4 day split for strength and size

[Weakadvanced]

I don't understand what does downhill biking, rock climbing, calisthenics, kettlebell training and handstand practice have to do with aesthetics but serve yourself They may have in common the fact that those sports, except for kettlebel training are more fun me being 200 than 250 pounds Although I understand that me being 250 or more creates better condition for developing maximal strength. Thanks

Hi Jason, right on point. Understood. I will think about it. Thank you for a thorough answer.
Have a good day.

[Matt James]

Can you clarify, are the numbers you listed maxes, or what you're doing for 5x5?

[alexmunropga@gmail.com]

I started intermediate training because I thought I am intermediate since I already carry around 35 pounds of mass more than I would weigh without training, could do 2BW DL which I thought was considered generally intermediate and also as I wrote above, I really prefer having 4 training a week. I am going to read the book again, the novice part mainly Do I get it right that in the starting strength world there is no way for me to train 4 days a week on SS principles with my numbers?
About worrying about the scales - the weight on the bar is my primar focus, I just don't want to get too fat to lift heavy. And don't get me wrong, I eat more than 4000 calories and 200 - 220g protein a day.
Thanks for your reply.

You are only an intermediate when you cannot progress workout to workout, and if you eat correctly for performance, you can still add weight to the bar workout to workout.

Also I hate to sound like a dick, but 2x bodyweight deadlift at 200lbs is not considered overly strong. It’s strongER absolutely, but not strong. At 200lbs you could be pulling 500lb+ if you do the NLP and gain some weight.

But look, it’s your training at the end of the day, do what you want to do, but if strength is truly your goal, then you need to re think things.

[Weakadvanced]

Hi, yes, it is maximum I can do for 5 reps with good form. I can probably squeeze out one more ugly rep.

Yeah, when I read the book first I was pretty sure I will fail to progress workout to workout. I see now that maybe it is still possible. What was confusing to me were so parts of description of novice - novice will improve his Benchpres riding a bike, novice can't do the lifts with proper form etc. Now, reading the book again as suggested by you people, I see some missed parts about being novice regardless of the level of fitness.
Regarding the 2BW DL, I never said it is strong, but that I thought it is generally considered intermediate. But I get it now.

Sorry, I realized I missunderstood your question. Numbers listed in my original post are 1 RM.
What I currrently lift for 5RM is this.
BP - 5RM - 90 kg
DL - 3RM - 165kg
Press - 5RM - 55kg
Squat 5RM - 110kg
Clean 3RM - 75kg

Sorry, I can't convert to pounds now.

[francesco.decaro]

I don't understand what does downhill biking, rock climbing, calisthenics, kettlebell training and handstand practice have to do with aesthetics but serve yourself They may have in common the fact that those sports, except for kettlebel training are more fun me being 200 than 250 pounds Although I understand that me being 250 or more creates better condition for developing maximal strength. Thanks

Hi Jason, right on point. Understood. I will think about it. Thank you for a thorough answer.
Have a good day.

Those activities either require you to artificially keep your bodyweight under a certain amount or make you more focused with aesthetics than performance (nobody wants to see you pistol squatting with belly fat, everyone who does calisthenics is always shredded, stuff like that, these are pictures that get in your mind and are hard to get rid of).

But the point is, you asked to review your programming plan, where you are planning stuff 5 weeks in advance, because you have wrongly evaluated yourself to be an intermediate or advanced lifter.
When in reality what you did, and are still doing, is randomly changing your program every month or two. You haven't actually done an NLP.
So if your goal is strength and size, drop all the nonsense, read the Novice chapter again, and do the NLP until it actually runs out. Along the way you will realize what is a good bodyweight for you based on performance, rather than looks. You can read the article called A Clarification, for more explanation, and The First Three Questions for when you get stuck.

If on the other hand you just wanna have fun with your activities and keep your BF% as your top priority, this is not the program for you and you can keep jumping from one to the other.

[Matt James]

Hi, yes, it is maximum I can do for 5 reps with good form. I can probably squeeze out one more ugly rep.

Yeah, when I read the book first I was pretty sure I will fail to progress workout to workout. I see now that maybe it is still possible. What was confusing to me were so parts of description of novice - novice will improve his Benchpres riding a bike, novice can't do the lifts with proper form etc. Now, reading the book again as suggested by you people, I see some missed parts about being novice regardless of the level of fitness.
Regarding the 2BW DL, I never said it is strong, but that I thought it is generally considered intermediate. But I get it now.

Sorry, I realized I missunderstood your question. Numbers listed in my original post are 1 RM.
What I currrently lift for 5RM is this.
BP - 5RM - 90 kg
DL - 3RM - 165kg
Press - 5RM - 55kg
Squat 5RM - 110kg
Clean 3RM - 75kg

Sorry, I can't convert to pounds now.

Being a novice simply means that you can add weight to the bar each session. Do the novice linear progression as written, ditch the assistance work for now, and eat and sleep, and see where your numbers are at in a few months.

[Weakadvanced]

I think you've made your point man, let's drop it.
Let's not get into the discussion what is artificial - what you wrote or drinking a gallon of milk a day to bulk.
I came here with respect for the advice and I got a good ones from your colleaques.

Have a good day.

[Weakadvanced]

You are only an intermediate when you cannot progress workout to workout, and if you eat correctly for performance, you can still add weight to the bar workout to workout.

Also I hate to sound like a dick, but 2x bodyweight deadlift at 200lbs is not considered overly strong. It’s strongER absolutely, but not strong. At 200lbs you could be pulling 500lb+ if you do the NLP and gain some weight.

But look, it’s your training at the end of the day, do what you want to do, but if strength is truly your goal, then you need to re think things.

Yeah, sure. I missunderstood my level in the terminology of starting strength. Still not 100% convinced, but I guess I have to try to find out.

Thanks

[Weakadvanced]

I can tell you from experience that following feelings does not get you strong, beyond general novice effect gains. Focusing on fondness for lifting is understandable...but it is prioritizing how you feel today, not on results over time. In other words, to use the technical terms as SS defines them, you are exercising, not training. If that's what you want, then all well and good. However, that's not training, and it's not getting you as strong as you could be.

The 4 day split as presented in the books is there to divide the workload once you have exhausted the novice linear progression. In other words, when you're at a point that recovery (within the workout and outside of it) is driving the change. Until you get there, you are better served by submitting to the program. You've made progress - that's great. But you can certainly make more, by leaning into the NLP.

Intermediate and advanced programming is for when they're thrust upon you. They aren't goals. See Who Wants to be a Novice? You Do | Mark Rippetoe .

If the NLP isn't scratching your workout itch, the question becomes, what is your purpose in the gym? Do you want to exercise? Cool - do that. But your questions and statements ("My goals are strength, health and also aesthetics", "Do you see this as a viable plan? Isn't there too much volume, or too much or little something else? Am I missing something from the book?") entail training for strength. The answers you're getting here center on the purpose of this community, which is to train for strength. To do that requires focus on the goal, which is the point of the NLP, and ultimately of the modifications to the NLP that come naturally when they have to.

Does that help?

Sorry, I probably inserted my reply to your post to other reply. So here once more :

Hi Jason, right on point. Understood. I will think about it. Thank you for a thorough answer.
Have a good day.

[Weakadvanced]

Hi, I feel I owe this forum an apology. You were right in answers to my mostly stupid question. I got pretty good results following starting strength and learned valuable lessons about strength training. I appreciate your work