How to measure against "basic strength standards"

[Stevo]

Coach,

Been following the novice program from SSBBT for about 6 weeks & would like to figure out how I stack up against the "basic strength standards in PPFST" (my copy of which is still lost in the postal system somewhere).

Before doing so, is it too early to even start messing with this? If so, when would be appropriate?
If not, the plan is to go in on an off-training day, warming up 4 sets with one exercise only & then start loading using the work-set weight as a base to start with & increase by 5 - 10 lbs doing 1 rep & seeing how it goes.
Seem reasonable or is there a more effective/efficient method?

Stevo

[Mark Rippetoe]

There is absolutely no good reason to do a 1RM test on any lift at this point in your training. What will it tell you that you need to know? What will you then know that your 3x5 work doesn't tell you?

[Stevo]

Point taken...I just see a chart & have a tendency to want to compare. That, & my fat friends think I can beat their ass when I tell them my squat is 205 & bench 175 even though it's pretty lame.

[Mark Rippetoe]

Resist the temptation to compare yourself to your fat friends.

[pnp_pc]

Are the categories Novice /Intermediate/Advanced soley defined by how much weight you lift for 1 RM ? Or are those numbers in the PPST chart 5RM?
Where do you fall if you have many years in the gym but your weights are in the Novice range due to poor program choices/bad advice over the years?
I am an over 40 guy who has been on a mission to get my weights to respectable levels after about 20 years on again off again (the usual story you hear I am sure so I won't bore you with the details)
Thanks for writing these great books. I have both PPST and SS:BBT and have been trying to make progress as best I can.

[Mark Rippetoe]

The numbers are for 1RM, and if you are doing novice numbers it is quite likely that you are actually still a novice despite your training history.

[pnp_pc]

Unfortunately that's kind of what i thought. Thanks for the reply.
The various routines over the years have added about 40lbs to my skinny frame ( 41 tomorrow, 6'3 180 now..in High School I was same height and about 135-140 soaked) but I have never squatted regularly until I discovered your books about 4 months ago . I actually came across them from the Stronglifts.com website.
Are you familiar with what that guy is espousing? Kind of seems like he is rehashing your ideas .I do wonder though if 5x5 is too much volume if you are at Novice strength categories?
Just FYI my last workout (yesterday):
Squat 125lbs (3 sets of 5)-this has been a little higher (145) - but deloaded due to knee tweak playing baseball couple weeks ago
Bench 150lbs (2 sets of 5 then 3x3- to get the volume in)
Chins (but have some right elbow tendinitis that pulls seem to agravate so I am working back to what I had been doing :3 sets of 7 to 9 on the chins)
DL 230 lbs 1x5

I tend to fall into the trap of mixing things up like you mention in the book to the point where my routine becomes "lets try a new routine" and see if that magically spurs huge strength jumps. Magic bullet syndrome so to speak.

Again I appreciate the reply. Can't say enough about how much I enjoyed reading the books.

[Mark Rippetoe]

You're a very sweet man. But no, I don't think 5 x 5 is appropriate at the novice level. That's why I use 3 sets of 5.

[gman]

Mark,

I had a similar experience to pnp_pc in the sense that I heard about SS through stronglifts.com and initially started with his 5 x 5 program, but found that after 2-3 months, as I kept adding weight, that those few lbs each session really added up and it just became too much volume. Bumping it down to the 3 x 5 has allowed me to continue to add weight and recover quicker.

It remains to be seen how much truth there is to the 5 x 5 claim that "StrongLifts 5?5 uses therefore 5 sets of 5 reps on all exercises. That?s 300 Squat reps/month. Rippetoe 3?5 totals for 180 Squat reps/month. Which means you?ve done twice the amount of reps on StrongLifts 5?5 after 3 months", implying more gain in the same times I guess. I wonder how many other people have had a problem with the volume as they approach higher weight?

Also wanted to say that thanks to your rather firm belief in wearing proper shoes, I picked up a pair of Rogue weightlifting shoes about a month ago, and the difference is like night and day. With the shoes, the squats feel much more stable and "grounded", and the weight really does seem easier.

Thanks again,

[pnp_pc]

You're a very sweet man. But no, I don't think 5 x 5 is appropriate at the novice level. That's why I use 3 sets of 5.

Thats what my wife and kids tell me everyday. I never knew a strength coach would feel the same way.
I knew there was something special here. Good to get the truth for once!