Light day for squats

[cfreetenor]

I'll keep grinding and eating. I figure I can probably grind through 40-50 lbs. I appreciate the replies!

What I was really wondering though, was about the Olympic lifts. I am doing them more than is called for in the LP programming, because I really like them. Also I want to practice getting better at them. Will this affect my squat programming and when I should add a light day?

[simplesimon]

Got to disagree with this. Add the light day as soon as you think you'll need it. Better to slow your squat progression from 15lbs per week to 10 lbs per week than grind yourself into the ground with 2 or more stalls and wasted weeks/months of training.

It's always better to avoid the stall.

My problem with this is the subjectivity. OP is asking about this now - maybe he thinks he needs to add light squats. Would anybody advise he add it now?

[Dave_M]

My problem with this is the subjectivity. OP is asking about this now - maybe he thinks he needs to add light squats. Would anybody advise he add it now?

Probably not, he's 24 and could just gain 20 lbs. and continue cruising along. However, it would do a lot less to hinder his progress programming-wise adding them now before they are necessary than grinding through 2 legit resets before adding them. By that time, the utility in adding them has passed.

As for the cleans and snatches, it's a medium-light pull, unless being able to front squat the weight up becomes a limiting factor, I don't see how it's going to impact your squat programming. If you are doing the power variations, less so. Just general fatigue from an extra training day. You could just alternate them with the deadlift and cut out the fourth day. I think I might have seen that somewhere....

[cfreetenor]

Right now, they're definitely light pulls. But I filmed myself yesterday and I decided I'm going to stop doing regular snatches until I work out some form issues I noticed. It's hard for me to flatten my back while keeping the wide grip.

I have been eating in excess of 4kcals a day, I could up it a bit and see how things work on Monday. Either way, it would just be two weeks until I'm at 280 anyway, which was where someone recommended to move to a light day anyway.

[Alexander Rix]

Either way, it would just be two weeks until I'm at 280 anyway, which was where someone recommended to move to a light day anyway.

Well, I was being tongue in cheek about it. You wanted a number so I gave you one.

Eventually, you will stop feeling fresh if you squat heavy 3x a week. Once the lingering fatigue becomes problematic, you add a light day.

Just be aware the LP is a mental game. Things will feel heavy before they actually are.

[cfreetenor]

Well, I was being tongue in cheek about it. You wanted a number so I gave you one.

Eventually, you will stop feeling fresh if you squat heavy 3x a week. Once the lingering fatigue becomes problematic, you add a light day.

Just be aware the LP is a mental game. Things will feel heavy before they actually are.

I do get that. I have been doing more volume than the strict program calls for, however, so I feel like I can keep going by eating at a bigger surplus and dropping some of the extra training sets. For example I was doing deadlifts 3x a week to get a bigger gap, so I pulled 30 pounds more today than I did a week ago. I have also been doing two sets to get both sides with the alternate grip - which I had to switch to around 255lbs. But today I dropped the extra set, and I'll alternate with cleans now instead of having a fourth day for Olympic lifts.

Someone commented on my bench when he was spotting me today. I made all of my PRs, and on my last set during the bench he said I was grinding the first two reps and then I smoked the last 3. I think the key for me now is getting good at grinding to the point that it doesn't look like grinding.

[Dalton Clark]

While I am still new to the board, I felt that I might be able to provide something to this discussion due to my personal experience and recent programming change.

Age:23
Weight: 198 lbs
Height: 5'10"
Squat: 275 x 5 x 3

I recently started seeing a starting strength coach and a light middle day was implemented first thing. The general trend I have seen is that once you are within spitting distance of 300 pounds, a light day might be a good idea. This is a natural transition to make as you become stronger and is shown implemented in Practical Programming for Strength Training. It is also part of Mark Rippetoe's advice to prevent a failed set if at all possible. Acknowledging that recovery is getting more difficult shows that you are listening to your body and incorporating a light day shows that you are wise enough to do something about it. In fact, it is hardly the only element that gets added in when you approach advanced novice programming.

[cfreetenor]

I think Wednesday will be a light day for me. I am sure I can grind 255 pounds, but if I increase the same way every day I might be dropping the bar at 265.

A lot of it is mental, though. I know that. For almost all of my sets today, the last rep was the easiest one. For every lift. So that is why I'm conflicted.

[Alexander Rix]

Form check!

[Dalton Clark]

I think Wednesday will be a light day for me. I am sure I can grind 255 pounds, but if I increase the same way every day I might be dropping the bar at 265.

A lot of it is mental, though. I know that. For almost all of my sets today, the last rep was the easiest one. For every lift. So that is why I'm conflicted.

This is not exactly an uncommon occurrence; however, it also indicates that you are a lot stronger than you are thinking you are. If your fifth rep was the easiest of the set, it means that you could probably have done a sixth and maybe even a seventh rep. Don't do that, since it isn't the program, but you are getting to a weight where the squat can become unpleasant. I forget which coach it was (Tom maybe?) who said that starting at close to 300 no squat will ever 'feel good' again.

Also +1 the form check suggestion