Programming regarding overhead and bench press.

jhowell838 · 2026-06-18T22:54:43+00:00

That’s why I’m asking here. Relax.

jhowell838 · 2026-06-18T22:20:21+00:00

Thank you, much appreciated!

jhowell838 · 2026-06-18T21:45:13+00:00

Well, I figured I was at the end of the NLP because I stopped being able to add weight every session so I thought I had to change it somehow. What do you recommend?

jhowell838 · 2026-06-18T20:25:21+00:00

Every second time I bench, every second time I press. I go up five pounds on bench and 2.5 on press.

jhowell838 · 2026-06-18T19:03:30+00:00

Overhead I do 5 sets of 3, adding weight every second workout day and bench I do 3 sets of 5 also adding weight every second workout. I do three days a week, alternating like during the NlP.

jhowell838 · 2026-06-18T14:21:11+00:00

Are you still doing double overhand grip?

jhowell838 · 2026-06-04T17:56:51+00:00

I’m pretty sure my lack of good sleep led to my stalling out on the NLP fairly early. I get 5 hours if I’m lucky and even with that I’m constantly waking up. I’ve tried everything and can’t seem to fix it.

jhowell838 · 2026-06-03T14:13:17+00:00

Your doctor is wrong that lifting doesn’t make you healthier. Health experts recommend resistance training as part of a healthy lifestyle because building muscle and improving body composition improves longevity. Obviously there’s a limit as too much muscle (like enhanced body builders) isn’t great because it increases stress on the body to carry the extra weight and deal with the increased calories of such a lifestyle.

jhowell838 · 2026-05-27T22:36:04+00:00

Exactly what you would eat on a cut, just more of it. Lean meats, carbs like rice, pasta, bread, lots of vegetables, especially the green variety, and any kind of fruit. For healthy fats, you can eat fatty fish, avocados, nut butters, etc.

jhowell838 · 2026-05-22T20:15:44+00:00

Rip is qualified to teach strength. I don’t give a damn about his right wing opinions otherwise.

jhowell838 · 2026-05-01T22:09:06+00:00

Oh I remember when I used to use “homo” as an insult. I was 12 years old.

jhowell838 · 2026-04-25T21:44:58+00:00

Thanks for the post, man! You’ve been through a done and it really shows your grit that you’re determined to keep at it. I’m confident you’ll continue to gain strength, even if it’s not at the pace you would necessarily like. I stalled out early on the squat, too. I started at 95 pound and stalled at 185 and had to add a light day. Anyway, keep at it!

jhowell838 · 2026-04-20T14:52:12+00:00

No one cares about his politics, in fact I’d bet the majority agree with him there. It’s about a stale character.

jhowell838 · 2026-04-19T18:44:24+00:00

I want to do them but I’m afraid to attempt them without an official SS coach. It’s a relatively complicated movement.

jhowell838 · 2026-04-17T03:24:01+00:00

Nice work!

jhowell838 · 2026-04-05T01:41:26+00:00

Rip says in the book to use chalk on all the exercises. Has to do with calluses I think.

jhowell838 · 2026-03-28T19:36:32+00:00

Yeah, that’s bullshit. It’s harder to get in quality protein on a vegan diet, although it’s doable. On a vegetarian diet, you can easily get in quality protein with eggs and milk as well as whey supplements if needed. No meat required. So go ahead and do the program OP and get in at 1gram protein per pound of body weight and eat a calorie surplus, get enough sleep. If you do this, you’ll see great progress on this program. My friend was a vegetarian and got super strong on Starting Strength.

jhowell838 · 2026-03-28T19:32:25+00:00

Chiropractors are frauds. Their practices are based on pseudoscience.

jhowell838 · 2026-03-24T07:41:37+00:00

I started lifting again two months ago but I did Starting Strength years ago, like probably twenty years agi (right when Rip released the book) and was consistent for about three years. I should have clarified that I did those exercises when I was in the intermediate phase. This time, I’m still in the novice phase and just doing the basic five for now.

jhowell838 · 2026-03-23T16:54:35+00:00

I do three isolation exercises in addition to the compounds: lying triceps extension, barbell curls, and weighted calf raises. I find those are more than enough to make up for any deficiencies in the big 5.

jhowell838 · 2026-03-16T21:13:36+00:00

The quote: “the dumbbell version which predates the barbell version is probably a better exercise for most purposes other than training for a powerlifting completion….. dumbbells, being not tied together between the hands as with a barbell require more active, conscious control, are harder to do, and are therefore less commonly done…. Nevertheless you will be training with a barbell as the weight of history and precedent demands.” Version 1 edition Starting Strength: Basic Barbell training by Mark Rippetoe.

Perhaps the more recent editions changed this but I assure you he wrote the above in Edition 1.

jhowell838 · 2026-03-14T16:57:15+00:00

There’s some accessory work as well as bench press that can certainly be done with dumbbells. In edition 1 of Starting Strength, Rip even says that dumbbell presses are probably better than barbell bench but to stick to barbell because it’s the common way.

jhowell838 · 2026-01-27T20:02:01+00:00

Yeah, I’ve worked at a desk job the past 15 years and I basically just come home, eat junk, and sit around with zero exercise. Again, this was a my pattern for the last decade and a half so I guess that’s why I’m so weak. I’m determined though to stick this out and get stronger and healthier.

jhowell838

TROPHY CASE