I'm not (necessarily) saying squat every day; I'm saying squat at least twice per week.

If you're dead set on doing GSLP, I'd do it closer to as written:

Mon: Bench or Press (2x5, 1x5+); Weighted Chins (2x6-8); Squat (2x5, 1x5+)
Wed: Bench or Press (2x5, 1x5+); Curls (2x10-12); Squat (2x5, 1x5+)
Fri: Bench or Press (2x5, 1x5+); Weighted Chins (2x6-8); Squat (2x5, 1x5+)

Do all of that for at least 12 weeks, and just concentrate on grooving your form. Post videos.

If you're jonesing for more volume, you can go ahead and bolt on daily frequency chins (assuming you have a home chin-up bar) and push-ups, just so you can feel like you're doing something. As you get more confident with the main lifts, you can add in accessories.

As I said before, I agree that SS is most optimal. BPA's advice is solid, and he's forgotten more about getting strong than I'm ever going to learn, but I'm reading between the lines that you're disinclined to follow the gestalt of the advice from his/thremp's side to just run SS, and that you're more interested in lifting heavy as a means rather than an end. That's fine, and I get it, but, to be blunt: you don't have enough lean mass to get cute. Job 1, 2, and 3 is to get a lot stronger, such that if/when you eventually move onto a more bodybuilding based volume program, you'll be lifting weights heavy enough to actually matter. I know that accessories are more "fun", but this is the hard, basic work that you have to do at the beginning to build a foundation to make the other stuff meaningful. You're still a novice and can still make linear gains -- embrace it! All of us wish we still could.

i'm not super dead set on doing it, i just found that the routine suited me a little better than SS in the sense that with SS, opening with max squat every time got grueling after a while and maybe helped with my hip going busto.

what i may try is doing a more SS routine but instead have the squat be my 2nd lift instead of the 1st lift.

i am jones'ing for volume, but i suppose the optimal way to go about doing that is just making sure more volume is dedicated to the primary compound lifts

(i'm also more open to SS'ish routine since i'm getting up to a weight where AMRAP5+ on the last set isn't even a guarantee)

Closer to this imo. Note the days instead of A/B/A/B, Squatting 2x is a must. Can sub chins/pendalays for lat PD, seated cable pulls, DB rows. What about yates rows? I prefer them.

An aside,

This highlights the differences in the program I wrote vs SS/GSLP.
-Amrap options on a day, don't like them every exercise every day.
-Dont like squatting 3x a week especially when it gets heavier.
-Bench press is always 2x and so is SQ, unlike GSLP and SS
-I like having chins and 2x.
-I think the overall structure and of volume is more appealing.

Note SS has different phases where you adopt power cleans and chins.

I like that program idea a lot TC, thx. Adds the squat volume in a way that I'm a fan of.

I guess I change my mind and side with thremp on this one.

If you're still deciding on a program after all this time it's a pretty clear case of paralysis by analysis and you should just be doing vanilla SS or GSLP. The thing about those programs it that they're very effective for a short time and will tell you a lot about what you need to add going forward. Then you can change your program in a piecemeal fashion by adding sets here and there or switching from exercises that aren't making gains to other ones that maybe work better for your leverages.

Think about it this way. Compare Clayton #1 to Clayton #2. Clayton #1 starts with SS and makes pretty good progress for 2 months until his bench stalls. Clayton #2 starts with a more complex program with lots of exercise variation and periodization, and similarly makes progress for 2 months until his bench stalls.

First of all, #2 will probably take longer to discover that something needs to change about his bench programming. Intermediate programs aim to make progress on longer time frames and can thus take longer to figure out when something is amiss. In beginner programs, if you have 2 or 3 consecutive bad workouts then it means you're most likely not getting stronger and need to change something. This amounts to less wasted time for #1.

Note that both of the Claytons only stalled on bench, so novice programming is clearly still working for the squat, deadlift, and press. Meanwhile, #2 has been doing all kinds of leg curls and whatnots, probably unnecessarily, all this time.

Clayton #1 also has an easier time making the right changes, since he starts with the simpler program. Probably all he needs to do is add more benching or some type of periodization for his bench and his program will be good for a while longer. Nothing else has to change. On the other hand, #2 doesn't know if he's doing too much work or too little, too high intensity or too low. There are many more variables and it's harder to isolate which one needs to change or be removed entirely.

In all possibility, #1 will develop his program to be as complex as you like, but at least he will do so in way that responds to his needs as they emerge.

TC,

what is your opinion on the bench/OHP being in the same rotation of ABA/ABA? I was thinking that maybe programming it ABA/BAB for those and making squat/DL ABA/ABA might be optimal.

renton,

i agree that i need to tighten up the routine a bit, i misunderstood the idea of adding volume and applied it in the wrong ways (more accessory as opposed to more squat). i'm going to be doing the TC routine for the next two months and re-evaluate. i am very much an over-analyze person, i find it fun. once i'm in a good routine tho i like to grind it out.

may start a separate log on this, or i'll just keep posting here, whatever yall prefer.

OHP 85 5/5/5 ... this one pushed me to the limit, had to really work for those last couple reps
DL 195 5x2 ... i think my form was good here but my breathing in my 2nd set needed a little work. not used to 2 sets.
lat pulldown 8x3 100 lbs
DB lateral raise 8x3 15s
BB upright row 8x3 50 lbs

next one monday, i'll post each lifting day with the weigh-in upon waking, just so i keep a general trend to visualize where my weight progression is at. there will be a lot of variance but ideally i'd like to see myself at the same weight or gaining just a little bit

Video all your squat and DL sets - not necessarily to post here (although you should do that), but so you can see if your perception of what "feels good" is actually accurate.

