Those of you doing an intermediate progam...
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chubby_checkers
Posts: 2,353 Member
I'm in the process of reading Practical Programming. While I intend to go back and read all of it, I skipped to The Intermediate chapter. Ripp was annoying me in the beginning with his long rant on lack of education for teachers/coaches/trainers. I get it, just not in the mood to read it. 
My plan is to start the Texas Method once I finish reading the pertinent chapters in the book, but I'm waffling when it comes to planning out what I want to do. It's brought up a few concerns/questions/worries that I need a little input on.
-Did you feel that you were still able to push a little more progress out of StrongLifts or had you hit the plateau and needed to switch to continue to progress?
-Did you test your 1RM? or are you basing it on a calculated 1RM?
-While my strength has improved, my weight has not (Ripp mentioned that both areas should have improved quite a bit which is why I'm mentioning it). I take full responsibility for this as my eating and logging record have not been great. I understand that I need the fuel, but I'm not remotely close to a healthy weight. Is it worth doing an intermediate program on a deficit?
-If I should hold off on the intermediate program in order to focus on dropping some poundage, should I stick with a beginner's program and not tax my muscles the way they would be in a more advanced routine? I could seriously deload, maybe add reps and accessories as a way to progress.
I'm blabbing out thoughts as they come to me. If anyone could blab some thoughts in response, that would be fantastic. I can post this in other locations, as well, but wanted to get your opinions first since I like you guys the best.
I'll check back in this evening if you have questions or need other info.
My plan is to start the Texas Method once I finish reading the pertinent chapters in the book, but I'm waffling when it comes to planning out what I want to do. It's brought up a few concerns/questions/worries that I need a little input on.
-Did you feel that you were still able to push a little more progress out of StrongLifts or had you hit the plateau and needed to switch to continue to progress?
-Did you test your 1RM? or are you basing it on a calculated 1RM?
-While my strength has improved, my weight has not (Ripp mentioned that both areas should have improved quite a bit which is why I'm mentioning it). I take full responsibility for this as my eating and logging record have not been great. I understand that I need the fuel, but I'm not remotely close to a healthy weight. Is it worth doing an intermediate program on a deficit?
-If I should hold off on the intermediate program in order to focus on dropping some poundage, should I stick with a beginner's program and not tax my muscles the way they would be in a more advanced routine? I could seriously deload, maybe add reps and accessories as a way to progress.
I'm blabbing out thoughts as they come to me. If anyone could blab some thoughts in response, that would be fantastic. I can post this in other locations, as well, but wanted to get your opinions first since I like you guys the best.
I'll check back in this evening if you have questions or need other info. 0
Replies
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History (Obviously ymmv): I started SL on Dec 18th 2012. I hurt my knee quite badly in Feb, and took 2 weeks off. I started back, but at really light weights, and slowwwwwwwwwly started progressing again. I continued doing it through the end of June. I then switched to the beatutiful badass fatloss routine. Then I switched to Madcow in September. Prepping for a meet in December. I do front squats on DL day on Madcow, and I started in April switching them in on SL dl day.
-Did you feel that you were still able to push a little more progress out of StrongLifts or had you hit the plateau and needed to switch to continue to progress? I never hit a training plateau in SL, but I hit a recovery plateau I guess you'd say. I ate at maintenance through my knee reovery and still had issues recovering. So I switched to 3x5. Then I went on a cut and it was getting to be too much again so I switched to BBA.
-Did you test your 1RM? or are you basing it on a calculated 1RM? A combination, towards the end of SL I tested my 1rm for squats, I just went by calculated for DL, I tested my bench the week before I started Madcow and even though it was my actual 1rm it was a bit too heavy. I adjusted it down a bit (from 140 to 135); my lifts have been awesome ever since. Yay.
-While my strength has improved, my weight has not (Ripp mentioned that both areas should have improved quite a bit which is why I'm mentioning it). I take full responsibility for this as my eating and logging record have not been great. I understand that I need the fuel, but I'm not remotely close to a healthy weight. Is it worth doing an intermediate program on a deficit? I think SL is actually harder on a deficit as written. I did lose weight on it, but it was hard and everything was heavy.
-If I should hold off on the intermediate program in order to focus on dropping some poundage, should I stick with a beginner's program and not tax my muscles the way they would be in a more advanced routine? I could seriously deload, maybe add reps and accessories as a way to progress. Intermediate routines tax your muscles less, because there is less room for improvement. You can advance super quickly when you first start lifting, but then it slows way down. Example: I'm confident I'll have over a 300lb deadlift by my anniversary, but my goal for my second is to have a 400lb. Either way seriously trying to cut while make serious gains sucks hard. It is the worst suck suck that ever sucked. Also get enough sleep.0 -
I haven't been doing my Intermediate program for too long but I will try to answer some questions.
I switched to Wendler's 5/3/1 because I was having recovery issues like fittree. I didn't really reach a plateau other than maybe with OHP. Doing squats 3x a week was leaving me exhausted, and starving. I was down to my goal weight but have packed on a few extra lbs because I'm so hungry and not good at denying myself in that situation!
Anyway, I'm really liking this program, focusing on one big lift per session and then adding in some accessory lifts rather than 3 big lifts per session.
I'm trying to keep in a bit of a deficit but yeah, I suck at it. At least I'm not starving all the time like previously. My strength is progressing slowly, but progressing nonetheless, and I feel better.0 -
OP, you've already gone through linear progression right?0
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OP, you've already gone through linear progression right?
Yes. I've done two 12 week rounds of StrongLifts. I feel like I could squeeze a bit more progression out before moving on, but mentally, I need the change.0 -
OP, you've already gone through linear progression right?
Yes. I've done two 12 week rounds of StrongLifts. I feel like I could squeeze a bit more progression out before moving on, but mentally, I need the change.
