NLP Female Lifter

[Roy Thomas]

33 yo, 135 lbs, 5'3, female. She is a physical therapist that works with memory care patients. No prior experience, eating 110-120 grams of protein per day with 1600-1800 calories. Bold indicates missed reps.

Starting Weights
Squat - 85x5x3
Press - 43x5x3
Bench - 70x5x3
Deadlift - 135x5x3

03/20
(Squat) 95x5x3
(Bench) 75x5x3
(Deadlift) 140x5x3
03/22
(Squat) 100x5x3
(Press) 48x5x3
(Deadlift) 145x5,5,3
03/24
(Squat) 105x5x3
(Bench) 80x5x3
(Deadlift) 150x5

03/27
(Squat) 110x5x3
(Press) 53x5x3
(Deadlift) 155x5
03/29
(Squat) 115x5x3
(Bench) 82.5x5x3 (I believe this was a mistake, I think I should've gone to 3's and continued with 5 pounds jumps.)
(Deadlift) 160x5
03/31 Vacation

04/03
(Squat) 120x5x3
(Press) 55.5x5x3
(Deadlift) 165x5
04/05
(Squat) 125x5x3
(Bench) 85x5x3
(Deadlift) 170x2
04/07
(Squat) 130x3x5 (switched to 3's)
(Press) 58x5x3
Chins 5,5,3

04/10
(Squat) 135x3x5
(Bench) 90x3x5 (Realized my previous mistake, corrected it)
(Deadlift) 170x3x2
04/12
(Squat) 140x3,3,3,2,2
(Press) 63x3x5
Chins 6,6,5
04/14
(Squat) 140x3x5
(Bench) 95x3x5
(Deadlift) 175x3x2

04/17
(Squat) 145x3,3,2,3,3
(Press) 68x3,3,2,3,3
Chins 6,6,5
04/19
(Squat) 130x5x3 (light day)
(Bench) 105x3,2,3,1,1 (This was a big fuckup. Misloaded the bar and didn't notice until the whole thing was done, I am certain she would've got the intended 100lbs)
(Deadlift) 180x3,2

We're getting some flexion in her deadlift since the 160lb mark. Her technique is solid in the other 3 lifts, she just tends to stop pushing WAY to early sometimes.

Should I be loading her Deadlift/squat with 2.5lb jumps? Am I doing anything egregiously wrong in her programming? Thank you for taking the time to read my long ass post.

[heinz83]

If she's missing her first squat set shes starting the day with an empty tank (not recovered) or has some major form creep. Also the 68 lb press attempt was too heavy, should have been 65.5.

[heinz83]

My mistake - I see now the 3's were planned. Still, recovery seems to be the issue. It's quite early to be switching to 3's and adding a light squat day. This will accomplish nothing if she can't recover. 135g of protein daily minimum, and twice that in carbs. A big breakfast at Cracker Barrel each morning. Also check sleep and form. And now that I think about it, the missed rep days are approximately 30 days apart. It has been recommended that women take a light week every month if necessary, for reasons obvious to women.

[Roy Thomas]

Thank you. She does have a hard time coming to the gym fed. I reread an article or two and rewatched SSR #76 and I think I've figured out what to do

[tiny&mighty]

Not an expert, but during my own NLP, I started using 2.5lbs jumps on the squat when it reached about 1 X BW.

FWIW, I haven't found 2.5lbs jumps particularly helpful for the DL. A grip strength issue seems likely. Unpopular opinion: have her use a women's bar and see what happens.

[HailMary]

How much longer do you think she will be able to do 10 pound jumps per week on the lower body lifts and 5 pound jumps on the upper body lifts? This has been 6 weeks, is that right? Has she put on any weight? Where do you think her lifts are going to be, at the end of her NLP? Does she hate training yet?

[Roy Thomas]

Not an expert, but during my own NLP, I started using 2.5lbs jumps on the squat when it reached about 1 X BW.

FWIW, I haven't found 2.5lbs jumps particularly helpful for the DL. A grip strength issue seems likely. Unpopular opinion: have her use a women's bar and see what happens.

Thank you. 2.5lb jumps on the squat are a good idea. I'll put her on the 33lb bar for the DL now. Have you found a lighter workload during the week before menstruation to be helpful? I haven't heard anybody in SS talk about this but I've found some resources that seem to think it's a good idea.

How much longer do you think she will be able to do 10 pound jumps per week on the lower body lifts and 5 pound jumps on the upper body lifts? This has been 6 weeks, is that right? Has she put on any weight? Where do you think her lifts are going to be, at the end of her NLP? Does she hate training yet?

Both are done now. I'm not sure where her lifts will be, she doesn't want to eat and she's lost 3 pounds. I'm gonna ask her how she feels about training tonight and go from there, client retention is a high priority, so I have to toe the line between effective and fun.

[Mark Rippetoe]

This kind of client retention will cost you clients in the long run. Think about it.

[tiny&mighty]

I'll put her on the 33lb bar for the DL now.

Cool. I could not hold a standard barbell beyond 150lbs. The women's bar enabled me to make it to 225lbs without straps. I then switched back to a standard barbell.

Have you found a lighter workload during the week before menstruation to be helpful?

I haven't found my periods to have any influence on my training, but mine are rather uneventful.

2.5lb jumps on the squat are a good idea.

I know that micro-loading is frowned upon here, but for us small ladies, they are an absolute must. I also believe that we are better off micro-loading too early than too late. On the press, I started using 1b jumps very early into my NLP, before reaching a 60lbs press, while sticking with 3 X 5. I then switched to 5 X 3 at about 75lbs. For the bench I started using 1.5lbs jumps in the mid-80s and 1lb jumps in the high 90s, all for 5 X 3. I am still using 1lb jumps on both lifts in my intermediate programming.

For a new lifter, there's is also a psychological component to it. If I can do Xlbs for 5 X 3, I know that I can manage X+2.5lbs for at least one rep during the next training session. It makes unracking the heaviest weight I've ever squatted a lot less scary. Call me a pussy, but I am terrified every time I unrack a new weight. If she's anything like me, 2.5lbs jumps help with that.

she doesn't want to eat

If she is open to gaining weight and has a bird-like appetite like mine, I recommend LOMAD: one liter of low-fat milk a day. It's cheap and easy to do, and it won't turn her into a 600lbs sister. My BW got up 5lbs but my BF remained roughly the same (as far as I can tell anyway).

[Roy Thomas]

This kind of client retention will cost you clients in the long run. Think about it.

No doubt. My obligation is to make her strong.

Cool. I could not hold a standard barbell beyond 150lbs. The women's bar enabled me to make it to 225lbs without straps. I then switched back to a standard barbell.

The Bella bar is doing wonders, thank you.

I haven't found my periods to have any influence on my training, but mine are rather uneventful.

Understood. I'm finding conflicting data on this, plus the data that can be found isn't measuring helpful metrics for this activity. Gonna look at this on a case-by-case basis.

I know that micro-loading is frowned upon here, but for us small ladies, they are an absolute must.

If that ain't the truth. 1lb press jumps, 2.5lb on the bench (probably down to 1.5lb soon), and the 2.5 on the Squat/DL are working.

If she is open to gaining weight and has a bird-like appetite like mine, I recommend LOMAD

I will discuss this with her.