Hey docs,
I am fairly new to lifting and currently running Week 9 of the Beginner Template. Loving the template so far. Couple of questions:
- Barbell Back Squat: I love the Back Squat and have progressed from the low 100’s to 215lbs for 4 reps. However, I find that Day 3 calls for 4 sets of 10 reps each. While I am able to grind out and complete the 4x10s, my recovery has been pretty bad. In fact, I find myself constantly sore doing Back Squats 3 days of the week (@ 4x4, 4x8 and 4x10).
That said, I do not want to give up squatting as it is one of my favorite exercises that makes me truly feel that I have worked out!
My question: Should I continue doing the squat for all 3 days, or is it OK to substitute for 1 day and do the Squats on the remaining two days? If OK to squat 2 days + substitute the third day, should I keep the 4x10 day intact to preserve squat volume? I feel like I can do Day 1 (4x4) and Day3 (4x10) but substitute Day2 (4x8) with leg extension or leg squat and still recover decently.
- RDL: For my hinge exercise, I have been doing the RDL. Can’t say I am a huge fan of deadlifts: The SLDL (which I tried before) fatigues me considerably, but the RDL is more manageable.
I have progressed in the RDL from 80lbs @ 4x4 to 155lbs @ 4x4. However, I am finding that it is getting increasingly painful to put more weight on the bar beyond that because I am not able to grip the bar. The result - constantly sore/painful palms, and me dreading my RDL days of late which is currently 2 out of 3 days. I have tried the obvious fix of reducing the load, but does not feel like I am hitting 8 RPE with that reduced load. Wondering if I should change the exercise?
For context: I am 50y old, 6’1 and pretty obese at 288 lbs, and lifting only in the last couple of months. My main goal is fat loss while preserving muscle/strength.
Thoughts?
Howdy!
Thanks for the post and for joining the forum. I’m excited to see how you do on with the program!
For the back squat question, you definitely have the option to do a leg press for the same volume and RPE prescription. That’d be fine. Alternatively, you can continue to squat the 4 sets of 10 (obviously including warm up sets) at a lighter load if you prefer squats. Either way is fine with me.
For the RDLs, I’d recommend using straps (and a bit of chalk or similar) to make gripping this exercise. A good set of straps is a staple in a good gym bag. VersaGrips would also work.
Of course, I think grip strength should be trained, but I don’t think it needs to be done solely through the deadlift or variations. At this point and time and in this context, straps would be a fine idea.
Thanks Doc! Good to know there is some freedom in changing up exercises mid-way. I will also look into the straps. I always thought using straps was “cheating” because it takes up part of the load. Silly me! 
As a follow up question, what are some good alternatives to RDL? Agree that grip strength is a problem that can be solved using the straps. But it turns out that I don’t prefer deadlifts of any kind a whole lot in general. (Especially longer sets with more than 4 reps, and/or doing 3-4 sets during one session tends to add a lot of fatigue and recovery becomes a problem). I was wondering what would be some BBM Approved alternatives, preferably machine based. I was thinking I could substitute one of my higher volume RDL days with an alternative.
Don’t take this the wrong way, but I would encourage you to do the RDL’s anyway even if you don’t like them just yet. As someone new to lifting, I think the hinge pattern is pretty important to train. While there are a number of ways to do this, the majoroity of them are deadlift variants. My preference would be for you to do RDL’s with straps. You can also do them with dumbbells or a smith machine if you have access. If RDL’s are a no go and you want something that’s not a deadlift variant, hip thrusts are viable and machine based in some gyms. Again however, I would encourage you to not modify the program.
I would also push back that deadlifts are uniquely fatiguing, as I do not think this is the case.
Thank you for the explanation. I will continue with the RDLs, and perhaps not progress in weights as fast as I am doing now, and/or reduce weights slightly if needed.