cliffs at the bottom
Brief Personal History
I started SS at the end of Feb this year after a 6 month run of self made BBing splits, convinced that it would be a magic pill that would take me to the land of strength. Forget starting weights. These are my actual strength gains.
My starting actual 5RMs were 155lbs squat, 175lbs bench, 115lb press and 247.5lbs deadlift. Nearly 9 months later, after also doing The Greyskull LP, I was much stronger. On my last day of LP, I was squatting 275lbs, benching 205lbs, pressing 155lbs and deadlifting 325lbs, all for 5 reps. Nothing special for someone finishing SS or GSLP. Pretty average, but not too shabby, considering I had no coaching.
I may have taken a while to finish too, but the point is, I got there. I exhausted my linear gains and I believe that qualifies me to speak on the method of training that is Linear Progression. I learnt that neither program was a magic pill. THERE IS NO MAGIC PILL
So What Is The Point Of This Thread And Who Is It For?
As you can see, I spent an excessive amount of time on LP. I made a lot of mistakes.
Which means I worked out a few things along the way.
This thread is of educational value to you if you are considering starting, or have recently started, a linear progression strength program ie. The Starting Strength program, The Greyskull LP or any other good beginner LP.
I’m hoping this thread can be made up of contributions from experienced LP trainees who can dispense they’re advice for the less experienced to benefit from!
So let's get to the meat and potatoes...
Things I Learnt The Hard Way So You Don't Have To
First off, you need to make sure you've read the book on your chosen program. Seriously.
With that done, you'd think that the road ahead would be easy, right? Wrong.
The problem with text books, is they're all a bit... textbook. If only there was something a bit more... anecdotal. Well, here it is. If I'd read a few threads like this one I'm writing now, I think I could've saved myself a few months. I’m not claiming this to be the definitive thread on LP. It is merely a piece in the puzzle of how a lifter can approach and learn from novice programming. If you have experienced the grind that is LP, I urge you to contribute your advice and the lessons you learnt. It’s not for the fainthearted, and if a novice lifter can read this and find his or her way towards strength, that would be a blessing for all involved.
Here's what I learnt...
Learn to squat YOUR WAY - Not only do you need to squat with correct form, you need to squat with suitable form. This means form that makes you feel strong and comfortable. In fact, this goes for every lift. You need to experiment with grips, hand and foot placements, setups, gaze and any other variable you care to name.
When you encounter an issue with form on a lift, the best thing you can do is film your sets for personal viewing, and also post vids in the exercise forum for critique. Some of the advice will be confusing as it’s common to be overloaded with things to fix. Focus on one or two things at a time and take it one step at a time. You need to feel the alterations one by one, not revamp everything and start from scratch. See the exercise section sticky on form check vids to get the best quality feedback.
BELT UP Sooner Rather Than Later - I see it all the time. People don't want to wear a belt until they're squatting at least 2 and a half plates. They don't get kitted out, they stall around the 2 plate mark a couple of times, then they bail on the program. All because they think they're cheating with a belt.
Honestly, you need to drop this attitude. This was nearly me. I finally gave in to getting a belt and I haven't looked back since. And guess what? I can now squat and deadlift more than ever beltless. Make the switch sooner rather than later. If you’re worried about your core, do some back extensions on a day you’re not deadlifting. That's what I did.
IMO, the ideal time to start wearing a belt is once your back starts to round on reps at max effort, but your form is good enough to maintain a natural arch throughout a lift just below max effort.
For example, you'll get to a point with your deadlift where you'll start worrying about your back. Unless you're lucky you'll either do yourself some damage, or you'll stay too far within your limits to progress. Belt up and you'll see another month of progress, minimum. Just do it already. There’s a good sticky in the exercise section on belts.
