Program Advice? (15 Years Old)

Since I started lifting, I’ve honestly not tried very hard to make awesome gains, but now I feel it needs to change.

I bench 190, squat 280, and deadlift 300. I weigh ~160. Does anyone have any advice of where to go from here? I have the book of methods and EFSBenchmanual just to read for fun, and don’t know if it would be okay to go on to Westside or not right now for the best gains.

Assuming I have my diet in check, what would you guys recommend for a program for me to run? If westside is fine, then i’d apperciate some guidance (tips etc.)in that area too since I realize it is fairly complex, from reading the books.

If not, i’d still like some advice with whatever program you guys recommend.

Thanks a lot.

-csp

bump before I leave for dinner.

5x5, Starting Strength, 5/3/1. Any of those. I’m 16 and I swear by 5/3/1. Also, West Side for Skinny Bastards is great. I play football so that’s why I’m running it.

Luke

yeah i was thinking 5x5

Wow, your stats are pretty close to mine at that age concerning raw lifts, and bodyweight.

I used westside around this time and made good gains for awhile, but it was too much stress for my level of training and I eventually got extremely beat up and started tearing shit loose every few weeks.

I think that a semi-high volume program would be best for you right now. Something like 5/3/1 is pretty basic, and is also far from perfect, but it is a good starting point. I used a modified version of 5/3/1 just for fun and got far better results than my training partners who were doing the original. PM me if you would like to see how I changed things.

Block periodization may be something you should look into as well. Westside for skinny bastards is another one to look into. I made my fastest gains when I switched from westside to WS4SB

Westside is still my favorite for geared lifting, and block periodization/westside for skinny bastards/ and 5/3/1(the bastardized version) are my favorites for raw.

Yeah, I’ll hit you up for that 5/3/1

Do something basic like 5x5 or starting strength, I think the increments go faster so do each for a few months or so. After those gains slow down do something like 5/3/1 for like a year. I recommend that mainly because it works and a lot of people on this site are doing it so you can look at their logs, ask questions, etc. You have many years to try out everything so start simple first because they won’t work later on, then you can at least say you did them.

I think Starting Strength or 5x5 would be a good approach for you, I would not do Westside at your level at the moment, save that for later. Your stats are quite good, I have a 17 yr old that I train that isn’t quite as strong as you. Having said that, given your squat is so close to your deadlift it is very likely your squat is a bit high. I don’t say that to be a dick, just to give you feedback, my squat was high when I was your age as well. You should think about competing and maybe try to find a coach or a club to help you out. If you need anything else let me know

Also… Find training partners with similar goals who are stronger than you and know what they’re doing. Not really “program advice” but is something I wish I did when I started.

[quote]Jhauser3 wrote:
Also… Find training partners with similar goals who are stronger than you and know what they’re doing. Not really “program advice” but is something I wish I did when I started. [/quote]

x1000

See if you can find some good powerlifters to train with. Look for a group that has one or two with an elite total if you can.

Training with them will help you far more than any program.

CSP - where do you live?

Houston