Time to Tweak Starting Strength

BikerGirlElaine

Hi Sara, Patrick, and everyone,

I've been going along great wit eating, training and progressing, but very suddenly, I'm struggling to keep up with my trainging, which is the Starting Strength novice program. I'm reading Practical Programming and getting some ideas of how to tweak things. I'd like some other opinions as well, or confirmation that these are the best things to try.

I've been doing Stronglifts and then SS since February. I had been regularly going to the gym before that, so I wasn't terribly out of shape, just obese and working out without a plan. I'm also 49, and on a calorie deficit. Those three things are combining and I just am not recovering fast enough anymore. I'm not surprised that SS hasn't worked for me for as long as I would have liked, but I'm surprised at how quickly *everything* has stalled out.

In Practical Programming I see that there are several things that I can try before I have to switch programs completely.

So here are my ideas:

1. Start taking a two day break each week. I have just been going every other day insteI owuad of only three times/week.

2. Start doing squats at 80% on day 2 each week.

3. Start doing more assistance work so that I am deadlifting less often.


Another thing I thought about doing was taking two days in between training sessions. I could do: Mon train, Tues cardio, Wed off, Thurs train, Fri cardio, Sat rest, and so on.

My goals are keeping my LBM while I lose 50 more pounds of fat, staying as functionally strong and healthy as possible, and aesthetics.

I'd apprciate everyone's feedback.

Sarauk2sf

When you say that you are struggling to keep up with your training, in what way? Recovery? Fatigue? Motivation? Progression?

That being said, I would start with taking 2 days rest in the week. I find 2 days in a row really help recovery.

BikerGirlElaine

Sorry Sara, I posted this and then life exploded with getting ready for our two-week trip. At this point I can see that I am not going to be training for the next three weeks, so I'm sure that when I come back I will need to deload, and work back up, so this is probably all irrelevant.

In the last couple of weeks I was having to deload, and still not progress from there and deload more, so I was overtrained... I did try taking three days off and that didn't help.

Maybe my upcoming vacation is coming at the perfect time.

I think when I come back I will limit it to 3X per week and limit the increases... 1/2 lb for OHP, 1 pound for bench & power cleans, 2 pounds for squat and DL. That should keep me progressing for quite a while.

ETA: Motivation was never a problem LOL

Sarauk2sf

Sounds like a good plan.

Have a great vacation.

Sarauk2sf

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