Novice - Reset Vs Mircoload

[composite]

I am an underweight novice about 40 days into the program (5'11", 175lb, 39 yrs old, relatively low bodyfat). In general, I have been able to increase weight at 5lbs per workout for the squat and bench press and 10 for the deadlift.

However, I have noticed things getting much harder and can sense I won't be able to continue at this rate. Bar speed has been slowing the last few workouts on squat (185lb) and bench press (157lb). My deadlift (190 lb) was weak so it will continue for a bit on linear progression. My press has started to stall (90lb).

I would consider myself a difficult gainer. So as things start to stall, I am going to make the Wednesday squat a light squat day. But my question is should I do a reset when I start missing reps or should I just microload? My initial thought was 2.5lb on squat and bench press, 1lb on the press, 5-7.5lb on the deadlift. And then just continue that until I stall and then do a reset.

The other possibility is I'm not getting enough food since I have not increased bodyweight much in the last 40 days (sleep is good). But I do eat whenever hungry, try to eat as much as I can, and get plenty of protein and carbs. I may need more fats though. I am lactose intolerant so don't drink milk, but can drink muscle milk so should I just use that as a direct substitute? My one vice is diet Coke so maybe that is stifling my appetite as well?

[Mark Rippetoe]

http://startingstrength.com/index.ph..._clarification

[thedude47111]

GOMAD, son. Get your weight up.

[composite]

That is fair and everything seems to point to lack of calories, which milk could address. But what are the options if you are lactose intolerant? Lactase pills, muscle milk, lactaid? Other foods?

[JasPChuff]

Either lactose pills and whole milk, or just start gorging on food, literally eat everything you see whemever you see it. Might want to read eating through the sticking points in the resource section. The part about the cake a day diet is awesome.

[Sean Herbison]

Either lactose pills and whole milk, or just start gorging on food, literally eat everything you see whemever you see it. Might want to read eating through the sticking points in the resource section. The part about the cake a day diet is awesome.

As much as I like that article, it's an example of what serious lifters are willing to do, not a how-to.

Composite, I agree you probably need to put on weight, but eating everything you see or doing GOMAD is probably a bad idea at 39 years old. Maybe you're the exception, but most people past ~30 will put on disproportionate amounts of fat that way.

Up your calories, certainly, but not by over 1000/day at a time, which GOMAD certainly would be. Do you track your macros? If not, it may help, and you can be more consistent with your intake.

[boot29342342]

As much as I like that article, it's an example of what serious lifters are willing to do, not a how-to.

Composite, I agree you probably need to put on weight, but eating everything you see or doing GOMAD is probably a bad idea at 39 years old. Maybe you're the exception, but most people past ~30 will put on disproportionate amounts of fat that way.

Up your calories, certainly, but not by over 1000/day at a time, which GOMAD certainly would be. Do you track your macros? If not, it may help, and you can be more consistent with your intake.

What Sean said. Rip included the clarification article link above because OP does not fit into the GOMAD demographic, not because he does. Conservative increases in calories and a higher protein intake would probably be a good idea, but gorging on everything in sight would not be at that age.

[composite]

Thanks for all the input.

Yeah, at my age, I don't digest everything as easily as when I was young. When I was younger and wanted to bulk I drank a lot of milk. I think that ironically, that is how I became lactose intolerant (too much milk too fast).

I took a lactase pill with milk the last two meals and no problems, so that is encouraging. Over the years my diet has become really clean and fats are hard to come by (relying on raw almonds and fish) but I don't think that is enough.

One thing that has confused me about programming is resets vs microloads. Maybe microloading is for intermediates and not beginners? I feel like if keep trying 5 lb jumps I am going to stall soon. To me it seems natural to just go with smaller bumps and keep progressing until I stall. But maybe the counter argument is that I won't recognize the bigger issue if I do that (i.e. insufficient calories). I may have to start tracking them. I eat as much as I can and way more than anyone I know. But even that may not be enough. I was bean pole growing up so 175 is actually good for my genetics (just to give an idea about how much of an ectomorph I am).

[boot29342342]

A few keywords in your post suggest you might on the orthorexic end of the spectrum... I would suggest you stop obsessing about food, focus on enjoying things in moderation, and do keep track of the amounts of foods you eat. Put some olive oil on your salad if you really want your fats to be "clean", and avoid licking the floor of your kitchen. More seriously, most so-called "ectomorphs" and "hard gainers" just seem to have a low appetite and overestimate how much they eat. I know a few who claim to eat everything in sight and never gain any weight. What usually happens if you observe them over a 24-hour period or so goes something like this:

7 pm: tobo eats lots of steak. "ectomorph" eats lots of steak.
8 am next day: tobo wants breakfast. "ectomorph" is not hungry.
1 pm: tobo eats lunch. "ectomorph" nibbles.
7 pm: tobo eats dinner. "ectomorph" has finally worked up enough appetite to look at food again. Orders chicken and veggies.

Final score: tobo, 2500~3,000 kcal, "ectomorph" <2000 kcal.

[composite]

Thanks for the input.

I never heard of orthoexeria, but I looked it up and it doesn't really fit me. I have really made an effort over the years to improve my diet (used to be a lot of fast food - 3X/day). At my place, there are good foods, but I have struggled to find good fats (proteins and carbs are pretty easy). Perhaps the problem is that I associate fats with digestive issues (which nuts can do) and is not necessarily true of fats in general. I still eat out a lot and I will eat good things on the menu, but I don't shy away from things like chicken wings, burritos, etc.

I probably do need to get a record of how many calories I am really eating though. Subconsciously, I always wonder if I am not eating enough and the scale would seem to suggest that. I do know that compared to my friends, I eat more. And when I am on vacation, my brother and friends get upset my continuous stops and begging for food...haha. I have never had a friend, gf, etc. say I undereat and I am usually getting some sort of meal every 2 hours, even if it is just a chicken breast or can of tuna.

I think switching from diet coke to milk would make a big difference though. The diet coke has no calories and probably stifles my appetite some. Also, getting more fat from milk will help. Let me see how things go with some changes.