Been doing starting strength for a while and I’m tired of it. I get slightly stronger but that doesn’t really mean much to me. I’d like to see some physical changes in my body. But there’s so much crap out there it’s hard to choose where to move on from here. I’m eyeing 5/3/1 right now but I prefer not to read like 50 pages before being able to lift some weights.
Don't think, just lift. Seriously. Some lifting is better than no lifting, and if you want to build more in other areas you can add exercises and change your routine around, but just training consistently is the most important thing.
That’s a good point. Sometimes I get so demotivated that I don’t even go even though it’s beneficial for me to do so even without the ideal progress.
Yeah, the same thing happens to me. I think I put a lot of pressure on myself to adopt the perfect routines, but just jumping straight into a highly organised routine from not doing anything is impossible for me; I have to start slowly.
At a certain point just doing one session a week starts to feel like slacking off a bit, and that's when you'll think "okay, I need to step up a bit."
My personal experience with online lifting communities and programs is that it tends to attract a ton of people who are into the "minmaxing" mindset, and for whom spending a lot of time and energy making sure their routine, nutrition and progression is "just right". You don't need to do that unless you're really hitting a wall or at risk of injury.
That being said, the easiest, non-gimmicky program I know is Stronglifts 5x5 with the last set going til failure. You'll make progress, and if you keep your diet within reason, you'll see some physique gains within a couple weeks.
Isn’t stronglifts the same as starting strength? I remember looking at it a while ago and skipping it since I felt it was the same thing as what I was doing (SS).
And yeah, I tend to minmax everything. I keep track of macros but it does help with diet. I’m not too concerned with minmaxing workouts though. I just want a program that keeps me stimulated with noticeable progress indicators. SS has increased weights each session which is okay, but it gets dull and I’d like some hypertrophy
If you want some hypertrophy you should do a bodybuilding program. The movements you do in starting strength or 5/3/1 will not provide you with enough volume for your secondary movers like your biceps and triceps, calves, delts, etc. You could experiment with adding isolation movements to a program like 5/3/1. You could also go with a push/pull/legs type program.
There are a lot of ways to skin the metaphorical cat. I've found that trying a lot of different programs isn't necessarily a bad thing as it keeps things interesting. Although I will say that knowing when to change the training variables (intensity, volume, frequency) is key for continued progress on any program. I would recommend that you read and maybe try out Barbell Medicine's "The Bridge" program. https://www.barbellmedicine.com/the-bridge/
There's also this program selector website, which might show you some programs you've never heard of. It's out of date but a lot of those programs are very effective. http://www.rohitnair.net/pp/
:07: thank you. I’ll take a look at these sites. In the meantime, I’m just gonna keep lifting until I can formulate something coherent
Regarding 5/3/1, I’m seeing on Reddit that people are using a variation of that program called “boring but big” or BBB to focus on hypertrophy. Any experience with this?
I have done 5/3/1 BBB, I thought it was cool but it didn't stick with me for some reason. It might be a good option for you!
I’ve been lifting semi-consistently for about half a year this year. Prior to this it’s been extremely inconsistent but I’ve been taking it more seriously. I haven’t maxed out my newbie gains yet, though, but some workouts are a pain in the ass to do, specifically bench press.
Sorry for the super late reply, I don’t check my notifications. But it’s a pain because I don’t really make any progress. I get tired way too quickly which doesn’t happen with other workouts. Like I’ll do 2 sets of 5 reps at 50-60 pounds and I’m already fatigued and can’t do anymore. Possibly a form issue.
I actually bought the 5/3/1 book & am hoping to move on to using it once my knee is fully recovered (I'm getting back into things decently well with my PT, but I got a series of injuries to my left leg, including a patellar fracture like 2 months ago that've made this year a wash in terms of progress).
The point here though is that the basics of how it works are not that complicated.
Step 1. Identify whatever the heaviest weight you can safely lift in your DL, Squat, Bench & OHP are, now lift that for as many reps as you can before failure.
Step 2. Use that to calculate your "actual" 1rm either using the formula in the book, or using an online calculator (StrengthLevel has a good one as I remember).
Step 3. Take 90% of that weight & using that as your "Training Maximum", proceed in a 4 week block following this basic protocol:
- WK1 5 reps @ 65%/ 5 reps @ 75%/ AMRAP @ 85%
- WK2 3 reps @ 75%/ 3 reps @ 85%/ AMRAP @ 90%
- WK3 1 rep @ 85%/ 1 rep @ 90%/ AMRAP @ 95%
- WK4 Is as I remember a deload week so you want to be more around 55-65%
Then you start over from step 1 & figure out a new "Training Maximum" based on what you did in WK3.
You only do 1 main lift on any given day & 2 accessories for that lift. You only train a given lift once per week. You do not do cardio.
Optional step 4 is eat until you are borderline obese. (this is not a joke)
The rest of the 50 pages are just optional variations on this basic block if you want to do more work than what is prescribed by the basic format.
Seconding 5/3/1, also getting at least the base book and giving it a read through. Took me up to a 1060 total on the big 3 lifts @185 lbs before life got in the way and I took a hiatus from lifting.
The most important thing is that you are consistent and lift 3-4x per week. Pick a few accessories, follow the program, and you'll be good for a very long time.
True. I don't personally recommend following 5/3/1 to the letter, but that is what the program as-written is. :shrug-outta-hecks:
I’m not a cardio guy, but I usually do a light cardio warmup. I don’t think it should hurt anything
Haven’t had a chance to look it up yet, but is the book available on Libgen?
I’ve liked 5/3/1. A good app I’ve liked for tracking, on iOS at least, is this one.
