Too late for SS?

[Zero]

I have been lifting for 2 years, most of that time was spent losing weight unfortunately.
Current squat is 280, bench press is 170, and deadlift is 350.
I am not sure what the issue is, but i tend to lose strength very rapidly when not in a calorie surplus regardless of having a good diet (that is not the issue), my strength gains are also really slow.
I have had to restart at lower weights with nearly everything several times, deadlift has only gone up around 30 pounds in 2 years. I had several issues with form and repeated injuries on deadlifts because i cannot get into position despite flexibility being well and watching the tutorials by Mark on youtube.
I am doing a 5 day strength training split, its not bad but im doing something wrong...regardless, is it too late to switch to SS?

Any advice is appreciated.

[veryhrm]

If you've been having issues w/ form then i recommend you get the SS book and read it. It has good discussions of form and instructions for how to achieve that form for the main lifts. As to the program, what are your other stats ?

Age, height, weight...

[Zero]

thanks, i got one from a friend awhile back and read and finally fixed my form on everything but still struggle with the deadlift start. I took a video as well.

I am 27, 5'9, 159 lbs, currently ~8.5-9% bf (literally, not a guess). roughly 250-300 calorie surplus a day with strong emphasis on calorie/macro counting.

I think the main problem is i dont have the frequency of squatting more than once a week that allows faster growth, i started reading stories of how others have achieved a 3 plate deadlift in a fairly quick timeframe so i am curious to see if it would work for me.

[williamlexcrawford]

If you haven't done a really good beginner strength program a lot of people still have a lot of potential for some good strength gains even if they've been lifting for a few years.

[veryhrm]

Well... the new abs generation will probably be able to say more since very few people here are below 10% bf but most people on here seem to end their linear progression somewhere in the high 200s or low 300s (for three sets of five) but a few do get to the 400s. So if that 280 squat is a 1RM then you can probably get at least a few weeks out of the basic SS program and/or advanced novice. If it's for reps... maybe not so much. No real harm in trying though. You'd know in 2 or 3 weeks if it's working for you or not.

i for one don't like squatting just once a week. I get rusty at the technique or something. (Other lifts once a week doesn't seem to cause me the same issues.)

[Zero]

Sorry meant to say those were for working sets, tested 1RM was 310 for squat with decent form, never 1RM'd the others.
I feel the same way, squatting once a week feels like its definitely not enough though other lifts dont mind. I have a crunchy patella in my left knee which doesnt bother me but have always been worried about possible injury from squatting so frequently.

[Girtron]

thanks, i got one from a friend awhile back and read and finally fixed my form on everything but still struggle with the deadlift start. I took a video as well.

I am 27, 5'9, 159 lbs, currently ~8.5-9% bf (literally, not a guess). roughly 250-300 calorie surplus a day with strong emphasis on calorie/macro counting.

I think the main problem is i dont have the frequency of squatting more than once a week that allows faster growth, i started reading stories of how others have achieved a 3 plate deadlift in a fairly quick timeframe so i am curious to see if it would work for me.

Hey Zero, for your weight, your squat and deadlift aren't bad. You are squatting roughly 1.76 times your bodyweight. Most people stall around that percentage of their weight on the squat. So that is pretty normal. Unfortunately, if you are not willing to gain weight and BF%, you will have to grind it out. If your goals are to get as strong as possible while gaining as little BF as possible, I would suggest Wendler's 5/3/1. The linear gains of SS probably aren't in the cards if you are not willing to increase your BF%. It is all about your goals.
Also, you are training on a five day split. I would suspect you are overtraining some body parts while not eating enough to recover. I also suspect you are not as accurate as you think you are with your calorie count. If you truly have a 250-300 calorie SURPLUS (meaning calories your body isn't burning) you would be gaining roughly 2 to 3 pounds of bodyweight a month. I suspect this isn't the case.
If you are willing to gain 3 or 4 pounds per month and getting really strong is your priority, you probably could get some mileage out of SS, SS advanced, and transition into TM afterward. Rip says in starting strength that skinny guys usually and up around 20% BF by the end of linear progression if they do the program as outlined. The nagging injuries are also mitigated by eating as the program outlines. So read the book and DO WHAT IT SAYS TO DO if you really want to try it.
Otherwise, I would settle for the slower gains that a program with monthly periodization, like 5/3/1, delivers. Just my two cents.

