Restarting SS fresh, how to do it?

[pyaarawala]

Hello Rip. I first "did SS" 2 years ago without buying the book, drinking the milk, or not doing much else right. I was able to get my lifts up but due to various reasons now they are back down to low numbers:

Squat: 245x5 -- very hard, form breaking down
Bench: 177.5x5 -- medium difficulty
Press: 127.5x5 -- very hard, form breaking down
Deadlift: 205x5 -- easy-medium (resetted on this big time due to poor form)
Clean: 145x3 -- very hard, form breaking down

As you can see, my lifts are all over the place. Do you think i should start over from the beginning? Drop the weight on everything and do it right? And buy the book too.

I'm 5'11, 170 lbs, about 20% body fat. I'll attach a picture. Also, what do you recommend diet-wise? Am I a candidate for GOMAD? Or half GOMAD?

Thank you!

[BareSteel]

Form breakdown on every exercise is not okay. You're correct to warrant a deload and reading the book should assist you with identifying your errors. Take advantage of the technique and SS Coaches forums for advice on your lifts.

SS is a hard program - especially the final few weeks of LP. Use this time to learn the correct form while the bar is medium-light and then take a hard run at finishing the LP.

I'm more interested in you recovering fully and less interested in how exactly you do it. GOMAD has the advantage of being repeatable and measurable. It can also be expensive and (for some people)...err...uncomfortable from a digestive standpoint. You're tall and skinny - you have permission to eat "dirty" and consume lots of milk if you choose for a short time while you enjoy fast progress.

[pyaarawala]

Form breakdown on every exercise is not okay. You're correct to warrant a deload and reading the book should assist you with identifying your errors. Take advantage of the technique and SS Coaches forums for advice on your lifts.

SS is a hard program - especially the final few weeks of LP. Use this time to learn the correct form while the bar is medium-light and then take a hard run at finishing the LP.

I'm more interested in you recovering fully and less interested in how exactly you do it. GOMAD has the advantage of being repeatable and measurable. It can also be expensive and (for some people)...err...uncomfortable from a digestive standpoint. You're tall and skinny - you have permission to eat "dirty" and consume lots of milk if you choose for a short time while you enjoy fast progress.

Thank you!

By the way why was this thread moved? Is it really a repetitive inquiry? If so then I thought wrong. But I kinda figure Rip would just say "start over, do it right, buy the book, and follow the program".

Also do you really think I'm skinny? I've got annoying chest and lower back fat I'd like to lose. I think the pic didn't upload properly .

http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...psf5b3cacf.jpg

[pyaarawala]

Also, I forgot to ask. What weight should I deload to on my lifts? Should I make them ridiculously easy? Like 150 lb squat, 1 plate bench, 70 lb press, 1 plate DL, and 95 lb cleans? I'm just afraid if they're too easy and I start doing GOMAD (or half GOMAD) then I'll get fat cuz I'm barely using my muscles to do what they can do.

I just threw random numbers on the lifts there that I'm sure will be incredibly easy. I could probably do them all beltless and with only a couple minutes rest if I did that. Bute to instead of random numbers is there a guideline I should follow? Do I really have to go through the noob method of starting w/ just the bar, tape every set and determine where the bar speed slows down? That seems like a pain and unnecessary at my level

[BareSteel]

I think you're skinny. Hell, I think I'm too skinny too. But your bodyweight goals are of course strictly up to you - I'm just coming at you assuming you want to get better at lifting in the most efficient way possible, which means more mass.

I'd guess that the post was moved because there have been similar questions about resets in the past and your post didn't bring up anything very new or unusual to add to the board.

Precise percentages are tough to give for deloads when a lot of time has passed since the lifter was at his or her strongest point. Here is a qualitative guideline: Pick weights that permit perfect form, but still make you work a little bit. That's your starting point. Build from there. Finding these weights will require some trial and error to the extent that your first one or two days back in the gym will be what I call 'test days.' You'll do a few warm up sets, then try to use your best judgement to gauge where your work sets could be. Too light? Do a slightly heavier set. Too heavy? Rack the weight and select something lighter. For these kinds of sessions, you usually end up doing several more warm up sets than you otherwise would, so it's my personal opinion (based on my own limited experience) that doing just a single work set of five is sufficient on the first day back. The goal is to find your starting point, and if you do that accurately, I say mission accomplished - no need to add any more volume on that day.