While We’re On KIT… – I’d recommend buying some good footwear. I have a pair of heeled Do Wins that I squat in and I very rarely come up on my toes now. If you’re squatting in trainers, you should give barefoot a shot until you can afford proper footwear. Compressible soles are a nightmare for squatting. Try deadlifting in either deadlift slippers or barefoot. I deadlift barefoot and probably always will.
Also, buy some chalk. It’ll give you better grip on deads, it’ll stop the bar slipping around on your back during squats and it can also stop the bar spinning in your hands on squats too. It costs next to nothing so it’s the best value investment you’ll make.
I know nothing about gear apart from that it’s almost worthless for increasing raw strength. Personally I wouldn’t go near it unless I was planning to enter a geared meet in the near future. It’s not something a novice trainee should concern themselves with.
MICROLOAD your pressing – I personally could not have made as much progress on my pressing without getting microplates. It enabled me to increase the weight on bench and press by 2.5lbs a session, making progression much more sustainable. Yes, it’s another expense, but it’s not much. If you can’t sacrifice 2 hours worth of wages to give your pressing a better chance of progress then how serious are you about your training?
DIET – From my experience, and as a result of the advice I got on these forums when I was stuck, the best way to drive progress other than getting your form pat down, is to eat in a decent calorie surplus. You’re gonna put on a little fat, but you’re gonna get strong. Just don’t go overboard. Monitor your weight gain, and keep it in check, but make sure you are gaining weight.Eat and make progress now. Take advantage of linear gains. You will never see them again. Eat and claim them now, and lose some weight after if you need to.
Nearly all the most successful LP trainees have taken this approach, but there are still those who disagree. If you’re already overweight, I’ll admit I’m not sure of how you should approach it. Personally, I would set about losing weight and getting body fat at least to mid teens before starting this, whether that’s with a crash diet, p90x or whatever. Taking charge of your diet and losing fat now will give you a longer bulk when you start on LP and would increase the potential of the program IMO. Aim to gain weight at a rate of 1-2lb a week to take care of your nutritional contribution to the program. Falling short of this is slightly less harmful than overdoing it. Try not to overdo it. See the nutrition forum stickies for more info.
SUPPLEMENTS – I take creatine for increased training performance, a strong coffee pre workout for energy if I’m tired, protein powder as a flavor enhancer in my morning shake, ZMA for testosterone replenishment while sleeping, a multi vit for general health and fish oil for joints and bodily functions. I wouldn’t even use protein powder if I could flavor my own shakes with something cheaper. Food > supplements.
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Thread: A Lifter's Guide To LP
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12-30-2012, 09:16 AM #1
- Join Date: Feb 2012
- Location: Brighton, East Sussex, United Kingdom (Great Britain)
- Age: 39
- Posts: 4,673
- Rep Power: 11138
A Lifter's Guide To LP
Powerlifter 160/100/195/455kg @ 91.55
137.5/97.5/195/430kg @ 82.7
Boxer 5-1
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12-30-2012, 09:17 AM #2
- Join Date: Feb 2012
- Location: Brighton, East Sussex, United Kingdom (Great Britain)
- Age: 39
- Posts: 4,673
- Rep Power: 11138
Notes On The Exercises
Here are some thoughts on the exercises and some things that have benefitted me and others on LP. I’m no one to be telling people how to lift so these are thoughts, nothing else. There are plenty of resources on the internet where you can find in depth information on form. You should search these out.
SQUAT - I couldn’t put weight on my squat for months. I was stuck around the 2pps mark suffering with tendonitis, back rounding, chest dropping, all sorts. I was in a mess. Every time I tried to squat with a narrow, thumbless grip, the bar would slip down my back and I’d get elbow tendonitis. Every time I got tendonitis, I’d widen my grip. Every time I widened my grip, I’d lose tightness and my chest would drop. Then I’d bring my grip in and the cycle would begin again. It was a nightmare.
