This is my first time posting here so I’m sorry if this question was answered previously but I couldn’t find it on the forum.
Context: I’m a 35 year old male and I played rugby for almost 10 years (stopped playing after a broken hand this year) I have been doing exercises all my life but nothing formal regarding strength training so I started with SSLP this year.
I have 2 questions: 1. I’m on week 7 and all my lifts are progressing flawless (except deadlifts)…searching through the forum and the YouTube channel I found the bench/press plug-in and the light day for squats (which I don’t need because they are not stalling) but my deadlifts are stalling and I can’t find a solution for that…any idea what to do? (I starting to fail on my 4/5 rep)1. Any substitute to press (aka OHP)? My left shoulder is having problems on the eccentric part of the movement (due to old injuries from rugby)…so far I have been doing the exercise and managing the pain but the last couple of weeks it has been worst…I’m thinking to shift to inclined bench press (no shoulders issues there) but I would like your advice.
Perhaps not a substitute, but I’ve had to work around all pressing after breaking a finger about a month ago and found landmines with moderate loading and reps on the high side (12 - 15) hit the spot surprisingly well.
A split stance, or any variation that allows the bar to travel more horizontal seems to work best.
The easiest answer would be to switch to The Bridge. Some way or another, you need to deadlift more. I suppose if you really want to stick with SSLP for now you could either substitute power cleans for a deadlift variation, and/or do more than just 1x5 for deadlift in your deadlift sessions.
I think the vast majority of people here would recommend just switching to The Bridge.
Just so you know, you posted in the “commoner” forum lol. If you’d like a response from someone from BBM, post above.
How much are you deadlifting now, and how much did you start with? You may need a form check. And, as already been said, switching to the bridge may be in your best interest. Though if it’s a form issue, you’ll likely run into the same problems.
As for your shoulder pain, I would recommend posting the question in the “pain and rehab QnA” section. There, you’ll receive guidance from Dr. Michael Ray or Dr. Derrick Miles, both experts in pain management. There’s not much we can tell you here, though the advice you’ve received so far is true.
Whilst there are special bits of gear specifically for it, I simply lay a 20 kg plate on the floor and rest the end of the bar in it. Works fine. As will any corner.
I posted the topic on “training Q/A with Dr. Jordan Feigenbaum and Dr. Austin Baraki” section but was moved to this forum (a moderator maybe?).
Also, I started deadlifts on SSLP with 235lb and now I’m on 285lb on week 7…maybe I need a from check (going to try to record myself and check it later). Should I shift to the bridge now? I feel like squats, bench press and power cleans are going really well (no sings of plateau yet)…press is not a problem with the weight, is the pain on my shoulder the issue.
Maybe later I’ll post something on the “pain and rehab QnA” section
235 is a high starting point for the average SSLP trainee, so I can only assume you are either a high responder to training, or you’ve done some lifting prior to this, though if you were a high responder I wouldn’t expect you to plateau 7 weeks in.
In general, yes, I would recommend just switching to the bridge. You’ve already implemented the press plug in and I suspect you may be further along in your training than previous suspected when you started LP. Having said that, you could wait for a form check on your deadlift if you wanted to since everything else is fine at the moment. The truth really is that it doesn’t matter and you’ll be at about the same point a year from now regardless of what you choose to do.
I checked my form on deadlifts and was good (not perfect but was good); also I was using this video from Alan Thrall: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYREQkVtvEc
I perform deadlifts first on that day, also I realize I was trying to do touch-and-go deadlifts, so I shift it to rep-break-rep.
“Break” means breath, embrace and do another rep (usually takes me around 0.5-1 sec)
With that I was able to perform the required reps with any issue.
About the press; I shift it to press with landmines (12 reps) and was pain-free! (thank you @Dave_E for the advice)