Great pod. These discussions are valuable for atypical novices as well, such as people like me who are rehabbing an injury via the NLP and then transitioning back into intermediate program once healed. Thanks Ray and Nick.
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SS Gyms Podcast #59: How to Become an Intermediate with Nick D
Member
Great pod. These discussions are valuable for atypical novices as well, such as people like me who are rehabbing an injury via the NLP and then transitioning back into intermediate program once healed. Thanks Ray and Nick.
Member
Question on the press programming mentioned.
Male, 5’10, 260lbs, age 42.
Last workout I missed my last rep at 78kg, so got 5, 5, 4, 1.
No issues with recovery, micro loading 1kg per workout, 10 minutes rest between work sets.
Next session should I repeat 78kg to try and get 3x5, or as I got all 15 reps should I increase the weight?
If increasing weight, should I go for 1kg or 0.5kg?
Thanks
Starting Strength Coach
Stop resting 10 minutes between press work sets. Just get them knocked out. My preference is to get all 15 reps until that first set starts getting down around 3 or less reps. When that happens, add a second press day. And yes, keep increasing the weight. 1kg, then .5 kg.Originally Posted by Fatboyleeroy
Member
Thanks
✓ Member
Fantastic content. I admit I skipped the "How to do the NLP" video the first time around, but I went ahead and watched it before this one. Both videos are exceptionally helpful, thank you Nick and Ray for the time you both put into these two.
I have a question about resets, as I didn't hear much about that topic in either video. Aside from a layoff, when is a reset appropriate for either a novice or an intermediate? I gather from Practical Programming that a reset is a way to eliminate potential accumulated fatigue from either poor recovery or excessive stress, and that ideally this gets the lifter unstuck by giving him a short break without detraining. But it sounds like you both prefer to adjust programming proactively to avoid failed reps as opposed to reacting to failed sets with a reset.
My takeaway is that as a novice (and maybe as an intermediate?), if you're having to reset after failing a weight, then you fucked up your approach to that weight, and should have made a programming change sooner, and the reset is not just to relieve fatigue, but also an opportunity to implement the programming change now.
My specific case: I recently failed 305x5x3 lbs two workouts in row so I reset to 270x5x3, which I got fairly easily. But I obviously fucked something up on the way to 305x5x3, so now is the time to fix it to avoid failing 305x5x3 again.
Is that fairly correct?
Starting Strength Coach
Remember that one of the main points of this episode is that the approach to post novice training has some margin for personal preference. As soon as you deviate from 5 more lbs per workout for sets across on the main lifts, you are no longer doing the program. You are modifying the program. A hard reset (usually 10% of working weights) vs the approach that I prefer and outline in the podcast are both basically doing the same thing - throttling back on progress in order to ensure more strength gains a little further down the line. The reset makes the assumption that recovery is the only issue at this stage of the program. Light days and back off sets take this into account, but also keeps the heavy in the program. I really think that a 30 pound reset doesn't do most people many favors since you're still a novice and you've set your progress back by at least 7 workouts. You won't see another PR until 8 workouts later.
By adding a mid-week light day and only reducing weight on one day per week, you keep hitting PRs. And even if you go to a top heavy set and two backoff sets at 90% of the top set on your heavy days, you're still hitting a PR on one set of five. So you'll be doing a new PR for sets across after 5-7 workouts rather than 8 workouts with no PRs.
So to put some numbers on it. Assume you had gone to 1x5 at a new PR, plus 2x5 @90% of 305 with a light day at 80% in the middle of the week. You'd be at around 330x5, and 300x5x2 for your working weight in the same amount of time it would have taken you to work back up from 270x5x3. This works great and you've made a bunch more progress while wasting no time.
✓ Member
Okay, that all makes sense. So now that I’m back at 270, is it best that I work quickly by 5 lbs back up to 305 and then introduce light days and 1x5+2 back off or should I just make that change now and slow down in favor of longer term progress?
Starting Strength Coach
Make the smallest possible change. Run it back up and add a light day mid-week when you need to. Since you reset, I'd expect that to be further along than 305 for sure. Then, add back off sets when you need them later.
To answer your original question - failing reps in training is a fuck up. You either gave up on the last rep, didn't do the things that you were supposed to do in order to get recovered, or you should've made a programming change. The way I lay things out, if you make a programming change slightly early, it doesn't matter. You make the smallest possible change. Just make sure you're not avoiding heavy, slow, grindy reps. Those are what make you strong and you'll make much better progress learning the skill of pushing on a bar that doesn't want to move.
And on your last point, I think I showed that you're not actually slowing down. If we're going to use weight on the bar as the gauge of progress, you're further along than you would have been and therefore stronger, than if you do the reset. Another point I made in the video is that if you're feeling excited about a programming change, it's probably not a good one. A 10% reset feels good, but it feels good for too long. A light day or some back off sets only feel good until the next workout because you're still demanding a PR out of yourself.
✓ Member
Very helpful guidance. Thanks Nick!
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