Lack of progress on Beginner Template

Training Q&A [Moderated]
1

Hey folks, question stem:

I’m four months into Phase 1 of the Beginner Template, and my e1RM for the lifts has either stayed the same or decreased from week to week, which is concerning to me.

The history:

I began barbell training in May. Before that, I mostly biked and climbed and swung some KBs. I also had back pain (improved thanks to help from BBM). I am a 35 year old woman, about 5’5” and weigh 60 kg.

In May, I started out using auto-regulation, but without the varied sets and reps, sticking to 5-8 reps for 5 sets, every time, in the RPE 6-8 range. For squats, I progressed for 2 months, reaching e1RM of 82 kg in July. However, that’s when I started feeling incredibly exhausted and had to keep decreasing the number of sets, reps, or weights to maintain RPE.

I figured I went too hard to quickly and had accumulated CNS fatigue. I’m also an academic physician and had the stress of new July interns. The added stress and workload usually leads to return of mild back pain, so I was sensitive to that and occasionally had to modify the weights/ROM/exercises.

After continued regression for 2 more months, I decided to switch it up and try the Beginner Template at the end of September. I’m not able to work out 3x per week every week, as I have weeks with many 12 hour shifts, but I am almost always able to do at least 2 sessions. I continue to climb (1x per week) and bike (about 35 min 2x per week). I try to get at least 1.6g protein per kg body weight. My sleep is better than it’s ever been (8-9 hr nightly) and work is going great these days.

After 4 months of the template, my squat e1RM is still lower than it was in July. My DL 1RM is the same as July. I also feel exhausted while lifting, even though I do enjoy it. Graph attached for illustration (that’s how bad it looks on google sheets). I’m an internist and know that I do not have medical issues contributing to my lack of progress.

I’m wondering if I should:

A. Give up because clearly I’m an old lady.
B. Try the low-fatigue template.
C. Keep going and keep peeling back weights. I’m considering this even though one of my goals (to get stronger) won’t be met. I’m hoping that lifting weights, even if light, will continue to contribute to overall health (main goal).
C. Some thing I haven’t thought of?

Your advice is greatly appreciated!

ps: I think I am an outlier with auto-regulation and really suck at it​.

2

Hi there!

Thanks for the detailed post. Let’s see if we can figure out what’s happening with your progression and come up with some clear next steps. As far as I understand it, you were previously doing 5 sets of 5-8 reps on some previous program. This led to a squat e1RM of 82kg in July, but after that you had to scale things back for the next 2 months. End of September '22, you started the Beginner Template phase I, but haven’t been able to get past your old e1RMs yet on squat and deadlift. Presumably, you’ve gotten stronger from where you started in September due to the regression, but not ahead of your previous best. A few thoughts here: 1. You are most certainly not an old lady lol. We also tend to see similar progression rates in strength across the age range, so this is unlikely to be a contributing factor either way.
2. I don’t think the low-fatigue template’s volume or setup is best-suited for your current fitness levels.
3. I don’t think I would necessarily continue the template as-is either. I do think the weight on the bar needs to be adjusted each workout based on your current fitness and performance levels. I would not adjust the sets or reps, in general.
4. I think participating in RT is health promoting regardless of whether or not you’re gaining strength in the short-term, though I think it’s likely to be more health-promoting if you are gaining strength- particularly early on in a training career.
5. I think that you’re likely fine at auto-regulation and will continue to improve with more exposure. We’re worried far more about the precision, e.g. using the same scale each time, vs the accuracy. I think you can do that for sure. I think the most likely explanation is that you need a bit more training to drive the adaptations you want. This, a form check to make sure things are going to plan, a discussion of your warm-up strategy, and an RPE audit to assuage any concerns there would be my recommendation. Here’s what I’d do:

  1. Move to phase II of beginner program
  2. Your warm-up weights and sets should be similar week-to-week so you have a better sense of whether or not you’re stronger one week to the next
  3. Make sure you’re taking 3 min rest between work sets
  4. Get a form check on your squat and deadlift -Jordan
3

Yes, dead on with your summary of the issue.

For what it’s worth, I don’t warm up these days days because I worried it would contribute to feeling so fatigued. I do rest for about 4 min between sets.

I’ll move to Phase II and set up a form check with BBM. What do you mean by “RPE audit”?

I really appreciate your time and all the free resources. BBM is my go-to referral when I have friends and colleagues curious how I got over my back issue and also got so jacked :wink:

4

We love jacked doctors :slight_smile:

I would definitely recommend warming up with 2-4 sets building up to your top set. This helps you pick the right load for the day, get prepared for the task at hand, and the volume definitely contributes to fitness adaptations.

As far as an RPE audit, you would take something you’re rating @ 8 or @ 7 and take it all the way to @ 10 to check yourself.