A struggling novice in need of expertise

[Schwick]

I came across SS about 6 weeks ago after first coming across Stronglifts, which I did for 3 weeks before changing over to the SS novice program. Prior to that I had for years done a variety of split/full body routines using free weight, body weight, and some machines without any real method, but yeilding modest results in overall fitness. Before SS I weighed 165lbs at 5'10", I now weigh 174.

I am having a hard time gaining weight, although I've been trying to cram as much food down my gullet as I can. I sleep 8 hrs a night, sometimes 7, sometimes 9+, I have difficulty drinking a lot of milk, but nonetheless have been trying to force it down despite the increased sinus congestion, constipation, and diarrhea. Currently I can get down maybe a 1/4-1/3 gal. a day.

I make my living doing park maintenance which is quite physically demanding, and also am very active outside of work mtn biking, canoeing, hiking and backpacking(none of which I've done since progressing on SS). A typical day at work may include trail/tree work, shoveling and raking gravel, carrying sacks of concrete, digging, etc...and going to the gym to lift heavy after a full work day is a bitch some days. I seem to burn through any amount of food I consume without much weight gain, despite eating every couple of hours all day long. I counted protein intake as 1g+/lb of bw, and estimate caloric intake at around 5-6k.

As for the program, it took me 3 workouts last week to get a 220lb squat, BP stuck at 165, Press=107.5, DL=235, just learned the powerclean with the help of a trainer. I was making good progress with 10lb, then 5lb jumps, until just a week or so ago when this shit got brutally hard and my form started to get sloppy. I value great form over quick weight progress, so I deloaded today to 80% of the above numbers, to nail down the form and give myself a couple of weeks to hopefully gain some more weight.

I have not been adding weight unless form is good and all work set reps are completed. I feel like I'm hitting a wall way too early and any suggestions anybody has would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

[veryhrm]

a few thoughts:

1) Ongoing congestion and digestive problems are not conducive to... well anything. So if milk is giving you problems, then don't drink it. Try yogurt, for example. And if that doesn't fly for you either, then forget it and just try to eat more other food. (the concept of not being able to eat enough is entirely foreign to me so can't help there)

2) Your work sounds relatively taxing. That could be outstripping your recovery capability. Fixing the congestion issue might get you back on track, but if not then try doing the "advanced novice" (light squats on wednesday) program and see if your progress is more consistent.

[scwot]

It would probably help to give an example of what is a typical days worth of food for you. Also if you're struggling to gain weight I wouldn't estimate a caloric intake, work out exactly how many calories you're getting.

[MikeS]

10 lbs in 6 weeks isnt bad for someone so active, but your job's burning all your calories.

Track your food. Make sure you're getting enough cals; sounds like you'll really have to be diligent. Write down weight once a week, same day, same time. If you don't put on weight, add 500 to 1000 calories a day to your diet until you're gaining like you want to. Avoid the milk or start taking the enzymes/supplement that helps your body digest it. Diarrhea will only hurt progress. If need be, start eating triple cheeseburgers rather than cliff bars to fuel you at work. When you're off work and not training, be inactive. Rest. Really be lazy.

There's only so much recovery time/ability in a week. If you get more cals and as much rest as possible and still aren't seeing the type of increases in strength and weight you want, then I'm guessing recovery is compromised and some aspect of your weekly workload will have to be lessened. Perhaps the advanced novice will be enough of a lessened workload, if not that then you may need to get Andy's or Coach Rippetoes advice on improving recovery time.

Btw, Bill Starr says vitamin supps will help a lot with recovery. Mega-dosing that is. His recommendations are in the Strongest Shall Survive.

[Schwick]

a few thoughts:

1) Ongoing congestion and digestive problems are not conducive to... well anything. So if milk is giving you problems, then don't drink it. Try yogurt, for example. And if that doesn't fly for you either, then forget it and just try to eat more other food. (the concept of not being able to eat enough is entirely foreign to me so can't help there)

2) Your work sounds relatively taxing. That could be outstripping your recovery capability. Fixing the congestion issue might get you back on track, but if not then try doing the "advanced novice" (light squats on wednesday) program and see if your progress is more consistent.

