Yet another older idiot in transition from SS to intermediate

[I_iz_a_fatass]

Started in March, and I think I may be running SS out at this point.

(Bodyweight as of this AM, all lifts by any set with 5 reps, all measures in lbs)
Age: 47
Height: 5ft 7in
Bodyweight: 164.6 (up from 156.6 in December)
Bodyfat: ~24% (still have the late-middle-age waist spread)
Squat: 235.0
Bench: 170.0
Seated OHP: 107.5
Deads: 260.0
Cleans: 115.0
(no chins, no bar, will be on order Real Soon Now)

Rest is good, food seems good, recovery is about what I expect for being closer to fifty than thirty. I'm trying to get stronger without putting on crapload of fat as I was near morbid-obesity level two years ago and I'm loathe to move that way again.

I moved to a recovery day for squats at 90% x 2 x 5 and squeezed out to where I am now over the past month, and at this point everything is stalling hard despite deloads, form checks, and microloading.

I've been eating about 300 Calories over maintenance daily, but it really hasn't seemed to help push through the lifting plateaus.

So, the questions are thus:

[1] Should I eat slightly more (500 Calories over maintenance total) despite the mental block I have against getting overfat?
[2] Is it time to drop into a four-day V/I split as outlined in PPST3 given my recovery isn't on par with the 'ideal candidate'?
[3] Any other suggestions?

Thanks all!

[BareSteel]

A gain of 10 lbs at your stature is not much on a novice linear progression. What you have to decide is: Do you want to take another run at the LP and commit to (by necessity) eating a lot more? Or are you not willing to commit to that project, which would mean you have to look at a more conservative loading template?

Seated OHP? Are you dealing with a low ceiling?

[Kyle Schuant]

A gain of 10lbs is fine for a 47yo guy who's already in the mid-20s bodyfat. That bodyfat would even with no extra calories give him some muscle growth; the extra bodyfat provides the caloric surplus, so long as he has enough protein in him it'll be fine. But a small caloric surplus is better.

OP (who should rename himself), keep your diet as it is overall but add some protein-heavy food to it, something like a half-pound piece of steak each day. Deload everything 10-20% then build back up by the smallest steps you can take with the weight plates you have. The extra protein should help squeeze out some more progress.

After that, try another 10-15% drop and then one of the methods I described in this article. The "5,5,10" works well for guys with a healthy amount of spare chub.

[johnnys]

If the above don't get you much farther, adding supplements might help. Creatine and BCAAs got me through what I thought was the end of LP.

[Joe Murphy]

...fine for a 47yo guy who's already in the mid-20s bodyfat. That bodyfat would even with no extra calories give him some muscle growth; the extra bodyfat provides the caloric surplus, so long as he has enough protein in him it'll be fine.

That's interesting--I've never heard it put exactly like that before. I'm assuming the same would hold true for a recomp?

[I_iz_a_fatass]

A gain of 10 lbs at your stature is not much on a novice linear progression. What you have to decide is: Do you want to take another run at the LP and commit to (by necessity) eating a lot more? Or are you not willing to commit to that project, which would mean you have to look at a more conservative loading template?

Seated OHP? Are you dealing with a low ceiling?

That's always the decision - gain weight faster and get far stronger, or stay on a slow roll up and take the inevitable stalls.

And yes, sadly the weight room is in the basement. Unobstructed ceiling height is 74 inches.

A gain of 10lbs is fine for a 47yo guy who's already in the mid-20s bodyfat. That bodyfat would even with no extra calories give him some muscle growth; the extra bodyfat provides the caloric surplus, so long as he has enough protein in him it'll be fine. But a small caloric surplus is better.

OP (who should rename himself), keep your diet as it is overall but add some protein-heavy food to it, something like a half-pound piece of steak each day. Deload everything 10-20% then build back up by the smallest steps you can take with the weight plates you have. The extra protein should help squeeze out some more progress.

After that, try another 10-15% drop and then one of the methods I described in this article. The "5,5,10" works well for guys with a healthy amount of spare chub.

Already on a decent protein level (0.75g to 1.0g/lb body weight on a low day). I've printed the article and I'm going through it with a highlighter and scribbling notes.

If the above don't get you much farther, adding supplements might help. Creatine and BCAAs got me through what I thought was the end of LP.

Been looking at creatine, actually. It's on my short list of supplements to try.

Thanks all!

[Kyle Schuant]

That's interesting--I've never heard it put exactly like that before. I'm assuming the same would hold true for a recomp?

Yes. I've seen it many times, especially with women. Someone comes in with a decent bodyweight, but more of it chub than they're happy with. They lift some heavy shit (stimulate muscle growth) and eat more protein (provide material for muscle growth). The body needs an energy surplus to grow muscle, it can get that from diet (hi GOMAD) or from spare bodyfat.

If you get a woman 30-35% bodyfat, she can get down to 20-25% in this way - lift heavy shit, for breakfast eggs or tuna rather than cornflakes. A guy can get down to 15-20%. Leaner than that and you start to have to really know what you're doing, that's more someone like Jordan's area, not mine.

Already on a decent protein level (0.75g to 1.0g/lb body weight on a low day).

You may need more, I don't know. We go by results. If you're feeling good, getting stronger and fitter, and your body is changing the way you want it to, then your diet is perfect, I don't care if it's cigarettes and KFC. If you're not feeling good, or you're not getting stronger and fitter, or if your body's not changing the way you want it to... reassess. Results count.