lol @ Mehdi not being bigger because he doesn't take steroids

[0ni]

But u be a different kettle of fish obi wan...

SS is a starting point... Assess where your at and then reassess...

SS is the broad answer.. up to the lifter to learn and refine...

I think there are vastly better things that you can be doing with your time as a starting point which I've already mentioned

 

[uppon2]

Dude...
Run SS..
Learning to do the basic barbell lifts properly and getting good at them is well worth your time....
When you stall or become stale in it switch to something else...

Nothing wrong with SS... It's more important that u are motivated...

Agree on the need for back work... Perhaps rows on first day and chins on second...

I dislike the idea of 3x5 deads as this will undermine your squats...

1x5 gives just enough for a newb with out adversely impacting squats ...

Once a newb peaked on SS 3x5 I would go back to the PTC beginner program for 3 months Nd then repeat SS again...

From here the OP would then know enough on what to do next...5/3/1 smolov bb pl cube sheiko etc etc....

Do SS . . . but add rows, do 3 x 5 on deads, and after squats, bench and deads do another 2-3 sets of 3-5 reps w/80% ish of your working sets to get more "practice" reps in

Thanks guys, I will stick to this program for 12 weeks I will still be a noob after that but I will have a small amount of understanding of the unique to focus on a more serious and personalised workout

My mate back in England got started in January and I helped him out online.
I believe in a very high frequency program. I'm not saying this is the best or only way but it's how I do things.

He was finding it difficult to learn many different movements at once and would get analysis paralysis. So I decided that he would just do squats to begin with. The template was squat/press/pull 5-6 days a week so he squatted and did incline bench and pull-ups as the other exercises. Incline bench you can just lay on the bench and press and pull-ups are pull-ups. This made it easy for him to focus on squats.

For programming, nothing fancy I had him work up to a set of 3 on each exercise where he had 2 reps left in the tank and then take 5% off and do more sets of 3 until he got to the point where he had 2 reps left in the tank again. Because of the lightish weight this was about 12-15 work sets per exercise typically with short 60 second rest periods. Each exercise was finished with a deathset of 10-50 reps

When he felt he was squatting with good technique and had basic coordination down he added in the bench press and then the deadlift.

This is also pretty much how I train myself... although I alternate squat/press/pull-ups with deadlift/bench/rows and use higher percentages of 1RM

I think I will move to something more intense in 12 weeks. I found with the standing press alone it felt awkward to perform correctly with just my Olympic 20kg bar. I found my left arm would lock but my right arm had a mind of it's own. I tried to shrug it all up but it was still awkward to me. I did add on 20kg for my work set and that was ok but I honestly don't understand why I struggle so much with it?

 

[Snoochies]

My mate who I am training could barely bench the bar when he started. He's doing 5 X 5 and after 2 months is approaching the 60kg mark.

Now for those who have worked out for years and know these are minimal numbers, big deal but for a bloke who has never touched a weight in his life, is basically a stick, when he sees progress and is having fun, I don't think he really cares too much about when to push pull etc. He's having fun, he's making progress and wants to keep going to reach higher numbers. When he's all maxed out he'll jump on here too and complain about what a crap program SS or 5x5 are, but at the moment, he's gone from a skinny lazy fella to actually doing something he is enjoying and that's the main thing. He's been introduced to the world of strength training and is having fun.

 

[Brick]

when he sees progress and is having fun, I don't think he really cares too much about when to push pull etc..

The issue is when you progress from noob to sorta strong you want to keep doing those exercises in which you are strong.

No one wants to row with a 10kg plate each side when they are benching for reps with a wheel and a half, So they just keep on benching to excess and end up with a fucked shoulder because all they do is push 99% of the time.

I know cause thats what I did, you fuck that shoulder and you are gonna end up nursing it forever.

I think SS is great but DO not neglect the cleans. Rip has the cleans in there for a reason they are great for the rear delt/upper back.

 

[DREADLIFT]

Too bad cleans are too technical to self teach well.

Their benefits far out weigh the coaching it takes to nail them.

 

[0ni]

I think I will move to something more intense in 12 weeks. I found with the standing press alone it felt awkward to perform correctly with just my Olympic 20kg bar. I found my left arm would lock but my right arm had a mind of it's own. I tried to shrug it all up but it was still awkward to me. I did add on 20kg for my work set and that was ok but I honestly don't understand why I struggle so much with it?

