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Thread: Squat Programming - light days

  1. #1
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    Default Squat Programming - light days

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    Thought this would be more appropriate put here with all the new divisions now.

    Ok so i have another question about adding in a light squat day to my training. As i've posted, i hurt my lower back (left side) last week monday and had to go light and all that. Yesterday 1 week from then, it was felt good enough for me to go heavy again, so i went up 2.5kg from my previous weight of 95.5kg (i deloaded down to 93kg and was moving back up 2.5kg at a time). Don't know if it's because i've layed off for a week, or didn't eat enough, etc, but it was dam hard and i could only get 5/5/4. So the question is, is 2.5kg increases even with a light day in between too greedy? I'm planning on doing 98kg again on friday's workout but just to know for next time, do i need to slow down the jumps or is it because i was just getting back into and need some time or what?

  2. #2
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    i am wondering about this also.
    i am hoping that the response will be that the light day acts as a "rest" day allowing a more sufficient recovery from the first workout so that a nice jump can be completed on the third day, before the 2 off days....
    Practical Programming should be here any day...

  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by confuzzl3don3 View Post
    Thought this would be more appropriate put here with all the new divisions now.

    Ok so i have another question about adding in a light squat day to my training. As i've posted, i hurt my lower back (left side) last week monday and had to go light and all that. Yesterday 1 week from then, it was felt good enough for me to go heavy again, so i went up 2.5kg from my previous weight of 95.5kg (i deloaded down to 93kg and was moving back up 2.5kg at a time). Don't know if it's because i've layed off for a week, or didn't eat enough, etc, but it was dam hard and i could only get 5/5/4. So the question is, is 2.5kg increases even with a light day in between too greedy? I'm planning on doing 98kg again on friday's workout but just to know for next time, do i need to slow down the jumps or is it because i was just getting back into and need some time or what?
    One bad workout is a bad day. A string of bad workouts is a problem.

    There's no way to know until you see what happens.

  4. #4
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    Yes, but in normal circumstances when one is progressing without the exceptional "bad workout", should they be as william said, make a "nice jump" (2.5kg) or is that too much.

  5. #5
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    2.5kg jumps a session? Try, see how it feels, slow down after a while if the bar speeds becomes horribly slow.

    On your light days, how light are you gonna go? I'd try 70% of Monday's session.

  6. #6
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    Well Mr City and others told me to go for 80% of monday's workset

  7. #7
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    Then go off 80%, whatever.... The idea is to rest, and not experience any detraining. If you're hurt, then don't worry about loading until you're unhurt. Just get some blood flowing and don't cause any more disruption on top of what occured on the last loading day. Light workouts exist to allow rest while preventing detraining.

  8. #8
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    Confuzzle, the reason it felt damn hard is that you hadn't lifted anything heavy for a week and that you had injured yourself. This is to be expected. Whenever something interferes with your training and you have to take time off, you can expect similar results for a few days.

    Since you are doing heavy-light-heavy, you can expect to make jumps on the heavy days. Light days help keep up technique and base strength (since the weights used aren't cupcakes), but will not be sufficient for further stimulus.

  9. #9
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    The idea for light days is you should walk out feeling better and less tired than you felt on your way in. You'll know it when it happens. Do what makes that happen.

  10. #10
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    starting strength coach development program
    Thanks guys for the advice. I'll see if i can experience that "light day" feeling and i'll see how much can jump from monday's to friday's workout without stalling.

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