Old Man TM modifications for powerlifting participant.

[Delaying_the_inevitable]

I am a 60+ year old who had severe injuries (broken back, etc.) when I was younger. Although I would like to become a “competitor,” due to the lack of other old people in my age and weight class, I have so far only been a “participant.”

From a powerlifting perspective, having a volume, light and intensity day for both squatting and benching, instead of alternating with non-competition lifts, may make sense. Also, since the combination of light bench variations and moderate pressing doesn’t seem to have an adverse effect on intensity day, I would rather do both on Wednesday instead of alternate them.

Because of old injuries, squatting sometimes causes problems that persist long after a workout is over. In contrast, deadlifts never do. Since I have never done power cleans, which have some risk of aggravating old injuries, I believe replacing them with deadlifts is a reasonable approach.

Before posting, I read SSBBT3, Barbell Prescription, and Practical Programming and searched the Forum.

Please critique my approach.

Format: sets x reps, % of 5RM, variations if any

Monday:
Squats: 4x5, 90+
Bench: 5x5, 90
Deadlift: 2x5, 90

Wednesday:
Squat: 2x5, 80, pin or pause
Bench: 3x5, 80, close grip or long pause
Press: 3x5, 90
Chin, 3x8, ?

Friday:
Squats: 1x5, 100
Bench: 1x5, 100
Press: 1x5, 100
Dip, 2x8, ?

[Delaying_the_inevitable]

Friday should be:

Squats: 1x5, 100
Bench: 1x5, 100
Deadlift: 1x5, 100
Dip, 2x8, ?

[Nockian]

Assuming you have completed NLP ?

If so, then you must have a current programme which is either working, or not working. If it's working then why change it ? If it's not, then trial your new programme for a few months and see if that works for you.

Im 59 yrs and am making good progress on the BBP HLM programme 3 days a week for older lifters. I don't know if it's the best programme, but I'm adding 3 lbs to the press movements every month and 5 lbs to squat/DL. I will work the programme until I no longer see gains, then modify, or change it.

[Satch12879]

What does your current programming look like?

[Delaying_the_inevitable]

Thank you for the replies. I completed a modified NLP. Monday: squat 3x5, bench 3x5, deadlift 3x3, pullups 2x8, chinups 2x8; Wednesday: squat 3x5, bench 3x5, overhead press 3x5, dips 2x8; Friday: squat 3x5, bench 3x5, deadlift 1x5, pullups 2x8, chinups 2x8.

Because of the back injuries, I hadn't done squats for a very long time, but had been doing deadlifts and benching. Until my squat progressed to a level comparable with the other lifts, I was pushing and pulling a sled, doing kettle ball lunges and box jumps at each workout. I also work on my boxing skills by hitting pads or bags for a total of 7 or 8 rounds once a week and use a Stairmaster lookalike twice a week. I stretch on the remaining day.

I spent weeks of daily squat practice with just the bar and once I actually began the program my progress on that portion was similar to a young novice. The bench and deadlift parts progressed about 5 lbs per week.

This is my second week of the modified TM. My initial impression is the volume day is at the limit of my ability to recover, the intensity day is fun and I feel guilty about the light day.

[Nockian]

Thank you for the replies. I completed a modified NLP. Monday: squat 3x5, bench 3x5, deadlift 3x3, pullups 2x8, chinups 2x8; Wednesday: squat 3x5, bench 3x5, overhead press 3x5, dips 2x8; Friday: squat 3x5, bench 3x5, deadlift 1x5, pullups 2x8, chinups 2x8.

Because of the back injuries, I hadn't done squats for a very long time, but had been doing deadlifts and benching. Until my squat progressed to a level comparable with the other lifts, I was pushing and pulling a sled, doing kettle ball lunges and box jumps at each workout. I also work on my boxing skills by hitting pads or bags for a total of 7 or 8 rounds once a week and use a Stairmaster lookalike twice a week. I stretch on the remaining day.

I spent weeks of daily squat practice with just the bar and once I actually began the program my progress on that portion was similar to a young novice. The bench and deadlift parts progressed about 5 lbs per week.

This is my second week of the modified TM. My initial impression is the volume day is at the limit of my ability to recover, the intensity day is fun and I feel guilty about the light day.

What's a modified NLP ? Are you making progress on your current plan ? How are your numbers ?

It doesn't really matter if you think you aren't able to recover, or wether it feels like on certain days you are doing too little, as long as the weight on the bar is increasing with reasonable consistency over whatever cycle you have chosen.

