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Other/Mixed New guy intro and another "how do i mix this with that" question

Other strength modalities (e.g., Clubs), mixed strength modalities (e.g., combined kettlebell and barbell), other goals (flexibility)
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ClintRW

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I've been reading the articles and lurking on the forum for a couple weeks now and figured it was time to introduce myself...great job to everyone who contributes by the way.

I'm a 45 year old male, 5' 11", 180 lbs. I recently, June 2nd, started watching my diet and exercising and have lost 15 pounds or so. My initial goal was to "get fit" whatever that is, and my means to get there thus far has been a weekly mix of the body weight Recommended Routine 2-3 times/week, HIIT 2-3 times/week, and a 2-3 mile walk (sometimes loaded/sometimes not) 1-2 times/week. I never exercise 7 days in a row, usually 5 days out of 7, sometimes 6. All of the time spent moving is outdoors.

Past injuries...I have a separated right shoulder that I acquired in my younger days. My mobility is fine although there is a little clicking and popping with certain movements. Sometimes there's pain, sometimes not. The doc cleared me to do whatever I want with the requisite of "don't do it if it hurts." So I have to pay attention to the position of my elbows when I do push ups and how far i go down when I do dips. Chin ups play better with it than Pull ups. Dead hangs are fine, as are active hangs, but alternating between the two for repetitions isn't a thing for me. I also broke my tib/fib in a BJJ accident 10 years ago and I've never completely gotten my ankle strength/mobility back. I can touch my knee to the wall with my foot 5 inches from it, but on the other leg I can do it with my foot another 1 1/2 inches or so back. So when I squat I have to be very mindful of my hip position or the ankle restriction will throw me into a slight twist. Also, I've noticed my left leg is weaker than my right leg so I tend to do split squats more often in effort to eliminate compensatory movement from my right side.

Two main things are going through my head lately. First, I have this nagging feeling that I want more strength via the barbell big lifts, and a bit of hypertrophy would be welcomed as well. Second, with winter approaching and the days becoming shorter, taking a routine outside will become less viable.

So I'm thinking about trying to hit the gym (yuck! but I don't have the equipment or the space to store it at home) twice a week for barbell training while doing kettlebell work at home a couple times a week with a walk or two peppered in the week as well.

I just got two kettlebells, a 35 lb and a 55 lb. (Side note, I've not seen anyone else refer to their kettlebells with imperial measurements so hopefully I'm not breaking an unwritten rule...was actually going to go for a 16Kg and 24Kg but the 55lb er was 30% of so I couldn't pass that up.) I also ordered S&S but it won't be here for a few weeks.

All that to say: How do you guys think something like the following would work?

Mon - A (Squat, Press, Dead lift, Chin up)
Tue - S&S
Wed - walk/mobility
Thu - B (Squat, Bench, Dead lift, Pull up)
Fri - walk/mobility
Sat - S&S
Sun - rest

All lifts 3x5 except DL 1x5 @ 80-85% of 6-7RM
maybe light S&S Tue and heavy S&S Sat

Thanks in advance,

Clint
 
also ordered S&S but it won't be here for a few weeks.

.....and thus, the solution.

The party line: do S&S to simple.
May take a while, maybe not.
There is a degree of conformity here, the party line. No one will punish you for not doing so, dissent and argument is encouraged, the programme picked apart, the details, the whys, the why nots have been discussed since its inception. The programme just doesn't do anything for me and I never noticed any difference in my abilities is a sentence no one has ever said.
It's the best general package and it's also a serious piece of athlete building technology.
Make use of the many column inches archived in the S&S storage vaults and get stuck in.
It is a highly recommended course of action. Not the only one, of course but the best one. For most people, that is.
 
Thanks for your reply.

So is it general consensus that the simple standard is the "best" foundation upon which full body strength via the barbell should be built?

If so, I'm cool with that...means I can put off going to the gym, wait for the weather to break, and possibly find a deal on barbell/plates that i wouldn't care about storing outside, thus eliminating the gym altogether.
 
Well from a purist strength pov there is a valid argument that the barbell delivers certainly. Other barbell programmes are available, of course, terms and conditions apply.
For kettlebells, S&S. If you don't have any plates, don't like gyms and have kbs then in the absence of another viable plan, S&S fits the bill. As said, no one has ever said they wished they hadn't.
There is an argument that S&S goals maybe easier if starting it from a greater base of strength. Equally you could argue it would be easier too if more aerobic function was gained prior or generally more movement autonomy was acquired for silky smooth feline manoeuvres with those get ups. Similarly the simple goal would be much easier if you could dl 3x bodyweight, run a sub 3 hour marathon, do the splits and run a 100m in 10.5 sec.
At what point do each of us begin? And where do we want to go?
For most people most of the time S&S delivers on its promise of well rounded athleticism.
 
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All that to say: How do you guys think something like the following would work?

Mon - A (Squat, Press, Dead lift, Chin up)
Tue - S&S
Wed - walk/mobility
Thu - B (Squat, Bench, Dead lift, Pull up)
Fri - walk/mobility
Sat - S&S
Sun - rest

All lifts 3x5 except DL 1x5 @ 80-85% of 6-7RM
maybe light S&S Tue and heavy S&S Sat

I kind of like it, myself... But it's probably not the party line. ;)
 
My training kind of goes in a similar pattern. I think it will "work" just fine - you'll get stronger, and that's a good set of movements.

Just don't expect to make rapid progress towards the Simple standard. S&S won't have your full attention, your progress in that direction will inevitably be slower than it could be on a strict S&S diet. That's certainly been true for me as well.
 
It's not so much that I hate going to a gym as much as it is the gym we're a member at. We have a YMCA membership and I'd only been there to swim until very recently when I took a yoga class with my wife. While we were there I took a look at the weight room to see what's available. It's actually pretty decent but there's only one squat rack. Like everyone else, my opportunities to get there are either during the crowded times, or really early, or really late. I really just need to go there a couple different times to see what to expect.

Regarding Simple standard achievement...right now, that's not a goal for me, however, if I end up not integrating the barbell soon it likely will become the goal. I simply want to be stronger as I'm already realizing benefits of increased strength over that last three months.

Of course, I can't pretend like vanity doesn't play a minor role...the appeal, from a purely aesthetic lens, of more muscle mass and shedding the oh so stubborn remainder of my belly fat is a thing.

I realize there are other barbell programs out there, and if I were able to dedicate 3 days per week to a gym routine I might go that direction, but I'm going to have to juggle two and see how it goes. I also don't want to ignore conditioning. My roots are in running and swimming so getting gassed at moderate levels of activity is bothersome. When I was a kid with abundant stores of testosterone, hitting the gym to impress the ladies, my strength was there, or at least adequate. In my middle age I'm realizing that I don't much care for supporting myself on a counter or my leg when I bend over to pick something up from the ground. Since my body weight training started that's been going away and the proverbial light bulb has lit.

Thanks again for the replies.
 
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