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Thread: Am I doing The Program(tm)?

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Oct 2016
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    Post Am I doing The Program(tm)?

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    Hi all,

    I moved a while back and had to sell off my rack, then the world went crazy and I couldn't replace it. I finally got a new rack and I've started the LP again. Before I got my rack, I was doing deads and KB Clean and Presses just so I was doing *something*, which kept my deadlift at least somewhat strong, unfortunately, I wasn't as consistent with that as I would have liked due to various life events (moving, etc).

    At any rate, my info...name is Chris, I'm 47, 6'1", and was about 283 (so basically a fat piece of shit ) when I started the program last week. Going to try to do the program by the book, and getting much stronger.

    Here's my first few days of training:
    081621: SQ: 125x5x3; PR: 95x5x3; DL: 225x5
    081821: SQ: 125x5x3; BP: 115x5x3; DL: 225x5 (I kept the numbers the same while I was determining all my starting weights. Not "by the book" I suppose, but only delayed the start of the progression, so not a huge deal I think.
    082021: SQ: 135x5x3; PR: 100x5x3; DL: 235x5
    082321: SQ: 145x5x3; BP: 120x5x3; DL: 245x5 This was also when I first got my shoes, which REALLY made a difference in a positive way on the squats (though they took some getting used to), but made the deads a little...not HARDER, but definitely felt different in kind of a weird way.

  2. #2
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    Oct 2016
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    082521: SQ: 155x5x3; PR: 105x5x3; DL: 255x5

    Swapped out of my shoes for the deads and these felt a lot more normal compared to the ones I did on Monday. It was harder to keep over the midfoot with the shoes on. I REALLY feel it in the adductors doing squats in the shoes, compared to my vibrams.

  3. #3
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    Oct 2016
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    082721: SQ: 165x5x3; BP: 125x5x3; 265x5

    Had to split my session up today due to craziness at work. Did my squats, then did the bench and deads later...it wasn't too bad. Warming back up wasn't too bad, since it's 108 here this week.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Mar 2013
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    Walled Lake, Michigan
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    Welcome. It looks good so far. At some point you may want to check with an SS coach for technique or if that's not possible post some videos. Online coaching may also be an option.

    108 degrees. Wow, I thought it was hot here in the 90s. Can you find a gym with AC that will let you use chalk. If not, you are stuck with what you have, I suppose.

    Do you now Deadlift in stocking feet. I've never tried it. I just use the same shoes for dead as I do for all of my lifts.

    Best wishes.

  5. #5
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    Oct 2016
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    Hey, thanks for the reply! Yeah I want to check with a coach at some point. I've just ordered some gear (tripod, etc) so I can record myself and do some form checks.

    083021: SQ: 175x5x3; PR: 110x5x3; DL 275x4

    Just couldn't get that 5th rep past my knees. I'm pretty sure I know why...both diet and sleep over the weekend were *not* where they should have been, not nearly enough protein, and I slept like garbage both Saturday night and last night. One of the joys of getting old, I guess. Going to adjust both today and tomorrow and hit it again next session. Interestingly, this is where I stalled out on the DL the *first* time I did the LP back in 2018, though I think that time I was only able to pull 3 reps and not 4 so...progress?

  6. #6
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    Oct 2016
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    090121: SQ: 185x5x3; BP: 130x5x3; DL: 275x5

    Nailed the 275, on the DL which is nice. The first three reps were fine, fourth was quite hard and five was a GRIND! I didn't have to do the thing where you hitch it up higher and higher on your legs, but it was a no BS like eight second rep.

    I'm thinking about start to add in power cleans next workout. Not sure if it's ok to add them in the middle of the week so to speak.

  7. #7
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    Jun 2019
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    Quote Originally Posted by patterner View Post
    I'm thinking about start to add in power cleans next workout. Not sure if it's ok to add them in the middle of the week so to speak.
    Welcome back to the program, Chris! And at 47? Great time to get back into it.

    This early into this NLP might not be the time to work in power cleans, especially based on one "failure." But it might be time to drop to adding only 5lbs to each workout, instead of the 10's that you have done recently. Coupled with your renewed focus on eating and sleeping, you should be able to run those out for another week or two, adding 5lbs at a time, gaining another 15lbs/week (perhaps to 300+).

    To put it into perspective, in the past 2.5 weeks, you have put on 50lbs to your deadlift at a pace to keep adding 30lbs/week if you continued. Hate to break it to you, but we're "at that age" where that won't go too far. Even adding +10lbs/workout every on Monday/Friday (+20lbs/week with cleans in the middle of the week) won't get you much farther. So by moving to +5lbs/workout, you're gaining 15lbs/week for a few more weeks.

    Then, if you start stalling there, swap out your "B" day deadlift for power cleans, just as Sullivan & Baker outline in The Barbell Prescription*. That would move you into the Program 1B: Early Novice Program (pg 188). Note that it's alternating, not "middle of the week" as you mention.

    So if you consider the pipe symbol (|) to be the weekend, your "so to speak" programming for a month would be (where A=SQ/BP/DL and B=SQ/PR/DL):

    ABA|ABA|ABA|ABA|...

    While you should be just alternating days, like this:

    ABA|BAB|ABA|BAB|...

    The reason that distinction is important is that if your B day is your overhead press, you'll eventually run into the situation where you are not getting enough frequency and they will start failing faster than they need to, all while you're focusing on driving that deadlift up. It's a sneaky one, but it happens to most of us, enough so that Coach Nick has posted articles and videos about the issue on this website. But don't worry about that yet. Just keep alternating A/Bs, work in those power cleans, and have fun doing it. If you find that the cleans aren't for you, you can go light deads (80-90% of your heavy day).

    As far as shoes, you'll get used to them. I used to rush to swap them out as soon as possible after squats. Now, like carson, they stay on for everything, when I swap out for my New Balance Minimus (similar to your Vibrams, without the separated toes).

    *BTW, if you don't have The Barbell Prescription, get it. That and Practical Programming really describe the various programming variations better than any of us can here.

    Keep at it!

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