Two-Lift a Day for the Post-Novice Master

[MashedTaters]

Question: if you have geezers still doing chins, are they programmed 3X/2 weeks like lat pull downs?

Thanks!

Ok, my question was posed during a bout of senility. The answer is obvious. Please disregard.

[DrewBliss]

by Scott Acosta

Nearly all of my clients are Masters Athletes; 80% are over the age of 40, with 46% over the age of 50 and my oldest is 67 years old. The Masters population is arguably the most challenging to train. I constantly have to work around a blunted recovery capacity and the typical age-related issues. I also have to face reality: the overwhelming majority of my clients aren't prepared to do everything necessary to maximize their results. Insufficient diets, busy work schedules, vacations, illness, and family obligations have to be worked around.

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Scott,

I thought you may be interested to know about a 34 y/o male who has adopted the bare bones of your program. Yes, I am that 34 y/o guy.

Some context...

I work as a cop in a major metropolitan area, have a 3 year old and a baby on the way. I have several other factors including a work schedule that changes every 4 weeks and possible Chronic Fatigue Syndrome diagnosis which seem to inhibit my recovery especially when it relates to volume. Life stress baseline is very high. I average about 8 hours sleep a night and 180grams protein per day. I'm 5'9 and weigh 235. Right now I'm trying to keep a sort of linear progression going on your program after having gone back on vanilla SS NLP for a few weeks recently with the following:

'A' day = Bench 3x5, Squat 3x5
'B' day = Press 3x5, Deadlift 1x5

My current schedule and program
M OFF A day, Tabata Conditioning (45/15) on C2 Rower- 10 min (350watts+ on the 15 sec)
T Work
W Work Light B day(80% of last session)
Th Work Chins; 3 x AMRAP with 3 min rest, C2 Rower- 10 min
F Work
Sa OFF A day, Barbell Rows 3 x 8
Su OFF BJJ 60 to 90 min
M OFF B day, C2 Rower- 10 min
T Work
W Work Light A day(80% of last session)
Th Work Chins; 3 x AMRAP with 3 min rest, C2 Rower- 10 min
F Work
Sa OFF B day, Barbell Rows 3 x 8
Su OFF BJJ 60 to 90 min


I've had some moderate success with this over the past 3 weeks and hit 3x5 PRs on Squat(375) and Bench press(225) and a 1x5 PR on deadlift(405). Press is lagging behind but I should tie a PR soon. I plan to stay on this program as long as possible as it works well with my schedule when it changes and I have fewer days off between work weeks.

Thank you for the program!

[Scott.Acosta]

I'm glad you've been able to modify it to meet your needs.
Although I originally used this program for older lifters I have since used it on the not-so-old and even teenagers. Basically, it's useful for those who have recovery issues or can't afford to train longer than an hour, 3 times a week. So, don't feel so bad about being "that 34 year old guy".
good job on the sleep. Get your protein up to 250 grams a day. you'll be glad you did. I know chronic fatigue can inhibit appetite. It's a pain in the ass, but it has to be done. Also, don't hesitate to sacrifice some of your conditioning work to add pounds to the bar. Your BJJ will provide plenty of conditioning.
Good luck!

[ggbats]

Scott,

Great article. This type of program helps so many of us with having to deal with our different work and home situations.

My question for you concerns the viability of a one (1) lift a day workout program. Having you ever programmed that type of workout for a client?

I'm 60 years old and work 85 to 90 hours a week in the professional sports industry (baseball). Can a person of my age make progress on such a modified program?

Because of my age and issues from a serious car accident in 2005 it seems to take me longer to warm-up (especially on Squats) than the normal five (5) warmup sets. So my traditional Starting Strength workout was taking up to one and half hours to complete.

Example of such a workout:
Monday - Squats (3x5)
Tuesday - Rogue Bike HIIT intervals
Wednesday - Press (3x5)
Friday - Deadlift (1x5)
Saturday - Bench (3x5)

Thanks again for the great content.

[Ridgeback303]

Thank you for this article. I plan to use the info for myself, after a long layoff from training. 58yr old female, various orthopedic challenges including right TKR.

How do you suggest modifying the set-rep plan for older females? I already use the 5x3 plan, once I get back up to "real" weight.