As I've detailed in my last few (although infrequent posts), there are a lot of great benefits to following a training program vs. just winging it in the gym. However, all training programs have their limits. When you've reached that limit for a particular program and the gains (whether in strength, size, speed, whatever) stop coming even though you're putting in the work, it may be time to put that program to bed. Doesn't mean that program isn't any good. It just means your body has adapted, and it's time to graduate to something a little more advanced (or totally different altogether).
After wrapping my 1st 12 week Stronglifts 5x5 sesh back in August, I decided to revisit the program after a few months off. As I detailed back then, I had started to reach my proverbial "limit." I had made some decent progress, especially in increasing my squat numbers, but I was just about tapped out across the board in terms of increasing the weight of all 5 lifts. I thought I could have kept going another 5-10 lb. with my squat, but what I think was a very slight groin strain was barking at me the last couple weeks of that program, and I didn't want to push it to where I was really hurt.
I let the groin calm down for a couple months, and restarted Stronglifts from scratch. Fast-forward 15 weeks into this 2nd Stronglifts go-round, and I'm 3 workouts away from besting my previous successful 5x5 max squat. My legs feel good (knocking on wood), but the reality is that regardless of the outcome this will be my last week of Stronglifts for the foreseeable future. 3 more successful workouts, and I'll at least be able to hang my hat on setting a new PR for squats.
However, it's time to do something a little different...possibly more of a hypertrophy program instead of another strength program. One of the great things I've found about strength programs like Stronglifts is that you never really experience intense soreness after a workout (like not being able to walk without a limp for a week after an intense leg day), but you just feel a general body-tiredness most of the time. And by the time you near the end of a program when it starts to get heavy, 3 compound movements a day will leave you drained. When the time comes to go back to more of a strength-oriented program, I think I've graduated from Stronglifts (more of a beginner to program) to something more intermediate (Madcow 5x5 has drawn my attention). So, happy trails to Stronglifts. For 27 weeks (off and on), you served me well!
