I did get good results, but I spent SS in a deload loop fortoo long. Part of the reason I don’t like it all that much is because if you go by the book Rip encourages beginners to stick with it past a sensible ending point.
Yeah. I know. I feel the same.
SS is very effective for beginners. I would even argue it is the best system (for a beginner), if one is results oriented and wants the most rapid transformation. But this program is not meant to be continued indefinitely.
I once did the PowerliftingToWin program which was created by a SS certified coach (but not affiliated with Rip or SS). It is essentially SS/PracticalProgramming with a powerlifting focus. Same mindset. I had fantastic results. I also got injured. I think I wrote a Thread about this in ~2016. I had a back injury relapse and that is how I discovered 10/20/Life.
If one is not careful and follows the SS program blindly, they can push and push and push. This is OK, but after many months, once they are pushing heavier weights near their limit, over and over again, eventually they fail. And hopefully the "fail" is a missed lift and not an injury.
This can happen on any program. I dont blame SS. I screwed up a PTTP Bear cycle once by starting way too heavy and jumping into too many working sets before I was ready. Fortunately I didnt hurt myself beyond burnout.
I have been using the BrianCarroll/10-20-Life/PowerRackStrengthTraining philosophy or mindset or idea (whatever you want to call it), since early 2019 and off and on from 2017-2019. I'm sticking with this, indefinitely. It isnt sexy or really even a step by step program. It has just become a part of the way I do things and how I structure my training. This is the barbell method I recommend. This is the one I know. It is certainly the tortoise and not the hare, method. You will not increase your bench 50 lb in 4 weeks! No, no, not at all! Progress is very slow and steady. New people would lose patience, so I rarely recommend it. But after a couple 10 or 20 week cycles, you wake up and realize, "Wow! I have gotten pretty strong! Now time for a deload!"
Regards,
Eric