SBTD Questions

[elijahtocome]

I started Stronger By The Day last week (after doing a simple push pull leg routine for 6 months, 3-5x per week with just 1 leg day per week) and am finding it really hard to lift 4 days/week on SBTD because I find I need more rest with 2 heavy squat days, 2 dead lift, etc. and am constantly sore or fatigued. I have also noticed that often the program will incorporate things like related exercises multiple days in a row (e.g., stiff leg kettlebell dead lifts following a heavy dead lift day, or different types of rows multiple days in a row). I have heard not to work the same muscle group multiple days without rest. I’m wondering if other have run into this issue with the program and/or if anyone with more lifting experience than me can explain why the program is structured this way (and if it’s okay to do the accessories and work a muscle even if it’s sore from the previous day).

Also, what’s up with the Day 5? Do you all typically do Day 5 following Days 1-4? I was considering incorporating it into the middle as it hasn’t included any of the big lifts so it might allow me to recover a little more.

Thanks in advance for reading my long post and for any advice you can share!

 

[currycoma]

@elijahtocome Hi! I started doing SBTD back when it first started up until December 2021. I decided to take a break from it because I was getting bored, but I started to miss it! So I just started back up last week, too. And OH BOY WAS I SORE. It hurt to walk after day 1 and day 2.

But this week, I'm feeling much better! I think my body - and yours too? - just needed time to adjust the increase in volume.

To answer your questions - I'm doing days 1-4 only on Mon, Tues, Thurs, and Fri (not day 5 because I also run and practice yoga and I need some rest time!) I think you can add that day in anywhere in the week that you like, but you should prioritize days 1-4.

The current structure of having leg work + upper body work every day is a little challenging, but it's not always this way. The splits change periodically with emphasis on a different muscle group or lift each block. It is a smartly-designed program that also includes a deload week, which is great for recovering after weeks of the harder workouts.

 

[elijahtocome]

@currycoma I agree- I think the combo of leg and upper body most days is what’s really killing me! It’s nice
to know the program isn’t always structured this way, though I’m sure in this block we will all get a lot stronger because of it I’m trying to spread my lifts out as much as possible and skipping Day 5 for now.

 

[nathan2018]

@elijahtocome I don’t have a SBTD specific advice but it is not true that it’s inherently bad to work the same muscle group on consecutive days.

 

[takkula]

@elijahtocome It is a tough programme but you're only 1 week in. It will take a while to adjust.

It's perfectly fine to work the same muscles two days in a row. You might not lift as heavy the second day, but you're working just as hard due to the fatigue. It will pay off later in the programme when you test your maxes.

I trust meg and her team a lot, they have a lot of qualifications and the explanations of the programming always seem to make sense

 

[elijahtocome]

@takkula Good points! Thank you.

 

[benedictusandy]

@elijahtocome Hey I’m also currently doing Sbtd… basically it changes each 4 week cycle. The last one for example was much more of an upper/ lower split with one heavy lift per session. I find the reshuffling challenging but also interesting. I never do day 5 also because I’d rather do something else, like hiking or bouldering or just chilling.

In terms of working a muscle if it’s sore- I have limited knowledge, but have always heard that it’s not a problem to train while sore, you just need to adjust intensity as needed. I used to Pole dance before and that was basically back workouts every single time and it was fine.

 

[elijahtocome]

@benedictusandy That’s nice to hear it shifts so much every 4 weeks, and that it’s totally fine to skip Day 5! I’ve been trying to shuffle things around to fit in HIIT and yoga in addition to the program and it’s been a challenge especially with how sore I’ve been! Hopefully once I get into better shape it will all come together.

 

[thebadcatholic]

@elijahtocome Read the Notes for the Week and it will help explain things. I've copy and pasted the monthly/mesocycle programming overview:

We're in the

fourth of five monthly mesocycles in this longer, 21-week macrocycle.

We're pushing ahead with our traditional linear periodization. The first

couple blocks were all about building our work capacity in an

Accumulation phase. We're currently in a dedicated Intensification

phase, where we'll be translating all that increased potential into

higher numbers, meaning more specific exercise selection and

progressively heavier weights and lower reps being used in our primary

movements. Finally, we'll cap off the macrocycle in late Spring with a

short Realization phase, which serves as a culmination of work all

building up to a peak and 1RM test - the week of May 23rd - for our

Squat, Bench Press, and Deadlift on the same day. For those of you

training at home, while we won't have the same 1RM tests at the end of

the macrocycle, we are following a similar broad training progression

across our volume, intensity, and overall workload focus.

If you're feeling like you're not recovering well enough between workouts, spread them out as best you can. I don't really see an issue with deadlifting one day and doing a deadlift variation the next. When I do a stiff legged deadlift with a kettlebell, the weight isn't even close to what I would do for a traditional dead. Make sure you're warming up and cooling down, sleeping, eating well, etc. Those can all help with recovery. Also, you're only a week into this program, so I am willing to bet that after a few weeks you won't be feeling as sore as you get used to the movements and style.

As for Day 5, I've been doing this program for 2.5 years and I can count on one hand the number of times I've done Day 5. It's all extra accessory work, so I wouldn't do Day 5 in place of one of the other 4 days.

I would also recommend reading the FAQ on the Stronger by the Day site. There is a ton of good info on there. Feel free to message me with any other questions! I'm far from an expert on this topic but I'm very familiar with SBTD and I absolutely love it.

 

[iamsolost]

@thebadcatholic yeah, came here to say this. it's a temporary thing. im currently struggling with it rn because im traveling frequently on weekends and need to jam all my workouts into the week, so... no rest days . my lifts are definitely suffering but it wont be this way forever!

 

[takkula]

@iamsolost I'd probably skip the "bonus" day if I were you. Just to get a bit of rest in the week.

 

[iamsolost]

@thebadcatholic yeah, came here to say this. it's a temporary thing. im currently struggling with it rn because im traveling frequently on weekends and need to jam all my workouts into the week, so... no rest days . my lifts are definitely suffering but it wont be this way forever!

 

[elijahtocome]

@thebadcatholic This is really helpful, thank you! I wasn’t sure if I should be lifting as heavy with the accessories so it’s good to know those can be lighter/higher rep and that it’s okay to lift while sore. There is a lot to unpack in this program and I appreciate the advice!

 

[anneflorence]

@elijahtocome I don’t have an answer for you but I was thinking the same! I moved onto it after following PPL split as well, workouts take me a lot longer and I find my myself much more fatigued (compared to lifting 6 times a week with the PPL split). I very much enjoy it and seen progress on it even in a short time though.

 

[elijahtocome]

@anneflorence Glad I’m not the only one, and great to hear of your progress! I’m looking forward to that part