I've been doing SS for about a month and a half and am at 200x5 / 150x5 / 140x5 / 120x3 / 85x5 on DL / squat / bench / PC / press. I guess this isn't very high after 6 or so weeks but I started pretty weak and struggled a lot with the mechanics of the lifts as someone with little athletic experience. Anyway, I went from about 170 at 6'2" to around 185 now, and my press, bench, and PC have stopped going up by 5 every session. What usually happens is that one session, I will do, say, 130 / 135 / 135, and the next, I'll do 135 / 135 / 140, and I'll go up by 1/3 or 2/3s of an increment per session like that. I'm completely fine with this, or switching to microplates to help keep the numbers actually going up every session, but after reading all of the YNDTPs in the book, I'm worried that this slowed progress is because I am not doing the program. Is this early for me to stop making 5lb increments on these movements, or is it expected at about this point? Squat and deadlift are still going up by 5lbs every session without fail.
I'm not counting calories strictly every day but estimate around 3500 per day, I count protein and get 200g per day, and I'm drinking 2 quarts of whole milk a day. AIDTP?
Well, as I said, a half gallon of milk a day instead of a full gallon. And probably not enough calories. I know the program says 130x5x3 then 135x5x3, then 140x5x3, but I stopped being able to make full progress -- I'd do 130x5x3, the next workout do 135x5, then the second set, fail on the 5th rep, and take off 10 just to finish the set with a rep of 125. Then the last set I'll try 130x5. Would it be better if I just did 130x5x3 again, rather than do 130x5 and 135x5x2 if I am unable to do 135x5x3?