I’ve been running the Starting Strength Novice Linear Progression seriously for about a year and a half, and have gotten some decent numbers.
6’3, currently at ~240 lbs.
PRs are as follows:
Squat: 400 x 3 x 5
Bench: 222.5 x 3 x 5
Deadlift: 440 x 5
Press: 155 x 3 x 5
While I’m pretty happy with these numbers, I obviously want them higher, specifically my presses. The problem is that doing only sets of 5 with 10 minutes of rest in between sets is becoming too time-consuming and exhausting, both mentally and physically. I know the folks on the Starting Strength forums would tell me to just suck it up and keep running the program until I weigh 275. That’s why I’m here, as I know you guys have a different approach that’s still centered around a focus on gaining strength, which I’m all for. I’m just tired of grinding out sets of 5, having to eventually reset and build my way back up over and over again. Not only this, but I feel as though I’ve built a pretty solid base and am ready to move on to some more complex training, despite what others may say.
So, what’s a good place to start? The Beginner Prescription? The Bridge? I’ve been grinding through sets of 5 for so long at this point that I don’t even know what my baseline would be for any other program. If I could just get pointed in the right direction, I would really appreciate it.
Thanks for the post and nice work on your progress so far. I would agree that “resetting” and working back up on the same program is unlikely to make you stronger. I also agree that only doing sets of 5 is not the key towards getting as strong as possible. Same thing with the 10-minute rest periods, the weight gain, the lack of exercise variation, the lack of conditioning, and so on.
I see no reason to do the beginner template or prescription at this point, but I do think you need an introduction to autoregulation, exercise variation, etc. I’d run The Bridge, then pick Strength I or Powerbuilding I.
Happy to answer any additional questions you may have.
I do think that most lifting programs will suffice for exceeding the guidelines for resistance training. If people enjoy what they’re doing and they’re making progress and staying injury-free for the most part, I’m cool with it. Taking a critical look at the program is a different issue though in my opinion.
With that being said, do you think it’s a good idea to stop my NLP in the first place?
Yes. You’re likely to get far stronger, far faster the sooner you stop doing it. NLP is not the fastest way to get as strong as possible. I can give rationale on multiple levels to support this, but perhaps the strongest evidence is the lack of demonstrable results. Look around. Who has run that programming and gone on to achieve anything in the world of strength sports? I’m not saying the programming used at the tip of the spear in sport are what you should do, but if an entity is going to claim superiority in their program that “works for everyone”, but all evidence points to the contrary, that would temper my confidence in those claims.
I’m also 20 years old. Forgot to mention that earlier but I assume that’s important info when talking about an NLP.
It doesn’t! Men and women, older and younger individuals all respond about the same with respect to relative amounts of strength gained from a given intervention. That is yet another narrative pushed by that company that is verifiably false…and harmful.
