How to switch to Intermediate Programming

[Danny Pham]

Hi,

I think I may have hit the end of my NLP and am looking to transition to Intermediate Programming. I've read Practical Programming and think I want to transition to a Split Routine for logistical reasons.

My current numbers:
Age: 24
Height: 183cm / 6'
Weight: 96kg / 212lb
Squat: 167.5kg / 369lb x 5
Bench: 100kg / 220lb x 5
Press: 62.5kg / 138lb x 5 x 5 or 70kg/154lb x 1 x 10
Deadlift: 150kg / 331lb x 5

I've currently exhausted the Advanced Novice program changes, and I am doing the Compressed Texas Method for my Bench and Press.

Currently:
- I've failed Squat 170kg/375lb three sessions in a row.
- I've failed Intensity Bench 102.5kg/226lb two sessions in a row (I think because I just feel exhausted after Intensity Press)
- I've failed Intensity Press 72.5kg/160lb two sessions in a row
- Deadlift keeps failing every other session or so.

My question/s: What's the best course of action in this case? I was thinking of possible doing the Four Day Texas Method (Version #2) as it seems to maintain the style of the Compressed Texas Method, or should I do something less intense like Version #1 because my Intensity Bench is being affected by Intensity Press I believe? How much would I reset my weights by before entering these programs? How would I deal with my deadlift still being far behind my squat?

[Satch12879]

You need to then start transitioning out of advanced novice programming. Have you read Nick's articles/listened to his discussions with Ray about intermediate programming? That deadlift/squat ratio is suspicious.

At 6' tall, you could stand to be 10-15 pounds heavier.

[Maybach]

The First Three Questions | Mark Rippetoe


You are underweight. You need to eat more.

How would I deal with my deadlift still being far behind my squat?

Deadlift heavier weights. Everything you are experiencing is downstream of your deadlift being excessively light.


These numbers except for the squat are very light. I would bet anything your squat is high (you would have to be a large outlier to be able to squat 375 but unable to bench press 225).


Ideally you don't reset your weights at all. If you need some runup, you can give yourself a two week "on ramp", but these weights are light enough that Texas method is almost certainly not going to work for you: a 200 pound bench doesn't even tickle. The fact that you can't lift 225 after a 165 pound press points to recovery being an issue.


The same thing goes for a 331 pound deadlift. 331x5 is not hard to recover from. If you can't do that at least twice a week, you are fucking up your recovery, not your programming.


Post a video of your squat/get it to correct depth, pull twice a week to get your deadlift heavy. Are you power cleaning? The power clean is not optional.

[SouthernLifter]

It is very well explained in the grey book
But it, it won't decept you.

[Danny Pham]

Have you read Nick's articles/listened to his discussions with Ray about intermediate programming? That deadlift/squat ratio is suspicious.

I haven't read all the articles, but I have watched the podcast where Nick discusses transitioning to intermediate programming. I'm currently following the deadlifing setup described in that podcast i.e. Monday is lighter deadlift (I do 80% of my last heavy), Wednesday is heavy deadift, and Thursday is chinups. Deadlifts just feel on and off for me, some days I feel strong in it, other days it feels like I'm only using my hamstrings and feel weak.

[Danny Pham]

You are underweight. You need to eat more.





Deadlift heavier weights. Everything you are experiencing is downstream of your deadlift being excessively light.


These numbers except for the squat are very light. I would bet anything your squat is high (you would have to be a large outlier to be able to squat 375 but unable to bench press 225).


Ideally you don't reset your weights at all. If you need some runup, you can give yourself a two week "on ramp", but these weights are light enough that Texas method is almost certainly not going to work for you: a 200 pound bench doesn't even tickle. The fact that you can't lift 225 after a 165 pound press points to recovery being an issue.


The same thing goes for a 331 pound deadlift. 331x5 is not hard to recover from. If you can't do that at least twice a week, you are fucking up your recovery, not your programming.


Post a video of your squat/get it to correct depth, pull twice a week to get your deadlift heavy. Are you power cleaning? The power clean is not optional.

I don't track what I eat consistently, but the couple times I've tracked I've eaten 3000-4000 calories a day, and the days I gym I usually get around 150-200g of protein (although days I don't gym I likely get less than 150g).

I mean I am trying to deadlift heavier, I just keep hitting plateaus.

I'll make another post on the Form Check forum for my squat and deadlift, and post a link here when its up.

I haven't been power cleaning for a couple months because of a back injury that I think was caused by constant bad form while doing them. My back is recovered now, but just paranoid about it possibly happening again, so haven't gone back to power cleaning yet.

[Jason Donaldson]

I don't track what I eat consistently, but the couple times I've tracked I've eaten 3000-4000 calories a day, and the days I gym I usually get around 150-200g of protein (although days I don't gym I likely get less than 150g).

I mean I am trying to deadlift heavier, I just keep hitting plateaus.

By all means, get those form checks. But that said, if you're underweight (and you are), then the practices you use that have given you those spot-check results need correction. You need more protein than you're getting - you want 200g minimum. Being underweight, you need more calories than you're getting.

An easy way to ease into tracking nutrition is to start tracking protein. Then make sure you get more of that, and that will bring in more calories - consider what changing nothing but adding a single intake of 75 g or protein per day would mean. Consider it medicine, not eating, and just take it, and you've got the protein AND the 300 cal + whatever other calories come with your protein source.

You cannot out-train a defective diet, for either weight gain or weight loss.

[Maybach]

"Hitting plateaus" is not a well defined phenomenon. What happens when you put 335 on tomorrow?

If your squats are high, then nothing, including the deadlifts, will move until you correct those, so that might just be the problem.

How you feel about your deadlift is unimportant. We need to know what missing reps looks like. Are you still double overhanding them? If so, switch to straps and hook grip.

Telling us how much you eat isn't really relevant. You need to be eating more than you are. "150-200 grams, less on off days" isn't going to cut it.

[Danny Pham]

Here were the form videos:
Squat Form Check
Deadlift Form Check