Reply With QuoteJust do the program as written. The age range of 18-35 is a general outline for those that would have the best gains and recovery from the original program. Stick to the 3 days/week program and see how far that takes you.
Member
I need some help on getting started ,again.
Short Version:
I was executing starting strength for a month, then I had massive personal life issues and left it for three months.
I know I need to start over from day zero.
My question -
I am 36 years old now, should I be weary of anything? I read in the book that the age range is 18 - 35. Sounds corny, I just want to be safe - and stronger.
thanks
McG
Member
Just do the program as written. The age range of 18-35 is a general outline for those that would have the best gains and recovery from the original program. Stick to the 3 days/week program and see how far that takes you.
Member
"wary". Nope. Just start over. Toward the higher end of the age range, you might have to worry a little more about making sure you're all warmed up before attempting heavy weights and be more cognizant of the fact that your recovery ability isn't what it used to be. Was your lifestyle sedentary (that is, a lot of sitting, not much activity) before you started? That is more important than the question of age. Also, if you eat a lot, you're more likely to get fat at your age than if you were 18.
Member
Work up to a decent weight. When you find it, I wouldn't do more than 1 work set. You will be sore.
Member
You might want to go to the elderly forum for some inspiration. Plenty of people in their 40's and 50's there lifting heavier than us young guys.Originally Posted by McGringo
Member
I'm surprised at some of these responses. You're 36... that isn't old.
I'm 34 (almost 35) and I ran SS just fine. Granted, I've been doing some kind of regular lifting since '08-'09ish.
Start at the beginning and work up. Don't skip your warm up sets.
Make sure you are eating well - lots of dead animals, fruit, veggies, nuts/seeds, etc. I don't advise GOMAD for guys our age.... I stay under a 1/2 gallon a day and before dinner, usually.
If you are eating right, hydrating well and getting plenty of sleep, your LP will be productive.
Callador
I would use linear progression, but maybe look at a split routine for it. You would only be moving up the main lifts 1-2x per week instead of 2-3x on the full body routine. The workouts and not as grueling, so that is nice too. Once you get the hang of it, you could add in a few solid assistance lifts too (pulliups or pulldowns, etc.).
It would look something like this:
M- Bench (3x5), Press (3x5 @ 80% of normal press)
T- Squat (3x5), Power Cleans (5x3)
Th- Press (3x5), Bench (3x5 @ 80% of normal bench)
F- Squat (3x5), Deadlift (1x5)
The lighter second upper body lift is 80% of your last normal workout. So if you benched 100lbs last time, the light day would be 80lbs. I started near my mid-thirties, and split routines are awesome! :-) It is SS approved too.
Member
Split routine is an intermediate program. If you are serious about getting strong fast I'd go with the SS model and see where that takes you.
Callador
I gave an example of a split linear progression routine, so it is definately for beginners. If you do some searching, Rip himself has given examples like the one I gave above for older lifters. Moving up the squat 2x per week is enough to get strong really fast.
Member
I need some help on getting started ,again.
Hi Callador,
I've noticed around there that you're a big advocate of the split template idea. I kind of like the look of it too and have been looking at it for myself down the track as my numbers become more intermediate.
Just out of curiosity, in the case of a novice lifter like above following this type of template, what would be the function of the 80% upper body pressing work? What would it achieve that the straight 3x5 without any follow-up work that day in the other pressing movement wouldn't achieve?
Posting Permissions