After starting strength?

[Dave1990]

Wondering what routine would be recommended to move on to after SS? Started it a few months ago and previously i was doing 5 day splits with isolation only since January. I have some gains but thought there would have been more, and it seems kind of a step back from going from a 5 day split to 3x a week. I never done any compound exercises until the middle of March.

My goal at the moment is to bulk up a bit and gain mass but i dont want to put on much more fat at the moment because my BF is 20%. My routine at the moment is SS and my lifts are -

Squat - 165lbs
Bench press - 143lbs
Deadlift - 220lbs
Military press - 100lbs
Rows - 132lbs



So im wondering what do people recommend i do, stick with SS for another month or 2, or could i go on to a routine that has more exercises with a 4x week routine? Thanks

[whelap2]

If you aren't seeing gains then get a new program.

How long have you been doing SS? You are supposed to increase the load every week, I don't know what you started at but if you didn't see a lot of progress you might want to check your diet. Are you getting enough protein/Calories? I know you don't want to gain any fat, but you either gain muscle and fat or neither. You can try to do a "clean bulk" and gain minimal fat but if you are just starting out you might want to experiment with a couple of different macros.

I'm just a newbie too, but I think if you aren't seeing the gains you expect your diet would be the very first thing I would look at.

[Ernie623]

Wondering what routine would be recommended to move on to after SS? Started it a few months ago and previously i was doing 5 day splits with isolation only since January. I have some gains but thought there would have been more, and it seems kind of a step back from going from a 5 day split to 3x a week. I never done any compound exercises until the middle of March.

My goal at the moment is to bulk up a bit and gain mass but i dont want to put on much more fat at the moment because my BF is 20%. My routine at the moment is SS and my lifts are -

Squat - 165lbs
Bench press - 143lbs
Deadlift - 220lbs
Military press - 100lbs
Rows - 132lbs



So im wondering what do people recommend i do, stick with SS for another month or 2, or could i go on to a routine that has more exercises with a 4x week routine? Thanks

Stick with SS for as long as you can milk gains out of it

If you aren't seeing gains then get a new program.

How long have you been doing SS? You are supposed to increase the load every week, .

No, you are supposed to add the weight every workout, not every week

[illiniStrive]

Wouldn't you like to at least wait until you can squat and deadlift more than me?





P.s. I'm a girl.

[caerus13]

Wouldn't you like to at least wait until you can squat and deadlift more than me?





P.s. I'm a girl.

[whelap2]

No, you are supposed to add the weight every workout, not every week

You're right I wasn't thinking straight when I typed that out. Good catch.

[Dave1990]

Yes, my squats have went from 110lbs to 165lbs and i no i could get around 175lbs in a while, all my lifts have went much heavier and i feel that they could go alot more yet, but im just wondering what routine/program would you recommend doing after SS?

For the woman, dont really see how that helps but thanks i guess?!

As for my diet im trying to figure out my macro's, i dont quite no how to do this fully. How long would one stick with SS, till i plateau?

[justroberson]

You've been doing SS for 2 months and your squat has only gone up 55lbs? You are doing something very wrong.

How are you progressing the weights? At this point you should be adding 5lbs every time you squat, 2.5-5lbs to bench and press, and 5-10lbs to deadlift. Something tells me you have not been doing this.

And not to start any kind of ****storm for those reading this, but where are the Power Cleans?

You may want to thoroughly read this link:
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=131379243

[Dave1990]

No, they went up 55lbs since the end of april which is ok i think as i never squatted before, i meant ive been doing SS since then sorry. As for power cleans i cant really do them, to be honest i havent looked at them fully but ive tried some and the form seems pretty hard to get spot on.

Would you recommend i stay on SS for how many months then move on to something more suited for size gains? When my lifts are respectable..

[justroberson]

No, they went up 55lbs since the end of april which is ok i think as i never squatted before, i meant ive been doing SS since then sorry. As for power cleans i cant really do them, to be honest i havent looked at them fully but ive tried some and the form seems pretty hard to get spot on.

Would you recommend i stay on SS for how many months then move on to something more suited for size gains? When my lifts are respectable..

Okay, thats a bit more reasonable, lol.

There is no proper timeframe for when you should "end" SS. You finish when you have reset your lifts several times because you are unable to recover by the next workout, and not because of diet/rest issues.

Form is tough on cleans, if you have the book or DVD its explained pretty thoroughly though, and youtube is your friend. You just have to work at it. You can practice for awhile with the bar and keep doing the rows until you are confident in them.

