What is the appropriate speed to increase weight on lifts?

[user20XKIWQYKYD]

Hello guys... new here.

I'm 41, and have been a fitness enthusiast for years. Since I was in my 20's I'd mostly done body weight, dumbbells, and the general higher reps per working set that came with those. As I've gotten older I've been fighting some tendonitis and some other things. So, after a chance workout with a good friend of mine where I started lifting heavier with barbells and felt stronger/better I went out and bought a nice power rack, plates, bench, and barbell from Rogue. I've done a fair bit of research on progressive overload training and have been following Jeff Nippard, Starting Strength, and some others to educate myself.

I've got everything set up and have been running a program from Jeff Nippard (4x per week Full Body High Frequency) and things have been going really well. I've increased my weights and overall strength by somewhere between 15-20% on my heavier lifts though probably still light by the standards of this forum.

Bench -> 3 sets of 3 @ 170lbs to 3 sets of 3 @ 200lbs
Squat - > 3 sets of 4 @ 185lbs to 3 sets of 4 @ 225lbs
Deadlift - > 5 sets of 2 @ 245lbs to 5 sets of @ at 300lbs

Overall, I'm really happy with my progress. I do want to make sure that I'm not adding weight too quickly. I know my muscles can handle it it, but I'm not sure if my joints progress at the same rate. Any suggestions or recommendations would be appriciated.

[ECGordyn]

Hello guys... new here.

I'm 41, and have been a fitness enthusiast for years. Since I was in my 20's I'd mostly done body weight, dumbbells, and the general higher reps per working set that came with those. As I've gotten older I've been fighting some tendonitis and some other things. So, after a chance workout with a good friend of mine where I started lifting heavier with barbells and felt stronger/better I went out and bought a nice power rack, plates, bench, and barbell from Rogue. I've done a fair bit of research on progressive overload training and have been following Jeff Nippard, Starting Strength, and some others to educate myself.

I've got everything set up and have been running a program from Jeff Nippard (4x per week Full Body High Frequency) and things have been going really well. I've increased my weights and overall strength by somewhere between 15-20% on my heavier lifts though probably still light by the standards of this forum.

Bench -> 3 sets of 3 @ 170lbs to 3 sets of 3 @ 200lbs
Squat - > 3 sets of 4 @ 185lbs to 3 sets of 4 @ 225lbs
Deadlift - > 5 sets of 2 @ 245lbs to 5 sets of @ at 300lbs

Overall, I'm really happy with my progress. I do want to make sure that I'm not adding weight too quickly. I know my muscles can handle it it, but I'm not sure if my joints progress at the same rate. Any suggestions or recommendations would be appriciated.

How does the program assign deloads? That should be in there somewhere.

You'll know you're progressing too fast when (1) you can't progress at the same rate any longer, (2) you feel issues with connective tissue and structures (tendons, ligaments, joints), (3) you feel more tired than normal all the time. Each of those signs isn't a big problem on its own, but together over more than a few days could mean you'd need a deload.

Enjoy this rate of progression as long as you can, and worry about problems when they come up. Don't put a mental roadblock in your path. If you feel beat up, take an extra day or two of rest. If every session beats you up, then you might consider changing programs to one that manages fatigue better. For now, enjoy it, keep going, and don't worry until you have to. Your body will tell you when it's had enough.

[user20XKIWQYKYD]

How does the program assign deloads? That should be in there somewhere.

You'll know you're progressing too fast when (1) you can't progress at the same rate any longer, (2) you feel issues with connective tissue and structures (tendons, ligaments, joints), (3) you feel more tired than normal all the time. Each of those signs isn't a big problem on its own, but together over more than a few days could mean you'd need a deload.

Enjoy this rate of progression as long as you can, and worry about problems when they come up. Don't put a mental roadblock in your path. If you feel beat up, take an extra day or two of rest. If every session beats you up, then you might consider changing programs to one that manages fatigue better. For now, enjoy it, keep going, and don't worry until you have to. Your body will tell you when it's had enough.

There are two 4 week blocks, followed by a week of deload, with lower RPE targets and % of max rep targets on the primary lifts. Then a week of AMRAPS to conclude the 10 week program. After that you're encouraged to restart the program or change to a different type of split.

As far as problems go, it's been going well but over the years of rec sports that I've played I've got a few nagging issues that need to be managed (High Hamstring Tendonopathy, Distal Biceps Tenonitis, and some shoulder issues). A couple of times my shoulder has flared up from something (either face pulls or overhead press) and my bicep from pullups. I've had a couple of times on squats where I feel a little something in my back, but I have a feeling that's more form related so I'm having my buddy stop by for a form check the next time I do squats.

As far as fatigue/feeling beat up I don't feel that way at all. In a way, because of the pace, high rep counts, and short rest of my previous bodyweight programs this almost seems easy. Since these programs recommend longer rest periods between sets there isn't as much of a cardio component as I'm used to and I still feel like I have energy after the workouts end. I'm still getting my cardio in with 2x per week of 2vs2 beach volleyball, however.