Starting Tactical Barbell

[Maroon93]

Hey all,

Just joined this forum and I'm looking to start the Tactical Barbell protocol. I'm about to start Base Building and I've included more about me below as well as some questions.

Background:
Played competitive tennis from the time I was 8 and played in college as well. Tennis training for me consisted of a ton of running and minimal strength work (none with barbell). Graduated college and ended up working a job that had me at a desk for ~90 hours a week for the last 2 years; quit that job and am looking to get into the best shape of my life from a cardio and strength perspective now. Was pretty disciplined about working out during those 2 years when I could but cardio has definitely worsened while strength has increased modestly. I am currently 23 years old and want to start a sustainable program that I can follow for years while improving my strength, cardio and overall health.

Height: 5'10"
Weight: 155

General goals:
Get into the best shape of my life from a cardio and strength perspective
Pick a routine and follow it for years to come (aka eliminate too much thinking from my training and stop program jumping)
Get weight up to 160-165 lbs
Stay injury free
Be fit enough to get back into tennis at a high level and in general be fit and healthy enough to play all sports

Specific goals (within next year; all weights in pounds):
1RM: Bench 225 (currently at 145x5)
1RM: Squat 300 (currently at 185x5)
1RM: Military Press 125 (currently at 90x5)

Current plan:
I plan to follow base building for the next 6 weeks and then begin an Operator beginner cluster with Bench, Squat and Military Press as my 3 lifts.

Questions for forum:
1. Given my goals, would you recommend this program?
2. The one thing that concerns me with a program like this is around overuse injuries since the same barbell lifts are being used over and over again; any advice or experience from members of this forum?
3. I'm also a bit apprehensive about the effect of continuous barbell lifting on the body over the course of say 10-15 years; any advice or experience from members of this forum?

Overall, very excited to join this forum and I look forward to the responses!

[Blackmetalbunny]

Read this first.

http://tacticalbarbell.com/forum/viewto ... f=11&t=722

1. Given my goals, would you recommend this program?
Goal 3 is a function of your diet. Your training has some impact, but your diet will be the biggest factor.
All your other goals are either too qualitative for us to make a statement, or too habit or mentally driven. These will depend on you.

2. The one thing that concerns me with a program like this is around overuse injuries since the same barbell lifts are being used over and over again; any advice or experience from members of this forum?

Overuse injuries and injuries in particular come from bad from, and training through stubbornness and during injuries.


3. I'm also a bit apprehensive about the effect of continuous barbell lifting on the body over the course of say 10-15 years; any advice or experience from members of this forum?

What specific effects are you speaking of?

[Green2Blue]

You're a lot more likely to get an overuse injury from tennis than barbell training...

[Maroon93]

Nice, yes that does answer a lot of my questions, although pure linear progression has been tough for me in the past given cardio demands as well.

Regarding other effects, I was thinking primarily about lower back problems such as herniated disks down the line.

[Blackmetalbunny]

Nice, yes that does answer a lot of my questions, although pure linear progression has been tough for me in the past given cardio demands as well.

Now this is a question I can get with.

I've found that with a single linear progression, because of your lack of strength, neurological connections, muscular strength / capacity, the last few reps or sets are always a grind. Try a double linear, but with a focus on form.

Single linear - 5x5 reps, work a weight till you have good form and can own the weight
Double linear - start at 5X3 at any given weight, and work up to 5X5 with good form. The lower reps (3) at the start make it easier to focus on form over reps.

Another possibility I would say is that you're adding weights too fast. While popular programmes like SS and SL encourage adding lbs almost every session, I find that it is not always practical.

Sometimes, I found that my quads are strong enough to squat the weight, but my hips suffer during the lockout. The general consensus is that you're almost ready to add lbs. In reality, Rip has mentioned that you still need to work the same weights until your form at that poundage is solid, but in his monster 3rd ed book, this doesn't come across very strongly - and the Internet being the Internet has screwed up what they think he said vs what he really said.

Another consideration is whether you've done the deload correctly? If you've not done it correctly, you might work up to the weight again, only to stall very quickly because your limiting body parts still aren't as strong as they need to be.

Maybe read SS or SL and apply that correctly for a few months and see how that works for you? If you have done everything and you only eek out a little more progress.....

... then maybe for you that's just how the cookie crumbles. Maybe your limit for linear progression is low (assuming you did everything correctly). Maybe you can't get a 2x BW squat and 1.5x BW bench press. Maybe you can get close. Maybe that's your genetic lottery... and if that is true... then it's reasonably honest to start on TB.

However; in this scenario even if you get really strong for your genetic potential, you might have to live with the sad reality that we won't be seeing you at the Arnold Classic next year

Regarding other effects, I was thinking primarily about lower back problems such as herniated disks down the line.

Again, I come back to the consideration - bad form, insufficient recovery and excessive weights (which partially links back to bad form I guess, since your form breaks down when your grasp exceeds your reach).

If you maintain mechanically sound form, focus on sub-max weights, never work to failure, stopping while you're still fresh, and most important of all - pay attention and listen to your body; then things like herniated discs aren't really a consideration most of the time.

Why would something so drastic happen? It's when your core (your key stabilizing musculature in keeping your body erect and your organs and bones comfortably where they are) get so fatigue, it lets out, gravity takes over, your body fails because a key pillar of support is gone, you try to compensate... and boom, there goes your spinal column.

Same thing with bad knees. It's not squats that are the destroyer of knees, it's bad form. In a majority of cases, people have pain in their knees not because they squat, but because they experience valgus collapse (knees collapsing inwards) when they squat, forcing the knee joint into a position where their femur and tibia grind against their patella... during their patella into dust... if your knee joint is gone... tell me that's not a recipe for disaster. When you squat, you're suppose to rely on your muscle to support and power the weight up... not your bones.

If you focus on form over poundage, limit advanced techniques (supra-maximal weights, constantly testing your 1RM, super-sets, giant sets, dick sets, bro set), use good sense and avoid general gym stupidity, there should be no reason you'll experience something so catastrophic.

Now I'm not saying accidents don't happen. They do. One day you might find you've squat a weight into the hole, you shift your weight forward a little just to readjust your balance so you don't fall over, and you hear a distinct *snap*. That's it you're done for the next few months because you pulled a muscle in your back. These things happen. If you want to be safe, you sacrifice good health. This exact scenario happened to me a few months back and put me out for 4 months.

However; if you exercise common sense, then when accidents happen; it's because shit happens, and not because you were doing something stupid.

[Maroon93]

Makes sense, thanks for the advice. I believe K. Black has a beginner routine as well, which revolves around running squat and bench till certain numbers are hit.

That looks interesting as well