[Dave1990]

Cheers Alright cool sounds good, any program you would recommend trying after SS? As i want to focus more on aesthetics once i get my strength up a bit

[justroberson]

Cheers Alright cool sounds good, any program you would recommend trying after SS? As i want to focus more on aesthetics once i get my strength up a bit

Aesthetics aren't really up my alley, but some BB style you might want to look into are All Pro's (its called beginner but its progression is apprpriate for someone finishing SS): http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=4195843
Layne Norton's Power/Hypertrophy (don't have a link)
GST:
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=121353501
Or one of the split routines in this sticky: http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=115643271

The normal routine for someone who has reached intermediate progression who wants to continue SS style training is the Texas Method:
http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_...e_texas_method

[JaymzZz]

If you aren't seeing gains then get a new program.

Agree with the part about checking diet but let's not jump the gun on trying a new program.

Most of the time what people need is a simple break, not a new program.


@OP
Deload
Increase food
Re-evaluate in a couple months

[jjsmooth15]

Aesthetics aren't really up my alley, but some BB style you might want to look into are All Pro's (its called beginner but its progression is apprpriate for someone finishing SS): http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=4195843
Layne Norton's Power/Hypertrophy (don't have a link)
GST:
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=121353501
Or one of the split routines in this sticky: http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=115643271

The normal routine for someone who has reached intermediate progression who wants to continue SS style training is the Texas Method:
http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_...e_texas_method

I would second the above comment about the Texas Method. Also, you may get some great results by mixing it up a little bit and including some more explosive athletic style movements into your workout for a month or so (something like a football workout plan that is actually quite similar to a standard 5x5 workout plan but with some nice explosive exercises mixed in: http://www.weighttraining.com/workou...l-workout-plan )

[fault151]

Following on from 5x5 there's a few popular routines I was also looking at.

If you look on stronglifts.com there's loads of other programs after 5x5, they may be useful for you.

[Dave1990]

Cheers for the replies much appreciated. When i finish SS, it would be too soon to move on to a 4 day split? Im still trying to figure out my macro needs for bulking but when i can get that sorted il stick with SS for another while, then see if theres any routines for aesthetics.

[jack34]

Wouldn't you like to at least wait until you can squat and deadlift more than me?





P.s. I'm a girl.

Absolutely pointless post!

Cheers for the replies much appreciated. When i finish SS, it would be too soon to move on to a 4 day split? Im still trying to figure out my macro needs for bulking but when i can get that sorted il stick with SS for another while, then see if theres any routines for aesthetics.

I just saw your bodyspace pics. In my opinion you should hit the weights 3x week(2 bodyparts/day),do some cardio work twice a week and take 2 days of rest.

something like this:

day 1 Chest/biceps
day2 rest
day 3 back/shoulder
day 4 cardio
day 5 legs/tricep
day 6 rest
day 7 cardio

Now I have to add that I know nothing about SS. I joined this forum long after I started working out( I had never heard of SS when i started off 3 yrs back) and I have always stuck to a 5x week routine. The above routine was done by one of my friends who has a similar body type to yours. He got great results!

Keep it simple, eat clean, and be patient!

[Symplistic88]

Wouldn't you like to at least wait until you can squat and deadlift more than me?





P.s. I'm a girl.

Lol
Reps.

[Farley1324]

Wondering what routine would be recommended to move on to after SS? Started it a few months ago and previously i was doing 5 day splits with isolation only since January. I have some gains but thought there would have been more, and it seems kind of a step back from going from a 5 day split to 3x a week. I never done any compound exercises until the middle of March.

My goal at the moment is to bulk up a bit and gain mass but i dont want to put on much more fat at the moment because my BF is 20%. My routine at the moment is SS and my lifts are -

Squat - 165lbs
Bench press - 143lbs
Deadlift - 220lbs
Military press - 100lbs
Rows - 132lbs



So im wondering what do people recommend i do, stick with SS for another month or 2, or could i go on to a routine that has more exercises with a 4x week routine? Thanks

Keep doing SS. You need to get quite a bit stronger before moving to a slower program. Assuming you are training for strength.

[JaymzZz]

Cheers for the replies much appreciated. When i finish SS, it would be too soon to move on to a 4 day split? Im still trying to figure out my macro needs for bulking but when i can get that sorted il stick with SS for another while, then see if theres any routines for aesthetics.

Good to hear you're gonna stick it out a bit longer.

Don't worry about 3-day or 4-day or whatever, it's not important. Once you're done with SS, just keep it simple. all pro's "A Simple Beginner's Routine" is very popular. It's a sticky here & I've ran it for a while with good results.
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=133395553

That will give you plenty of time to read around the forums, articles etc. to learn & figure out what's best for you following that.