The only way I got out of it was by wearing a belt and using a full, thumbs around grip and gripping the bar tight like I was gonna tear it in two. For the first time I felt strong under the bar. That was in September and I was just past 2pps for 5 reps. This month I did 295x5 and 325x1 That’s how quick things move when form clicks, so don’t give up if your struggling. Now this is by no means the answer for everybody. The point is, everyone was telling me to squat one way, and I found my way, which was different. This is why you need to experiment with all kinds of grips, stance and bar placement.
BENCH PRESS – Not a great lift for me. Microloading pushed it up a bit. So did pendlay rows. So did learning to arch. Definitely learn to arch and bench like a powerlifter. I’ve had an injury to my left shoulder so I’m bringing my grip in a bit. From personal experience, don’t flare your elbows. Keep them tucked. Your shoulders will thank you.
DEADLIFT - I’ve never had much trouble with form on this. Power cleans pushed it up a bit. I’m now learning hook grip and working it up to my working sets but it’s not for everyone. Most will settle happily with alterenate grip.
People regularly struggle with keeping their back arched. Even after being told by 1000 people how to arch, and how to practice getting that arch, some people just can’t get it and so conventional deadlifting never feels natural. A lot of these lifters end up pulling sumo, wondering why they didn’t switch sooner. Again, if you’re not comfortable with a lift, experiment. Just bear in mind that conventional deadlifting is a better full body exercise than sumo deadlifting so only switch if it’s really not clicking for you.
OVERHEAD PRESS – I use a shoulder width thumbless grip. It feels stronger, and I can’t think of a single good reason why someone wouldn’t use it. Thumbless on OHP presents little danger and puts your forearm at a more advantageous position under the bar. I’ve started belting up now it’s heavy to protect my spine. It doesn’t make the lift any easier so it’s worth doing if you’re hyperextending while pressing.
POWER CLEAN – Helps push the deadlift initially. Needs to be performed violently for best results. Use a hook grip. That’s about as far as my knowledge goes. This is a tough lift. Get some coaching if possible, but if not, still do it, if only to learn something you find difficult. These can be a lot of fun.
ADDITIONAL EXERCISES – I find pendlay rows to be a brilliant addition, as were chins/pull ups. Rows make for strong lats, which make for a stronger bench. Pulling movements are good for shoulder health too. Back extensions were helpful when my back started rounding on deadlifts and squats. I was doing dips when my pressing was making it’s best progress so they definitely didn’t hurt.
And If I Could Do It All Again
I would take all the lessons I learnt from SS and GSLP and do this…
Start with the stock SS program, finding starting weights as per the book, and add weight as described in the book...
A
Squat 3x5
Bench 3x5
Deadlift 1x5
B
Squat 3x5
Press 3x5
Deadlift 1x5
After a couple of weeks, once the deadlift has been established ahead of the squat, as per SS…
A
Squat 3x5
Bench 3x5
Power Clean 5x3
B
Squat 3x5
Press 3x5
Deadlift 1x5
After the first stall, I’d reset lifts and start to microload pressing. I’d switch the rep scheme to GSLP. That’s two sets of 5 Then a final set of as many reps as possible. I’d also reduce squatting to twice a week and deadlift and power clean to once a week. Squatting 3x a week becomes counterproductive after a while. SS is great for establishing fast gains. GSLP is superior for building on those gains. In reality, you’d have to change the lifts over to this one by one, so it would take a while to transition.
So for example, say 4 weeks in your OHP stalls, you reset and start to microload that lift switching from SS style 3x5 to GSLP style 2x5, 1x5+. The 1x5+ builds muscle as it acts as a back off set while you’re working back up. It’s so much more beneficial.
Then in week 6 your bench stalls so you repeat the OHP process with microloading and rep scheme.
Then 8 weeks in your squat stalls, you reset the squat, switch rep scheme as above and reduce to twice a week, Mon and Fri.
