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Been in a maintenance mode for the last 3 months, getting in to the gym 2x a week on average; I'll do squats, bench, deads, overhead presses, and JS rows, along with some varied accesories, each session.
I'm planning on starting a bulk in the next week or two, going to pick a 5x5 program- I'm just worried that I've been doing the same lifts for so long, without any variety- am I selling myself short here?

How long have you been lifting seriously?

About a year and a half (spending at least a few hours each week reading this and other sites!). I've gone through two Starting Strengths, losing weight and gaining strength in the process, and a 7-week bulk earlier in the year (putting on 10 lbs of "mostly" muscle). I've generally slacked off between these 3 programs, though after the bulk I made sure to maintain the weight. I wasn't planning on a bulk, and just started doing those 5 big lifts every session, going anywhere from 1-3 times a week, with the goal of maintaining weight and eeking out some small strength gains. I definitely feel like I'm past the rookie gains (gain strength, lose weight) stage. Prior to this year and a half, I mostly messed around not knowing what I was doing (bicep curls and leg presses- rock n roll!).

I'd say some beneficial variety is in order.

How deep do you squat?

How much do you squat?

How much do you deadlift and bench and overhead press?

Do you have videos of you working out?

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I squat 225 for 5 sets of 5, hams to calves. In chucks.

Deadlift 185, bench 175, overhead 95, all for 5 sets of 5 (never tired for 1-rep PRs on any of them). My squats are bigger than my deads from all that time doing leg presses, so my quads are dominant over my hams.

Don't have any videos. I spend a good deal of time with the one trainer in my gym who had done bulks himself, and agreed on a lot of theory, so I feel like my form is good. I've also gone about halfway through all the Rx videos that are posted.

OK...this how deep do you squat thing has to take a back seat to how well do you squat. This is not a criticism, Tex, it's just a statement of experience, if you squat hams to calves after doing SS and with the weight you stated I almost guarantee you're sacrifising your lower back.

This is why I keep harping on mobility versus stability and all that. I've been able to squat hams to calves since I can remember...only my spine drifted way up under my hips doing it.

Another observation that leads me to that conclusion is the idea that your legs are strong from legpress leading to your squat being bigger than your deads. Being that squats are an everything under the bar exercise and leg-press really doesn't help a GOOD squat that much, coupled with the hams to calves statement...I'm imagining a problematic squat.

I could be completely wrong of course! But the biggest point I want to make is this: Everyone keeps asking "how much" as if there is some magical number that says you should add a single leg movement, or do more dumbell work, or anything...and there is absolutely no credible reason for that except plain old dogma.

I've yet to see someone coming off three day a week squatting SS style who shouldn't be doing some glute and hamstring strengthening, focused core work, and all sorts of other beneficial proactive variety. All this stuff can ONLY help you.

The simple question was "should I add some variety". The simple answer is it is never to early to have certain beneficial movments in your training.

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If you act sanctimonious I will just list out your logical fallacies until you get pissed off and spew blasphemous remarks.

Definitely agreed on the glute and ham strengthening.

It would be a help if you could explain exactly what you mean by, "my spine drifted way up under my hips doing it".

Thanks!

I will look for some posts and links to explain it. If I can't find some good ones I'll explain it in debth.

Ah...this should be instructive.


He's doing overhead squats but the principle is the same. Look at the sequence and see how the lower back rounds under at first and then he corrects it. Now he is not going anywhere near deep as he could go but you could imagine that if he were to go deeper that butt wink would just increase.

And click the "more info" on the right side. It's correct that motor control is a big key. But if you wanted to increase depth you have to increase mobilty in the hips and ankles AND stabiilty of the core and lower back as well as motor control.

Now when you consider back squats and the large amount of spinal compression that makes it all the more dangerous to have that lumbar rounding.