Program and Progress Check

[Mojoman]

Hi folks.

I'm a trainee in NH, and have been doing SS consistently for at least 2 years. I'm posting this to get a "Program and Progress Check."

I'm a 6ft, 275lb male.

1RMs set this year: OHP=215, B=315, S=450, DL=455

Here's what this week of programming looked like:

Mon. OHP: 200x1x6

Tues. DL: 415x5, S: 360x5x3

Wed. Pin Press: 220x5, B: 227.5

Thurs. OHP: 280x5x5, DL: 420x5

Fri. S: 450x1, 360x3x3, B: 252.5x5x3

(I do curls on Sat.)

Note: my DL stalled out at 455, and we'd be re-setting a lot. I started doing rack pulls and HDLs to try and break through, but ended up regressing on the rack pulls. My OHP has been stuck at 215 for months. Last time I did 2 reps at 215 I blacked out at lockout and woke up on the floor of the YMCA.

Questions:

1) Am I training too often?
2) Am I strong enough for my weight? (Bodyfat is guesstimated at 30%-35%)
3) What would you guys change, if anything?
4) Do I just need to gorge myself to move the OHP and DL? I feel like I eat a decent amount.
5) If I need to move towards power building, am I ready? What long term programs are there that are good?

As per question 5, at this point I'm frustrated enough with my lack of progress towards a 500lb DL, that I'm thinking of abandoning my sticker club goal and moving towards some kind of power-building program. But I would love to get that 500lbs.

[Mark Rippetoe]

Post a video of your deadlifts.

[Maybach]

1) Am I training too often?

Yes, but that's mostly because your volume is partitioned nonsensically. And you probably do not need to be doing heavy deadlifts twice a week.

2) Am I strong enough for my weight? (Bodyfat is guesstimated at 30%-35%)

No. You should be benching at least your bodyweight and deadlifting at least twice that for reps. For one.

3) What would you guys change, if anything?

I'm not sure how you got to this monstrosity from anything in the Grey book. I would read that. The blue book will explain why you blacked out on the press, too, so maybe give that a reread. You have read it, yes? The whole thing? I could pick this apart but really, there's too much mess here and it's just going to be what the book tells you. Only deadlift heavy once per week, your volume work is too light, and I cannot for the life of me figure out how you decided to structure this. Backoff triples at your volume weight for squats? A day of JUST press singles? A single set of pin presses? Deadlift before volume squats on Tuesday and after volume presses on Thursday? Like I said, too much, not productive, read the book.

4) Do I just need to gorge myself to move the OHP and DL? I feel like I eat a decent amount.

No, see #2.

5) If I need to move towards power building, am I ready? What long term programs are there that are good?

Assuming you are being serious, no. Reading the books and doing what they say will handily take you past a 500 pound deadlift. There's something wrong with your lifts that has apparently led your programming up the proverbial garden path. Read the books and post form checks.

[Mojoman]

Thanks for the reply, Rip.

Here's a vid I took a while ago of a DL pretty close to my 1rm. I'll post a vid of 425x5 when I do them next Tuesday.

https://1drv.ms/v/s!Aly13iwkyiA9lFNv...x9dfR?e=s8eqrW

Here's a recent vid of rack pulls (before regression)

https://1drv.ms/v/s!Aly13iwkyiA9mBtV...mvrZY?e=gxVv8E

[Mark Rippetoe]

Shitty video, but it looks like your hips are too low. Read the book.