There seems to be a fine line between being able to comfortably drink milk and not, one glass too many throughout the day may start the ill effects. I'm still discovering what that limit is. Perhaps my body is slow in building up a tolerence to milk, as I hadnt drank it before, and I've only been trying to drink it for a couple of weeks now. Is it normal for it to take a bit of time to increase milk intake?

I like the idea of a light squat day midweek, i'll try that. I just picked up Practical Programming...and have been reading the first couple of chapters and have not gotten to the section on advanced novice program adjustment yet. I'll have to skip ahead and read more about it. Thanks for the tip.

[Tamara Reynolds]

Just stop drinking milk.

STOP.

[Schwick]

It would probably help to give an example of what is a typical days worth of food for you. Also if you're struggling to gain weight I wouldn't estimate a caloric intake, work out exactly how many calories you're getting.

For example yesterday I counted 5490 total cal., 480 which was beer...mmm. 4 waffles w/butter and syrup, 3-12oz glasses of milk, 2 bananas, 1 cup of cashews, 1 cliffbar, 1 can of chili, 2-8 oz containers of greek yogurt, 12 oz protien shake, 3 oz of buffalo jerky, a large burrito with an 8oz chicken breast/spinach/cheddar/tomato/avacado, 3 fat tires. You're absolutely right, I shouldnt estimate, I should suck it up and calculate it for a while to get a more accurate picture.

[Tamara Reynolds]

For example yesterday I counted 5490 total cal., 480 which was beer...mmm. 4 waffles w/butter and syrup, 3-12oz glasses of milk, 2 bananas, 1 cup of cashews, 1 cliffbar, 1 can of chili, 2-8 oz containers of greek yogurt, 12 oz protien shake, 3 oz of buffalo jerky, a large burrito with an 8oz chicken breast/spinach/cheddar/tomato/avacado, 3 fat tires.

And you are blaming your diarrhea on the milk?

[Schwick]

10 lbs in 6 weeks isnt bad for someone so active, but your job's burning all your calories.

Track your food. Make sure you're getting enough cals...add 500 to 1000 calories a day to your diet until you're gaining like you want to...be inactive. Rest. Really be lazy.

There's only so much recovery time/ability in a week. If you get more cals and as much rest as possible and still aren't seeing the type of increases in strength and weight you want, then I'm guessing recovery is compromised and some aspect of your weekly workload will have to be lessened...Btw, Bill Starr says vitamin supps will help a lot with recovery. Mega-dosing that is. His recommendations are in the Strongest Shall Survive.

This certainly seems like a recovery issue for me and I feel like it'll only become more challenging as spring/summer arrives and I spend more time mtn biking, backpacking, etc...My caloric needs at that time are going to skyrocket and be somewhere in the 8k+ range. Perhaps my body is just still adapting to larger food intake and my stomach will eventually expand its capacity? I like the idea of a light squat day and perhaps I'll gain some insight as to better balance strength training with other activities as I read through Practical Programming...
You're right I should be more diligent about it, track my food better and make certain my intake is increasing by 500-1000cals. I do like cheeseburgers. A friend of mine has been a lifter for 15+ years and says that during weight gain cycles he'll actually wake up in the middle of the night, eat, and go back to sleep. Seems a bit extreme to me, but perhaps there are some tricks of the trade I'm not aware of aside from GOMAD.
As for vitamin supplements, I have been taking ON's Optimen for a few months now, and will defintely look into Bill Stars ideas on mega-dosing.
Thanks for all the suggestions

[Schwick]

And you are blaming your diarrhea on the milk?

I don't know Tbone, I'm trying to figure this shit out so that's why I'm posting here. What are you thinking? Not enough fiber? Maybe a food combining issue? Note that the list of foods was not necessarily listed in direct order of consumption, and i eat a wide variety of foods throughout the week. The next day will be different foods, some the same, and around the same amount. Aside from trying to eat more than I did before, the addition of milk is really the only change to my diet I've made recently, and I wasnt experiencing any problems before the milk, so...I don't know, maybe I'm drinking it at the wrong times and its not sitting well with what I ate recently. I'm not sure, any thoughts or suggestions would be helpful, thanks.