Post Starting Strength?

Hi all, long time lurker first time poster etc etc. Looking for some input.

Bit of background: got into crossfit mid-2011 and did it on & off for 6 months. I enjoyed it, but for a few reasons I decided to leave off it & focus on lifting. Started on SS at the start of 2012, and plateaued on all the lifts around October/November. Now I'm not 100% sure what to do.

I kinda messed around for a month trying out random combos of reps & weights, then just recently have completed a 5-3-1 cycle with some decent but not incredible gains. I train at home and didn't have the equipment to do a lot of the accessory exercises (dips, GHDs etc) so just skipped it all which I guess isn't optimal. I also confess I didn't read the book, I just went off the Black Iron Beast online calculator so I may be missing something =\ I also haven't read Rippetoe's other book, so I'm ok with hearing "RTFM" if that's the best thing.

I want to get some input about what I should be doing next. I've got my goals but don't really know how best to hit them. I'm not going for competitive powerlifting weights, just want to get to 2x bodyweight on squat & DL, 1x BW power clean, I'd settle for .75x BW OHP.

Current 1RMs (last measured 2 months or so ago) are:
132.5kg squat (this morning)
135 deadlift
60 power clean
55 OHP.

I'm a kinda fat 85kg @ 5'11". Part of my goals is to lose fat, I'm guessing it'll be easier to drop 5-10kg than to lift 10-20!

Any advice about what I should be doing? Do I just keep repeating 5/3/1 until it stops getting me anywhere?

Cheers.

Mate. I think you can still make more gains from starting strength.

Drop your weights 15% or so, and keep going. You should be able to surpass your previous numbers after doing this.

If you feel like a change, give the Texas method a go. It's a good program.

Actually, looking at your numbers again. Stick with starting strength. Your current 1rms are easily achievable for 3 sets of 5 on starting strength.

Seconding Texas Method...
Practical Programming contains everything you need to know RE 5x5

Thanks fellas. Yeah I don't think it's right that my 1RMs are only 5-10kg better than my 3x5 weights.

I must have missed the part where SS suggested dropping the weights and continuing after a plateau but I'm 100% happy to give it a go. As a lazy bastard I like the "just put more weight on" philosophy of the program.

Guess I should start paying proper attention to nutrition as well, have been basically completely ignoring that the whole time so that might explain the slow progress.

Will likely post a "why the F isn't my OHP going anywhere" thread soon as I really struggle with that, it plateaued early and it's taken me forever to get past 45kg. But that's for another time…

Thanks again. Happy to hear any other suggestions but will crack on with dropping weight & pressing on with SS.

Post up 2 weeks worth of training, and a typical day of eating.

Look forward to hearing from you.

Andreww said:

Post up 2 weeks worth of training, and a typical day of eating.

Look forward to hearing from you.

Click to expand...

This.

Just increase volume for any stuck lifts
Texas Method allows you to do this easily

After Starting Strength - Starting Strength Wiki

Read over the SS website again, covers pretty much everything.

Might want to film your lifts and put them up too, at least for deadlifts. as it should be reasonable higher than what you can squat.

Any particular 2 weeks' training? Here's some from early-mid Oct, when I stopped SS. All exercises are 3x5 except deads which are 1x5:
03/10
110 squat (shit form)
50 PC
42.5 OHP (failure on last set)

06/10
110 squat (shit form again)
120 DL

08/10
105 squat (good form)
55 PC
42.5 OHP

13/10
105 squat (shit)
130 DL
42.5 OHP (fail on final)

15/10
107.5 Squat
60 PC
42.6 OHP

17/10
110 squat
135 DL (fail on final)
42.5 OHP

20/10
112.5 Squat (fail on final)
65 PC (fail)
42.6 OHP

So as you can see it really started bouncing around a bit, not going anywhere and certainly wasn't feeling like I could just keep adding weight on every session.

I don't have a bench so I don't bench. I suspect this could be hindering my OHP. I don't really miss it though, I don't see benching as a very practical lift.

Other "training" is some basic calisthenics (push-ups, sit-ups, star jumps) in the morning & a 8km each way ride to work.

Typical day eating is pretty embarrassing:
Breakfast: usually nothing besides black coffee. If anything, cereal or toast & occasionally a smoothie.
Lunch: takeaway from somewhere close to work. toss-up between noodle or rice dish from nearby Chinese, burger & chips, maybe sushi rolls. I basically never bring lunch to work.
Snack: handful of almonds or occasionally a small pack of chips.
Dinner: Home cooked, usually pretty good, quite varied. Chicken breast w broc & carrot, stirfry, Thai fish curry, whatever. Lots of meat & veg, not a lot of pasta/rice/potatoes usually (not really by design).

I train when I get home from work & don't do any special pre- or post-workout meals. As you can see I don't do any special meals at all really.

I know bringing lunch to work will save me $100 & 1/2 kilo a week but I struggle to get into the habit.

Thanks for your help folks.

Cooking in bulk will save you time and make life alot easier. I make 5 days of food for work every sunday, so for two housr of time I have most of my food for the week. With changing and setting new dietary habits your best bet would be to change one thing at a time. One week you concentrate on bringing prepared lunch to work, the next week you might work in breakfast, the week after you might cut out soft drink etc etc. If you need more time maybe make a change every 2 weeks to give you time to adjust, after 1-2 months you should be on the right track.

Cheers figjam, I forget about the wiki. Some good stuff in there. I really, really need to get a pullup bar.

Cheers too Romie, you're right, that's a good method. Focus on one thing at a time. Big casserole on sunday == saved $$ and known nutrition. Should be able to manage that.

I'm testing PBs on the lifts this week & will start deloaded SS next week. Looking forward to seeing if it makes a difference.

You seem to be missing a lot of reps
I'd be tempted to leave a rep in the tank and back cycle after a few sessions of the last set being real grinders. No real reason to miss lifts, creates a metabolic shitshow and doesn't make you any stronger. Don't need to lift to failure to make decent gains either, you're just practising the skills and increasing the weight as it allows instead of jamming your dick down it's metaphorical throat and pumping away until you can't any more