My Friend Is Getting Stronger

[isdatnutty]

So my friend approached me yesterday because he feels like he’s not getting any stronger. A few months ago I wrote him a VERY basic program based on what he told me he wanted:

DAY 1
Squat - 5x5
OH Press - 5x10
Rows or Chins - 50-100 reps
Then do whatever the hell else you want

DAY 2
Deadlift - 3x5
Bench Press - 5x5
Rows or Chins - 50 reps
Then do whatever the hell else you want

DAY 3
Squat - 5x10
OH Press - 5x5
Rows or Chins - 50-100 reps
Then do whatever the hell else you want

I told him to log in and track the workouts for 8 weeks and to just try to do a little more each week.

He is trying to tell me he’s not getting any stronger. But when I look at his log I see a different picture. Keep in mind he weighs 142lbs.

OHP Day 1
Week 1 - 105x8, 105x7, 105x6, 105x5, 105x5
Week 2 - 105x10, 105x8, 105x7, 105x5, 105x5
Week 3 - 105x10, 105x9, 105x9, 105x6, 105x6
Week 4 - 105x10, 105x10, 105x9, 105x6, 105x6
Week 5 - 105x10, 105x10, 105x10, 105x7, 105x6

Squat Day 3
Week 1 - 135x10, 155x10, 165x10, 175x10, 185x10
Week 2 - 155x10, 155x10, 155x10, 155x10, 155x10
Week 3 - 155x10, 175x10, 175x10, 165x10, 165x10
Week 4 - 155x10, 185x10, 185x10, 185x10, 155x10
Week 5 - 185x10, 185x10, 185x10, 185x10, 185x10

This is someone who’s never really lifted and was a cross country runner.

My opinion is that he got stronger in 5 weeks. What do you guys think?

Honestly I think with all these “Add 50lbs to your bench in 6 weeks” type articles have made him think he’s not making progress. But I think for 5 weeks this is great progress.

[flipcollar]

Does he want to get bigger, or does he just want to lift heavier weights? Just trying to get an idea of how he’s come to the perspective he has. Obviously he’s gotten stronger, so if the progress isn’t mentally satisfying to him, then it would help to know what he’s really looking for.

[flipcollar]

I’d also recommend throwing in some lower rep sets at some point in the programming, so that he can lift heavier weights. Yes, more reps at the same weight is stronger. But maybe he doesn’t feel stronger because he’s not handling any heavier weights at week 5 than he was in week 1. Throw him a bone, give him some max-testing or something from time to time.

[isdatnutty]

@flipcollar

Does he want to get bigger, or does he just want to lift heavier weights? Just trying to get an idea of how he’s come to the perspective he has. Obviously he’s gotten stronger, so if the progress isn’t mentally satisfying to him, then it would help to know what he’s really looking for.

I talked to him about this. He was expecting to get “stronger much faster”. Like for OHP he was expecting to go from 105x10 to 135x10 in a matter of a few weeks because it’s only a “30lb difference”.

@flipcollar

I’d also recommend throwing in some lower rep sets at some point in the programming, so that he can lift heavier weights. Yes, more reps at the same weight is stronger. But maybe he doesn’t feel stronger because he’s not handling any heavier weights at week 5 than he was in week 1. Throw him a bone, give him some max-testing or something from time to time.

So that’s the way it’s setup. Its heavy squat (5’s) and volume OHP (10’s) on Monday and then volume squat (10’s) and heavy ohp (5’s) on Friday. Last Friday his sets for OHP went 105x5, 115x5, 125x5, 135x4, 125x5, 115x5.

Honestly I think he was just expecting to to get really strong really fast. Which we all know it doesn’t work that way lol.

[oldbeancam]

@isdatnutty

Honestly I think he was just expecting to to get really strong really fast

Everybody who lifts thinks like this. Haha the “only 30 pounds” thing is something I think all of us have heard and have said at one poin or another. Give him time, and if he doesn’t want you writing programs for him again, so be it, but after a year o doing his own thing ask him what his numbers are. Then rub it in his face that you added almost 200 pounds to your squat in a year doing the exact same thing you told him to do

[Basement_Gainz]

@isdatnutty

Like for OHP he was expecting to go from 105x10 to 135x10 in a matter of a few weeks because it’s only a “30lb difference”.

Okay. You need to splain that it takes a long time. He can’t go from 142lb cross country runner to Ed Coan in 5 weeks. Also that’s a 29% increase. Ask him if he could decrease his cross country time by 29% in 5 weeks. He’d laugh at you.

[flipcollar]

this is why you should let him test 1RM from time to time, so he can see a larger difference in his strength. Obviously he can’t currently do sets of 5-10 at 30 lbs more than he was. But his 1rm probably went up at least 20 lbs. So if he gets to experience that, maybe he’ll feel better about his strength gains. It would be more tangible to him. I honestly don’t blame him for not ‘getting it’ if he’s not getting to test his strength at all. You’ve gotta cater to the mentality of a new lifter in some ways if you want them to trust you.

[isdatnutty]

@flipcollar

this is why you should let him test 1RM from time to time, so he can see a larger difference in his strength. Obviously he can’t currently do sets of 5-10 at 30 lbs more than he was. But his 1rm probably went up at least 20 lbs. So if he gets to experience that, maybe he’ll feel better about his strength gains. It would be more tangible to him. I honestly don’t blame him for not ‘getting it’ if he’s not getting to test his strength at all. You’ve gotta cater to the mentality of a new lifter in some ways if you want them to trust you.

Ooooh ok I see what you mean. I didn’t understand what you were saying initially. I’m not coaching him (and I wouldn’t lol), I just wrote him a basic program cuz he asked. Sounds good man, I think I’ll tell him at the end of every 4 weeks to test his 1RM. I think this will work for sure! Thanks for the advice man, I’ll give that a try with him this month. He wasn’t understanding that he actually is getting stronger, but I think having him do a 1RM will make him really see that he truly getting stronger vs sticking to the same weights for a few weeks.

@Basement_Gainz

Okay. You need to splain that it takes a long time. He can’t go from 142lb cross country runner to Ed Coan in 5 weeks. Also that’s a 29% increase. Ask him if he could decrease his cross country time by 29% in 5 weeks. He’d laugh at you.

I didn’t think of it like that. I’ll definitely say that so he understands it’s a process just like any other physical endeavor.

@oldbeancam

Everybody who lifts thinks like this. Haha the “only 30 pounds” thing is something I think all of us have heard and have said at one poin or another. Give him time, and if he doesn’t want you writing programs for him again, so be it, but after a year o doing his own thing ask him what his numbers are. Then rub it in his face that you added almost 200 pounds to your squat in a year doing the exact same thing you told him to do

Lol, yeah man I told him he can’t gauge his progress with what I did because we have different genetics. I told him it was just trusting to the process and not missing days and eating that did more for me than any sets/reps. Plus my body responds really well to low reps, his might not.