Five Things I Needed To Change as an Intermediate Lifter

[Kuytrider]

Originally Posted by BendtheBar

Very likely. I would expect you to hit 950-1000.

That would be staggering As long as I get stronger and fitter and can feel the difference, I will be happy. If my I am at say 910-920 at that point, I will be annoyed but not deflated though I will probably be forced to train even harder

[BendtheBar]

Originally Posted by Kuytrider

That would be staggering As long as I get stronger and fitter and can feel the difference, I will be happy. If my I am at say 910-920 at that point, I will be annoyed but not deflated though I will probably be forced to train even harder

Right now I see you hitting PRs or progressing by at least one rep 3 out of every 4 weeks for a while. There's always one bad week each year.

[Kuytrider]

Originally Posted by BendtheBar

Right now I see you hitting PRs or progressing by at least one rep 3 out of every 4 weeks for a while. There's always one bad week each year.

I'm started Wendler's 5/3/1 and will do that for maybe 12-16 weeks as I hear that's a good timeframe. Then I will look into Smolov for a base cycle but first thing's first. As my back is still a wee bit iffy, I'll wait till Wednesday to go back heavy on Wendler and just do his deloading week for the next two scheduled sessions.
Thanks for the info.

[BendtheBar]

Best of luck. Succeed wildly.

[Off Road]

Originally Posted by Kuytrider

I'm started Wendler's 5/3/1 and will do that for maybe 12-16 weeks as I hear that's a good timeframe. Then I will look into Smolov for a base cycle but first thing's first.

First of all, I want to wish you all the luck in the world. You are making good progress and it's an exciting time.

But I feel the need to point out that 5/3/1 might not be the best choice if you are still making really good progress. 5/3/1 is a slower progression scheme. It is also meant to be run for a very long time, not just for a few cycles.

But still, whatver you choose, just smash it.

[austin.j.taylor]

As an army guy and a powerlifter/strongman I will weigh in on a few things:


GPP is super important to lifting success. Squatting 20 reps has a direct correlation to squatting 1rm. If you cant breathe properly with a 1rm on your back, you have very little chance to squat it. Dont like running, flip a tire or something. I run 8-12 miles a week and do some GPP on top of that. My lifting doesnt suffer because of that, it is enhanced because of that. The more GPP I do, the better my recovery becomes. I am not that big or strong my any means, but I dont want to be strong at the cost of my health. I want to be able to deadlift the world and have the breath to talk about it afterwards.

I very rarely trained arms. When I started to get into strongman, I realized how important arm strength is. I now train arms with passion and intensity like I never have before. I can now do chinups unassisted. My arms are starting to grow and my 1rm's keep going up.

[Kuytrider]

Originally Posted by Off Road

First of all, I want to wish you all the luck in the world. You are making good progress and it's an exciting time.

But I feel the need to point out that 5/3/1 might not be the best choice if you are still making really good progress. 5/3/1 is a slower progression scheme. It is also meant to be run for a very long time, not just for a few cycles.

But still, whatver you choose, just smash it.

Thanks, I am going back home to Ireland in just under 5 weeks for a week's vacation so another cycle of 5/3/1 is a good fit. Liking the Smolov base cycle for when I return as it's 3-4 weeks of hell (I'm keen to really train hard and feel some real strain) and I do actually love squatting plus it could add plenty to what I have so far. Apparently Smolov Jr. is good for bench and could even be incorporated into the deadlift. These are things I would be interested in.

You're right of course Austin. I can run a solid 5km right now and this is reasonable I think though I ain't running fast when doing it! Sadly, I have no access to tires or a powerlifting gym for now so will make do with solid running and sprints in the future when I am happy with my running. I managed 165 for 20 reps in squat a few months ago, man it was hard!

[austin.j.taylor]

Originally Posted by Kuytrider

You're right of course Austin. I can run a solid 5km right now and this is reasonable I think though I ain't running fast when doing it! Sadly, I have no access to tires or a powerlifting gym for now so will make do with solid running and sprints in the future when I am happy with my running. I managed 165 for 20 reps in squat a few months ago, man it was hard!

If I understand correctly there are hills in Ireland. Find one thats about 100m long and run up it as fast as you can, jog/walk back down. Repeat about 5-10 times. If you dont feel like puking afterwards, you did it wrong. I drive to the gym and sometimes go find a hill after my workouts to do this on. Works great and feels bad/good.

[Kuytrider]

Originally Posted by austin.j.taylor

If I understand correctly there are hills in Ireland. Find one thats about 100m long and run up it as fast as you can, jog/walk back down. Repeat about 5-10 times. If you dont feel like puking afterwards, you did it wrong. I drive to the gym and sometimes go find a hill after my workouts to do this on. Works great and feels bad/good.

I am currently living in Leicester, England which is as flat as a pancake
Might be moving back to Ireland in 6 months but for now it's just a vacation and yes, there are plenty of hills there, especially in Galway where I used to live! Believe me, when I find a hill in Leicester I will be running up it. Would running up a stairs be any good? I live in an apartment block that is 17 storeys high.