Did not do the program properly, went into intermediate programming to quick... Stuck

[Jimmy Hard]

As the title says, I started the program of Kethnabb version of Starting Strength last June ( I know this is not the version that Rip supports. ) I did not eat enough, or eat at all and was very light ( still am light, but not as bad. ) I did gain body weight quickly on the program even though I was eating very little. However because of this lack of nutrition, I stopped gaining weight, and stalled in about 4 months. Did not get my lifts high either ( lifts were really bad for a stall this big. ) For two months I was in constant deloads, expecting to push through but never did. Then eventually I was recommended Texas Method, and GOMAD. I did GOMAD and the Texas Method in December, and quickly added 20 lbs to all of my lifts. ( I credited to Texas Method, but in reality it was probably the extra food and GOMAD that did it. ) Then I got sick, and was out for a week and lost alot of weight, and gained very slow until about February. Although I was doing GOMAD I didn't gain much weight, after that because I still didn't eat all that much... and my lifts progress was very very slow and in some lifts didn't really progress at all. By mid-April I reached my pr's, and since then have stopped lifting for 2 weeks, been on deloads... tried changing routines to madcow ( which didn't do anything... most likely because I'm not ready for it. ) and have actually declined in progress.



Now for the TL,DR... Did Starting Strength, didn't eat enough switched to Texas Method ( when I close to being an intermediate. ) and GOMADED. Made quick progress. Got sick. Stalled. Made way to slow progress, Stalled. Stuck. Declining.



Now onto my stats ( which are horrible. )

Age:16
Height:5 foot 5
Weight:136 lbs

PRS

Squat: 185 3X5 ( As horrible as that is, for the time I have been lifting... I do have to unrack the barbell from a low position because I have sawhorses and I do squat completely ATG. Probably would get 205 lbs 3X5 If I squatted to only parallel. )

Bench Press: 140 lbs 3X5 ( Terrible, but care more about dead, squat, press.)

Deadlift: 225 lbs 1X5 ( This is an estimate because I haven't done deadlifts for a set of 5, in a while... pretty damn bad, though.)

Military Press: 95 lbs 3X5 ( Declining hard on this. )

Power Cleans: 115 lbs 5x5 ( Bad, but I didn't do power cleans until maybe about February. )

Pull-Ups 3X10

Dips 3X12.


As you can see my lifts are terrible, for as long as I have been training. I've been getting around 3,000 calories a day since about February ( not GOMADING anymore, but get about 1/2 a gallon a day. ) Sleep I try and get 8 hours a day, and usually do... also I'm not a guy who adds in a bunch of isolation ( have added none actually. )


I'm actually wondering why I can't progress and why I am completely horrible when it comes to lifting. Reading these forums I see people who have been working in like 6 weeks, getting to where I am at in like 48 weeks. It is frustrating to try hard at something and just be a complete failure, and it is even worse when you just completely do nothing for two months at a time and not only not get better, but just get worse. It's alot of wasted time and disappointment.

Looking around and reading logs and seeing people on Starting Strength squatting 300 lbs, just makes me feel like a failure to lifting in general, and I really want to turn this around.




So here is the question... what would you do, if you saw a person like me walk into your gym? Would you have me stop for a period of time? Put me on Starting Strength? Advanced Novice Program? Do I start them at a deload? Am I a lost cause?

How much calories should I get a day?


Also another thing... but if I make no progress, or really slow progress on a program that is set around making slow linear gains... while eating 3,000 calories and getting 8 hours sleep. How the hell am I supposed to put 5 lbs a week on my lifts on Starting Strength? That's the reason why I aren't just jumping right in.


- Thanks, please help... I need it.

[Jimmy Hard]

Also before I get stop being a pussy, and just lift. I have been... with the way I have wasted months doing nothing ( because of my own mistakes. ) I could have quit by now and been in the same place.


But because I enjoy doing this, and want to progress I have chosen not to give in, and to admit my flaws on this forum and prepare to work harder and smarter to fix my problems.

[Mr.City]

I would eat more, a lot more, and go back to linear progression.

[skills101]

Just go back to SS and make all the linear gains you can.

Weight:136 lbs

( not GOMADING anymore, but get about 1/2 a gallon a day. )

These things need to change. No one ever got very strong weighing 136#.

[Tfin]

First of all, I'm not a coach or even an advanced lifter for that matter. I have been lifting for quite some time just doing bullshit mainly. I did starting strength for a bit a couple of years ago and just recently coma back to SS to get everything out of linear progression that I can. All of that to recommend that you start back over with SS and do it right. Eat 3,000 calories and then add gomad on top of that. I think you would benefit greatly from getting everything you can out of linear progression and to do that you have to eat and gain weight. You are 16 and you weigh 136 lbs right? You couldn't possibly began to have stalled because of the loads being too much to recover from but you weren't recovering because you weren't eating enough. Not being a dick but why is eating so hard for you? I know you probably have school and you are still reliant on somebody else (parents) for food but you have summer break and peanut butter sandwiches (they go great with milk). Anyway if you have food questions, ask around on here. John Sheaffer has a great nutrition forum on here.
As far as starting over, don't worry so much about a de-load but start off with weights that will allow you to hit your current pr's in 4-6 weeks. That's what I did and it worked great. Some people may disagree but its all about getting stronger and that will give you a great ramp up. Anyway, that's my two cents. If you have any questions pm me or hop on over to my log. Obviously you aren't scared of hard work and will power isn't the problem. Keep working hard and best of luck.

[TTT]

why are you even counting calories?

eat.
always.

"YOU" should never be seen without food in your hand.
doesn't matter what it is.
if it's eadible, then eat it.
meat, bread, milk, eggs, chocolate, lettuce, pasta...
anything, and everything.

you are also only 16.
so 16 and 136 lbs you are obviously a slim build naturally.
so don't even worry about getting fat.


EAT! and do SS.

That's all you need to do for about a year.
forget about going to TM or anything else.

don't be an overthinker.. we have too many here already.

3 sets of 5 reps for everything except deads and cleans.
deads 1 set of 5
cleans 5 sets of 3

just do it as described and EAT!

[confuzzl3don3]

As has been said. Just do SS and this time FREAKING EAT!

That is all. Good luck

[MrMarbles]

"It is frustrating to try hard at something and just be a complete failure..."

Why am I apparently the only one here thinking that this is a load of BS? Im not saying Ive gone through this program without unnecessary experimentation but something is amiss here. I seriously doubt how credible your dedication to training is.

What everyone is failing to tell you is that this program doesn't take just your supposed 'dedication' but money also (generally in the form of a credit card-to buy the book) for milk and food. Just buy the book. Forgo gomad and training for a while if you have to and save for it and get someone to buy it for you. A version you read off the internet and a few form videos you watch on youtube isnt enough. It is smarter to do this carefully than to fuck around in the gym, hurt yourself with bad form and suffer in training there on.

[Alyion]

Sounds to me like you did too much and didn't eat enough - what exactly did you do when you ran SS and what did you eat first time? Did you do any cardio or additional exercises as you sound asw though you could be bordering on overtrained

[Eanderson]

First of all, you haven't failed yet because you are still lifting.

Second of all, you are 16 and 135lbs. I grew 3 inches and 35lbs after that age without any lifting at all.

At your age, you literally have natural steroids flowing through your veins. Take advantage of all the free testosterone, do GOMAD+3-4K calories and get back on the novice progression (deload like 20% for your starting weights). Post videos in technique forum, etc.

I promise that if you are faithful on the novice progression, you will get strong.

P.S. If you do GOMAD, you are getting 2,400kcal just from that. Are you really eating only 600 calories from food??