Reply With QuoteThere's no hard and fast rule to any of this stuff, if it's working and you have the time to do it then crack on. The key is consistency!
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Not very advanced but thinking about taking 2 rest days in between sessions.
Numbers right now are :
Squat-265x5x3
Bench-175x5x3
Deadlift-315x5x1
Press-105x5x3
Due to finals and being busy in general I have been forced to take 2 rest days in between sessions lately and I have noticed that I feel much more recovered and better overall than when I train every other day. Today was the first time in about 2 weeks that I trained with only one rest day in between and I felt significantly under-recovered despite eating and sleeping enough the days prior. The weight is getting very difficult for me and I feel very sluggish all the time. Would this be a reasonable solution for better recovery while running through my SS progression?
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There's no hard and fast rule to any of this stuff, if it's working and you have the time to do it then crack on. The key is consistency!
Member
I've been doing (what I think is) the program since August and have gotten my squat to 275, deadlift to 280, bench to 145 and press to 105. Same as you I was feeling pretty stressed after just one day's rest so a shifted to two days off and have felt much better on my lifting days and am still making progress. A bit slower, but progress, which is the important part. I usually do squat, press or bench (alternating each workout), chins (3 x AMRAP) on one day and then squat, press or bench (alternating), deadlift the next workout, then repeat (no power cleans for me). I'm in early geezer-hood at 53 and this is working out pretty well for me.
-Rob
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that is one of the suggestions offered in the programming book as a way to milk the LP out. The other thing to consider is switching to an advanced novice template where you squat light on Wed. (or whatever day the second workout falls on). the advantage of the advance novice if you are a young guy is that you are still pressing 3 days a week. for an older guy I think one day on and two days off is probably a pretty good set up.Originally Posted by manis5
If you feel like you are in this for the long haul I would get the programming book.
Member
I have the book. I know that Rip recommends taking 2 days off after each workout as an almost last resort at the very tail end of SS style progression but I'm not sure I'm necessarily at that stage yet, I'm just not feeling recovered though regardless. I have already added the light squat day but I deadlift on that day so it isn't really so much of a "recovery" day. I really hated deadlifting on days when I squat heavy and have progressed well with the setup I have now. On a side note, if I do decide to take 2 days off after each session, how would I go about transitioning to Texas Method or HLM when the time comes?
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Wait, have you done the advanced novice template?
Member
Yeah, I have added the light squat day since around 250x5x3. I guess the only deviation I have made was that I deadlift on the light squat day instead of on a heavy squat day but that's just personal preference.
Member
Yeah, but that might be why you don't feel as recovered, since your light day has a heavy, full-body lift. I know some people do it that way successfully, but you, the individual, manis5, might benefit from not doing any heavy full-body work in the light day. Just a thought.
Member
Honestly it's not even the deadlift that I feel unrecovered from, it's the squat. After squatting heavy on Monday, even the light squats on Wednesday feel somewhat difficult lately. I've tried deadlifting on a heavy squat day before and I could barely get the first rep off the floor lol.
Member
Yeah, I know the feeling, man. It could be that you're starting to tax yourself beyond your recovery ability (food, sleep etc - especially if finals are making it tougher to be strict about meals and sleep). You could try more rest between workouts.
Certainly the final weeks of LP are tough!
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