Can I run SS even tho i have experience lifting?

[phjuanse]

So, I was in BB forum and someone told me that i cant run SS because i need to have 0 experience lifting. Is it true? I have been training for 2 years.

My numbers:
DL: 205lbs*3*5 (i did a reset 2 weeks ago so i probably can lift more than that.)
Squat: 205*3*5
Bench: 140*3*517 years old.

171 cm - 15-16% fat

[Nicholas Rega]

The novice program isn’t necessarily only for individuals who have no experience lifting barbells. Without knowing what you did for those two years, I really can’t say for sure if the novice program will get you results. Those numbers aren’t very high, but we don’t categorize a lifter by their total, but rather their sensitivity to training and the time it takes for an adaptation to occur.

Let’s get some more info from you.
Gender: ?
Age: 17
Height: 5’7” (171 cm)
Bodyweight: ?
Waist Circumference: ?
A brief description of your training history and how you responded.
Your goals.

[phjuanse]

The novice program isn’t necessarily only for individuals who have no experience lifting barbells. Without knowing what you did for those two years, I really can’t say for sure if the novice program will get you results. Those numbers aren’t very high, but we don’t categorize a lifter by their total, but rather their sensitivity to training and the time it takes for an adaptation to occur.

Let’s get some more info from you.
Gender: ?
Age: 17
Height: 5’7” (171 cm)
Bodyweight: ?
Waist Circumference: ?
A brief description of your training history and how you responded.
Your goals.

Male.
155-156 lbs.
88-90 cm.
16% Body fat

Well, i have been training for two years just for aesthetics, but never achieved my goal. So basically all i did in the past two years are a few bro-splits and one fullbody program.

Right now im doing another fullbody program, Fierce 5, all i want is a combination of aesthetics and strength, so Fierce 5 is good to increase strength and have a aesthetic body, but there is many people telling me that i should do SS because it will give me a good strength base, but my biggest fear is to get fatter with SS

[Nicholas Rega]

Male.
155-156 lbs.
88-90 cm.
16% Body fat

...there is many people telling me that i should do SS because it will give me a good strength base, but my biggest fear is to get fatter with SS

Looking at all those numbers, I think you absolutely should run the novice linear progression program. As for aesthetics, I can guarantee that you will look better by the time you are finished with lp. You will only get fat if you engage in an unrestricted caloric surplus. I do want you to gain weight, and yes, some of that weight will be bodyfat, but we can skew this by paying attention to your waistline and your weight gain rate. You should start by increasing your calories by 1,000. Monitor your wasteline and weight gain. I recommend throwing a nutrition check under the nutrition section. RD/Coach Robert Santana will steer you in the right direction.

Does this make sense? Do you have any other concerns?

[phjuanse]

Looking at all those numbers, I think you absolutely should run the novice linear progression program. As for aesthetics, I can guarantee that you will look better by the time you are finished with lp. You will only get fat if you engage in an unrestricted caloric surplus. I do want you to gain weight, and yes, some of that weight will be bodyfat, but we can skew this by paying attention to your waistline and your weight gain rate. You should start by increasing your calories by 1,000. Monitor your wasteline and weight gain. I recommend throwing a nutrition check under the nutrition section. RD/Coach Robert Santana will steer you in the right direction.

Does this make sense? Do you have any other concerns?

Thanks man!!! Im taking this week as a deload just to think what im going to do next. Like told u before im doing Fierce 5 and is really a good routine but the progression is slower, but it also gives me a more rounded physique. My fear is that if I do SS i will lose me bicep, tricep and back (because there is no isolation exercises for them), also that they will not grow.

[Nicholas Rega]

...im doing Fierce 5 and is really a good routine but the progression is slower, but it also gives me a more rounded physique. My fear is that if I do SS i will lose me bicep, tricep and back (because there is no isolation exercises for them), also that they will not grow.

Fierce 5 is not going to give you a more rounded physique right now. There are more movements in that program, but more does not equal better. I want you to use fewer movements so that you can put more energy to those movements that will do more for your physique. Are RDL’s, cable pull downs, and isolated abs work completely useless? No, but those exercises are to be used later when you become more resistant to training. The SS novice linear progression template does not last forever. In fact it works for, generally, 3 months. Once you finish lp, you can move onto a more complex program.
Your fear of losing size is illogical. You will likely grow your triceps through benching and pressing. Your back will also get bigger through deadlifts, rows, and chin-ups. Your biceps may grow from rows and chin-ups, or we may need to add in some curls at some point.

Given your training history and goals, this is how I would program your lp:

Workout A
Low bar squat 3x5
Dynamic press 3x5
Conventional deadlift 1x5

Workout B
Low bar squat 3x5
Bench press 3x5
Conventional deadlift 1x5

You will alternate these workouts every time you train 3 days a week.
So in a two weeks period it will look something like this:
Monday: Workout A
Tuesday: Recovery
Wednesday: Workout B
Thursday: Recovery
Friday: Workout A
Saturday: Recovery
Sunday: Recovery
Monday: Workout B
Tuesday: Recovery
Wednesday: Workout A
Thursday: Recovery
Friday: Workout B
Saturday: Recovery
Sunday: Recovery

On day 1 and 3 of the week, you will also train chin-ups. How many chin-ups can you do now?

After the initial 2-4 weeks, when the deadlift is getting a lot heavier, ahead of your squat, or you begin missing reps, we will throw in supinated-grip pendlay rows for 3x8.

So now your training looks like:

First Workout of the Week
Low bar squat 3x5
Dynamic Press/Bench Press 3x5 (these continue to alternate)
Conventional deadlift 1x5
Chin-up Training

Second Workout of the Week
Low bar squat 3x5
Dynamic Press/Bench Press 3x5
Supinated-grip Pendlay Rows 3x8

Third Workout of the Week
Low bar squat 3x5
Dynamic Press/Bench Press 3x5
Conventional deadlift 1x5
Chin-up Training

If, after a couple weeks of your second phase, you objectively do not see bicep growth, you may add barbell curls 3x10 at the end of your second workout of the week.

Last, I want you to realize that I’m looking at the big picture. The program isn’t going to transform your physique into that of an IBFF competitor, but you need to gain a lot more muscle mass, and using compound movements is the best way to gain lots of muscle. Mechanical tension is also the key driver in hypertrophy, so getting stronger should be a physique chaser’s priority, especially as a novice. If you have visible abs, you will lose them, but this is a necessity. They will also get a hypertrophic response to this training, and later, once you have put on a good amount of mass, you can cut down. If you try to stay small focusing on isolation movements and “rounding out” your physique, you’re going to spin your wheels.

How does that sound?