Sometimes I call the time period between Novice and Intermediate level programming “the pit” due to the number of hard training athletes that often fall into a trap of either stagnation or regression when trying to navigate this transition.
A very large portion of the clients that I work with are just a few weeks or months removed from finishing up their basic Novice Linear Progression as described in Starting Strength: Basic Barbell Training and also in Practical Programming for Strength Training, 3rd ed. The problems is one of confusion and frustration. After many weeks or months of steady continual progression on the basic novice LP they have hit a wall. Their lifts are stuck and they don’t know how to adjust their program going forward.
The basic novice LP is fairly simple and clearly defined, and it tends to work for just about anyone regardless of age, gender, or goal – with perhaps a few modifications here and there. However, the next step is not as clearly defined in our texts and programming starts to get more individualized at the intermediate level, therefore some unavoidable confusion exists for many trainees.
For the most part there is a universal “Step 1” for almost all novice strength trainees – “Read Starting Strength and do the program in the back of the book.” Unfortunately there is no universal “Step 2” that applies to all trainees.
There are basically 6 things you need to understand in order to have a more successful transition from novice to intermediate level programming. If you don’t know the differences between novice and intermediate level programming then read Practical Programming for Strength Training, 3rd ed (PPST3).
#1. The Transitional Period is a Grey Area – not Black and White
Unfortunately we don’t go to bed on a Friday as a novice and wake up on Monday as an Intermediate. It’s a little more murky than that. Towards the end of any well run novice LP, trainees will have difficulty making progress on all their major lifts 2-3 times per week on the basic 5-rep set. When frequent missed reps are an issue and recovery seems next to impossible in a 48-72 hour window then you are bordering on the need for weekly progression and more fluctuation in your programming variables (volume, intensity, frequency, exercise selection, etc). Usually 1 major reset to dissipate some fatigue can help get you some new 5-rep PRs and there are a few set/rep tweaks provided in PPST3. But when you feel like you’ve hit that LP wall – you are probably right. There is no need to completely beat yourself into the ground trying to exhaust every last possible pound out of the novice LP. At this point you probably aren’t making progress more than 1x/week anyways and it’s simpler and less abusive to your body to simply transition to an Intermediate program.
Another confounding problem is that the majority of the time not all your lifts will hit the LP wall at the same time. It’d be nice if they did for the ease of program design, but the majority of the time this is not the case. We see it all the time where perhaps the Squats and Pulls are progressing easily on an LP, but the Presses/Bench Presses are stuck. Or perhaps the inverse is true – Pressing movements are moving along steadily, but Squats and/or Pulls are starting to stagnate.
It’s permissible and even recommended that you treat each category of lift (squat, presses, pulls) independently of each other and adjust programming accordingly. I’ve had lots of clients on an LP for Squats while their Pressing program is straight up Texas Method. Or vice-versa.
#2: You Are Tired – Rest but Don’t Detrain
The novice LP is a tough program. Just because it’s simple, doesn’t mean it’s easy. In fact, I’d argue that the last several months or weeks of the novice LP might be some of the most difficult training that the athlete ever engages in. It’s brutal, both mentally and physically, to go to the gym 3 days per week and squat, press, and pull heavy sets of 5 across with ever increasing loads.
If you do things right, the first few weeks of an intermediate program can provide the trainee with a little bit of a mental and physical break. If you don’t allow for this, then you’ll likely hit another wall within just a few weeks.
As a general rule – any sort of high volume work (3-5 x 5) in an intermediate program should be at a reduced load from where the trainee ended their novice LP.
The way we maintain strength is to set our intensity work (usually just a single set) at approximately the same load where our LP left off. In many cases it’s even better to actually lower that number a bit and allow ourselves 2-3 weeks to work back up.
Let’s use the Texas Method as an example. Say our trainee ended his LP with a best Squat of 3x5x365. If he tries to set his week 1 Volume Day at 365x5x5 he will crash and burn. Instead, I’d recommend that he start his Week 1 Intensity Day at about 345 x 5. Volume Day would be about 10-15% below that number – somewhere between 295 – 315 for 5 x 5.
So the first month of programming might look like this:
Week 1: Volume Day 5 x 5 x 295; Intensity Day 345 x 5
Week 2: Volume Day 5 x 5 x 305; Intensity Day 355 x 5
Week 3: Volume Day 5 x 5 x 315; Intensity Day 365 x 5
Week 4: Volume Day 5 x 5 x 320; Intensity Day 370 x 5
#3: You Have an LP Window – Regardless of Circumstances
It’s actually pretty rare that trainees undergo 3-6 months of the novice LP without interruption and without making some sort of mistake. Injuries, illness, travel, or boneheadedness often times get in the way of exhausting a novice LP to it’s fullest potential. As I eluded to earlier, 1 major reset usually works pretty well for a hard training novice who starts to get stuck a few months into the program. 3, 4, 5 major resets will keep running you up into the same old sticking points again and again. Trainees will often run the program again and again….and again, hoping that if they just eat a little more, sleep a little more, tweak their form a bit, etc they can continue to milk steady progress out of this basic program. Unfortunately it usually doesn’t work that way. Your body adapts to the program and the nature of the stress you impose – even if you are doing so with less than optimal methods or in less than optimal circumstances.
