Routine for 30+ Lifter

[ruzg]

Hello Mark & Crew,
What routine (or rough guideline) would you recommend for a 33 yr old lifter interested primarily in improving the squat & deadlift while maintaining bench & press?
5'9-170lbs
squat 5RM - 175lbs
deadlift 5RM - 225lbs
bench 5RM - 195 lbs
press 5RM - 140lbs

Been going between SStrength and Texas periodization - for a year - gains have stalled.

Thanks!

[Mark Rippetoe]

These numbers at your bodyweight indicate either a testosterone deficiency or an incorrectly followed novice progression.

[Robert Callahan]

Hello Mark & Crew,
What routine (or rough guideline) would you recommend for a 33 yr old lifter interested primarily in improving the squat & deadlift while maintaining bench & press?
5'9-170lbs
squat 5RM - 175lbs
deadlift 5RM - 225lbs
bench 5RM - 195 lbs
press 5RM - 140lbs

Been going between SStrength and Texas periodization - for a year - gains have stalled.

Thanks!

You have been SS-ing for a year and your squat is still 20 pounds less than your bench?? Something is not right here....

[ruzg]

some of it may have to do with the fact i had never squatted prior to doing ss, also i have not been regular for more than 1 month at a time because of work travel. but the squat and dl numbers are alarmingly low i agree. my bench actually peaked at 225 1RM and dl peaked at 255 2 RM. Squat has always been abysmally weak. perhaps an imbalance that requires preparatory work which i have never done - not sure what prep work to do actually or how to get "diagnosed" - as for the test deficiency, recent blood tests returned normal levels.

thanks

[Mark Rippetoe]

The preparatory work necessary would be your Novice Progression. Let's see: 5 lbs. per workout x 3 workouts per week = 15 lbs. per week. Then, 52 weeks per year x 15 lbs. per week = 780 lbs.!!!!! My god, this didn't happen now, did it?? In fact, no part of it happened at all, right? Had you done your Novice Progression with 1 lb. jumps per workout for a year like you said you did, had you started with the 45 lb. bar you would still be 26 lbs. stronger than you are now.

Your testosterone may be normal, but you seem to have wasted it. My diagnosis is that you have not followed the program.

[ruzg]

for some reason no matter what form i try wide-very wide-narrow with the back squat it refuses to increase. my deadlift is increasing slowly, and bench/press too...would you recommend box squatting to get the right "recruitment"?

[Mark Rippetoe]

I recommend that you follow the program exactly as it is written in the book. You have not, have you?

[Andy Baker (KSC)]

The only time you should box squat as part of a novice progression is if you are so incredibly weak that you cannot bodyweight squat to proper depth and reverse direction back to the top. It is unfortunate but these people do exist within our society.

Box squats are useful for training explosive power but as a novice you will become more powerful by simply getting stronger on the squat, clean, and deadlift, making box squats unnecessary.

As a trainer who has attempted to modify the SS program in the past with my own tweaks and variants I can authoritatively recommend that the way it is outlined in the book is the best way. No modifications are necessary. If your squat won't go up then the problem is one of four things: not eating enough, not resting enough, bad form, or weight jumps that are too big.

[KC7]

for some reason no matter what form i try wide-very wide-narrow with the back squat it refuses to increase. my deadlift is increasing slowly, and bench/press too...would you recommend box squatting to get the right "recruitment"?

You've got to buy, read, and follow the book. Were you going by the Wiki? Between wide-very wide-narrow there is a correct width. Get your form down and start over again.

Box squats? Now you're just insulting Mark and showing that you clearly haven't read the book. It'll change your life, trust me.

[Tuesday]

for some reason no matter what form i try wide-very wide-narrow with the back squat it refuses to increase. my deadlift is increasing slowly, and bench/press too...would you recommend box squatting to get the right "recruitment"?

If you have trouble with squat form, post a video for a critique.