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Old Forum Rippetoe: add weight every lifting session

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Pavel and community,

I wanted to get your take on the idea that every time you lift you should be increasing the weight until you reach some genetic limit. Does strength adaptation happen that fast?
 
If you follow a program where you perform each lift once a week, it's certainly possible to add weight each time. I've done programs like that - weight increases steadily for 3 months, rep count drops periodically. It's a solid approach.

-S-
 
I did Rippetoe's Starting Strength some years ago.

Started squatting with an empty bar and eventually was able to squat 260 lbs for 5 reps.

Yet, for some reason, I didn't feel strong. I was constantly sore and didn't like too much the fact that I had to lift heavy every session regardless of how I was feeling that day.

I don't blame the program though. I wasn't eating enough (you have to eat a lot) and I was sitting on my a#@ all day, so obviously the program ended up being too stressful for my body.

I prefer the "easy strength" approach for many reasons and I believe it is superior, but Starting Strength is a legitimate program. It's especially good for beginners, provided they eat well, have proper technique, and don't sit on their a#@ all day.

My 2 cents.
 
By the way, remember that strength doesn't just mean lifting heavy.

With Starting Strength even though I was able to squat 260 lbs, I still struggled with 225 lbs or lower.

I'd rather be able to squat 225 lbs any day without struggling than trying to break personal records every time I hit the gym.
 
It isn't until you reach any genetic limit. It is for while you are not near your genetic limit. Look at Pavel's PTTP. While there is more cycling built in to PTTP, there is adding weight every time in a cycle.

With all programs, of course, reps need to be quality before adding weight.
 
Beginners do get stronger quite fast and especially young men can increase the weight every time - for a while.
Once the lifter reaches the intermediate stage weight might be only increased once a week and an advanced lifter might need 12 weeks to increase his lifts.
so it is important to look at the target audience for a certain program. Starting Strength probably doesn't work well for a 45 year old with a sixty hour week and kids.
so whether a program is good or not largely depends on the context.
 
It's a program to get people new to strength training under the bar and out of the novice phase. I don't always agree with Rippetoe when he gets to running his mouth, but that area is what he knows best. The program works if you don't mess with it and eat and rest properly. If you insist on messing with the program the core principles even still work so long as you are resting and eating properly.

His main point is that for barbells the weight on the bar is the easiest factor to control while someone is getting stronger, so only increase that. Don't mess with your levers and angles like you do with body weight movements, don't do the lifts faster or with less rest and the same weight like you do with kettlebells. Just do five reps, rest enough, do five reps, rest enough, rest enough and then go on to the next lifts and do the same. In a couple days after you have recovered you'll be able to do exactly that with more weight. How much more? Sometimes a lot, sometimes less, but still more up until a certain point. And that point is much higher than most people think.
 
Somebody has read (and understood) Rippetoe's book. Good synopsis. Ten pounds a session on the squat and deadlift; 5 on the press and the bench will run a couple weeks - maybe 3 for an athletic young man. Then 5 on the big lifts and 2-3 on the presses and bench. That will run a LONG time. There are a few tweaks and tricks in the Avanced Novice stage as you linear progression is drawing to a close that can buy you a couple more weeks of adding weight to the bar. Then you move on to more complicated Intermediate programming.

No matter how much gym time you have or even how strong you are, if you can stress yourself, recover, and adapt in the 48-72 hour window, and repeat with more weight- you're still a Novice and will benefit from this linear progression as described.
 
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