Then your deadlift stalls 2 weeks later, so you reduce to once a week and deadlift every Wednesday. At this point move power cleans to Mondays only and continue progressing those. IMO power cleans are no good to reset, as you need to work the movement at a weight that is challenging to learn form. I personally stayed at the same weight for several weeks to improve technique, as have other trainees I have seen who train the lift.
I would also then add rows, chins/pull ups, dips and back extensions when it felt appropriate. Rows, chins/pull ups and dips after the bench stall. Back extensions after the squat or deadlift stalls. Curls and ab work = needless IMO.
I think this setup is pretty sweet…
Mon
Squat 2x5, 1x5+
Bench/Press alt. 2x5, 1x5+
Power Clean 5x3
Pull Ups 3 sets
Wed
Deadlift 1x5+
Press/Bench alt. 2x5, 1x5+
Pendlay Row 2x5, 1x5+
Dips 3 sets
Fri
Squat 2x5, 1x5+
Bench/Press alt. 2x5, 1x5+
Back Extensions 3x10
Chin Ups 3 sets
I’d follow that until it was taking me 2 attempts to complete all my reps. If you work it out, you’d actually progress quicker, and definitely more easily on weekly progression, than you would if you spent weeks struggling your way through workout to workout progress, missing reps every other workout. As soon as I regularly missed reps and made less than workout to workout progress for a few weeks, I’d switch to an intermediate program like Texas Method or Madcows 5x5.
It’s easy for me to say now, as I’ve worked my way through all my major form issues, but the one thing I should have done was switch my pressing earlier. I probably would have avoided injury by not having to grind out 3 straight heavy sets. If you need to reset to fix form, do it. I personally don’t think you need to be doing more than 2 genuine resets, where you fail the weight 3 times in a row with your form, rest and nutrition good. In fact, I’d say to reset after 2 fails unless you had a 4,5,5 in which case, you had a bad set. Add weight. Use your judgement. From my experience lifters who fail a weight twice on LP are reaching burn out and would benefit from a reset.
The above Mon-Wed-Fri setup is light enough to not allow accumulated fatigue to creep in. Accumulated fatigue is the main reason for resets on SS.
With the above program, you don’t need a reset. You progress until you don’t make workout to workout progress for a few weeks, then you switch to intermediate programming, provided that your rest and nutrition are good. That’s my theory, and it seems simple enough to me. I worked too hard for too long on LP when I really didn’t need to. Why work harder than you need to? I think I could take someone from squatting the bar on this, to squatting 2 and a half pps in about 4 months. I’d love to try it one day and if any of you novice lifters out there are stuck and looking for a way forward, give these ideas a try and see if they work. They worked absolute wonders for me.
I hope this can help novice lifters navigate their way through the struggle that is LP. This is my year’s lessons laid out. Any contributions from those who have been through the pain of all out workout to workout strife are most welcome. So many noobs could use a bit of insight, and I hope this thread can provide some good reference material.
God bless the noob effect.
Cliffs
- Done linear progression programs for 9 months
- Advanced to intermediate lifter status
- Offers advice based on the lessons I learnt
- Learn to lift your way, not the way a book or forum member tells you, although that can be valuable reference material. Experiment with grips, hand/foot spacings, head angle, etc etc.
- Get kitted out in a belt, squat shoes and chalk as soon as your form is correct and the weight feels heavy
- Microload pressing after your first stall
- Eat to gain weight and remember that food > supplements
- Posts extra tips on each core lift
- Posts my ideal LP program that I would follow if I was to start over
Inb4 TLDRPowerlifter 160/100/195/455kg @ 91.55
137.5/97.5/195/430kg @ 82.7
Boxer 5-1
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12-30-2012, 09:44 AM #3
I'm on my 6th week of Starting Strength as well. The problems I got into are close to what you described:
1. Bench - stalled, reset 2 weeks, I'm trying to correct forms right now.
2. OHP - Left shoulder hurts a lot and I haven't been able to progress at all.
3. Deadlift - arched back, bad grip
4. Squat - My knees hurt, maybe due to bad form, I'm yet to discover what's wrong with my form.
5. Cleans - Still working on my techniques. I shoot videos of all my lifts and I guess most of them forms are still pretty bad.
