NLP Issues (Continued)

Hi there. I’ve been off the site for a bit and didn’t respond in time, so my thread got closed, but I still am very interested in hearing more of what you have to say about my situation. Sorry if there’s a better way to continue the discussion, but I figured I’d just post my response on a new thread.

My original post:

I am now ready to begin my third attempt at an NLP. Each time I try, I am halted by tendinitis that makes my gym experience so unpleasant that I end up falling of the wagon and not training at all for a few months. This is mainly because I have no clue what to do instead, so I just stop. I’ve posted my form online countless times and no feedback has helped me figure out how to fix the problem.

I’ve explored other options such as bodyweight training, any number of Alwyn Cosgrove’s convoluted programs, traditional bodybuilding routines, etc. etc… but ultimately my research leads me back to a barbell-based NLP being the ideal choice.

So my question is, for someone like me with chronic tendinitis, what do I do when an NLP is halted by pain rather than a plateau? In-person coaching is not available in my area, and pushing through the tendinitis just won’t work; it’s not sustainable to be miserable every training session.


From Jordan (my responses in bold):

Mugflub,

Thanks for the post- glad to have you here.

One interesting question back to you: If you have historical evidence that you cannot run NLP productively why do you keep trying it? NLP is an okay place to start for untrained folks who want super strict, explicit guidelines. That said, you’re no longer completely untrained and you have a good idea that it’s not going to work for you and it might even be your expectation that it won’t too, which acts as a self fulfilling prophecy kind of thing.

I suppose I’m really sold on the idea that I “should” be able to run an LP up until I plateau, so I assumed any issue was my doing and a result of poor form. Thought I’d give it another try, focus on form, and do a better job listening to my body and adjust before the tendinitis progressed.

I can verifiably say without hesitation that NLP is not the ideal choice for you.

That’s kind of a relief to hear.

I don’t know where you have tendinitis, so hard to say what modifications or other programs might be suitable for you at this point.

Elbow tendinitis from low bar squats. My anthropometry didn’t like them for some reason, but it didn’t get bad until I started squatting above 245ish.

Another comment, it is highly unlikely that your form is causing your tendinitis. Highly unlikely. While it is frustrating that you have not gotten a form check - provided you posted it in the appropriate area- it’s probably not the cause.

I got several form checks on the SS Facebook group, went to one training session at Horn Strength in LA, thought I had it pretty much down. Maybe not.

Where do you live that in person coaching isn’t available?

Santa Clarita, CA. About an hour from LA, so it’s somewhat available, just currently out of my price range and hard to fit into my current schedule.

I suppose I’m really sold on the idea that I “should” be able to run an LP up until I plateau, so I assumed any issue was my doing and a result of poor form. Thought I’d give it another try, focus on form, and do a better job listening to my body and adjust before the tendinitis progressed.

You’re bashing your head into the wall for the THIRD TIME, and still remain “sold” on the idea that it’s the “optimal” training approach for you. How much time have you wasted with this approach?

If the elbow pain is an issue that cannot seem to be remedied with grip / setup adjustments (and all the things that have previously been discussed on this forum re: elbow pain), then just switch to a high bar squat and unload the arms completely. Not a big deal. And if the programming isn’t working, move on and do something else.

I’m not sure what I’m supposed to think when I go to the SS forums for help and am fed the same dogma that it should work unless I’m NDTFP. So I committed to trying it a few times using different adjustments to see if it helped. Seems pretty reasonable to me not to give up after one try. To be fair, my first NLP stalled at 220 lbs for squats. The second time I tried, I made adjustments to form and ate differently and made it up to 265 lbs before the tendinitis killed it for me. So I have evidence to suggest that persistence pays off, but I don’t plan on forcing it as much as I did last time, which is why I’m coming to you guys for guidance.

Which brings me to my original question: If I’m unable to take the LP up to the point where it plateaus naturally, what are some other options in terms of programming? Not asking you guys to write a full program for me, just hoping for some direction. I’ll try the blasphemous high bar squats and see how that goes in the meantime.

Thanks for your reply.

I don’t think this is as unique of a situation as you think. It seems that your primary issue is the elbow pain related to the low bar squat. If you’ve followed all the standard advice we’ve given out on these forums before regarding elbow pain and have not benefited, then just run the LP with high bar squats until it stops, and move on to post-novice programming.