Reset to Advanced Novice

[ZKP]

Anybody here feel like they jumped the gun on Intermediate programming? I weigh 230 and can 1rm 425 in my Squat. I'm thinking of Reseting to an advanced novice program and seeing if I can milk it (;)) for a few more months of adding 40 lbs a month to my sets of 5. Any of you guys/gals have any experience with this?

[Sgsolberg]

I don't test my 1rm, but I know that I got burned out when I was squatting heavy 3 times a week (this happened at around 300lbs).

I reset twice and managed to get to 315*5*3. I'm currently squatting heavy 2 times a week (light day mid week), and it is much easier to keep progressing. I think I can do this for quite some time.

I think that a lot of people transition to an intermediate program when the training gets difficult on SS. Milking the most out of the end of the program is exciting, since I can still make 10 lbs a week in progress.

[Magnetotail]

I jumped to an intermediate program too early. I thought I was ready to move because I wasn't recovering from my squat each session.

When I found I wasn't getting the most out of my potential progression on the Texas Method, I moved back to the novice stage but with light days on the squat and everything is going fine. I microload (1.25kg) on press and bench, and oddly enough am comfortably adding 5kg each heavy squat session despite never resetting or anything. I'm hoping to get close to working sets at 180kg on squats before I stall.

I think it will be tempting for a lot of people to jump too early, but the novice stage is the most rapid progression you'll ever have so it's best to get as much as you can from it.

[Tiburon]

I think that a lot of people transition to an intermediate program when the training gets difficult on SS. Milking the most out of the end of the program is exciting, since I can still make 10 lbs a week in progress.

The last couple pages of the Novice chapter in Practical Programming are informative here. Worth the price of admission.

[kidcolin]

I did the SS -> advanced novice transition. Maybe I'm being a pussy, but I'm only adding 5lbs a week to my squat (2.5lb jumps on M and F). Still beats having to go through volume days on the TM.

Also, I find the advanced novice program provides a couple of key things:
1. focus on chins/pull ups
2. I find I can recover enough to still DL once a week and work in rows on one of the days, which I'm hoping will assist my weak ass bench.

[FatButWeak]

Ive been doing the novice progression in SS (workout A -squat, bench, deadlift- followed by workout B -squat, press, clean) and have really been enjoying my progression.
Then I bought PPST2 and saw the recommended novice routine in that book recommending reverse hypers and pull-up be alternated with the deadlifts and cleans. I don't want to do that! I am continuing to make linear progression using the AB workout from SS and don't really have the ability to do pullups and/or the ability to do the reversehypers (way too obese to do pushups and no reverse hyper/roman chair thing in my home gym)

Do I need to switch to the modified novice program in PPST2? Anyone have an opinion?

[Alex Bond]

Ive been doing the novice progression in SS (workout A -squat, bench, deadlift- followed by workout B -squat, press, clean) and have really been enjoying my progression.
Then I bought PPST2 and saw the recommended novice routine in that book recommending reverse hypers and pull-up be alternated with the deadlifts and cleans. I don't want to do that! I am continuing to make linear progression using the AB workout from SS and don't really have the ability to do pullups and/or the ability to do the reversehypers (way too obese to do pushups and no reverse hyper/roman chair thing in my home gym)

Do I need to switch to the modified novice program in PPST2? Anyone have an opinion?

If it works, don't fuck with it. If it stops working, change it up.

[nisora33]

Ive been doing the novice progression in SS (workout A -squat, bench, deadlift- followed by workout B -squat, press, clean) and have really been enjoying my progression.
Then I bought PPST2 and saw the recommended novice routine in that book recommending reverse hypers and pull-up be alternated with the deadlifts and cleans. I don't want to do that! I am continuing to make linear progression using the AB workout from SS and don't really have the ability to do pullups and/or the ability to do the reversehypers (way too obese to do pushups and no reverse hyper/roman chair thing in my home gym)

Do I need to switch to the modified novice program in PPST2? Anyone have an opinion?

If it's working for you, keep doing it 'til it doesn't work anymore; milk your current version of SS for gains as long you can, then change it up as you see written in PP.

[nisora33]

Sorry Alex--I was typing just as you were posting, I guess.

[FatButWeak]

Thanks, guys. The Starting Strength model has been such an awesome revelation for me, yielding such great results so simply, that the thought of complicating matters before I had exhausted my linear progression was a little dispiriting.

[cjangelo]

Anybody here feel like they jumped the gun on Intermediate programming? I weigh 230 and can 1rm 425 in my Squat. I'm thinking of Reseting to an advanced novice program and seeing if I can milk it () for a few more months of adding 40 lbs a month to my sets of 5. Any of you guys/gals have any experience with this?


If it works, don't fuck with it. If it stops working, change it up.


If it's working for you, keep doing it 'til it doesn't work anymore; milk your current version of SS for gains as long you can, then change it up as you see written in PP.

I have a question I feel to be pertinent to this discussion: Are you still gaining weight? I think if you zoom past the 230lb barrier with help from The Dollar Menu you could be more aggressive with your projected progress. If you're like me and are getting soft around the midsection at 230 and are now maintenance eating or less, you'll have to be less demanding with your programming.

Can someone corroborate what I'm saying here? Am I on target with this? I would appreciate some feedback on my comments because I am dealing with a very similar situation.

[ZKP]

You all raise good points.

I've been here before, at the point where you want to increase still, but where you're starting to become a beach ball. I can certainly tell my strength has wained in the last week of a little cutting back, but after 220, the dollar menu just turns to slop an I have to be a bit more careful with what I put in my mouth. I'm 5'10, and have a 36'' waist at 230, at 220, it's a 34". I don't really gives a fuck but, but I'm too old to just eat myself fat and call it "big". I'm jealous of you fuckers who need to gain 60 lbs. Aside from it being expensive, It's a lot of fun watching peoples reaction to downing the food. This is a testament to what really "eating to gain" is compared to folks who think they are but are really just wasting time.... I would eat meat by the Lb literally, going for 5 lbs a day, plus milk, plus dessert, required. I would also have to eat a Cheeseburger every night right before bed, and kept PB in the bathroom if I woke up to take a piss.....you keep that shit up once you hit a good BW for your height and you become a fat piece of shit in short order. The trick now is to reduce excess calories but maintain proper protein, and to be honest with myself It's more challenging that just eating everything......
As far a squat programing goes, Heavy light Heavy, but with a less aggressive loading progression will do fine for me now. Not to say another 20 lbs on my frame, wont happen, but it'll take some time and tweaking at this point.....