I'm in my 12th week of SS, and most of my exercises are stalling or have been reset once.

6'1", 26yrs old

Start: 11/22/09
Weight: 202lb (161lb LM)
BF: 20%
Squat: 180
Bench: 175
Deadlift: 205
Press: 110
Row: 115

Current: 2/7/10
Weight: 217lb (166lb LM)
BF: 24%
Squat: 290 (One reset)
Bench: 215 (One reset, close to 2nd stall)
Deadlift: 315 (Close to 1st stall)
Press: 130 (One reset, close to 2nd stall)
Row: 175 (Close to 1st stall)

As far as weight gain, I currently try to consume 3200cals a day, but haven't increased my BW or LM since the 1st of the year. If I wasn't already at 24% BF I'd try to drink more milk to consume about 4000cals a day, but I don't want to have to lose more than 20lbs of fat in the spring in the fear that I will lose all my LM and strength gains I've worked hard for. Should I graduate from SS and move on, or stick with it?

pretty solid increases given zero weight gain. #s in the ballpark of what I'd expect for a 200lb individual. If you don't want to pound food, either time for some intermediate programming or you can diet down.

I've done some research but I can't find any weightlifting shoe companies/websites that ship to New Zealand. Any ideas/links?

Your numbers seem kinda disproportioned. Makes me wonder if you have bad form on some of the lifts.

Only very slightly, if youre going by the 2:3:4:5 ratio. What lift/s seem disproportionate when compared to the others?

I hadn't heard of the 2:3:4:5 idea.

I thought his squat was high relative to his DL and his OHP and rows were low relative to his bench.

I dunno. 290/315 definitely seems off.

[QUOTE=Micturition Man;16680418]I hadn't heard of the 2:3:4:5 idea.
QUOTE]

Neither had I until pkrplyrx mentioned it. Seems like a fairly good ratio to aim for.

so what is the 2:3:4:5 ratio?

press/bench/squat/dead ?

yup

Hi, a few newb questions I haven't been able to get consistent answers to;

1. How long do muscles need to recover after a gym workout

2. Are there any general guidelines of how many calories I need to gain/lose/ maintain weight?

3. Stretching: How does it benefit weight training. I have heard that it elongates muscles making them look better, it prevents injury, and I've heard it has no effect. If stretching is beneficial what stretching program should I use with SS.

4. Are there any good books/resources on diet/supplements tailored for people doing resistance training?

CHEERS

Rob

I'm seeing slow progress with the deadlift lately due to my grip slipping. Not sure if its a grip strength problem, or if I should use chalk.

Thundr,

start using chalk ASAP ldo. No reason not to.

1. Depends on a host of factors, like trainee's progression (novice vs intermediate, what program you're on, enough food/sleep etc etc

2. There are calcs that determine approx calories needed to maintain weight given your stats + activity level. Gaining or losing weight is basically a function of manipulating caloric intake.

3. Stretching is beneficial in helping you get flexible enough to do exercises with correct form. Foam rolling and dynamic stretches are recommended for SS e.g.

4. Eat lots, get enough protein.

Does it make any significant difference whether I choose drinking skim or 2% milk?

yes, the more fat in your milk, the better for gaining strength. whole is preferred.

Difference? Yes.

Significant? Maybe. But I doubt it's a huge difference.

Most people advocate drinking whole milk because the macro breakdown is good. But if you like 2% milk or don't want quite as many calories isn't not a big deal.

Small rock.

guys,
I'm surprised thundr only gained 5 lbs of LBM while gaining 15 lbs total weight and getting to a near 3 plate squat and a legit 3 plate DL in three months. Does a 2:1 fat/LBM ratio sound typical? I'm kinda hoping his measurement methods suck instead of this really being true.

im 90% positive I will never reach that 2:3:4:5 ratio =[

anyone here close?

I'm pretty much there with a 25% increase on my DL...

150/240/285/295

Rip posted the figures for 2 people who gained 40+ lbs on SS and one gained 55% LBM, the other gained 60% LBM.

I'm probably around 60/40 fat/lbm with 20 lbs gained so far, and I've been eating a decent amount of nom nom (pastries, chocolate, ice cream). Host of factors will influence this ldo.

I've been curious about the ratio of weigth gained myself. My measurement method istn't the greatest. I go by the body fat measurement given on my Tanita brand weight scale. I know there is some error, but I believe that directionally it is correct. I notice muscular gains in my legs, ass, chest, back, etc., but I've also seen my gut increase by 2".

I'm not a total noob, as I did work out regularly a few years back. I was doing a program for 3 months before SS where I saw a 6lb LBM gain while gaining 10lbs total weight. Not sure if this might have thrown off some of the SS gains I could have seen if I had started with that first.

Does anyone have an idea of the amount of stress a standing shoulder press puts on the knees? Had knee surgery in the meniscus a couple of weeks ago and hate having to do seated barbell presses on a bench with no back support - it feels akward and I feel that I can't push myself enough.

I'm gonna say not much at all. Barbell exercises are about as low impact as you can get and there's no knee movement in a correctly performed press, so no shearing forces like you can get with a badly performed squat.

Oh and it's not "the standing barbell press", it's just "the press". All the other versions of the exercise need a qualifier.

If you made 200, 300, 400, 500 your only goal and didn't care about body weight I would think this would be doable for you.

When I tested my maxes I was pretty close to 2:3:4:5 but I'm a weakling in comparison.
Press 157
Bench 230
Squat 329
DL 392