Reply With QuoteEdit: I thought the first thread never went through, so I made this one. The thread I made right before this says the same thing as this one.
Member
Please help me with this issue
Hello everyone. I am 15 years old, 5'8"-5'9", and 180-185 lbs. upon waking. I have made phenomenal gains with Starting Strength so far, and I have been running the program for just under two weeks. I determined my starting weights for the program using the method outlined in the book (do sets of 5 until the bar noticeably slows down on your 5th rep). I went from 195 x 5 x 3 to 250 x 5 x 3 on the Squat, 135 x 5 x 3 to 150 x 5 x 3 on the Bench Press, 105 x 5 x 3 to 110 x 5 x 3 on the Standing Press, and 255 x 5 to 295 x 5 on the Deadlift. I have not yet introduced Power Cleans into the Program. I have been eating anywhere from 3500-4500 calories a day (a conservative estimate, as I eat a jar of peanut butter every day and I eat a lot of eggs because I can't drink milk), and I get a little more than 1 gram per pound of bodyweight in protein each day. I use proper form for all my lifts, and have become consistently better at implementing the cues outlined in the book, on the website, and in Rip's tutorial videos. However, I have one problem. My life does not permit me to sleep more than 5-6 hours per night on the weekdays (though I get 8 hours of sleep on weekends/holidays). I have to get up at 5 AM each morning for school, and because of my studies and personal life I have go to bed no earlier than 10:30-11:00 PM.
Now, my question--do you guys recommend that I train 2x/week as opposed to the standard 3x/week template? Or should I throw a light day in on Wednesdays for my lifts? I have read both "A Clarification" and "The First Three Questions", and I know that Rip says that 6 hours of sleep is not enough to run the program. What can I do? Also, please mention any recovery strategies (outside of sleep) that you guys have found helpful. Any and all input and advice on the matter is appreciated.
Member
Edit: I thought the first thread never went through, so I made this one. The thread I made right before this says the same thing as this one.
Starting Strength Coach
Have you failed any of your lifts yep? When you do, adding a light squat day may be appropriate. Otherwise, keep training 3x per week.
While 6 hours of sleep a night isn't "optimal," I suspect you'll be just fine. You are young, and testosterone is a hell of a drug!
Member
I have not failed any lifts, but that last rep at 250 was a hell of a grinder. I’d say the rep took me 5 seconds to complete.Originally Posted by Adam Franklin
✓ Member
The light day modification (middle lifting day of the week) on the squat will help out once you truly do fail as a result of weakness. Whenever a rep feels bad or slow, having video of it to check the reality of the matter is important. I have had reps that felt slow or difficult and the video shows a very different story. When the weight gets heavy, your perception of time seems to get wonky - what you thought was 5 seconds was really 2. Similarly, I have completed a rep (this is when my SSC pulled me off LP) of a 395 triple that -on video- took 10 seconds from start to finish, but time seemed to stop during the rep. I had no perception of time and all I was aware of was the floor. Just goes to show that you need video or another set of eyes to gauge how the bar moved.
Member
You are absolutely right. I’ll get a form check tomorrow. In the mean time should I move the weight to 255 tomorrow or stay at 250 for Squats?
✓ Member
Go to 255. I posted in both of your threads so I'll post the same thing in this one. I did want to address that you did start your squat at 195 on the squat. I think that is pretty aggressive for most people. I got to squatting 360 on the novice LP (never before having squatted over 225 on my previous runs at starting strength) for 3 sets of 5 and I started with 155 pounds. My interpretation of the proper starting point is not the same as yours, however, and I would have to check the books for the exact wording.
Member
That's what I read in SS. What did you use as a benchmark to start with?
✓ Member
I used when I started to notice it slowing down not when it noticeably slowed down. When I started LP, the speed of all reps was relatively consistent. Also - to comment on something from the other thread in an attempt to have only one -, a smith machine squat is essentially a write-off as far as prior training experience goes.
Member
I see. Smith machines really do suck.
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