Am I Still a Newbie? (I Hope So)

Training
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Many articles talk about newbie gains but for some reason this particular article that I read ( 5 Years of Insane Gains) really made me stop and consider whether I could still be a newbie or not. And honestly, I hope I am.

As brief a history as possible…
-In 10th, 11th, and 12th grades, one of my electives was weightlifting 4 both semesters each year. After that, I didn’t touch a weight for 12 years.
-12 years later I did about 6 months worth of P90X style workouts.
-2 years later I did another 6 months worth of P90X style workouts.
-2 years later, I “moved up” (haha) to Body Beast (basically the same as P90X just more lifting and less cardio) and did that off and on for a couple of years for a few months at a time.
-within the last 10 months, I’ve decided to get more serious about my overall health, well-being, and physique. I have absolutely zero aspirations of ever competing or anything like that, like most people who work out I just want to look good naked.
-within the last month-and-a-half, it has finally sunk in my head that I need to be doing the big compound lifts as this article describes. I still work out at home but thankfully my home gym is ridiculously well-equipped for somebody who has shown the type of dedication I’ve shown over the last 20 years.

My bench press is the only number that is semi-respectable. I’m 170 lb and my 1RM is 225. Not even “good”, but not embarrassing.

I can squat my body weight for reps but have not tried to Max because of numerous knee injuries due to sports throughout my life. The same goes for deadlifting and my back. My grip is pretty weak as it has been a limiting factor with regards to more reps.
Again, I have just started incorporating these three lifts and others very recently. Prior to that the only exposure I got to these three lifts was utilizing the Beachbody programs (P90X and Body Beast, intermittently) and using adjustable dumbbells. Now I have a power rack with sufficient weight as well as a full dumbbell set that goes from 5 - 100.

So, based on this information am I in a position to take this knowledge that I have recently accepted (but has been snacking me in the face for quite some time), that I need to be doing compound lifts, and take advantage of any newbie gains? Or, is the fact that I have done movements similar to these over the years and that I’ve been working out consistently for the last 10 months pretty much wasted my newbie gain window?

Also, I do realize that it’s quite possible I still have newbie gains in some muscles but not as much as others. Those programs I did in the past focused heavily on isolation exercises, push ups, and pull ups. So I’m guessing I don’t have the gain potential from those types of movements that I might from something like squatting, deadlifting, rowing, dips, and overhead pressing.

Thanks in advance for any insight y’all are willing to offer! Fingers crossed I’m still a newbie! If so, I’ll be restructuring my program to maximize the newbie gains.

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I would worry a lot less about whether you can still make “newbie gains” and a lot more whether you are planning to start a sensible, sustainable plan for muscle gain along with an appropriate plan for eating and drinking sufficient quantities of nutritious food.

Do that, and it won’t really matter whether you still count as a “newbie” today or not.

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There is no such thing as a “newbie gain window”. It’s the dumbest thing collective intellectual wanking has come up with next to “hypertrophy is systemic”.

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And the idea that one can gain puffy, non-functional muscle without getting strong.

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You’re going to improve at a faster rate in anything you’re not skilled in. This should be a simple and obvious concept, just common sense.

I added 30lbs to seated pin presses at eye level in a couple of weeks even though I had a decent strict press at the time - ie. the same muscles.

This would be faster gainz than a lot of the programs that refer to newbie gainz offer. I call these supra-newbie gainz and I can show you the secrets if you sign up for a months coaching and tag your friends in my instagram feed.

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I’m assuming your diet has been far from on point over the last 20 years. If you learn about proper nutrition, calories in vs calories out, macro requirements, etc and employ a proper muscle building diet strategy, coupled with consistent hard training, then yes, you will see some fast and noticable improvements very quickly. If you continue on and dont quit after another few months, and keep adjusting your macros and training, you will continue to see results.

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If you’re in your 30s, nothing you did in HS counts, especially with a 12 year break, and really a 16 year break because P90X and Body Beast shouldn’t count either.

You’re still new to heavy weight training, and probably not going heavy enough to enter “intermediate” phase. People claim that an intermediate lifter is one who doesn’t benefit weekly from linear progression, but I don’t agree. I’ve had moments where my progress stalled on 5/3/1 and I was stuck at 205 on bench or 285 for squat.

I personally think an intermediate lifter should be able to squat 315 for sets and reps, bench 225 for sets and reps, and deadlift 405 for sets and reps.

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Your assumption would be correct, sir! I learned a few years back through some trial and error what kind of diet my body responds best to (almost a complete avoidance of starches as they make me sleepy… scratch that… borderline narcoleptic, and a relatively even balance of macros with almost everything being fresh foods) yet for several years after, didn’t eat that diet. I’ve been back on that diet for a while now and it’s more or less my lifestyle with the occasional (once or twice a month) cheat dessert.

No plans to quit this time whereas before I always had a culmination goal. Now, my day just feels screwed up if I don’t get my workout in first thing in the morning. Rest days once per week are mandatory and get past the guilt by making them stretch/foam roll days. I also program in active recovery weeks about every 8 weeks as well.

Thanks for the advice!

Nothing I did before counts… that was my thought as well but I just wanted to get some confirmation on that thought process.

Based on the numbers you proposed, I’m nowhere near intermediate (which is fine with me) and I have a LOT of progress to make.

Thanks for your constructive input!

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And it’s not meant to knock you, just leverage it to your favor.

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Didn’t take it that way but I appreciate the confirmation. In all “growth” endeavors, I prefer to think of myself as behind. It’s motivating but also keeps me humble.

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