Am I too advanced for the NLP?

[jtnolen91]

I’m currently reading Starting Strength, so I apologize if this is addressed in their and haven’t got to it yet. But I’m pretty experienced with strength training, competed in multiple powerlifting meets from 2015-2017, but then dialed back to train endurance and CrossFit.

I’ve been back to strength training now for nearly a year and wanting to get back on the platform. I have some nagging form issues I need to fix with my lifts (back rounding on deadlifts at heavier weights, not staying tight on bench), should I give the NLP a try in hopes of my strength going up with better technique? Or am I too advanced to benefit from it? Currently 6’3” 253 lbs, squat 405, bench 300, deadlift 545. Thanks in advance.

[Maybach]

If you have never done an NLP, you are still a novice for most purposes.

Depending on how intelligently you have been training, you might only get a few weeks of progress out of the NLP. But this will give you the required basis of data to begin altering your programming towards intermediate.

If I were you, I would reset my weights so that you reach your current numbers in two or three weeks. Don't deadlift every workout: introduce the power clean on your bench days. Depending on your current squat programming, you might start with a light squat day (80% on Wednesdays). Factor this into your adjustment. So if, for example, your current 5rm squat is 405, if you are squatting without a light day, you would squat 375 on Monday, 380 on Wednesday, etc., culminating in a 405 in two weeks, followed by PRs that Wednesday and Friday. If you start squatting with a light day, start at 385, increasing by 5 on Friday, culminating in a PR on the third Friday and every Monday and Friday after that.

(To be clear: you don't say if these are 5s or 1rm. When I say "reach your current numbers" I mean reach your current 5s. So if your 5rm for the squat is 405, plan to be squatting 405x5x3 in two or three weeks. If your 5rm is 345, then 345x5x3 is your target)

This should at least get you those two or three weeks. See how many weeks you can get out of this. I wouldn't be surprised if you got double whatever your reset is at least. If you're unlucky you might only get ONE extra week. Depending on When the time comes make the requisite adjustments towards intermediate programming as outlined in the Grey book.

A caveat: you don't sound as if you have read the Grey book. That's the important one for programming. Read that and compare it to your current training. You might find you are mostly executing an intermediate program (these numbers are respectable enough that you are probably not doing anything too stupid). If you are capable of making these connections, resetting to run an NLP may not be entirely necessary. The main utility of trying to run an NLP is to bring your training in line with the programming model in an automatic and empirical fashion (i.e., removing excessice volume, establishing rates of increase, etc.) If you have carefully designed your programming to begin with, it might be possible to skip this step. But we don't necessarily know that you have.

[jtnolen91]

Thank you for all of that, very helpful.

Those are my 1RM numbers. I’ve not read the grey book yet, I thought the blue book was the first one to read, so I’ll blaze through it and get the grey book.

My current program involves working up to a heavy single (not a max), and then doing back off sets of 5-6 based on what the single was for the day. I do this once per week for squat and deadlift, and twice per week for bench. Then I’m doing barbell accessories for 3x5 and progressing them 5 lbs per workout. I’m not sure whether that constitutes an intermediate program or not.

[Maybach]

The Blue Book is first, and more important, since it treats the way the lifts are actually done. Doing the lifts with correct technique and bad programming is preferable to doing the lifts wrong but programmed perfectly.

If you drop the singles, up your volume to 3x5, drop the accessories, and incorporate the press and the power clean on alternate days, you are basically doing an NLP. Just do that and see how far it gets you.

You have plenty of real estate between your squat and deadlift, which is preferable to the inverse. Take this as an opportunity to close that gap to closer to 50 than 150.

[jtnolen91]

Again, very helpful, thank you sir! I will give that a go

[SouthernLifter]

I’m currently reading Starting Strength, so I apologize if this is addressed in their and haven’t got to it yet. But I’m pretty experienced with strength training, competed in multiple powerlifting meets from 2015-2017, but then dialed back to train endurance and CrossFit.

I’ve been back to strength training now for nearly a year and wanting to get back on the platform. I have some nagging form issues I need to fix with my lifts (back rounding on deadlifts at heavier weights, not staying tight on bench), should I give the NLP a try in hopes of my strength going up with better technique? Or am I too advanced to benefit from it? Currently 6’3” 253 lbs, squat 405, bench 300, deadlift 545. Thanks in advance.

The only way to know it is run a 3x5 schedule and try to add 5 lbs on the next workout.

Conceptually very easy but actually hard to do if your squat is 180 kg. But you'll have to do the prove.

[Griffin727]

Just depends, you may have took 3xs as long to accomplish the novice effect by running classic early intermediate programing. You might be able to run a LP or a modified LP for a few weeks till you stop progessing. Just try doing 3x5 and see what happens. Minus well milk the novice program as long as you can, but know when to move on and make windages as well. If you keep trying to force a program you cant recover from, you will over reach your recovery. I have done this many many many times. On novice and intermediate programing.

[Maybach]

I will say those numbers are fine but not necessarily obviously end of NLP for a 6'3" 250 pound guy. You can reasonably expect to be repping those weights for 5 in not too long.

[JamesFazz]

I think Maybach more or less got it right, you CAN run the NLP and it would be worth doing so to collate some useful training data, but just don't expect to get months of progress from it. Running NLP for a few weeks will give you some useful clarity as to what your next set of training should look like.

[Jason Donaldson]

I think Maybach more or less got it right, you CAN run the NLP and it would be worth doing so to collate some useful training data, but just don't expect to get months of progress from it. Running NLP for a few weeks will give you some useful clarity as to what your next set of training should look like.

Then again, who knows? You may get months of progress from it. How great would that be?