Other/Mixed Expert/Professional versus Amateur Disconnect

[WhatWouldHulkDo]

Yep, that's pretty clear. But all those "programms for everyone" must have some common denominator, so to say.

Lift. Eat. Sleep. Repeat.

But seriously, maybe there's a bigger question - how common is that denominator, really. Maybe it's not so common, hence the need for us average folks to have coaches.

 

[Anna C]

So what happened after those 3-4 months?

I transitioned to Intermediate programming which slows down the weight increases to 1x/weekly instead of 2-3x/wk. In this particular version, a Heavy, Light, and Medium day in the week. But it's overall pretty similar. Most days I squat, press OR bench press, and deadlift OR some variation like row, halting deadlift. We have also added chin-ups, power cleans, and power snatches. Recently I'm adding in some pistol squats and one-arm-push-up progressions to prepare for SFB in April. I also went back to my weekly bike rides on Sundays. It's all in my log if you want to visit...

But if your question is more general, as in, what does a person generally do after they finish the SS NLP? Well it depends if they want to continue to get stronger or "go back to their sport (or job)" and prioritize something different. If they want to keep lifting and getting stronger, they transition to HLM or some other Intermediate template (good reference for his period is the book "Practical Programming for Strength Training"). If they want to priorize other things and just maintain their "gains", they lift maybe twice per week (or a 4-day split, if they're in the gym a lot anyway) and still hit the main lifts enough to stay strong. They still can get stronger in this scenario, but more slowly than if it was the top priority. They could also program a bit more specifically for hypertrophy, or add more conditioning work, depending on their goals. I imagine they could run other programs like 5/3/1 or StrongFirst's new "Reload" and see how they respond and how they like the various options.

But seriously, maybe there's a bigger question - how common is that denominator, really. Maybe it's not so common, hence the need for us average folks to have coaches.

Have to agree with you... a coach is really key to moving through a challenging program without running off the rails. That said, every failure or mis-step brings a learning opportunity, so one can still go at it alone if they choose.

 

[Mirek]

@Anna C thanks for the details!