SBTD App Stronger By The Day, help!

[everymeeveryyou]

Is anyone using SBTD who can offer some advice.
Have been strength training for approx 2.5 years using a PT twice a week (30 mins sessions) and one slightly linger session on my own but using a plan made by her. Now my weights are getting quite high (120Kg RDL, 230Kg leg press, 50Kg barbel lunges, 50Kg bench press) I need slightly longer rest between sets so often go over 30 mins and just finish the sessions myself.
My PT has now left the gym I use and I need to save a bit of money so thought I would try SBTD. Have gone for the 3 sessions a week gym option and did Bench and RDL focus earlier in the week. Today was Squat focus and the session (including the warm up) me nearly two hours to complete and it felt really repetitive on some of the superset exercises.
Am I doing something wrong? A lot of the less traditional free weight exercises were new to me, e.g B stance kettlebell RDL and glute bringer abductions and adductions so did spend a little time checking form etc. Hoping I may get quicker when I am used to some of these (I mean WTF is a banded monster walk?!).
Anyone care to share their experience and if they find it a good App? Thanks.

Hmmmm. It sounds as though you did quite a limited range of things with your PT - and only 30 minute sessions. Although you've got some fantastic PBs there! Do you do the classic full body compound lifts as well? You don't mention squats or deadlifts.

So there's some adjustment to make when you start on a different programme. It may be that you are not very experienced in general movement & functional fitness? The things that are perplexing you are pretty standard in the Strength & Conditioning classes at my guy, (which is a serious lifting gym). You say "A lot of the less traditional free weight exercises" and mention a B stance RDL - that's not "less traditional" - it's a pretty normal accessory move I've done in my gym's S&C classes, and I don't normally use RDLs - my PT focuses on squat/deadlift, plus lots of metcon and mobility work. So I enjoy all the accessory stuff !

I use SBTD when I'm travelling and not at my home gym & PT. I do find her full workouts long because of all the accessories, but there is the Express version. There's a YouTube vid of MegSquats talking about being efficient in the gym - she says she herself uses her Express programme now she has DC, and she's in and out in under an hour.

And I think her use of accessories is really good - you get a more balanced programme with all-round attention to mobility and functional strength.

You can always join the SBTD FaceBook or Discord sites & ask your question there. But I thin they'd say pretty much what I've said.

I used SBTD for a couple of years (I was already an experienced lifter when I started) I did get some good results from it, not least because having an app to complete helped with my consistency as well as at times pushing me to numbers I wouldn't have tried on my own. I did find the workouts very long though, and I don't feel it would take into account warm up sets or rest periods, even with express. I did start cutting out some of the accessories though after a while, but then it seemed that I was dropping or subbing so many that I wasn't really doing the programme so I stopped using it.

I do think it is one of the better ones out there in terms of price, being easy to use (eg an app that calculates your weights rather than just a written programme) and allowing you some variation eg suggestions of subs if you don't have the right equipment. I don't think it's practical for most people to follow in it's entirety though, nor necessary to do lots of as you say, banded monster walks, or things like band pullaparts or multiple versions of lat raises to gain good results.

It's worth noting that the 3 day version is pretty much the same as the 4 day programme, just split over three sessions instead of 4 (I think it just drops one compound lift) so they are the longest workouts. Which I think is a bit daft given that people are more likely to pick 3 days instead of 4 or 5 because they're either beginners, time constrained, or fitting it around another exercise (eg running)