My current lifts are: Squat 100kg, OHP 50kg, Deadlift 100kg, Bench 85kg and Cleans 50kg.
I wasn't sure how to add assistance exercises to the program and found your post, sounds pretty good to me, I'll give it a try next week.
Good post mate.
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12-30-2012, 09:51 AM #4
- Join Date: Feb 2012
- Location: Brighton, East Sussex, United Kingdom (Great Britain)
- Age: 39
- Posts: 4,673
- Rep Power: 11138
Thanks for reading. I'm wondering if its too long lol.
1. You should get microplates.
2. I hurt my shoulder benching. Just gotta keep altering form. I know some people can't come all the way down on OHP. Maybe just coming down to your nose would help you identify if it's that.
4. Are you bouncing off your knees at the bottom? Not going down low enough? Knees caving? Vids posted in the exercise section are a good idea.
Keep at itPowerlifter 160/100/195/455kg @ 91.55
137.5/97.5/195/430kg @ 82.7
Boxer 5-1
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12-30-2012, 10:49 AM #5
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12-30-2012, 03:14 PM #6
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12-30-2012, 04:02 PM #7
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12-30-2012, 04:20 PM #8
Yea I've got some videos for my major lifts:
Bench: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2W45ECkObU
Squat:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOcMEhNigTk
Deadlift: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjkfmHMAE_Y
OHP: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlfigT1q70Y
Clean: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jhgNU2Cf0A
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12-30-2012, 04:49 PM #9
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12-30-2012, 05:08 PM #10
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12-30-2012, 08:25 PM #11
I agree with most of what you say, but this one... nope. I still don't use a belt for any lifts, am an "intermediate" lifter across the board (might even have moved up with one or two - haven't checked for a while), and have had no injuries or other issues of note, with form, recovery or whatever.
I firmly believe that it's "optimal" (haha) for novice lifters to train for as long as possible without resorting to the use of a weightlifting belt. Essentially: sharpen up form first and foremost, and keep honing it all the time. And if this can be maintained throughout the intermediate stage(s) or even longer, then that's all for the better!
It's unlikely either of us will persude the other to budge on this, and that's okay. Just noting my disagreement, and how my experiences are at variance with your own. fwiw.
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12-30-2012, 09:06 PM #12
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12-31-2012, 12:37 AM #13
- Join Date: Feb 2012
- Location: Brighton, East Sussex, United Kingdom (Great Britain)
- Age: 39
- Posts: 4,673
- Rep Power: 11138
Ha! As we both know, nothing is optimal.
Glad you came back to read, and thank you for passing it on. This sort of stuff is usually written by guys with years under the iron so I thought it'd be nice to put out something from a slightly 'fresher' perspective.
Thank you!Powerlifter 160/100/195/455kg @ 91.55
137.5/97.5/195/430kg @ 82.7
Boxer 5-1
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12-31-2012, 12:44 AM #14
- Join Date: Feb 2012
- Location: Brighton, East Sussex, United Kingdom (Great Britain)
- Age: 39
- Posts: 4,673
- Rep Power: 11138
I would have loved to have been able to continue without a belt but my core was holding my squat and deadlift back and I wasn't getting anywhere. I tried a belt and everything started shooting up. Like I said, my beltless max has gone up as a result.
Maybe it's an individual thing though. I have a core weakness as do alot of people so it was priceless for me.Last edited by GinjaNinja85; 12-31-2012 at 01:20 AM.
Powerlifter 160/100/195/455kg @ 91.55
137.5/97.5/195/430kg @ 82.7
Boxer 5-1
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12-31-2012, 12:45 AM #15
- Join Date: Jul 2011
- Location: Gothenburg, State / Province, Sweden
- Age: 64
- Posts: 5,966
- Rep Power: 2430
nice and insightful article!
