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Question Regarding Starting Strength

SmokeAndFire
SmokeAndFire Posts: 12
in Social Groups
A few quick questions guys --

I'm about a month back into lifting, and right now I'm cutting in the sense that I am eating a caloric deficit. I'm still trying to lift heavy and eat a lot of protein -- hoping for newbie gainz.

My question is this, does this seem like a decent amount of volume for a given day?

Cleans - 4 sets of 5 reps
Cable rows, seated - 4x5
Deadlifts - 4x5
Chinups - 4x5 (use an assistance machine to take some weight off)

I use weights such that my form starts to break down on the last rep, and I am struggling to keep my last set decent.

On the board the opinion seems to be to lift heavy and simple at first -- what say you guys? I think I'll get a better response here.

I'll do a day like this, then a day of moderate cardio, then another day like this with different lifts obviously.

Replies

  • SJoshBrown
    SJoshBrown Posts: 1
    >My question is this, does this seem like a decent amount of volume for a given day?

    It seems like you forgot to read the sticky. This isn't Starting Strength
  • SmokeAndFire
    SmokeAndFire Posts: 12
    I read the sticky (probably 6 times in the past 2 months) and then I read Rippetoe's book.

    Per the sticky:

    <<
    Workout A
    3x5 Squat
    3x5 Bench Press
    1x5 Deadlift
    2x5-8 dips (only add weight if you are doing >10 bodyweight dips)

    Workout B
    3x5 Squat
    3x5 Standing military press
    3x5 Pendlay Rows (or power cleans for 5x3, 5 sets of 3 reps apiece)
    2x5-8 chinups ***if you do the power cleans, do 3 sets of chinups***

    >>

    I'm not exactly following this precisely, but I'm trying to get that sort of volume. I also tend to mix things up a bit.

    For example, yesterday I did:
    Cleans
    Low cable rows
    Deadlifts
    Chinups.

    Tmrw I will do Squats, Bench, Dips, and probably Military Press along with whatever else strikes me, perhaps skullcrushers.

    So I don't think I am straying far from Starting Strength, and I am most certainly using the SS model.

    Here is the link, the same link that is in the sticky, from where I drew the above quote.

    So my questions stands, is this reasonable volume.
  • CipherZero
    CipherZero Posts: 1,418 Member
    I'd seriously drop the deadlifts to 1x5.

    If you're breaking form on the last set you're doing too much volume. As I've posted endlessly in one form or another on /fit/:

    > You MUST worship the Goddess of Good Form, for She is a fickle ***** who will cosign you to the Snap City gulag for the slightest infractions against Her will.

    I don't get your rep scheme for power cleans at all - why go 5x3?
  • SmokeAndFire
    SmokeAndFire Posts: 12
    So you think 1x5 will be enough?

    And when I say break form I don't actually mean that I start cat-backing it, but rather when I rest the weight down [no drop-box at Gold] that I feel that my back is starting to curve. I'm pretty paranoid about form.

    And I means 3 sets of 5 reps for cleans. Typo.

    So my take-away from this is that an inability to keep form is too much volume? Can I go ahead and deduce that the correct amount of volume is the point just before my form breaks?
  • Sesaza
    Sesaza Posts: 49
    Newbie gains only exist for those people who are bulking up to start with and its mostly alot of fat anyway.

    SS is a fairly **** program unless u are training for strength. and even then, it gets surpassed by things like smolov. try sticking with bro split, p/p/l or full body. you will react better to them in terms of weight loss and muscle development than you will with SS.
  • SmokeAndFire
    SmokeAndFire Posts: 12
    But the powerlifts are fun.

    Eh, I guess I'll consider adding in some push-pull ****.

    I'm a little over a month into lifting again and I'm already extremely pleased with what SS has done for my traps and delts. (arms look like ****, however, but even in my prime my arms looked like ****.)

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