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.

OP, you've already gone through linear progression right?

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?

Are you getting enough sleep? How's your diet? Which lifts are you stalling on?

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:

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.