No need to video for bar speed if you have the experience to feel how hard you're working. Just ensure good technique. Remember that you'll initially pick up the slack pretty quickly, so don't be distressed by a really light first few days back to the gym.

[pyaarawala]

I think you're skinny. Hell, I think I'm too skinny too. But your bodyweight goals are of course strictly up to you - I'm just coming at you assuming you want to get better at lifting in the most efficient way possible, which means more mass.

I'd guess that the post was moved because there have been similar questions about resets in the past and your post didn't bring up anything very new or unusual to add to the board.

Precise percentages are tough to give for deloads when a lot of time has passed since the lifter was at his or her strongest point. Here is a qualitative guideline: Pick weights that permit perfect form, but still make you work a little bit. That's your starting point. Build from there. Finding these weights will require some trial and error to the extent that your first one or two days back in the gym will be what I call 'test days.' You'll do a few warm up sets, then try to use your best judgement to gauge where your work sets could be. Too light? Do a slightly heavier set. Too heavy? Rack the weight and select something lighter. For these kinds of sessions, you usually end up doing several more warm up sets than you otherwise would, so it's my personal opinion (based on my own limited experience) that doing just a single work set of five is sufficient on the first day back. The goal is to find your starting point, and if you do that accurately, I say mission accomplished - no need to add any more volume on that day.

No need to video for bar speed if you have the experience to feel how hard you're working. Just ensure good technique. Remember that you'll initially pick up the slack pretty quickly, so don't be distressed by a really light first few days back to the gym.

Thanks for keeping up with my thread. My lifting has been a big circle for a long time and I've never been able to put on good mass that I want nor be able to get really shredded. My body weight goals are around 180-190 at sub 10% BF. But even if I'm 180-190 at my current BF level I'd be happier than I am now.

Thanks for the detailed response on how to find my new starting point. So far bench has been pretty good but I don't want my lifts to be all over the place again. Next workout will be on Sunday and it'll be the start of a new week. I'm gonna tape all my lifts and get everything approved form-wise as a starting point by the coaches.

I was thinking of starting at half a GOMAD and seeing how it goes? What do you think? Should I be looking to gain weight like your classic really skinny teenage boy would? I'm assuming no so I figured half GOMAD would be a good start.

[BareSteel]

Half GOMAD sounds like a reasonable start that won't interfere with your solid food intake. The caloric sum is more important than how much milk you drank - the milk just works because it's so measurable. You'll know that you're eating right if your workouts don't get grindy for a while. If reps are slowing down too early, you're under-recovering.

[pyaarawala]

Half GOMAD sounds like a reasonable start that won't interfere with your solid food intake. The caloric sum is more important than how much milk you drank - the milk just works because it's so measurable. You'll know that you're eating right if your workouts don't get grindy for a while. If reps are slowing down too early, you're under-recovering.

Alright then. The problem is I eat next to no veggies at all. Just the occasional green pepper and onion pieces I eat in the local stir-fried Chinese food. I don't really get much fiber other than from white rice (which barely has any anyway). I know fiber is important for health, but is it important for strength gains? I take a multi and fish oil.

[BareSteel]

C'mon no spinach!? Haha. I couldn't tell you exactly what the drawbacks are of lack of vegetables as far as muscle gain is concerned. Fiber is good for digestion. I know that Jordan (see nutrition section) is a big fan, as he set parameters for me when we had a consult last year.

[nated1]

I am a novice, so take this with a huge grain of salt...

I'm pretty sure SS says GOMAD for a skinny kid at 10% body fat. 20% bodyfat isn't skinny kid. You might want to ensure you read the book to ensure you qualify for the GOMAD diet- it's not universal advice. Pages 308-311 of SS 3rd edition, 2nd revision.