6'3" 209lbs

I'm deadlifting only once a week on my light squat days. This is the first time I failed because I legitimately couldn't lift the weight since switching to once a week. The only other time since then that I failed not necessarily because of strength was also a set where I felt extremely nauseous. This time it was both, I think. You can see and hear me gag before the third rep. Fourth one just wasn't there.

For people who have or have not done Starting Strength Online Coaching, I'd like to know your thoughts. You can shoot me a message if you dont want to post publicly.

Specifically, Im interested to know

1. Why did you sign up, or why didn't you sign up after considering it?

2. If you were a client, how long did you do it and why did you quit?

3. What you were most interested in about the service (programming done for you, form feedback, working with a coach, etc)? (Even if you never signed up.)

4. Other thoughts and observations?

I know the price is a major objection from a lot of people.

This is an independent subreddit and this is not market research for the company. Im just trying to understand the current community here a little better so I can build stuff that people will find useful.

Posting to accompany a programming post here: https://www.reddit.com/r/StartingStrength/s/Qb3AX7VxFO

If so, how has it affected your training and nutrition?

(Considering starting soon...)

Was planning to buy an SBD belt but price have skyrocketed!! I remember buying one for $180ish 4yrs ago but now it's like double the price like wtf....I know it will last me forever but I don't wanna spend that much money on a belt

38 M 6'2" 240 lbs. Eating and sleep are good. All other lifts except bench press are progressing fine.

DL: 370 1x5

S: 300 1x5 275 3x5

OHP: 125 1x5 155 single

For bench press I ran the NLP and stalled at 195 lbs. Couldn't get a set of 5. I tried running it out using the programming here:

https://startingstrength.com/article/programming-a-smooth-nlp

I was benching twice a week Monday and Friday. After I couldn't get singles anymore I switched to the compressed Texas method; 5x5@90% 5RM (175 lbs) on Monday, and 1x5 (195) on Friday. I still couldn't get 195 1x5 (only got 4). Seems like running it out with bi-weekly benching was a waste of time.

At this point it seems like I need to add something. Maybe a bench variation on another day? I'd appreciate any advice. Thanks.

Form check here: https://www.reddit.com/r/StartingStrength/s/v7VcukPOL9

I just started the program, also just started lifting weights in general as I want to improve myself from living a sedentary lifestyle. 27M, 135 lbs.

I have the book, read thru most of it besides like power clean and the 1st part of programming. Wanted to start working out and just read thru the squat, press, deadlift, and bench press.

On this day, I was doing:
- 90x3x5 squats (or maybe 100 coz gym said squat bars were 55)
- 45x1x5, 50x1x3 Overhead Press (failed this one miserably)
- 135x1x5 Deadlifts

I don’t think I’m reaching depth on my squats, so I’m wondering if I should continue increasing weight or reduce it to get my form better and how much should i reduce the weight? Also, having problems with wrist and elbow flexibility

And for my Press, I just need advice on it because the bar itself seems to be already overwhelming. What can I do to work on it? Dumbbells?

Might be awhile before i buy actual weightlifting shoes, have to save up a little so I’m making due with my converse

Edit: added note on wrist and elbow flexibility during squats

TL:DR Sorry for the long rambling post. But just an older guy here being a wimp and trying to see if I stay the course or move to phase 2. 

About me I'm 55, weigh about 215 and also do BJJ. Currently while back on SS only going two times a week to not affect SS too much. 

Ultimately I realize probably the answer is I'm not doing the program, but still wouldn't mind getting some thoughts. My sleep is crap and with work and issues sleeping I get 6 - 6.5 during the week and I can sometimes force myself to stay in bed to get over 7 hours and almost 8 on the weekends. Also not the best still. 

Somehow I can still somewhat recover and I haven't actually stalled. But my deadlift is as high as even when I was in my 40's. Only at 290 per last workout and Squat much lower at 210. So still pedestrian numbers all things considered. 

But I'm starting to really have to muster everything I have to not skip a workout and have a hard workout session.

I can't tell if I'm just lazy and want to go to phase 2. I'm also eager to work on power cleans. 

In Practical Programming in the older lifter section. It did mention how doing the Monday workout is usually the best after a two day rest and I really felt that this week. 

So I was mulling over 3 options in my head:

1. Go to phase 2 so I can start playing with some power cleans. 

2. Try the suggestion routing for the older lifter in PP where it says you do a workout every 2 days. That would give me about 121 workouts a year vs 156. That's not much less and I'm in no hurry and have no aspirations other than to get stronger and healthier. 

3. Stop being a wimp and maybe just go 2.5 jumps on deadlift and squats?

And somehow figure out how to sleep better but realistically going to be an ongoing issue. 

Thanks all in advance

u/sofetchsogretch

In the world of securities trading, when a stock experiences a sharp decline in value, we call it a falling knife.

When a trader attempts to time the market by buying that stock on the way down, hoping to turn a quick profit when the price rebounds, we call that catching the knife. If you're buying on the way down, there's a pretty good chance you're going to get cut.

From a market perspective, unlike an actual dropped knife, there's no price floor to stop the fall. The price keeps falling until buyers are willing to intervene.

That means someone has to be willing to get cut before the decline can stop.

This week, my workouts felt like catching the knife.

Worked on my barbell position to get it down below the spine of the scapula. Widening my grip as suggested helped get my posterior delts to hold the bar.

55 years old, 5'11", 180lbs

175lbs 3 x 5 (Video is set number 2).

Thanks for the feedback last week.

I’ve gotten my deadlift up to 405x3 for the last couple of weeks. I haven’t progressed the weight as the 4 plates was my goal, but I want to continue on now.