Thanks both, yes @ParmaVioletTea I think my sessions have been quite short up to now and really focused on compound lifts. I do squat but struggle with depth due to very tight hips (had congenital hip dislocation as a baby and this has led to a lifetime of hip tightness) so I tend to stand on plates for more depth. But usually I have 1 upper body session focusing on bench press with work on lats, shoulders, biceps and triceps using cable machines or dumbbells. 1 lower body session focusing on squats, RDLs and barbell lunges. Finally my mixed session focusing on hip thrust and leg press with a few upper dumbbell weights thrown in.
Haven’t done a DL for ages, and certainly never done anything other than a standard or sumo stance. I think I have been much more focused on consistency with the same lifts and just increasing my PB. Am early 50s now and am starting to wonder when I will /if I have peaked!
I am certainly feeling the DOMs more after the STBD sessions but not sure if I am going to be able to stick to such long sessions. I did look at the express workout but it didn’t seem to be much shorter for squat day.
I don’t have loads of time to spare in the gym, my kids are now late teens but work is high pressure and I am studying for some additional professional exams at the moment. I also do 1 yoga session and run twice a week as have a half marathon coming up and try and swim once a week so whist I really enjoy lifting it needs to fit around everything else.
will have a look at the Facebook page, thanks.
@Proteinpudding agree re the number of days, I picked three to fit around everything else and because it is what I already do, am glad I am not the only one who couldn’t really tell much difference when picking the express workout option.
I think I will stick with it, it will do me some good to try out new accessory lifts, they certainly pushed me. The videos of each exercise certainly helped with some I was less sure about.
I was sure I had seen people recommend the App for beginner lifters and I think that has confused me a bit as without some experience I would have really struggled with the program.

I think when people recommend it for beginners there's a few reasons but not necessarily for the actual programming - the positives for beginners are that theres a 'before the barbell' guide for complete beginners, the community around SBTD is active and supportive, the app is easy to follow compared to many programmes, it calculates your lifts based on previous work and the GIFs are useful reference points, it helps you with substitutions if you can't do a certain exercise eg due to injury, mobility or equipment, and it is a lot cheaper than most. Most online programmes are 'just' the programme and maybe some videos, or they're online classes for £££s.
But in terms of the actual programming I do think its high volume. I exercise in a home gym so I'm not waiting for equipment, and I would rarely finish a 3 day express in less than 90mins. I always see people posting on the Facebook page that it takes them 45mins-1hr and I just don't see how - possibly for people who are still at quite light weight and don't need warm up sets and who don't really rest maybe.

For the price I think it can be helpful to have the app just for doing compound lifts and then picking a few accessories that you want to try or think will be useful.

Am early 50s now and am starting to wonder when I will /if I have peaked!

Nowhere near peaked! I hit a 100 kilo deadlift in my mid 60s.

For the price I think it can be helpful to have the app just for doing compound lifts and then picking a few accessories that you want to try or think will be useful.

That's the way I use it. I think it's EXCELLENT value for the annual fee (which is the equivalent of about 3 restaurant meals) and I like the way I can record my sessions.

Also, my PT doesn't really have me benching. I do lat pull downs, pull ups, and dumbbell thrusters. But he doesn't rate the bench press as a training lift (in his view it's just a bro lift). I get to do it once a year on my birthday (when I got a PB of 47.5 at age 67 so the thrusters do their job!)

So I enjoy the bench/OHP days on SBTD as a supplement to my PT sessions.

I’ve never used SBTD but just picking up on the peaked comment, you are a long long way off peaking if that’s important to you. Most people have no idea just how strong they can be, powerlifters continue to make progress way beyond early 50s (unless you actually used to be an elite powerlifter then you will come back down). It’s not for everyone, but if you want to get super strong, work hard and you can.

Absolutely @RayKray - I've been surprised how I'm still making gains - albeit slooowly - hading into my late 60s. It took me 6 years of consistent training to get my deads to 100 kilos, then I made what felt quite "easy" leaps up to 107.5 - only a small increase but I'm hoping it will keep creeping up.

@everymeeveryyou you'll keep making gains, but more slowly, and the plateaus get frustrating - but one day, you put more weight on & it flies up!

Most people have no idea just how strong they can be

Meant to say, in response to this, it echoes exactly what a really interesting online coach, Harry from "Team for Never Lean" (fun YouTube channel) says about most people not lifting weight to their capacity, and not really training to failure.