Hello,
I am new to strength training and am eager to get started. I am just wondering whether I should start the SSLP or the The Bridge (or potentially another program). My ‘training’ history is that I’ve been following a bodybuilding program for about 3 months from about mid-September to mid-December. I then went to the gym off and on during the latter half of December up until now. I’m not sure what my exact numbers are for the squat, bench, and deadlift given that I didn’t put a lot of focus on these movements in my prior program, but here are my numbers for the 3 main movements (along with some other info):
Height: 5’11 and 1/2 inches
Bodyweight: 160lbs to 165lbs (probably closer to 160lbs)
Squat: 245lbs (for 1 or possibly 2 reps)
Deadlift: 315lbs (for 1 rep)
Bench: 195lbs (for 2 or possibly 3 reps)
Sports/Cardio: I also have been playing tennis 2 to 3 times per week for the past 3 weeks or so, and will continue to play tennis 1 to 2 times per week for the upcoming months.
My deadlift at 315lbs could have have been performed with poor form, but I don’t think it was terrible and I just pulled that within the last week. Again, my squat at 245lbs could have been with poor form, but I don’t think it was terrible form. In any case, I really want to run The Bridge program because I think it will be a more engaging program than SSLP. And I love being in the gym, so the added conditioning to The Bridge would be great to have. But, obviously, it’s best for me to choose the program that would ensure long-term progress in regards to my strength, so any help with choosing what program I should run would be greatly appreciated. I apologize in advance if there have been posts that could have answered this question, but I couldn’t find any.
Also, just want to say thanks to BBM for putting out science-based information out there for the masses. As a young guy who just wants to maximize his potential in the gym realizing I actually had no idea what I was doing about a month ago, it can be hard to know who to trust. But I’ve found that you all have put a lot of effort into really understanding strength on a scientific level that I’ve never found on the internet before, while also with sharing a lot of this golden information with others which is awesome.
Thanks!
Welcome! We’re excited to see your training take off, and I’d suggest you consider the BBM Beginner’s Template. This has 3 phases of training, covers more movement variations than the SSLP, introduces you to RPE, varied rep ranges, and includes conditioning and some GPP work. Sounds like it would be a solid fit and a nice starting point. You can read more about the framework here-
And the full program is here-
Leah
Thanks for the response and suggestion! The only problem here is that I can’t pay for the whole Beginner’s Template. So, I could either run Phase I of the Beginner’s Template and then move on once I stall, or I could run the SSNLP. I know that BBM doesn’t seem to generally recommend SSNLP as seen in this training vlog with Dr. Feigenbaum: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbHlavu_3es&t=291s. I’m no advocate of SS or something like that as I’m completely new to strength training, I just genuinely want to make sure I understand where Dr. Feigenbaum is coming from when he talks about how SSNLP does not modulate stress well over time so I can better understand the concept of stress and adaptation.
In the training vlog I’m referring to (at around the 2:05 second mark), Dr. Feigenbaum states that, in the SSNLP, adding weight to the bar each session does NOT increase intensity as the RPE of each consecutive session actually remains roughly the same. In other words, to my understanding, when you increase the amount of weight to the bar each session as a ‘novice’ you have adapted to the stimulus imposed by the previous session, essentially getting a bit stronger, which then causes your RPE for your next session to be roughly the same as the previous week or session even though you are lifting more weight. I’ve also learned that, as per information contained within The Bridge 1.0, tonnage, volume, intensity, and frequency are the 4 drivers of stress which then leads to adaptation. If SSNLP does not involve increases in intensity, as Dr. Feigenbaum states, then how can we explain the effectiveness of SSNLP strictly in terms of trainees empirically seeing improvements of strength over time? If frequency, intensity, and volume are not being manipulated, is it the tonnage that is driving this adaptation?
I apologize for the long-winded response and if my current understanding is incorrect in some areas, I am just really trying to understand the reasoning behind these programs, and it seems that the concept of stress and adaptation is at the core of what these programs are designed around.