Is it strength that you are focused on achieving, because I detect it might be more overall fitness with strength as part of the criteria rather than the highest aim.

[Delaying_the_inevitable]

I described how I modified the NLP, which was to bench three days a week and add OHP on Wednesday instead of alternating the two lifts. I also deadlifted twice a week and left out power cleans. My deadlift is almost 2xBW for a set of 5, but my squat and bench have a ways to go.

I am more focused on strength than I was in the past, but I recognize that I am giving up lifting progress due to activity on days when I am not lifting. When I was younger and much stronger, I never considered competing as a lifter. Now that there are drug-tested federations, I realized I could do reasonably well vs. other (hopefully) natural lifters my age and weight.

Since I am balancing different activities, I decided to keep my lifting focused on the three competition events rather than the standard NLP or TM, even though those might be a better overall programs for strength gains than my versions. Although I was a multi-sport D1 athlete, with the exception of some form checks before my first competition, I have never been coached as a lifter. Whether due to formal training or experience, many of you are going to be more knowledgeable than I am about lifting, which is why I posted here.

Thank you again.

[Nockian]

I described how I modified the NLP, which was to bench three days a week and add OHP on Wednesday instead of alternating the two lifts. I also deadlifted twice a week and left out power cleans. My deadlift is almost 2xBW for a set of 5, but my squat and bench have a ways to go.

I am more focused on strength than I was in the past, but I recognize that I am giving up lifting progress due to activity on days when I am not lifting. When I was younger and much stronger, I never considered competing as a lifter. Now that there are drug-tested federations, I realized I could do reasonably well vs. other (hopefully) natural lifters my age and weight.

Since I am balancing different activities, I decided to keep my lifting focused on the three competition events rather than the standard NLP or TM, even though those might be a better overall programs for strength gains than my versions. Although I was a multi-sport D1 athlete, with the exception of some form checks before my first competition, I have never been coached as a lifter. Whether due to formal training or experience, many of you are going to be more knowledgeable than I am about lifting, which is why I posted here.

Thank you again.

The thing with NLP (minus the cleans) is that it makes the most rapid progress in the shortest possible time if it's done correctly. Once into intermediate, then progress slows appreciably. All the lifts are complimentary in driving stress and hence strength gains.

I can only advise to do NLP as written ( because that's what SS is), then, when you have maxed out those gains, then every intermediate program is more about making some progress-as long as a programme is working then stick to that program until it stops working. The focus has to be to get as strong as possible as quickly as possible, so adding other activities isn't going to help progress if it impacts stress/recovery.

[Delaying_the_inevitable]

I was in a different situation from some people because I had been continuously lifting for decades before trying a NLP. Since I hadn’t been doing squats, I began with one plate and added weight quickly. Although I was getting stronger, heavier squats were leaving me more tired for later lifts. Even with form improvements, less exercises and longer rest between sets, my bench stopped improving after a few weeks of 5lb increases. By the time, my squat became 80+ % of my deadlift, I would have been happy with very small monthly increases in the other lifts which is why I decided to switch programs.

[Nockian]

I was in a different situation from some people because I had been continuously lifting for decades before trying a NLP. Since I hadn’t been doing squats, I began with one plate and added weight quickly. Although I was getting stronger, heavier squats were leaving me more tired for later lifts. Even with form improvements, less exercises and longer rest between sets, my bench stopped improving after a few weeks of 5lb increases. By the time, my squat became 80+ % of my deadlift, I would have been happy with very small monthly increases in the other lifts which is why I decided to switch programs.

That would have been the time to start micro-loading the press lifts. The pressing movements always run out faster anyway.

It's difficult this far out to know if you could have had more gains with NLP by cutting out all the other exercises and attending to sufficient sleep, food and rest.

I'm not a coach, nor sufficiently expert to give you further advice on your personal programme except to say, if the programme you are currently using is working, then carry on with it until it doesn't. I've found that programme hopping is counter productive and that there is no perfect programme, only the one that's working for you right now.

If your numbers are going up, then it doesn't matter how you feel, it's working. If it stops working then you can manipulate food, rest, sleep, technique and micro load the bar and see if it pushes a little bit more before junking the entire programme. It might take 12 months to put a further few pounds of weight on the bar for the press movements, it is a very slow process once into intermediate because all those low hanging strength cherries have been picked.