Don't really wanna be a snowflake, but...

Training Q&A [Moderated]
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Greetings all. Just joined, and looking forward to a relatively drama-free community. :smile:

I have a squat question. Basically, given their current suckage, what would be a reasonable expectation for progress? Lemme give you a little nuancedtm context thoughā€¦

I lifted a lot 25-30 years ago, then a long break, and now Iā€™ve been lifting consistently for about 6 years on a mishmash of stuff. Most recently several years of 531 variations, and then a few months of bro split hypertrophy stuff. Both of which I made some progress on, but not a lot. I just learned about the whole SS paradigm, and I got to thinking ā€œHey, Iā€™ve program-hopped for so long without anything to show for it, maybe Iā€™m still really a novice? I donā€™t actually know that I canā€™t make progress every 48 hours, so letā€™s find out.ā€ So I started NLP, and I just finished out week 5 today.

Stats are:

  1. 50 y.o. guy, 6ā€™0", 215 lb (started at 203), ~3000 kCal/day, ~185g protein
  2. Squat 185 lb (started at 135) - Monday/Friday add 5, Wednesday light days 2x5@80%. Did 1 reset already.
  3. Press 125 lb (started at 95) - Just stalled today @125. Will do a reset next week.
  4. Bench 245 lb (started at 220) - Going strong!
  5. DL 265 lb (started at 185) - Monday & Friday add 5, Wednesday chins & back raises.

Maybe Iā€™m jumping the gun, but I feel like I may be coming to the end of LP soon. I was hoping to get a least a few months out of it, but it is what it is.

So hereā€™s my question: is it reasonable to think that as a middle-aged guy, Iā€™m just never gonna squat more than I bench, or even squat bodyweight?

Iā€™d welcome constructive input from any of you all, but Iā€™d be especially interested in what the coaches have seen from other clients. Ever seen someone make better absolute gains on intermediate programming than they did as a novice?

Thanks for any input youā€™ve got!

Other tidbits:

  1. Technique looks decent on video. Occasionally on the front of my feet, but not often. I am leaning over pretty far, with as low a bar as my creaky shoulders allow.
  2. Iā€™m not walking around on total toothpicks. My thighs are roughly 23 inches. Theyā€™re just weak.
  3. Iā€™ve had some SI joint issues in the past (most recent episode maybe 2 years ago) where Iā€™d throw it out and be laid up for a week, out of the gym for a month, and then have to reset to mid-thigh rack pulls with an empty bar. So maybe the squat non-performance is all fear-based?
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So hereā€™s my question: is it reasonable to think that as a middle-aged guy, Iā€™m just never gonna squat more than I bench, or even squat bodyweight?

No, this is not a reasonable expectation. You can absolutely squat more, but your technique may need to be checked and your programming may need to be adjusted.