Am I a novice ?

[Jordbyrne96]

I recently bought BBT3 and have just completed my 4th week of the NLP. Prior to this I trained 'bodybuilding' style for about 2 years, fluctuating in weight but never exceeding about 170 pounds at 5'10 and never really doing the main barbell lifts beside the bench press (wish I found SS sooner).

I am 21 and have been on 4000 calories since I began this program. Weight on the bar is going up the majority of sessions but not every session. Do you think this might be because I had trained previously or would you suggest putting calories up further? I am aware of the first three questions article but sleep and rest periods are in check. Weight progression is also as recommended.

[Brian Goldstein]

Novice training advancement is not a perjorative term, nor is it something you want to exit as quickly as will happen.

No, you probably are not done with LP because you’ve trained before. It is likely you are managing your LP poorly, likely because of one or all of these factors, which most (read: virtually everyone) of us screw up without coaching:

You started with too high a weight
You are performing the lifts incorrectly
You are not eating enough

I suggest you post a video of yourself squatting to the technique board (or better yet get verified and post to the SSC board). That will get you the first 2 addressed.

This community has found that adult men 5’7 to 6 ft tend to limit their strength artificially at a body weight significantly below 200 pounds.

You’ll be fine. Just stay the course and ask for more help than you think you need. This place is pretty generous if you do your part by using the resources available wisely.

Happy hunting.

[kcjason]

"This community has found that adult men 5’7 to 6 ft tend to limit their strength artificially at a body weight significantly below 200 pounds. "

Just curious about this portion of the reply (I'm 6 ft, 190). Is the notion that you're probably not getting enough calories if you're under 200? Can you point me in the direction of a thread where this was discussed in detail?

[Brian Goldstein]

I’m not sure what the definitive thread on that subject is, but the idea that around 200 pounds is a good weight to aim for men is very common here. It’s referenced in the barbell logic podcast on multiple episodes, in a famous rip quote, and can be seen in many threads in The SSC board, nutrition board, and programming boards.

For specific recommendations for you, you would want to put that question to Santana on the nutrition board, because he’s trained as an expert on the matter.

As a general recommendation, especially applicable to young men under 200 pounds, gaining body weight will allow for sustained progress on the LP. That can be achieved by reducing extraneous activity or increasing caloric intake or both, so yes.

As a personal, anecdotal aside: last year I took my weight from 167 to 192. My strength increased this entire time (and continues) with minimal changes to waist measurement.

[Jordbyrne96]

Thanks for the reply. I will try to get a video up asap. What you are saying is if I am performing the exercise with proper technique for 5 reps, then I didnt start the LP at too heavy a weight?

[Brian Goldstein]

This is covered in the book. Post a video and a qualified set of eyes will give you more useful recommendations.