How long does it take to get strong again after a long lay off?

If your program is working and you're still making gains, don't change it.
Nice improvements though.

See all it took was a little grit.
You won see massive composition changes as its largely neural strength gains at this point.

 

my concern is why the dips are getting harder with the same weight and why my progress on upper body is very slow-every 2-3 sessions press weight is going up as opposed to every 1-2 sessions for Squats and Deadlifts.
I also weighed myself early this week-today as opposed to Sunday as i'm going to gym Sunday for missing a day, i'm shocked it went from 185 to 190 in 5 days; I admit I was eating crap the last couple of days but I ate less of the other food to make up for those extra calories. I checked my weight after going to bathroom but i'm not sure why it's so heavy-I did eat a ready meal of lamb curry last night and had some potato salad and garlic bread, a couple of days earlier I had a bar of the new Dairy Milk but I made up for that by cutting out other food; also had 2 cones of frozen ice cream on Sunday and Monday.
^ I don't always eat junk, just this week and as I said, I eat less of the other food to make up for it. Is it because i'm 2 workouts behind and I weighed myself too early in the week? Or do you think the lamb hasn't fully digested yet (it HAS been over 12 hours).
I don't think i'm going to be able to lose fat and shapen up in 3-4 weeks :/ I really want to hit 100kg on the lower body exercises-I probably won't be able to lose a lot of fat in 3-4 weeks even if I tried

I assume if you eat a lot on Rippetoes and you're bodyfat% is still high, one would end up looking like Big Show/Andre the Giant/ the Gama brothers





You'd need to do more cardio and low carb to burn it off? I think i'll have to aim for a fat-and-muscle physique like that,especially since i'm still weak and need to get strong and add muscle if I want to look good?

 

Upper body gains are always harder than lower body gains. I hate to make such generalised statements but I've met and know and read about very few people where this isn't the case.

Dips are tricky, I can have a really good day one week and bad day the next. This may be affected by the shoulder issue you have mentioned before. Have you tried pushups and bench/chair dips? Similar action but less pressure on shoulder. I'd still do at least some full dips at the gym, even small rep sets like I do. I'm still working on 4sets of 8reps, but started with 5sets of 5reps with bands

If you really want to burn some fat try a few Kettlebell exercises at the end of your workout. even 5-10 minutes will make a difference, a complex or just some swings, then some more, and some more still, what's that thing Muhammed Ali said "I only start counting when it starts hurting" or a 5k run if you have time

 

Medium carb-it's not strict but I eat 4-6 meals a day-try to get around 30-40g protein in each meal and 40-80g of carbs in main meals (except dinner where I try go on the lower side of the spectrum for carbs)

Breakfast is a bowl of cereal (shreddies,weetabix,etc.) with almond or hazelnut milk and 2 slices of peanut butter toast or I have 2-3 eggs and toast (wholemeal)

snack is a protein shake (mixed sources but not soy) with nuts or protein shake with almond or hazelnut milk

dinner is beans or quorn

I've had trouble getting 6 meals so it's been 4 or 5 meals-i'm just concerned how I added 5 lbs in 5 days even after going to bathroom in the morning before weighing

lunch is two sandwiches with eggs or cheese

 

It called "starting strength" for a reason!
Stick with it and get those lifts up I your goals. Worry about the physique stuf later

 

Ok, then the dips-do you think they're harder because of what harukoraharu said (shoulder pain-though I can't feel it as much on dips anymore) or because I did 5x3 on the Bench instead of 3x5 (when I meant 5x3 that means I could be 2-4 reps) and lifted the dead weight off the stand 2 more times (5 sets as opposed to 3). Or perhaps it's a combination of factors?

 

Totally off-topic but the gentleman on the right looks a hell of a lot like Uri Boyka.

 

i think its as harukoraharu said in other threads about having off days with body weight exercises.

bench was still worked at the same volume and load that was planned so it might just be an off day.
dips and pull ups tend to be really awesome some days for no reason what so ever and then other times when ive predicted them to be at their best, they are rubbish.

try doing lots of negatives, and just try getting the form down. bent legs are better for my personal positioning than straight legs.
and push ups - do more push up variations.
the two thing that actually got me doing dips (even able to add weight to it the third time i did full dips) was trying to fit 10x10 push up variations a day for 2 weeks and always doing a set of 6 full dips and 5 full pull ups just before i left the gym (every time i was in the gym).

the more you do a skill the better you get at it.

 

Well here is what i've got from it:

Squat: 25kg 5RM week 1-87.5kg 1 RM week 15- PB before (9/2011) was 72.5kg for reps
Front Squat: 25kg 5RM week 1- 92.5 kg 5RM/ 100kg 1 RM week 15- PB before (9/2011) was 85kg 1RM
Deadlift: 27.5kg 5RM week 1- 92.5kg 4RM/ 100kg 1RM week 15- PB before (9/2011) was 87.5kg 1RM
Overhead Press: 20kg 5RM week 1- 40kg 5RM/45kg 1RM week 15- PB before (9/2011) was 40kg 2RM
Power Clean: 20kg 5RM week 1-37.5 3RM week 15-
Rows: 47.5 kg 1RM, 45kg 5RM (did them only last 2 weeks)- PB before (9/2011) was 45KG 1RM

Not too happy with weight/physique change though: am around 22.5% bodyfat (21% using YMCA method, 23% navy method)

Neck,calves and forearms never seem to grow-in fact I think they've shrunk

Here's physique before/after-only arms and thighs seem bigger. Bodyfat is the same as before.

Weight: 186lbs- 191.5lbs

Chest: 40"- 40"
Arms: 12.5" lhs, 12" rhs- 13"
Shoulders: 17.5"-17.5"
Thighs: 21.5"- 22.5"
Calves: 16.5"lhs,17" rhs- 16.5" lhs, 16"rhs
Neck: 16"- 15.5"
Forearms:10" both sides- 9.5"lhs,9" rhs
Waist: 35.5"-37"
Hips: 42"-43"

 

100kg front squat?
And 85 back?

 

Yes-no power cage and have no squatter so did front squats for working sets

 

no squatter?

are you still doing SS mate?

 

Whoops! I meant no spotter. Yes just finished it now- at new Uni for a year so back to martial arts,studying and the occasional party.Happy with lifts increasing but still not happy with upper body physique/strength.

As I said i've got so many things I want to succeed at:

Study/work
Physique/fitness
Martial arts

but I can't seem to get to where I want on either (well I have a degree now but originally I didn't want to go to Uni-only due to the recession did I do it and now i'm doing Masters at Nottingham Trent since Southampton Solent wasn't that great a Uni and the markets are still lame).