If you’ve been running the basic novice LP for more than about 8 months or so (even if you’ve messed it up a few times) it’s probably time to move on. I’ve had emails from trainees who have been trying to milk the program for 2 years or more with various types of tweaks to their diet, recovery, or form. It’s exceedingly rare they are making any progress. You have a window of probably not more than 6-8 months (less if you are 30+, underweight, etc) to make your novice gains. Get the most out of it you can, do the program as written, and move on.
#4: Sets of 5 Don’t Last Forever
The novice program and much of the early intermediate programming we mention in PPST3 are built around the 5-rep set. We know that sets of 5 are the heart and soul of any good strength program, but there are other ways of building strength and muscle. Trainees often get in the mindset that 5s are all you need for strength and mass. It would be nice if things were that simple, but they aren’t. You should, no actually you MUST, eventually start to expose yourself to rep ranges that are both lower and higher than the 5-rep set.
Again, using the Texas Method as an example – the easiest transition from novice to intermediate training is a Volume Day 5×5 and an Intensity Day 5RM. However, this isn’t supposed to last more than a few months or even a few weeks, before the Intensity Day starts to use heavier sets in the 1-3 rep range. You must train with heavier weights if Force Production is your ultimate goal. If muscle mass is the ultimate goal, then some exposure to reps in the 8+ rep range will also become necessary at some point in time. 5s, will always be in the mix for just about any strength program, but you can’t rely on them solely for your entire training career. If your 5s are stuck – put some damn weight on the bar and start busting out some heavier triples, doubles, and singles. When you come back to your 5s, you’ll be surprised to see how they’ve probably gotten easier. (Read PPST3 Texas Method section to see how we use sets of 1-3 reps in practice).
#5: Age Matters
If you are in your 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s or beyond you already know you can’t do what you used to do when you were 25.
Your intermediate training program should reflect this. On paper, the Texas Method is the simplest intermediate program to manipulate and there is a lot of anecdotal data to draw from because of the popularity of the program. However – don’t confuse simple with easy. The Texas Method is brutally hard and probably isn’t appropriate in it’s 3-day standard template for trainees 40+ and maybe not even for trainees 30+. If you are going to use Texas Method programming after 30 – use the 4-day template. It’s easier to recover from. There are several examples in PPST3 for a 4-day Texas Method program.
If you like the format of a 3-day per week full body program – try the Heavy, Light, Medium template. It’s a little easier than the Texas Method.
Read this 3-part article series for a little more info on the HLM system: Heavy-Light-Medium
A 4-day per week Heavy/Light System also works well for trainees over 40, if you think you might prefer an upper / lower split rather than a 3-day full body routine. Examples are available in PPST3.
This program is based on a 4-day Heavy/Light system: Strength & Mass After 40
#6: Intermediates Need a Specific Goal
General strength is fine as a goal for a novice. As we know, strength is the foundation for all other athletic attributes and any physical activity. But as you get into Intermediate programming the program has to be tailored to a more narrow goal. Otherwise there are just too many avenues to explore and trying to explore everything will leave you frustrated and confused.
A few options to think about if continual strength gains are the goal:
Competitive or Non-Competitive Powerlifting: Focus on the Squat, Bench, Deadlift. Sign up for 2-4 meets per year and organize training programs around these lifts and these dates. If you have no interest in meets – then set dates on your calendar for testing, either quarterly or semi-annually (twice per year).
Competitive or Non-Competitive Strength Lifting: Focus on the Squat, Press, Deadlift. Sign up for the Starting Strength Fall and Spring Classic Meets and organize training around these lifts and dates.
If you train alone, in your garage or basement, I often have trainees set up programs based around semi-annual testing of the Press & Deadlift only. These lifts represent a true test of full-body strength, but are also safe to test by yourself. These lifts are easily abandoned if something doesn’t feel right and they require no use of a spotter. This avoids the danger of getting pinned under a heavy bench or squat by yourself, and if you are 50+ there is an argument to make that 1RM testing of the squat on a frequent basis may not be a risk you want to assume.
If you’re goal is muscle mass and physique then a 4-day split based on “One Lift Per Day” (see PPST3 for details) can make an excellent template for continuous progression on the main barbell lifts while leaving time and energy during the week for higher rep barbell work and the necessary assistance lifts you need to train all parts of the body.
If you are a non-barbell sport competitor (cycling, swimming, running, martial arts, etc, etc) then strength training must be programmed in a way that both allows for continuous progress, but also for recovery so that practice, play, and conditioning for your sport of choice can still take place.
All of these various goals will require a different style of program. That’s why you need to pick your goal first, and then your program second. Too many people get this process completely backwards.