You can try swapping it for incline bench. Incline bench is great because all you need to do is lie on the bench and press. Do this until you have good coordination. I was the same, could only bench the bar and missed 30kg lol... could not overhead press the bar all all. Although I just benched until I was strong enough to overhead press. Never really did much overhead pressing at all and I regret it so I try and work it in more now.

Too bad cleans are too technical to self teach well.

Their benefits far out weigh the coaching it takes to nail them.

I wouldn't say so. A clean maybe but not a power clean. You can just deadlift the bar and pull back / shrug and it comes right up. I did 90kg and it was my first time actually putting weight on the bar that I wasn't going to press. I have done lots of powershrugs from the floor and mid shin as well as deadlifts though

 

[uppon2]

You can try swapping it for incline bench. Incline bench is great because all you need to do is lie on the bench and press. Do this until you have good coordination. I was the same, could only bench the bar and missed 30kg lol... could not overhead press the bar all all. Although I just benched until I was strong enough to overhead press. Never really did much overhead pressing at all and I regret it so I try and work it in more now.

This is the bench I have, when you say "incline" what kind of an angle would you recommend?

I was thinking about changing it to seated position shoulder press with bar or dumbbells, as I have found them to be easier to maintain the control. I do not want to neglect the standing press as I know there is a reason why I can't do it right. It feels like I simply don't have the supporting muscles or the greatest technique right now, but I'm sure in time I will get it. I hope lol

 

[0ni]

As high as it goes without being completely upright
You're just doing it until you build some coordination

 

[Swervyn-Ervyn]

Lol at people saying its a shit program..

It's a BEGINNER program

Tell me one BEGINNER who can come up with a better program?

I've put on nearly 20kg since joining a gym, I'm doing a modification of SS, and making gains still..
You just have to be smart and adjust it to suit yourself!

 

[0ni]

Lol at people saying its a shit program..

It's a BEGINNER program

Tell me one BEGINNER who can come up with a better program?

I've put on nearly 20kg since joining a gym, I'm doing a modification of SS, and making gains still..
You just have to be smart and adjust it to suit yourself!

You're joking right?
What do you think people did before the internet?

 

[Swervyn-Ervyn]

You're joking right?
What do you think people did before the internet?

As far as a complete knob beginner, who doesn't hire a knob trainer is concerned, they aren't gona come up with something better, they won't even know what progressive overload is

You've been to a commercial gym right?
The noobs are all doing flys, biceps and triceps!!

 

[0ni]

So you're saying that we need a special system that assumes you have the recovery ability of an AIDS patient so we can hold the hands of people that are too stupid to figure things out for themselves?

There are plenty of training regimes a beginner can do that are vastly superior to 5x5.

 

[Swervyn-Ervyn]

So you're saying that we need a special system that assumes you have the recovery ability of an AIDS patient so we can hold the hands of people that are too stupid to figure things out for themselves?

There are plenty of training regimes a beginner can do that are vastly superior to 5x5.

Adjust it to suit yourself??
As in play with the program to make it better for the individual..

No doubt there are better program's, I never said it was the best!!
It's just better than what someone with no idea would come up with...

Go easy big fella, don't be so rustled

 

[0ni]

I don't see what your argument for SS is
You keep contradicting yourself
Beginners need a program (even though there are plenty of programs that are better) but they can just think for themselves anyway and not do the program?

 

[Goosey]

Adjust it to suit yourself??
As in play with the program to make it better for the individual..

No doubt there are better program's, I never said it was the best!!
It's just better than what someone with no idea would come up with...

Go easy big fella, don't be so rustled

Big fella

 

[Swervyn-Ervyn]

I don't see what your argument for SS is
You keep contradicting yourself
Beginners need a program (even though there are plenty of programs that are better) but they can just think for themselves anyway and not do the program?

Huh?

I'm saying they need a program, and SL would be better than one they design on their own

 

[0ni]

Better than nothing doesn't make something "good"
Heavens forbid someone works things out for themselves, no-one ever got strong doing that

 

[Bradders]

Better than nothing doesn't make something "good"
Heavens forbid someone works things out for themselves, no-one ever got strong doing that

Does not make it bad either.. who said no one got strong doing it? Coz the internet said so?

If it works for a beginner it works

 

[The Hamburgler]

Everything will work for a beginner . . .

 

[Goosey]

Everything will work for a beginner . . .

Shit, really!?