I can see that Scott’s smooth NLP article says the progression for the Deadlift and Rack Pull are 1x5, 2x3, 3x2, 5x1, but when I read here on the subreddit it seems like the general advice is that once 1x5 gets difficult to reach the next progression step is doing rack pulls. I just really like doing deadlifts, so I’d rather do them for as long as possible.

Would it make more sense to follow Scott’s advice or am I just gonna dig myself into a recovery hole eventually?

For context, I am a 21 y/o male, and I’ve been training in different capacities since I was 14.

Height: 5’8

Weight: 170 pounds

Squat 1RM: 415

Bench 1RM: 300

Deadlift: 385 (I know this is weird. I’ve only been deadlifting for a few months now, so technique is definitely a limiting factor here)

Press 1RM: 175

My question is pretty simple, is it too late for me to run the novice LP? If so, what should I do instead? Any advice is appreciated.

This was my first time trying rack pulls after getting stuck at 355 lb deadlift.

The first thing I notice is that the barbell is too high (too close to my knee). It seems I’m too vertical and not getting a good pull. I’ll post an alternate setup in the comments.

I know this isn't necessarily a health Sub but am curious on the SS community's thoughts.

About a year ago I was 200lbs, strong as an ox, but had a bit of fluff. I had some elevated fatty liver, LDL, ALT. Doctor said to reduce approx 10lbs to reduce my fatty liver. I stopped lifting completely for about 9 months and managed to bring my weight down to 185lb. Bloodwork was looking good. However now I'm back to 200 slightly leaner as I've been mindful of the quality of my nutrition versus the last time. My lifting numbers are getting close to where they were the last time. I'm assuming this time back to 200lbs, I've gained less fat versus the last time. For someone who doesn't want to surpass 200lbs, is it possible to continuing gaining strength at or under this weight? Or am I going to have to suck it up and gain a little, gain more strength, and trim down again?

I (believe I) implemented the comments from a previous form check: 100kg/220lb Deadlift form check pls! (Narrower stance, eyes looking forward to the ground, every rep resets the pull)

I'd appreciate if you could check my improved technique. Thanks in advance!

So after 3 years of confused and disorganised gym visits yieldong very little progress I have found structure and its going great. 2.5 KG added every session, eating enough and stremgth is climbing. For context Im 27, 5'7 and 79kg, I boxed in my teens, have never been very strong. My LP is 4sets 5reps, add 2.5kg every session on squat, bench, row, overhead, but deadlifts I am still teaching myself before diving into. For squats I prefer zercher, feels great in the back and is satisfying af, plus 2yrs ago had a abdominal hernia repaired, so I find additional core work wherever I can to avoid it again.

The problem I have is I feel like my back shouldnt be this much stronger than my legs. Rowing is the lift I started first learning by about a month or so and my favourite, but is it normal to be able to row more than my max squat? My session resteday was 4x5 at 75kg, one set I accidentally did 6 reps and felt I could do 80 no problem, then my drop set at 50kg got up to 26 reps which shot up from my previous failure at 18. Meanwhile my last squat session was 4x5 at 65kg, and that was hard, the weight didnt move nearly as easy, I know zercher squats dont yield the highest weight possible but it wasnt even the strain on my torso that gave out my legs were screaming after the 3rd rep every time, and had to pause at the top every time. Then that drop set also at 50 only made it to 12 reps.

Are my legs just weak AF or am I not pushing them hard enough?

As a long legged/short back lifter i always struggle with form. Getting in a good starting position, where my back is set and the bar is under my armpits is almost impossible, it seems, that i'm a bit behind the bar at start. Anyway, i made it to a 180 kg 1RM over the years. I added backoff-sets recently, since i deadlift just once a week. That's because i don't squat and deadlift the same day, because my lower back doesn't seem to tolerate that. Now i'm rhinking about doing TDL after my DL working set for backoff. Like 2 sets of 8. To me, that makes sense, because i believe, i need some extra volume without aggravating my lower back too much and it also gives me some quad work.

60 yrs, 1,88m, 105 kg bw

Any thought?

Oh, i've watched Rips Video about Trapbar ...

Is the 1,2,3?4 plate club worth pursuing at 54 years old?
Current lifts bench 3x5@160
squat 3x5@235
press 3x5@105
dl 1x5@265
5’9 178

I've been lifting properly for like 5 months total (started in March, fell out of it in May and June coz of uni finals), but coz of a weird arm injury that plays up when I do unassisted squats (something to do with where the tension sits in the arm when its in that position), I've never really done squats. I've also never really done deadlifts coz my gym has floor mats instead of racks for deadlifts which means its a pain in the ass to set up. That one's more on me 💀.

Until last month, my leg days focused on leg press (with leg press calf raises), then into isolation with leg extension, hamstring curls, and abductors/adductors. I'm not lifting anything crazy for any of them, but like. A respectable amount, especially for a beginner.

In the last month, though, I incorporated smith machine squats into my routine so I could give more TLC to glutes - not the same as normal squats, but way less risk of setting off my injury. Thing is, I'm lifting like. Nothing. I think my max squat was 49kg for 4 reps. Thats compared to 2 sets of 217kg for 12 reps on leg press. I'm about 84kg, so ik that factors in (i.e. its 131 for 4, not 49), but thats still an insane difference.

Same for deadlift - I've started doing them recently, and doing 60kg for 12 feels like torture, when everyone else seems to be kicking off at like 100+.

I thought it was a form thing (i.e. I was cheating on my other lifts) but I've had my friends look at my form for the other lifts and they say everything's good. Is it just coz it's a new/unfamiliar movement, even if it involves the same muscle groups? Anyone else had a similar experience?

Feel like I’m getting low enough on the squats. Let me know. Speed up I’m not moving that fast. 😂