stress and stopped your adaptation. I would say the best thing is to set your loads back to what they were before you started changing your programming, and keep running the NLP as written in the book, keeping in mind the first 3 questions and always making sure technique is on point. My bet is you'll get better numbers than Jovan has now, especially if you put on a few lbs.
Your press and bench press are at intermediate level for sure, but squat and deadlift have some room to grow and need to go back to 5 reps.
Just follow exactly what is says in the grey book, including the Late Novice programming changes.

Going to a seminar would be great for you!