[tradesparrow]

Squat - 165lbs
Bench press - 143lbs
Deadlift - 220lbs
Military press - 100lbs
Rows - 132lbs

Sorry, did you mean you started SS squatting 110 lb? When you begun SS, what were you squatting at?


You said you've been doing SS for a couple months, so I'm going to assume two months. You said your squat started at 110 lb.

First two weeks (six work outs) should see you adding 10 lbs to your squat each time, so...
[110 lbs] + [10 lbs/workout] * [2 weeks] * [3 workouts/week] = 170 lb

Then, you'll have six more weeks, for a total of two months, increasing your squat by 5 lbs per workout.
[170 lbs] + [05 lbs/workout] * [6 weeks] * [3 workouts/week] = 260 lb

If you started SS on an empty bar, the equations look like this:
[045 lbs] + [10 lbs/workout] * [2 weeks] * [3 workouts/week] = 105 lb
[105 lbs] + [05 lbs/workout] * [6 weeks] * [3 workouts/week] = 195 lb

So, even if you never squatted before SS, you should still be squatting more. Do a Google Search for "starting strength rippetoe clarification" and click on the first link. Rippetoe wrote a rant about this subject. (I can't post links yet bc I don't have 30 posts...doh)


It's hard to judge whether SS is working for you or not, since it sounds like you aren't following SS as Rippetoe wrote it.

How is your diet? Are you eating +3000 calories for sure? I'm vegan, so I can understand how it's difficult. If you can drink milk, maybe you can do the gallon of milk thing too. That should easily get you more calories. I found this on another site:

Nutritional Information for various milk types for 16 cups or 1 US gallon:

Skim Milk - 1280 calories; 0g fat; 192g carbs; 128g Protein
1% Milk - 1600 calories; 40g fat; 192g carbs; 128g Protein
2% Milk - 1920 calories; 80g fat; 192g carbs; 128g Protein
Whole Milk - 2400 calories; 128g fat; 192g carbs; 128g Protein

if you are eating 5 to 6 meals per day thats about 2.5 to 3 cups of milk per meal, thats not that much really.

How is your rest? Are you sleeping 8-10 hours a night?


P.S. I just tried power cleans for the first time yesterday. If you have the SS book, he explains exactly how to learn them and it worked really well for me and they were really fun. It's kind of intimidating at first, and it's not like my form is perfect yet either, but it's a start. Try doing the power cleans with an empty bar tomorrow right after squats so that you're not too tired.

Learning power cleans might not be as hard for you as you think, especially since you can lift much more than I can. I just started, so I'm at:

115 Dead Lift
115 Squat
065 Bench
045 Press
045 Power Clean

[Dave1990]

Keep doing SS. You need to get quite a bit stronger before moving to a slower program. Assuming you are training for strength.

At the moment im training for strength yes. In a few months il be trying more for aesthetics once i get my lifts to a good weight, would Allpro's be good for aesthetics?

Would it be retarded for me to cut now instead of clean bulk yeah?

[Farley1324]

At the moment im training for strength yes. In a few months il be trying more for aesthetics once i get my lifts to a good weight, would Allpro's be good for aesthetics?

Would it be retarded for me to cut now instead of clean bulk yeah?

Cut? Now? On SS? When you are weak and not overweight? I certainly wouldn't.

All Pros would be good if you wanted to lift mostly for looks and not strength right now as a pure novice

[imsotheman]

more food protien, less "mass shakes" and "cell tech", eat more beans... wait till you get all your lifts in the threes to come off strong lifts... your joints tendons and muscle tone will thank you later.

[Dave1990]

Cheers guys! I think I'll stick with SS until I don't feel any more gains from it, then see what I'll move on to after that, probably something like All Pro's.

@Farley1234 I'm not worried about looks yet, I just want to get my lifts up firstly.

Can anyone help me figure my macro's out that I would need for bulking? I've read the sticky in Nutrition but i cant figure out how much much of each I need

[Farley1324]

You need at least one gram of protein per pound of bodyweight per day and enough calories to gain .5-1 pound of bodyweight per week.

[Dave1990]

Is there any way i can find out exactly how many carbs/fats/protein i need per day though? I understand about the 1g protein per lb bodyweight. Just want to find out roughly how much of each i need per day.

[Farley1324]

Is there any way i can find out exactly how many carbs/fats/protein i need per day though? I understand about the 1g protein per lb bodyweight. Just want to find out roughly how much of each i need per day.

However many you decide based on what you read/know/think.

Try the nutrition section.