Reply With QuoteI wouldn't rule out that your body is ready for intermediate programming. Going intermediate doesn't mean you are done progressing, ya know.
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I've had mixed results. I took last week off after missing a 1rm deadlift attempt and mildly straining a lat. Today I lifted and was as strong or stronger (depending on the lift), and I have also been sleeping extremely well lately. I upped the calories over the week off and this has probably made a difference.Originally Posted by nisora33
I've also noticed that a week off when I was a weakling was much more detrimental than it is now, where it is beneficial. Just an observation
OP: you might want to keep a week off in your box of tools. You know your body best though
Last edited by stronger; 01-25-2010 at 10:18 PM.
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I wouldn't rule out that your body is ready for intermediate programming. Going intermediate doesn't mean you are done progressing, ya know.
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True, intermediate programming could be on the horizon, but I feel at 240, my lifts aren't really intermediate stuff
I got a squat of about 315-320, a deadlift of 340, a press around 130, a bench around 225, and a clean around 155-160.
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I don't know if this is the correct way to assess whether or not you're an intermediate.
At a certain point linear progression runs out, and this will depend on your recovery and your genetics. Assuming that you're eating enough and sleeping enough, your genetics would be the limiting factor. Just because you weigh 240 doesn't mean your squat has to increase past 315 on linear progression...
...I think. Maybe someone more knowledgeable can help out...where's Stacey when you need him?
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Maybe I'm being bullheaded, but it just seems like many novices around my weight range (220-250) get away with a mid-to upper 300 range squat and at least a 400 ish deadlift.
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Yeah, I guess that's reasonable. Why don't you ask Rip? He should be back in town soon.
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That's a good point. I actually forgot about Rip, who was the reason I joined this form in the first place. Part of me wonders if ass form is holding me back and fatiguing me
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How heavy do your warm up sets feel? When my warm ups are feeling heavy a few workouts in a row, I can tell that I'm hitting the wall. My other signal that I just realized recently is my eye twitching. I was getting signals for a long time, the hard part is learning to recognize them.
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I would prefer to deload, and work on form than to take an entire week off. That way you don't feel rusty the next week. Every one of my stalls last year began with a week off due to work/vacation.
Last week I dropped the weight on my squats to get used to using shoes and a belt. I was also nursing two sore shoulders so my bench and press were very light sets of 25 reps. This week I came back full force Monday morning and hit a new PR of 325X5X3 on my squat, and the weight felt easy.
Stacey, good suggestion on morning wood. I've been waking up at 4am to feed a newborn, and my sleep patterns are definitely hindered. I've noticed a lack of said wood.
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My warm ups have felt just fine. I've been noticing a disturbed sleep cycle. I usually wake up around 6 or 7 am and then fall asleep until 8 to 8:30. Nothing much in terms of morning wood though, so it looks like Stacey is right. The week off is looking very appealing since my back is still bothering from yesterday's squat session.
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