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Thread: Leg amputee doing modified NLP: getting stuck (on bench)!

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jan 2021
    Posts
    17

    Default Leg amputee doing modified NLP: getting stuck (on bench)!

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    Hey everyone,

    Left below-knee amputee here doing a modified NLP. 34yo, male, 6'2". I posted here in January 2021 and got some great replies from Nick regarding my form and doing modified SS with box squats. Unfortunately due to a number of issues (mainly I needed another surgery on my leg) I wasn't able to start training until October 2021.

    After working on form and playing around with the lifts for a while, I settled on the following modified program.

    Monday: Alternating press (bench, overhead) 3x5, box squats 3x5, (weighted) pull-ups
    Wednesday: Alternating press (bench, overhead) 3x5, deadlifts 1x5 + 1 "easy" set @ ~90%, weighted dips
    Friday: Alternating press (bench, overhead) 3x5, box squats 3x5, (weighted) pull-ups

    On Tuesday/Thursday I do some light calisthenics. A few sets of bodyweight pull-ups (10-15 reps total), some leg raises, L-sits, pistol squats on my good leg and 30min of very light cardio on a stationary bike.

    On the weekend, I sometimes go for a ~7-10mile bike ride which isn't really intended to be intense but since there are so many hills where I live, it does make my quads burn for a while afterwards. Almost always at least on one day I do end up doing work on my car/truck/house that involves standing for ~5 hours.

    I started at 175lbs and the lifts were as follows: (3 sets of 5, 1 for deadlift + 1 lighter set)
    Bench: 155lbs
    Press: 65lbs
    Box Squat: 115lbs
    Deadlift: 225lbs

    Currently I'm around 212lbs and lifts are as follows: (3 sets of 5, 1 for deadlift + 1 lighter set)
    Bench: 212lbs
    Press: 125lbs
    Box Squat: 217.5lbs
    Deadlift: 357.5lbs

    Dips I usually do 3x5 with +80lbs. I'm still able to do that at my higher bodyweight though it is harder.
    Pull-ups I used to do weighed with +45lbs for 4 sets of 3. These used to be fairly easy. Now I do a maybe 1 or 2 weighted sets and the rest unweighted. Sometimes sets of up to 5.

    I'm currently doing 1lb jumps on bench press and press, 2lb on squat (sometimes 1lb) and 2.5lb on deadlift. I use my own set of fractional plates but the other plates are just what the gym has available so it's likely just a psychological thing. Except for bench, they're Eleiko rubber plates so maybe more consistent than average.

    So the issue is that I'm sort of at different places on the different lifts:
    -Bench, I feel like I'm running up against a wall. I failed at 202lbs, 212lbs and 213lbs. In the first 2 cases, I just tried again and I was able to do it on the next workout. 213lbs, I failed twice.
    -Press, it's been going well (no failures yet) but definitely getting hard.
    -Box squat, I had to de-load my squat about 3 months ago after finding that my form wasn't really right so that took me back quite significantly. Since then though it's been OK in the sense that I haven't failed yet but it is getting very difficult and taxing. Squatting is really where I can feel the disadvantage in my disability more so than anywhere else. There might be a few more sessions of linear progress.
    -Deadlift is fine though difficulty sometimes varies. I think I can push it higher linearly for a little while longer.

    How would I go about getting unstuck on the bench? Maybe switch to 3 reps? Deload the bench? Increase the weight every other time? Change some other aspect of the training?

    Also, do you think that the exercises I do on Tuesday/Thursday are negatively impacting my training? I'm thinking that maybe when I first started and everything was lighter (including myself), I could handle these extra things but perhaps now I need more recovery and should actually rest on the rest days.

    I'm eating between 4500 and 4700 calories per day. I weigh/portion everything out so this is fairly accurate. At least 300g protein per day. I started off at 3500 calories and have been increasing this slowly. Because of my prosthetic, I need to gain weight slowly. In the past when I've increased calories too drastically, I've had issues fitting into my prosthetic which has led to skin problems and ultimately not being able to wear the leg. Doing it slowly seems to avoid this problem.

    Curious to hear recommendations. Sorry about the long post.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jan 2021
    Posts
    17

    Default

    After re-reading through the grey book novice section I think I've answered most of my own questions.

    I decided on the following, unless I hear otherwise:

    -Get rid of Tuesday/Thursday nonsense. This is probably useless at best, self-sabotage at worst. It started as just doing some very light cardio on off-days but a lot more crap slowly crept in.
    -Deload the bench slightly. Film myself and make sure my form is good.
    -Try to find a way to consistently use the same plates. Either I'll have to mark the plates at the gym or start lifting at home.
    -Eat a little more.

    Cheers

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Feb 2020
    Posts
    2,421

    Default

    Why don't you post a video in the technique forum? You are benching body weight, which is not bad, but you are likely not tight enough or you are fanning out your elbows or something which can easily be corrected.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jan 2021
    Posts
    17

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Jovan Dragisic View Post
    Why don't you post a video in the technique forum? You are benching body weight, which is not bad, but you are likely not tight enough or you are fanning out your elbows or something which can easily be corrected.
    Thanks for the reply. Good idea, my technique is probably off. I will post a video in the next few days.

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