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Originally Posted by
scoppi
alright, i know theres been a lot of these threads lately, but id like to hear everyones advice. im considering either completely resetting my advanced novice ss program, or switching to intermediate programming (probably TM but 5/3/1 might be an option). heres where im currently at:
BW 180-185 lbs, height 5'6-7"
Squat: i havent missed a back squat yet. the last set i completed was 330x5x3. when i say these fuckers are hard, i mean HARD. i took 10-15 minutes rest between my first and second set, and 20-25 minutes between my second and third set. i needed that time. i barely got the last rep on the second and third set. ive developed tendonitis in both elbows, so i have to take some time off to let them heal. i dont know if id be able to complete 335x5x3. i front squat 3x3 on wednesdays, last weight was 275 which wasnt too tough.
Bench/Press: i think the squats have been sabotaging my bench/press performance. theyre so hard that ive got nothing left to give for bench/press. the best sets of completed are bench 220x5x3 and press 140x5x3. the last bench i attempted was 205 and it felt like a house; ive completely bombed on the bench. last press i attempted was 137.5 after a reset and i got it. however, im not able to do anything on them now due to the tendonitis. both movements are causing my elbows too much pain.
Deadlift: i deadlift on wednesdays. last attempt was at 370 and i only got 2 reps. i did 365 the week before and got it, even though there was some form breakdown. my lower back is in a perpetual state of soreness. i think its mostly from the squats, but either way, its always sore. i do weighted chins on mon and max rep pull ups on fri. nothing much to comment on there.
i take rest days when i need them. ill usually go something like mon, wed, sat, and then wed, fri, mon. so 2 days off between the 2nd and 3rd workout, and 3 days off between the "fri" and next "mon." simply, i just need that extra recovery time, which i think is a pretty big signal im not recovering like a novice anymore.
i was hoping to take my LP up to 365 or so on the squat and then switch programming. i was going to do this by letting my elbows heal and then reset the program completely so that i hit my current working sets in week 4-5. i think ive just been working at too high a percentage, and just bashing my body. i overreached about a month or so ago, took a week off, did a deload, and went back into it. i think that should have been a reset.
so, whats the verdict? a big reset or a switch to TM or 5/3/1?