The line between not enough recovery and wussing out

[Greg Ruhl]

I've been on the NLP for 5 months and my squat has gone from 135# to 340# (41 years old). At what point should a rep be considered a miss? I'm hitting my depth and grinding them out and I can still add 5# each workout. However, if I've been away from the gym for more than 4 days I'll repeat the previous weight. I'm also feeling more worn down than usual. Even with decent sleep, I find starting that 3rd weekly session brutal (very tired). Medical issues (endocrine, sleep, etc.) have been ruled out.

For the folks who have transitioned to the advanced novice progression, was this due to actual misses on the lifts or were you just not recovering enough? Does recovery == still feeling tired? Do I need to suck it up and keep pushing my 3x5 squat 5# per session 3x a week until I actually miss?

I should mention that on pressing movements I actually miss the rep and what to do is more clear. I'm doing the standard novice program (alternating squat/press/DL with squat/bench/PC/chins).

[John Hanley]

You're not wussing out. 135>340 in 5 months is very good at 41.

I'd switch to advanced novice now.

[Brodie Butland]

Yeah...that's a pretty impressive run on 3 days/week increases. You've earned the light day. Try advanced novice and see if you feel a little better.

[Greg Ruhl]

Yeah...that's a pretty impressive run on 3 days/week increases. You've earned the light day. Try advanced novice and see if you feel a little better.

Thanks for the encouragement everyone. There were the occasional form resets in there (I started with the squat-mornings until I did a form check @ 2 months). My weight has gone from 295# to 288# in that time so I'm pretty sure the eating is adequate (28% fat to 18% based on 3-site ultrasound measurement). I'll try transitioning to the light day to see if that allows me to handle 3x a week without excessive fatigue.

[mcclamic]

I found that if I added a deload week every eight weeks or so that I could prolong LP. I was about the same age you currently are when I ran it. I got the idea after reading an article written by one of the top woman benchers in the world. Basically, she would run her cycle and then not do anything for a week as a way to manage fatigue. The weights felt a little heavy the first session back but I quickly became adjusted. Whatever you decide, good luck!

[Tiburon]

I found that if I added a deload week every eight weeks or so that I could prolong LP. I was about the same age you currently are when I ran it. I got the idea after reading an article written by one of the top woman benchers in the world. Basically, she would run her cycle and then not do anything for a week as a way to manage fatigue. The weights felt a little heavy the first session back but I quickly became adjusted. Whatever you decide, good luck!

Dan John's "Before We Go" has some good reflections along these lines. Great book for the 40+ lifters

[Eric K]

Is there a thread where people discuss the various ways they've dealt with periods when their give-a-fuck is broken or missing?

[Meshuggah]

If you think you're a wuss, you probably are.

[John Hanley]

Is there a thread where people discuss the various ways they've dealt with periods when their give-a-fuck is broken or missing?

Apparently this past fall I told my wife I would never squat again. I don't remember what triggered that histrionic proclamation, but I do recall my give-a-fuck was broke. .

[Eric K]

Apparently this past fall I told my wife I would never squat again. I don't remember what triggered that histrionic proclamation, but I do recall my give-a-fuck was broke. .

Do you recall doing anything to change your outlook? I'm feeling a little apathetic about my training lately, just looking for ideas.