Post novice template suggestion.

Training Q&A [Moderated]
1

Hey gang, first thanks for all you do for the community! The forums and your quick start guide are super helpful.

A quick background, 6’ 2" male ~208lbs body weight, ~2800-3000 cals a day macros from “To Be a Beast”. I’ve been doing SSLP since mid December. My numbers have progressed as follows:

Squat: 140 up to 280, 3 sets of 5
Deadlift: 150 up to 335, 1 set of 5
OHP: 50 up to 115, 3 sets of 5
Bench: 115 up to 140, 3 sets of 5

My work and life stress levels are going to be elevated for the foreseeable future. My squat and deadlift are ready for a reset. My OHP has reset once and is ready again, but my bench is still progressing (started much later in the LP due to a lack of equipment). It feels like the end is nigh for my LP, but I still want to get stronger. Where do I go from here? I like working out 3x per week, I’ve not been doing any RPE ratings thus far. I was looking at your HLM template and the bridge (1.0? the free one). Not sure if the bridge will be super effective if I’ve not been thinking in RPE yet. I know what RPE is and watched Alan Thrall’s videos on it, but I’m not sure. Suggestions?

Thank you in advance for your help!

2

The best way to learn to apply RPE is to start practicing the application of RPE. It won’t be perfect at first, and that’s OK, as long as you err on the side of undershooting rather than regularly overshooting.

Either of those templates would be a fine way to get started. Rather than obsessing over the absolute numbers right now, view it as a necessary transition to develop the necessary skills and work capacity for a long, successful future of training.

3 Likes
3

Austin, thank for your reply! I have decided to jump into the bridge, and started last night. I have scoured the forums since my first post and found it to be fairly redundant, so thanks for tolerating that. I do have a couple follow up questions that I’ve not found answers to.

  1. Food intake, I was going to keep it the same as my LP levels and monitor weight gain\loss. Is there any rule of thumb for this while transitioning to the bridge other than monitor and adjust?
  2. Belts, I currently don’t have one. Will this have any real effect on training as the belted variations won’t have the same intensity as if I had one?
  3. GPP days, I’m assuming I need to do each of the 3 groups, e.g. chin ups, isometric abs, and steady state cardio. Correct?

Again, thanks for your time, you and the BBM team are a fantastic resource!

4
  1. no rule of thumb for the Bridge and nutrition, as that depends on your current weight, history and goals. You should not need to make any adjustments for the program, simple track your weight and adjust your intake to meet your goals of either loss or gain.
  2. If you are going to train, buying a belt is a very good idea. We’d certainly suggest you get one, start using it, and realize the benefits of improved bracing and valsalva. That said, if you are going to train without one, you just keep training as the program is written.
  3. Yep
5

Thanks for the information Leah! I’ve been trying to settle on a belt but there is an overwhelming number available with a wide range of quality and price. I’ll start looking more seriously.