May I ask how many pounds you are lifting? How many sets and reps?0 -
OP, you've already gone through linear progression right?
Yes. I've done two 12 week rounds of StrongLifts. I feel like I could squeeze a bit more progression out before moving on, but mentally, I need the change.
May I ask how many pounds you are lifting? How many sets and reps?
Everything is 3x5 except deadlifts.
Squats: 175lbs
Bench: 105lbs
Rows: 115lbs
OHP: 72.5lbs
Deadlifts: 210lbs0 -
Are you getting enough sleep? How's your diet? Which lifts are you stalling on?0
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CC -
I think it is totally legitimate to switch programs at your stage simply because I get the feeling that you are bored. And bored leads to not lifting, which leads to a sad Checker.
I switched to Texas and then Wendler in an effort to find a program that would mesh well with my life and with my almost-40 year old hips. I also needed more variety than SL was offering, and my recovery, even at maintenance, had slowed to zilch. On every lift. If I had deloaded and worked up, maybe I could have gotten a bit more - but I started both Texas and Wendler at 90%, and so I got that little bit extra there.
In terms of eating/lifting/fat loss - I think it takes a really, really long time for the balance of muscle-to-fat to get to a point where the muscle does most of the work for you. And if you are eating at a deficit, you aren't really adding new muscle, just keeping what you have (which is a good thing). However, if you found your maintenance point, lifted there, and added a little something else (cardio of your choice), you might be able to see things start to shift - but it will still be slow. Because that's the best way. Coming off slow means it will most likely stay gone. Persistence, patience - those are the best tools in our fat loss tool box (this is just my opinion, of course).
I have some other thoughts, but little bit needs attention.0 -
CC -
I think it is totally legitimate to switch programs at your stage simply because I get the feeling that you are bored. And bored leads to not lifting, which leads to a sad Checker.
I switched to Texas and then Wendler in an effort to find a program that would mesh well with my life and with my almost-40 year old hips. I also needed more variety than SL was offering, and my recovery, even at maintenance, had slowed to zilch. On every lift. If I had deloaded and worked up, maybe I could have gotten a bit more - but I started both Texas and Wendler at 90%, and so I got that little bit extra there.
In terms of eating/lifting/fat loss - I think it takes a really, really long time for the balance of muscle-to-fat to get to a point where the muscle does most of the work for you. And if you are eating at a deficit, you aren't really adding new muscle, just keeping what you have (which is a good thing). However, if you found your maintenance point, lifted there, and added a little something else (cardio of your choice), you might be able to see things start to shift - but it will still be slow. Because that's the best way. Coming off slow means it will most likely stay gone. Persistence, patience - those are the best tools in our fat loss tool box (this is just my opinion, of course).
I have some other thoughts, but little bit needs attention.
I like your thoughts, Kirabob. I hope you don't forget them after being distracted as I'd like to hear more of them... They sound pretty wise to me. And I like to learn from those who pave the way :flowerforyou:0 -
Thanks, kira. I think, for now, I'm going forward with Texas and keeping my calories where I have them set. I'm fairly certain I'm eating around maintenance at this point with my lack of logging and the exercise I am doing. I'm bouncing around the same 5-6lbs.
@Amazing: OHP is really the only lift where I'm not progressing and am sliding backwards a bit. I took an unintentional week break which has turned into 2 weeks, so I'm hoping I'll come back with more energy. Sleep probably is an issue. I'm a night owl trying to cope in an early bird world, but I usually get 6 hrs a night.0 -
I did lose my train of thought. . .
But this came back to me - don't read too much in to Rippetoe's recommendations about weight/fat loss. Most of his experience is in working with (largely) young, male athletes who are eating at a surplus. You are a (somewhat) older female athlete, and eating at maintenance or just below - your progress will happen differently on every level. If you dig in to Amber Roger's story (of gokaleo) - it took her several years to lose the fat she didn't want - but she also hasnt' put it back on in the subsequent years. And, if you can find a way to lift that keeps your interest, and eat at maintenance, you will start to notice body recomp - slowly, but it will come. My arms and legs are TOTALLY different since I started eating at maintenance. My tummy is still puffy - but that's what got puffy first, so it will be what unpuffies last, if that makes sense. I haven't made any more huge gains on my lower body lifts at maintenance - but they ARE going up, which they weren't doing at a deficit.
Sorry, I'm a bit scattered.0 -
Try advanced novice:
Day 1:
Squat 3x5
Bench/Press 3x5 (alternate the bench and press)
Deadlift 1x5
Day 2:
Squat 85% of last workset, 3x5
Press/Bench 3x5
Chin-ups 3 sets AMRAP
Day 3:
Squat 3x5
Press/Bench 3x5
Power clean 5x3
Add weight each session.0 -
Try advanced novice:
Day 1:
Squat 3x5
Bench/Press 3x5 (alternate the bench and press)
Deadlift 1x5
Day 2:
Squat 85% of last workset, 3x5
Press/Bench 3x5
Chin-ups 3 sets AMRAP
Day 3:
Squat 3x5
Press/Bench 3x5
Power clean 5x3
Add weight each session.
Thanks for the suggestion! This looks to be the same thought process of the Texas method.
Did you ever watch Scrubs? There's an episode where JD and Dr Cox are doing some kind of competition to see who can hang from a bar the longest. JD attached fake arms and they ended up ripping off. That's all I can picture when I think of myself trying to do chin-ups. :laugh:0 -
Yea the two are very similar. The Texas method calls for more volume and intensity and from what I hear, it is supposed to be BRUTAL. Think of advanced novice as a prerequisite to the Texas Method.
And no I do not watch Scrubs. I'm not much of a TV viewer unless it's Sports, Cops or South Park. lol0