This.

I still vote crossfit.

Renton,

Glad to see you're on the team.

Clayton,

SS didn't **** up your hip. I can say this with literal certainty. Nor did doing the exercise first. Much like many of the other things where you don't even realize what you're doing is completely ridiculous.

Agree SS didn't screw up your hip. Don't do SS if you aren't going to follow the program (includes eating).

there is one nearby that i'm going to be trying in the next week or two with some friends, i don't anticipate that it will get in the way of my current routine too much but that could definitely end up being a thing where i just end up doing this instead of the TC routine. we shall seeeeeee.

Crossfit aka negative gainz

In this setup I'd prefer 2x bench and 1x OHP vs 1.5 and 1.5, but not a big deal either way and do whichever you'd like.
It doesn't have to be symmetrical either, like it'd prob be fine to add an extra OHP on one of the BP days down the line. But I would make single/small volume adjustments in the future when needed so it's easier to isolate what drives further progress. Generally upper body can handle higher frequency, but too soon for that.

Bench 137.5 5/5/5

was really thinking i'd stall here but somehow made it through, feels good. should i vid bench?

Squat 180 5/5/5

video for set 3 below. this set felt pretty crappy, upon video review it doesnt seem tooo bad but i'm doing the turtle head poking out thing which i've been trying to not do. i think its cuz the mirror behind that particular rack messes with my reference point for where i try to be looking during the reps. also using my trainer shoes instead of my romaleos.

another small thing i notice which i have a terrible habit of is moving around my feet/toes at the top of a rep. gotta be better about keeping my feet set in stone. i get happy feet. coach harped on this way back in the day and i caught myself doing it today, trying to be good about that.



couldnt incline bench to save my life, ran into my right shoulder acting weird when i tried to put up 95 lbs.

row machine and face pull went well tho. i like face pulls.

I thought you were doing AMRAP for squats?

Calling what Clayton is doing "analysis" is absurd. He doesn't have the ability to analyze anything. Inane neckbearding is more accurate.

didn't feel like i was doing the set correctly so i didn't push it. i probs had 2 reps left in the tank.

Squats look pretty fine. Hard to see depth from that angle, looks close-ish but hard to tell. There is more than 2 left in the tank there.

Agree with TC. There's some hesitance there because you're not comfortable with the movement, but it looks pretty good and you should keep adding weight/reps. I agree that working a bit on depth would be beneficial; a good cue I heard from the recent Juggernaut series on squatting was to accelerate into the hole over the last quarter or so of the eccentric portion of the lift.

funny you mention that, the previous video i did TC was mentioning how fast i was getting through those reps, so i made an effort to slow down a little bit on the way down and that was the result. i like the idea of the final quarter acceleration.

doing DL later today and doing a crossift thing on friday. literally never done one of these before so have no idea what to expect, i'll just list the things i did.

Word. Deliberate and controlled is good, but not hesitant. Hesitance is one of my main issues when I'm going to heavy single or doubles; I over-exaggerate the eccentric because I'm uncomfortable with the weight, and it just causes me to leak power.

In addition to bracing your core and tightening your upper back before each rep, work on tightening/engaging your glutes and quads as well.

crossfit starting to look prittaaaayyyy good right about now. lifting went very meh today.

Press (87.5) - 5 reps, 4 reps, 3 reps. stalltown, we made it boys. I'm not thrilled with how my breathing is impacting my reps (exhale on the way up, inhale on way down / in between reps). Feels like I can do better with more breath holding, strangely. But yeah, reaching a stall point in this neighborhood.

DL (200) - did 5 reps (video below) and felt a sharp strain in my armpits. I think this is due to me squatting a little bit too much on the way down. Only did 1 set as a precaution.

Accessory work went fine.

Doing a crossfit light equivalent on Friday and doing a legit crossfit next week with personal training sesh likely too. Based on how that goes I'll prob start a new fun log.



reps 3 and 4 look really poopy the way i'm just sorta collapsing before the weight hits the ground, pretty sure that i did a bad job keeping back/leg posture all the way through and this put too much of the strain of the weight on my arms and that's why my armpits hurt. sometimes i make this mistake and my triceps end up getting wrecked, today being the armpits just felt weird.

On DL, don't let your air out while your spine is being loaded.

On press, 5,4,3 makes it really seem like you aren't resting adequately between sets. If the first set was so hard that you felt as if you might not get 5 in the second set, you need to take minimum 4 minutes there.

re: DL breathing, so yeah, that's a donk move on my part. i tried that today as an attempted fix for my breathing not seeming good. shoulda mentioned it in my previous post.

that's prolly the best explanation for why the armpit strain happened. i see good deadlifters able to just crank out 5 reps ez peazy and my breathing makes it so i feel like i'm not doing 5 reps but rather 5 sets of 1, lol. i'll address this next week when i get a proper lesson / form coaching thingy. this was a novice mistake and i should know better. gotta watch some more DL videos.

re: press, you're right. i was not resting nearly that long (was more like ~2 minutes). thx.

Don't rush a dl set while you're learning the movement. 5 sets of 1 is just fine.