Starting Strength, time to move on?
I'm 41 years old, 1.82m tall and weigh 82kg.
I have been on strength training for 14 months (2.5 stronglifts, 11.5 starting strength).
I didn't do the program, as Riptoe would put it. I never got used to drinking the whole lot of milk it requires.
At the end of the first 2.5 months, my lifts were at this:
Squat 5x5 90kg
Bench 5x5 60kg
Press 5x5 40kg
Row 5x5 52kg
Dead 1x5 90kg
After that I moved to starting strength, got sick, had persistent injuries, vacation, etc. Progress has been erratic.
These are my current work weights and all time max (3x5, kg):
current max
Squat 110 117.5
Bench 65 70
Press 42.5 47.5
Clean - 52.5 moved to snatch, issues with form
Dead 100 110
chin 9x6x6 10x8x6
My objective when I started was to get rid of lower back pain, which I did (thanks Riptoe).
However I don't feel I progressed as much as I should in most lifts, have been plagued by injuries on my shoulders (probably caused by a fall I had while running years ago which spread to both shoulders when I started sleeping on only the uninjured side) and overall feel like going to the gym is a chore.
Is it time to move on to a different program or a variation on the starting strength theme that would allow me to progress?
Suggestions?
The program I'm following is the described on this question.
(1)1 Comments
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The key to continued progress
...is variation. Like TestWell said in a comment, "after a year of any program, it's time to switch it up", and that's honestly the best answer. But allow me to elaborate.
Options
There are enough options out there to fill entire volumes of books. It's not really a case of choosing the right one. It's more a case of finding one that you like.
It all depends on where you want to be in 5 years. More power? Leaner? Bigger? Higher vertical jump? Doing olympic lifts? 100m dashes? Or maybe just...
Getting better at the stuff you're already doing
You're already doing the big compound exercises, and that's good. Riptoe's is a very good starting point.
With your shoulder problems, you might want to consider really getting your squat up while your shoulders heal. There are some algorithmic approaches to this whereby (and this is just an example) you squat three times a week, 5x5, using percentages of your 1RM, and progressing over a 6 week period, at the end of which, it's estimated that you'll add 10-12% to your 1RM.
Again, that's just an example (and let me know if it sounds interesting), but there's really no problem tweaking your gym activities around your injuries and preferences.
But first things first
You obviously need to talk to a doctor (if you haven't already) before continuing to work out with weights, given your injuries. You might even end up with a physical therapist who will be even more qualified to help you.
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