(Re)Starting Strength--Programming

[stancil]

I am a 44-y/o male (5'11, 210lbs, approximately 20% body fat) who began lifting for the first time since high school four years ago as part of a CrossFit program. I lifted consistently for three years as part of that program, but recently took a full year off for a variety of reasons (including training for a Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim hike of the Grand Canyon, for which I did only endurance-focused lower-body work, in addition to running and climbing). With that craziness out of the way, I am starting to lift again, this time using Rippetoe training methods. I am having trouble figuring out where I fit from a programming perspective. For what it's worth, I am playing soccer and basketball and doing a little bit of running on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I'm currently taking the weekends off.

When I got off the CrossFit train, I was working with the following relevant 1RMs: DL: 435; Back Squat: 405; Shoulder Press: 145; Bench Press: 225; Power Clean: 215.

I have done 4 Starting Strength workouts so far, and have not really figured out what I should be doing. Yesterday, I did Squats (3x5x265), Press (3x5x100), and DL (1x3x315); my Bench Press on Friday was 3x5x145, and my Power Clean was 3x5x135.

I own Starting Strength (Kindle Edition) and ordered the programming book this morning from Aasgard; I'm really trying to determine where I live in the programming universe, whether and how I should be incorporating assistance exercises, etc.

Any thoughts? I'm fairly certain I don't count as a beginner, and I know I'll have a number of intermediate workouts in hand once the new book arrives next week, but I have two or three more workouts between now and then, and I would like to be doing the right things.

On a (potentially) related note, I did manage to get pretty decent at pullups during my CrossFit years, but ALWAYS struggled with pushups and chinups, despite being in the top quartile to top ten percent in the gym on all of my barbell lifts. For what it's worth, my armspan is four inches greater than my height. I know this has affected me on the bench press, and probably on pushups for the same reasons, but was wondering whether it creates a biomechanical disadvantage for chinups relative to pullups, since the disparity there was always really noticeable (I ask because Starting Strength seems to emphasize the chinup as a good assistance exercise--my suckitude at that exercise may cause me problems).

Thanks so much!

stancil

[Nick Delgadillo]

It'll help you put things in perspective if you define the terms a bit better for yourself. You are a novice, not because you're inexperienced, but because you can add weight to the bar (go through a stress-recovery-adaptation cycle) in 48 to 72 hours. Right now and maybe for another month to 8 weeks, you're probably doing what you need to be doing. When you can't add weight to the bar workout to workout, you're an intermediate and will have to decide what your next step will be. Practical Programming has a lot of options listed as examples, but it also will give you a good understanding of the why.

Over the next few weeks, just keep adding weight each workout. When that becomes problematic, you can change the middle of the week workout to a light day, switch to threes on one or more of your workouts, etc.

[DaveJF]

I would like to suggest another option that worked for me, if I may, especially since you're basically starting out again after a long layoff: Just start the Novice program like your a total newbie...

The SS book explains how to titrate the weight for each exercise during the first workout to find your initial workset weights.

Practical Programming expands on both that topic and Novice programming, including a good example of a "well executed" progression if you want to hang tight until you get that book.

Since you're stronger than most novices, maybe even err on the conservative side a little b/c your workset weights should start out higher.

I think you'll find it to be time well spent, at least I did. If you do the math on the examples in the book(s), you will see that it doesn't really take much time at all to get up to your previous 5RM weights, with the added bonus that you'll have the extra time to nail down form before things get really challenging.

[stancil]

That makes a lot of sense. I was probably a little freaked out by the idea that I should always be progressing, every workout -- I'll keep on keeping on until I stop progressing, then go from there. Thank you!

[Nick Delgadillo]

I would like to suggest another option that worked for me, if I may, especially since you're basically starting out again after a long layoff: Just start the Novice program like your a total newbie...

The SS book explains how to titrate the weight for each exercise during the first workout to find your initial workset weights.
Since you're stronger than most novices, maybe even err on the conservative side a little b/c your workset weights should start out higher.

The weights he's currently using, shouldn't be that taxing right now. I don't see any reason to start lighter unless maybe for practice if the lifts need work. That may be the case.