Recovery issues

[MartinB]

Hey I am an intermediate, lately everything feels heavy and I feel very anxious about training, I have insomnia and very low appetite. I am still slowly making progress and gaining weight but everything is grindy.
Do you think I would benefit from a light week?

[Brent Carter]

You might. It might also be time to change your number of reps if you have been doing 5's for a long time. If you start missing reps or things are slower than they otherwise should you could do a deload week and come back to it fresh. Lot's of variables that can be toyed with.

[MartinB]

I am cycling reps and I haven't deloaded since February. Luckily I haven't stalled or regressed yet but I really think I am about to. I guess I'll try a deload and see if I can continue my progress, otherwise I'll move to more complex programming.

[Michael Wolf]

I don't know much about exactly where in the Intermediate timeline you are and how strong you are. Depending where, the case for going till you stall, or actively avoiding a stall, is different.

Without knowing more it's hard to say, but I'd say as a general piece of advice if you're in the early Intermediate phase but already cycling reps, then either go till you miss the planned reps on intensity / heavy day twice OR when volume day becomes very hard - like close to as hard as it was at the very end of LP, then take a light week. If you're especially stronger than average, or are a later intermediate, then proactively avoiding multiple misses or super hard, grindy volume days is probably a better idea.

Is there any way you can get your core issues treated so you can eat and sleep properly for recovery.

[MartinB]

My diet (protein, carbs, weight gain) and sleep schedule are on point I think.
Year and a half ago, I was allowing myself to miss intensity and keep going, I would get it eventually. At some point I started regressing, felt like shit mentally, could not sleep or eat and catched some type of infection which required antibiotics, it took 2 and a half months to recover and get back to where I was.
Now I prefer to avoid misses.

[Michael Wolf]

OK. I definitely need more info on your background and current program if I'm going to give any kind of good answer here: Necessary Info for Programming Questions

[MartinB]

I am a 29 male, 190 pounds leanish. I am using a late intermediate program with 6 week cycles, I rotate 6 rep ranges. I elongated the cycle because 3 weeks was not working anymore (i.e. I was missing), I am on this program since February and I have gained about 12 pounds while minimizing fat gain. I am microloading for bench and press and using 2.5 pounds for squats and deadlift. Calories are about 3500 and 220 grams protein. Rest was stretched to 10 mins as the program got harder.
My high bar squat is 430 for 4 singles, bench is 330 for 4 singles with a moderate grip and no pause, press is 198 for 4 singles done 1.0 style, I did a non maximal conventional deadlift single with 550.

[MartinB]

I forgot the actual program:

Monday:
-Bench 4x6-4-2-5-2-1*
-Press from the shoulders with no hip usage and no stretch reflex: 3x5-9

Tuesday:
-Squat*
-SLDL 3x5-9
-Pullups 3x5-9

Thursday:
-Press*
-Dips 3x5-9

Friday:
-Deadlift* 1 top set and 3 backoffs @95%
-Chins*
-Rack squat below parallel 3x5-9

[Michael Wolf]

I am microloading for bench and press and using 2.5 pounds for squats and deadlift.

2.5 is considered microloading, while not unheard of, it's unusual to do so for squat and DL. What increments are you using on press and bench? 1lb?

Rest was stretched to 10 mins as the program got harder.

Outside of the early Intermediate, TM Volume Day style programming, needing 10 mins rest is also unusual and may be indicative that you're trying to do too much on too little recovery.

My high bar squat is 430 for 4 singles, bench is 330 for 4 singles with a moderate grip and no pause, press is 198 for 4 singles done 1.0 style, I did a non maximal conventional deadlift single with 550.

Insert obligatory YNDTP about the high bar squats - yes, I do believe it actually makes a difference, and since you're posting here asking our opinion, I might as well get it out there. You will, of course, do as you wish, but I'd be remiss if I didn't at least mention it.

I'm still a little fuzzy on the program itself: all 4 main lifts are four sets per week, of that descending rep range over the 6 week cycle? How do you determine whether to do 5 or 9 reps on the assistance/secondary lift of the day?

[MartinB]

I made a mistake converting from kilos, as in I didn't convert from kilos. I meant 5 pounds. Bench/press is going up 2.75 pounds.
Yes, but the volume is staggered, for example if bench is 4x6, press will be 4x2 the same week. It's a simple modification of the one lift a day template described in PPST. The secondary lift is programmed, I didn't think it mattered, I cycle it as well. Last monday was: bench 4x6 and dead stop press 3x5. The second lift is programmed on a simple 3 week cycle, it is still progressing because I introduced those lifts recently.
I am doing high bar because I have had shoulder surgery and I can't squat low bar, I also can't rack a clean and I am really bad at power snatches although I can do them with no pain.