Keep up the good work!my workout log -> http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=147657213
my blog about weight lifting -> http://jsaarelainen.wordpress.com/
"May the sun illuminate thy path!"
my currents : sq 319 - dl 419 - bp - 231 - ohp 143
my goals 2014 : sq 341 - dl 440 - bp 242 - ohp 154
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12-31-2012, 01:14 AM #16
- Join Date: Feb 2012
- Location: Brighton, East Sussex, United Kingdom (Great Britain)
- Age: 39
- Posts: 4,673
- Rep Power: 11138
Bench - It's a poor vid. Read the form check vid sticky in the exercise section. Looks like you have zero arch.
Squat - Looks ok for a high bar squat but I'd lose the cloth on your back and go much lower. Bar path and general tightness looked good.
Deadlift - Not bad at all. Be mindful of keeping a straight back as it rounds on later reps. The bar moved back before it went up on one rep I saw so make sure your shins are touching the bar before you lift and that the bar is over mid foot. Also take the slack out of the bar (basically pull on the bar lightly while you finalise your starting position) as this may stop your hips rising before the bar moves. Not bad though.
OHP - Poor camera angle. Personally I'd take a shoulder width stance and bring my grip in much narrower to shoulder width.
Power Clean - Is more like a hang clean. Too many things to say. Definitely the worst lift. Research this using the search function and maybe try the oly sub forum in the powerlifting section for a form check.
Definitely try uploading good quality vids to the exercise section. You can get good input there. Nice lifting though in general!Powerlifter 160/100/195/455kg @ 91.55
137.5/97.5/195/430kg @ 82.7
Boxer 5-1
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12-31-2012, 01:17 AM #17
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12-31-2012, 03:30 AM #18
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12-31-2012, 03:53 AM #19
Bench...take a side video, looks like you have no arch and keep your feet planted and use them to help drive the weight up.
Squat....get deeper you are a little high still and get rid of that fcuking towel, get used to the bar on your actual back(the towel will allow it to slide on you)
Deadlift...get the bar close to your shins before you pull(touching your shins actually). Also loosk like you are stiff legging it up. your lockout should be one smooth motion.
OHP...I have never seen OHP done in the jerk position. Get your feet shoulder width before you press.
power clean...you are actually doing a hang clean. A power clean is done from the floor in one fluid motion. look up some youtube coaching videos on it.OG
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12-31-2012, 04:33 AM #20
Just a quick question....so I noticed the talk of a belt. I squat and deadlift around 4 plates without a belt. Yes a** to ground on squats. Do you guys think getting a belt would benefit me? And do they really keep your core supported thus, helping prevent injury? I honestly have no knowledge about belts cuz ive always been told as a beginner to not wear them. And I guess that dragged over to my intermediate stage. Thanks for any help guys
Last edited by chrissypoo13; 12-31-2012 at 04:52 AM.
I rep back :) (measly reps)
Goals: SIZE
Bench: 295lbs
Squat: 450lbs
Deadlift: 500lbs
*Doesn't look like I lift but I actually lift crew*
*Misc and Workout Programs forum crew*
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12-31-2012, 04:42 AM #21
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12-31-2012, 04:48 AM #22
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12-31-2012, 05:14 AM #23
Ill give a quick background. I have played soccer my whole life. My dad just happened to be pretty gifted when it came to squats leg stuff and I kinda came that way too. When I reached high school, I joined a weightlifting class and learned the basic squat and bench. Well I progressed in squat for my body weight. The first time I ever squatted, I put up 155 which is pretty good for very first time. Good form too as my teacher was watching. He was a former powerlifter. Well the next year came (junior year) and I had progressed a small 15 lbs (soccer limited me) but my lifts were a lot higher. My teacher had trained me a bit and I got to a 340 squat (atg) and an impressive 175 bench (pathetic I know), at around 135 body weight. But he wanted me to compete in the schools powerlifting comp so then I learned the deadlift. I competed for the remaining years of high school plus soccer too. It was fun. Then I got a girlfriend and that kinda effed me over. After we broke up (a yearish later) I got on starting strength and got back all my strength, gained 30 lbs(was at a frail 125 state from the ex) so got to 155, and got some extra strength with it. Then a year after that with intermediate programs leads me here. So honestly 6ish years with breaks. No more breaks for me now though! My current maxes are 250 bench, 405 squat, and 425 deadlift. These are the most ive attempted and gotten. 1rm calculator says higher but its always off for me. Oh and I am only 5'6. Kinda short.
