Progression for teenage lifter

[flylikeapeacock]

Hey Mark,

I'm a senior in high school, and I've recently decided to lift with an actual program, so I chose Starting Strength. I had a few questions for you about the program:

1) My deadlift has progressed linearly, but in the past few weeks the lift has gotten much more difficult to the point where I'm taking 5-10 second rests between reps after the second rep. Would this still be considered the same set?

2) As a teenage boy, should I be expecting to progress at a faster rate than other men? People on Reddit/other forums seem to think that due to teenager's higher testosterone levels, they should be able to progress at a much faster rate, but in my experience that hasn't been true at all, which brings me to my next point.

3) My upper body strength progression has been slow. I use 1.25 lb micro plates to progress on bench, but even then I often fail to hit 3x5 for 1-2 workouts before I finally get it. I get enough sleep, so my suspicion is that I'm not eating enough. That being said, I'm currently 170 pounds, my most recent 3x5 was 170, and I'm currently gaining around 3 pounds a month, which is apparently about the most you can gain without the excess weight being fat. Should I be thinking about moving to a non-LP program, or are there other things I should consider?

[Mark Rippetoe]

How long do you rest between sets? How tall are you? Who told you that you can only gain 3 pounds a month?

[B-MoreBeast]

Another teenage male joins me on the board. Squat, Press, Dead, Power Clean? How many calories are you eating? Rip covered height. If you don't let go of the bar on deadlifts it would be considered the same set. What you mentioned isn't really outside the norm when you get to very heavy deads. You have come to the right place to learn, use it to your benefit. Good luck going forward.

Also when you gain muscle you gain fat. This is proven science. You need to accept the fact that even the world's most genetically gifted will probably gain a minimum of 3 pounds of fat for every 10 total pounds they gain.

[crookedfinger]

Hey Mark,

I'm a senior in high school, and I've recently decided to lift with an actual program, so I chose Starting Strength. I had a few questions for you about the program:

1) My deadlift has progressed linearly, but in the past few weeks the lift has gotten much more difficult to the point where I'm taking 5-10 second rests between reps after the second rep. Would this still be considered the same set?

2) As a teenage boy, should I be expecting to progress at a faster rate than other men? People on Reddit/other forums seem to think that due to teenager's higher testosterone levels, they should be able to progress at a much faster rate, but in my experience that hasn't been true at all, which brings me to my next point.

3) My upper body strength progression has been slow. I use 1.25 lb micro plates to progress on bench, but even then I often fail to hit 3x5 for 1-2 workouts before I finally get it. I get enough sleep, so my suspicion is that I'm not eating enough. That being said, I'm currently 170 pounds, my most recent 3x5 was 170, and I'm currently gaining around 3 pounds a month, which is apparently about the most you can gain without the excess weight being fat. Should I be thinking about moving to a non-LP program, or are there other things I should consider?

OP, Read this:
http://startingstrength.com/resource...ml#post1216663

You're welcome.

[flylikeapeacock]

How long do you rest between sets? How tall are you? Who told you that you can only gain 3 pounds a month?

I rest 3-5 minutes between sets, I'm 6 ft 1.

As for weight gain, I read this: http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/mus...otential.html/

That article actually says 2 lbs./month of muscle is the max, but I've been aiming for 3 lbs/month because I didn't want to cut it too close.

Another teenage male joins me on the board. Squat, Press, Dead, Power Clean? How many calories are you eating? Rip covered height. If you don't let go of the bar on deadlifts it would be considered the same set. What you mentioned isn't really outside the norm when you get to very heavy deads. You have come to the right place to learn, use it to your benefit. Good luck going forward.

Weights are all for 5 reps:
Squat: 245
Press: 100
Dead: 305

Not sure currently about power clean, I'm still working on the form, but I have done 135x3. Thanks for the support.

[Tiburon]

My deadlift has progressed linearly,

Post your last 10 DL workouts, dates and weights. I have recently learned that many people have no idea what the word "linear progression" means.

[Mark Rippetoe]

I rest 3-5 minutes between sets

Rest at least twice this long. You are training for strength, not conditioning.

I'm 6 ft 1.

You are 6'1" and 170. You are emaciated.

As for weight gain, I read this: http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/mus...otential.html/

That article actually says 2 lbs./month of muscle is the max, but I've been aiming for 3 lbs/month because I didn't want to cut it too close.

This is why you are emaciated. Get the book. Read it. Do the program.

[Joe Tandy]

6'2, and 26 years old here.
Despite a sketchy training history, I never want to weigh less than 220lbs again.
You'll understand when you get there.

[Jacobnorton]

Seriously man, FUCKING EAT! All your problems will go away and you'll continue progress.

[Matt Reynolds]

You are exactly the type of kid this article was written for:

Starting Strength: Article

Eat through the sticking points. This will be the most fun time of your life.