Three Questions About LP

Training Q&A [Moderated]
1

(Questions in bolded text)

Hello coaches.

Just a brief info on myself…

  • Male
  • 18 years old
  • 5 feet 5 inches
  • 152.5lbs
  • Sleeps 7-8 hours a night
  • Using the “Novice Bench and Press Plug-In” for the Press after stalling

…and my food intake:

  • 3062 calories
  • 383 CHO
  • 225 protein
  • 84 fat

So two days ago (16 Oct. 2018), I managed to Squat 230lbs for 3 sets x 5 reps, with 5-6 minutes rest between sets.

I’m still practicing assigning RPE values and I may not be 100% accurate, but in that Squat workout I assigned 5 reps@8, 5 reps@9, and 5 reps@10 for the final set (the last rep moved slowly).
Still, I went too deep in those Squats, so that could be a factor on why they felt difficult.

Here’s a footage of my last Squat set: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PeZBdtD9pXM

Later that workout I Deadlifted 280lbs and failed, only getting 3 reps. I don’t have a footage for that, sorry.

With that information in mind, today (18 Oct. 2018) I went to Squat 235lbs.

I only got 2 reps for the first set :(… I wasn’t expecting such a drastic decrease in reps.

My first question pertains to the Squat:
1) Is my lack of progress most possibly due to:
a) Insufficient recovery (i.e. sleep, calories, rest periods, etc.),
b) Form issues (i.e. squatting too deep, stance width issues, hip drive), or…
c) Nearing the LP, in which case I move on to The Bridge?

My second one pertains to the Press.
2) Is it acceptable for a novice like me to use the “Classic Press” technique that Jordan used? Or is that technique reserved for intermediates after they have properly learned the Press 2.0? I find that the weights felt easier when I use the Classic Press technique.

My third one pertains to the Clean.
3) What are your opinions on Rip’s rationale for including Cleans in NLP, which is to ensure power production is developed on pace with strength? My Cleans (currently doing 15 singles EMOM) are currently at 137lbs, which is only ~49% of my Deadlift. Is it still worth doing?

I apologize for the sheer amount of text.

I really appreciate your response!

2

Hi Abel,
Thanks for the questions here!

  1. I don’t see here what you actual LP squat progress is, so I don’t know if you do or do not have a “lack of progress”. You might be just fine.

We don’t do form checks here but I did take a quick look, and you are squatting too deep, so you can fix that. You might be nearing the end of your LP, yes. Again, I don’t see here how long you’ve been on it and if this is your first miss, you might have just had an “off” session.
2. The classic press is just fine.
3. If you are thinking that the clean will be helpful in driving up your DL here, that is most likely not the case.

3

Thanks for the response, Leah!

In regards to question #1:

I started LP on January 2018 from doing Stronglifts 5x5. As Mehdi recommended, I started from the empty barbell, which was definitely too light. On around March-April 2018 I switched to SS and learned low-bar. At the time of the switch my Squat was ~70-75kg.

I really messed up my LP since I used to believe that people need a “deload week” every 6-12 weeks. So I always did LP for 5 weeks, reset my weights by 10% every 6th week, keep the weight there and cut volume in half for a week, and build it back up for another 5 weeks (the cycle repeats). I also didn’t eat enough. I definitely know a lot better now…

On June I got my Squat up to 95kg and then I got hit with dengue fever, forcing me to cease any training for 5 weeks. Then I built my Squat back up from 67.5kg to the now 235lbs for 2 reps.

I already decided to run The Bridge, though, and I’m still on Week 1.

Given the brief description of my training history, is that an appropriate thing to do? Will there be a difference if I grind out LP vs. moving on to The Bridge? I know Jordan and Alan mentions that LP typically lasts 2-3, maybe 4 months, but in my case, I didn’t run LP for 2-4 months straight.

Again, many thanks!

4

Happy to help! I do think that moving to the Bridge is the right choice here. Sounds like you’re in a great frame of mind for training, and you should see progress on the program. I would definitely NOT have you grind out a little bit more on the LP. Think about lifting for YEARS instead of just a couple of weeks and you realize you will be totally fine, especially since you’re figuring stuff out at a young age.