Am I doing too much?

[biggidybates]

I have been lifting weights for about 10 years. I am 30 yrs, 6'5" and about 240lbs. My upper body is strong, at least what I thought was strong, and my lower body weak as hell. I just started squatting after reading Starting Strength.

I did all the "waste of time" fancy exercises in the gym and got quite good at them. It is also very possible that I was doing too much. I have not made any progress in a few years so have been looking to shake up my routine. Basically, adhering to what Mark is teaching is resulting in me starting from scratch (I have never dead lifted, squatted, cleaned and only started pressing a few months ago).

My question:

I just started your program two weeks ago and here is what I am doing:

A - Squat, Bench, Dead Lift, Decline Bench, Row, Dips and Pull ups
B - Squat, Press, Clean, Shrugs, Curl, Skull Crusher, Chin ups

Am I dong too much? Is this going to hinder my progress? I have that mind-set that more is better. I am thinking that I need to break this habit or I will limit by muscles from their fullest potential.

I appreciate any feedback!

[Rodolfo Bryant]

If you have never done the lifts you are a novice. Buy the book and follow the novice program.

[simonsky]

maybe if youre a bodybuilder thats good but if you're training for strength then you can only get away with that with roids.

[TTT]

I think you will eventually drop the extra stuff purely due to being exhausted when the weights start getting really hard for you.

My only extra exercises were chins and rows, and now I can't do them after the usual compound movements.

I do understand where you are coming from though.
I'm from the same background as you and am 3 years older.

so it's hard to break the habit.
but you have to.

will it make you feel more comfortable that my arms are slightly thicker in the last year and I have not curled a single bar? that's a fact.

My chest is bigger from each angle than it's ever been and I've only done flat bench for 3x5.

My back is thicker with just deads than it's been with chins and rows.

My triceps are more obvious and I have not done a tricep press or kickback or even a dip... all due to overhead press and bench.

and the only thing which will put you off... my gut is ALWAYS bloated lol.
but it's a small sacrifice.

if you can't break the habit right now, you will eventually due to the weights for squats and deads and cleans pretty much wrecking you for the day.

After deads, I look at the bar on the ground after my 5 minutes of sitting down panting and think.. "I can't be fucked unloading that" let alone unloading it, putting it up on pins, loading a smaller weight then curling it.

[biggidybates]

thanks for the advice. i am going to cut back and really focus on the core lifts. i hope to see some good progress in the next few months after seeing very little progress in the last 3 years.

[Jason B]

if you're training for strength then you can only get away with that with roids.

That's unfounded. The original poster makes no mention of volume, intensity, or frequency, so saying you need drugs to complete that program is an assumption based on information not given. I will say that it looks like a lot of volume and is most likely not optimal, but to say it can't be done naturally is a guess.

I agree with colliflower, follow the novice program until it doesn't work anymore, then go intermediate. If you're really attached to assistance work- keep the rows and dips one day, and the skulls and chin-ups the other day, and drop the rest. And add heavy ab work.

[Alex Bond]

First, get rid of the decline bench and shrugs. Two exercises whose effects are completely duplicated by others in the program (bench and dl/clean). The skull crusher is also pretty unnecessary - your triceps will get plenty of work from the benching and pressing. If you really need to fit in all the rowing/dip/pull-up stuff, you might want to switch to a A-B-C thing like A: (Squat, Press/Bench, Clean), B: (Squat, Bench/Press, Rows, Pull-ups, Dips), C: (Squat, Press/Bench, Deadlift), where press/bench indicates to alternate between the two.

You say your philosophy is "more is better". Remember, you don't get stronger by lifting weights, you get stronger by recovering from lifting weights.

[biggidybates]

good advice. thx.

[hatmanii]

I will reiterate what the others have said. If you stick to the standard A/B split as outlined in Starting Strength/Practical Programming and progress from there, you will be very surprised and happy with your results. Good luck!

[Jamie J. Skibicki]

Why can't people just do the fucking program? Seriously, what is it?

Do the fucking program, drink your fucking milk and come back after two resets and we'll talk about intermediate programming, which is where assistance work goes.