Returning to Powerlifting after a long absence and seeking program review

[jbackos]

Andy,

I competed in powerlifting from 1990 to 2007. At my peak I squatted 615, benched 375, and deadlifted 535 at a bodyweight of 211 at the age of 46. Life intervened and I drifted away from training and got fat and sloppy. A little less than two years ago at 54 years old, I got sick of the fat me and began training again. I didn't know about SS at the time and groped around in the dark including a 6 month stint on 5/3/1 which essentially did nothing for me.

My recent bests are a 335 x2 squat, 250 x 1 bench, and a 355 x 2 deadlift all raw with knee sleeves. My bench and deadlift technique have been dialed in well, maybe not perfect but they're at the point where they are repeatable without much thought. My squat however is another story. I have had much trouble adapting from a wide, geared stance to a raw stance. I have recently tried the SS technique and it feels good but unfortunately I slightly strained the left quad and squatting and deadlifting are out for a while. While I rehab the leg, I plan to deadlift in the rack from slightly below the knee to work the back and glutes.

My current program is as follows:

Sunday
DE Bench - 50% x 3 x 9
JM Press - 24 total reps
Seated Dumbbell Press - 50 total reps
Face Pull - 50 total reps

Monday
Light Squat - 60% x 5 x 3
Heavy Deadlift - 5 x 1
Band Pullups - 8 x 3
45 Degree back raise

Wednesday
Bench - 70% + 25 total reps, 90% 6 total reps
Dips - 1 set bodyweight, 2 sets assisted
Tricep Pressdowns or Extensions - 50 Total reps
Bicep curl - 50 total reps

Friday
Heavy Squat - 5 x 3
RDL - 8 x 3
Press - 5 x 3
Rows of varied types - 5o total reps

Does this seem to make sense or should I scrap it all and start over with SSLP?

[Andy Baker (KSC)]

Do a short run of LP of maybe 6-8 weeks starting very light and getting your form 100% dialed in. Then go to your 4-day split when things start getting hard. Don't try to "run out" the LP like a true novice. Won't work for you. Some of that strength is still in there. It doesn't want to come out. But its there. :-)

[jbackos]

Thanks Andy.

Finally a quick follow up question. Right now the Squat is the only lift giving me fits with respect to form (raw squat, my previous competetive stint was single ply). What if I squatted twice a week on the LP and left the other lifts as is, then when the squat form caught up, I went to either HL squat or ME/DE squat programming?

Thanks again

[Andy Baker (KSC)]

That's fine too. You just need some frequency on the basic squat right now.

[jbackos]

Andy,

Thanks a lot for your advice. Once the quad is healed and I complete the Starr protocol, I'll post some clips of the Squat and Deadlift for form check.

Thanks again,

John