Feeling drained after 4 Weeks of SS

[pkmg]

Hello Rip,

For four Weeks I did the following Program:

Workout A:
3x5 Squat
3x5 Bench Press
1x5 Deadlift

Wokrout B.
3x5 Squat
3x5 Press
5x3 Power Clean
3xMax Reps Chin-Up/Pull-Up

Since I added the Chins/Pull-Ups I am not quite sure if that would still go as the Starting Strength Program, but maybe that's just semantics.

I Progressed as follows:
Squat 158.7lbs (72kg) -> 207.2lbs (94kg)
Bench Press 119lbs (54kg) -> 141.1lbs (64kg)
Deadlift 198.4lbs (90kg) -> 242.5lbs (110kg)
Press 92.6lbs (42kg) -> 112.4lbs (51kg)
Power Clean 110.2lbs (50kg) -> 132.3lbs (60kg)
Chin-Ups 7-5-4 -> 9-7-4
Pull-Ups 6-5-3 -> 7-6-4

In the last week the squat felt very very heavy and my body just felt like shit the whole week. When looking at my numbers I knew I couldn't be anywhere near the end of the novice phase.

So I guess my question is where could I have fucked it up?
Do the Chins/Pull-Ups distort the recovery?
Did I progress too fast, could it be my form or is it just not enough food and sleep?
I drink 3 liters of milk a day and try to eat as much as I can, but sometimes I get a little sloppy with that.
I guess at 6'5" and about 211lbs it is the eating.
But being not that experienced in training yet I didn't want to risk anything, so maybe you could tell me what is possibly wrong or if I just have suck it up and do my squats, or if I just need to eat more.

Thank you in advance, especially for your great Book. (Any info on wheen PP 2nd Ed. will be available in Europe, since I don't have a credit card?)

[tennisgod]

How old are you?

[misspelledgeoff]

at 6'5" and 211 pounds, I'd bet a month's salary you are not eating enough to support continued gains.

how much body weight did you gain the first month?

[Mr.City]

Are you eating? Sleeping enough? Are you engaged in any outside activities? Do you have symptoms resembling illness?

[milesdyson]

at 6'5" and 211 pounds, I'd bet a month's salary you are not eating enough to support continued gains.

how much body weight did you gain the first month?
he shouldn't have to eat at a surplus to get well past where he currently is with his lifts. maybe he is incredibly unlucky and was genetically shafted, but most likely there are other factors or there's nothing wrong and the weight is just becoming meaningful. he didn't say he was stalling anywhere, just that the squats were hard.

pkmg, add weight to the bar and keep going. if you miss reps multiple days in a row soon, then start worrying.

[pbjorge12]

he shouldn't have to eat at a surplus to get well past where he currently is with his lifts. maybe he is incredibly unlucky and was genetically shafted, but most likely there are other factors or there's nothing wrong and the weight is just becoming meaningful. he didn't say he was stalling anywhere, just that the squats were hard.

pkmg, add weight to the bar and keep going. if you miss reps multiple days in a row soon, then start worrying.

You can always read this for a boost.
http://70sbig.com/content/do_hard_things.pdf

[nisora33]

Like several of the folks here have mentioned, eating and sleeping are the first things to scrutinize. Answer this, though: how many times a week are you deadlifting?

-Stacey

[pkmg]

I am 22.
Looking back I think you are right: not eating and sleeping enough.
I train 3 times a week and deadlift every other workout.
I will repeat the last workout (I took some days off) and keep adding weight to the bar. Maybe I should only add 1kg on the Bench and Press instead of 2kg.
Thank you for your replies.

[nisora33]

I train 3 times a week and deadlift every other workout.


You will not be able to deadlift this way for much longer. This means, right now, that some weeks you are deadlifting twice in a week. Assuming this isn't the case for you yet, you will soon need to deadlift only once per week due to recovery issues--say on Wednesday--only doing one heavy workset of 5 reps.

-S.

[DeepBlue]

You will not be able to deadlift this way for much longer. This means, right now, that some weeks you are deadlifting twice in a week. Assuming this isn't the case for you yet, you will soon need to deadlift only once per week due to recovery issues--say on Wednesday--only doing one heavy workset of 5 reps.

-S.

He's 'only' at 115% of BW or so at the moment. I'd say he's got a few more weeks at every other day, no?

[TomF]

SS is hard. It beats you up, even when you do it right. Once my squats moved North of about 235 for the first time, my joints ached.

Persevere. Eat more, drink more milk. Watch your form.

You're half the age I was when I first did SS ... and 6" taller, and 30 pounds heavier. My linear progression didn't stop 'till I was squatting about 275; based on your age and frame, yours should finish higher than that, IMO.

[nisora33]

He's 'only' at 115% of BW or so at the moment. I'd say he's got a few more weeks at every other day, no?

Possibly, it's hard to say. Usually after about a month of consistent training using the every-other-workout deadlift schedule, I switch my trainees over to once a week for the dead. Maybe that's premature, but that's the way I've always done it. Usually by that time, they're feeling a little "stale" on the movement, hard to explain.

-S.

[KONG]

I guess at 6'5" and about 211lbs it is the eating.
......I just need to eat more.


I believe you have already answered your question. I think I remember reading a post on Rip Q&A where a person asked about how much he should weigh at 6 ft 4 inches. The person was currently at 215 or so lbs. Rip gave an answer: 270-300 lbs.

You sir are severely underweight at this height and need to gain some weight.

I can personally attest as I used to be 6'2" @ 190 and then I started to eat like I meant it. That was 4 months ago. At 190, 305 felt like a bear on my back. I am now 237 and repping it with ease, now 400 feels like a bear. Good things should still continue to happen as I get up to 270.

Its time for you to eat for more than just recovery. You have start eating for growth too. Even 10 extra pounds of bodyweight makes a world of a difference in developing your strength. Keep at it...it will be worth your while.

Happy eating...

[pkmg]

I have already thought about the Deadlift frequency, but at the moment it's the grip that gives me a hard time.

I trained today and it was heavy, but not impossible.
I will just suck it up, eat more, sleep more and get through that.

Thanks for your advice!

[bjvinson]

I think if you stick with the program, make sure you are eating enough & getting enough sleep you'll gradually adapt.

I started SS in August and considered quitting several times because I felt so run down. When I started paying attention to the amount of sleep I was getting and what I was eating I started feeling better.

Hang in there :-)

[DeepBlue]

Possibly, it's hard to say. Usually after about a month of consistent training using the every-other-workout deadlift schedule, I switch my trainees over to once a week for the dead. Maybe that's premature, but that's the way I've always done it. Usually by that time, they're feeling a little "stale" on the movement, hard to explain.

-S.
Ahh. "stale" is perfect for what I'm starting to feel after ~4 weeks. But I'm going to keep DLing with 5kg increments for the next week or two, then drop it to 2kg. By then I expect at least one stall, and to be near to 185%+ of BW, which I suspect I will switch to 1x a week.