Last edited by chrissypoo13; 12-31-2012 at 05:28 AM.
I rep back :) (measly reps)
Goals: SIZE
Bench: 295lbs
Squat: 450lbs
Deadlift: 500lbs
*Doesn't look like I lift but I actually lift crew*
*Misc and Workout Programs forum crew*
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12-31-2012, 08:02 AM #24
- Join Date: Feb 2012
- Location: Brighton, East Sussex, United Kingdom (Great Britain)
- Age: 39
- Posts: 4,673
- Rep Power: 11138
Cool, I look forward to your opinion with trepidation!
340 squat after a year is incredible at that body weight. But the fact that you competed for some time after, had a break, came back stronger and still only have a max of 405 is quite alarming. I'd expect you to be moving double your 340 by now. Perhaps a belt would help, it's hard to say and depends on whether you have a weak core. Looks like you need to fix your programming and run Texas Method or Madcows for a while IMHO.Powerlifter 160/100/195/455kg @ 91.55
137.5/97.5/195/430kg @ 82.7
Boxer 5-1
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12-31-2012, 09:30 AM #25
- Join Date: Feb 2012
- Location: Brighton, East Sussex, United Kingdom (Great Britain)
- Age: 39
- Posts: 4,673
- Rep Power: 11138
I'm off out for nye now so I'll check back in a day or so and get this bumped again for 2013 back to work crew. If anybody has anything to add about LP that would be awesome. Have a happy new year and may we all have a strong 2013!
Powerlifter 160/100/195/455kg @ 91.55
137.5/97.5/195/430kg @ 82.7
Boxer 5-1
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12-31-2012, 09:30 AM #26
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12-31-2012, 02:48 PM #27
Haha yea. My stat increases havent been as good as they could have been. I think mostly because my diet was an issue for awhile. And during most of my weightlifting career, ive suffered from depression so that hasnt been good. But coming out of that, im pretty sure now I could shatter my deadlift number (I just repped 355lbs for 16 reps xD) and also my squat number, which I also can rep a lot more with a lot more weight. Im currently on 531bbb. I love it. My body responds well to training to failure and lower rep work. Also I dont test my 1 rep max too often. I mostly just look for increases in rep numbers but hey, I am always down to take advice from you guys! I know there are people on here that are far more knowledgeable than me!
I rep back :) (measly reps)
Goals: SIZE
Bench: 295lbs
Squat: 450lbs
Deadlift: 500lbs
*Doesn't look like I lift but I actually lift crew*
*Misc and Workout Programs forum crew*
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12-31-2012, 07:39 PM #28
Lots of core work, along with all the lifts as per usual, is what has allowed me to proceed that way, pretty sure. And not surprisingly, now I think about it. Always was adding in a variety of demanding ab work, say. Guess it helped!
Nothing wrong with using a belt though. It's a preference, as to if/when.
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12-31-2012, 07:50 PM #29
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12-31-2012, 07:53 PM #30
Read the entire OP from start to finish. Damn Ginja, it's really awesome of you to spare so much time to share your insights on linear progression instead of just promote a "magic pill" or workout as the solution to all beginners training programming problems. Good work man!
My Lifting Log: http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=154479513
Quest to strength, one training session at a time
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