[Tom Campitelli]

You mentioned that your deadlift has only gone up 30 pounds in 2 years. Even if you do SS and it doesn't work that well, you won't have spent very long figuring that out. Set your work set weights at something reasonable and go after it. If you genuinely want to get stronger, don't be surprised if you drift above 9% body fat.

[Zero]

Hey Zero, for your weight, your squat and deadlift aren't bad. You are squatting roughly 1.76 times your bodyweight. Most people stall around that percentage of their weight on the squat. So that is pretty normal. Unfortunately, if you are not willing to gain weight and BF%, you will have to grind it out. If your goals are to get as strong as possible while gaining as little BF as possible, I would suggest Wendler's 5/3/1. The linear gains of SS probably aren't in the cards if you are not willing to increase your BF%. It is all about your goals.
Also, you are training on a five day split. I would suspect you are overtraining some body parts while not eating enough to recover. I also suspect you are not as accurate as you think you are with your calorie count. If you truly have a 250-300 calorie SURPLUS (meaning calories your body isn't burning) you would be gaining roughly 2 to 3 pounds of bodyweight a month. I suspect this isn't the case.
If you are willing to gain 3 or 4 pounds per month and getting really strong is your priority, you probably could get some mileage out of SS, SS advanced, and transition into TM afterward. Rip says in starting strength that skinny guys usually and up around 20% BF by the end of linear progression if they do the program as outlined. The nagging injuries are also mitigated by eating as the program outlines. So read the book and DO WHAT IT SAYS TO DO if you really want to try it.
Otherwise, I would settle for the slower gains that a program with monthly periodization, like 5/3/1, delivers. Just my two cents.

Thanks, currently i am gaining around .5-.6 lbs a week like clockwork, was at ~7% bf at my leanest, and am going to keep going until i hit around 15% bf and get back down to around 10%, something more reasonable.
I think you are right on the overtraining, i take every set to failure and i feel drained and worn out after just an hour in the gym, whereas everyone says you should leave on a positive note, feeling good. I am definitely willing to follow the routine and see what happens. My friend does 5/3/1, but squats around 365, pulls 435, and benches 320 and is constantly getting stronger but felt i could still make some sort of quicker progress with the SS program.
Thanks for your input, very appreciated!
I would have had a lot more fun starting off as a skinny guy instead of high 30s bf lol

You mentioned that your deadlift has only gone up 30 pounds in 2 years. Even if you do SS and it doesn't work that well, you won't have spent very long figuring that out. Set your work set weights at something reasonable and go after it. If you genuinely want to get stronger, don't be surprised if you drift above 9% body fat.

I had my DL up to 385 when i finally hurt my back, i had to work my way back up after not being able to DL for a couple of months from square one
Got up to 375 and it happened again lol.

[Girtron]

"Thanks, currently i am gaining around .5-.6 lbs a week like clockwork, was at ~7% bf at my leanest, and am going to keep going until i hit around 15% bf and get back down to around 10%, something more reasonable.
I think you are right on the overtraining, i take every set to failure and i feel drained and worn out after just an hour in the gym, whereas everyone says you should leave on a positive note, feeling good. I am definitely willing to follow the routine and see what happens. My friend does 5/3/1, but squats around 365, pulls 435, and benches 320 and is constantly getting stronger but felt i could still make some sort of quicker progress with the SS program.
Thanks for your input, very appreciated!
I would have had a lot more fun starting off as a skinny guy instead of high 30s bf lol"

No problem, Zero. I would imagine your friend is not at 9% BF. Those are good numbers. As long as you are gaining weight, you should progress. It sounds like you eating clean and gaining quality weight. Marty Gallagher said you should be between 3 and 4 lbs per inch of height for maximum strength. It sounds like you fall more into bodybuilding catagory for goals rather than powerlifting, though. Nevertheless, you are on the right track it seems. Your strength will follow your weight on the program.