No Excuses

I believe the key to any workout program-- strength training, powerlifting, or otherwise-- is consistency. It's showing up to the gym on the days you're supposed to be there, both physically and mentally. On the Stronglifts program, for example, it's hard to progress if your workout schedule goes from MWF to MW, next M. I understand that though. Life happens. You're working 12 hour days, and it's just too exhausting sometimes to drag yourself into the gym and get under the bar for heavy squats. Tomorrow will be better, for sure.

Personally, every single time I have put off a workout until "tomorrow" because I'm too sore, or too busy, or too tired, without fail, there is something even more important that comes up that next day. Then I'm faced with falling two days behind schedule. My point is, there will be days where you feel like crap, where you're sick, or you have to work 12 hours, but skipping the gym is not the answer to your problems. You will just feel guilty for not following through on a commitment you made to yourself.

Whenever the last thing I want to do is go to the gym, I think of two friends I have who I have never heard make a single excuse. Chris worked his way from squatting the bar to squatting 477.5 pounds in about 6 months. You better believe there were days he didn't want to go. The thought of squatting the following day often kept him up at night. But he never missed a workout. And that showed in his blazing ascension to a squat almost 2.5x his bodyweight.

My friend Levent did not run the Stronglifts program, but he has run various Olympic squat routines such as Smolov. A few years ago, after becoming overweight, he made the commitment to himself to get back in shape. He worked a full-time job, then his part time job with me, and then around midnight he would get around to working out. He worked out basically every night. He then became a CrossFit personal trainer (and a damn good one) and opened a gym in Columbus. He juggled all three commitments for a while, but I never once heard him complain or make an excuse.

Ben Rice, a powerlifter I do not personally know, but whose YouTube channel has over 21,000 subscribers, frequently mentions his other commitments in addition to powerlifting. What I am aware of includes college, videotaping/editing his videos, choir, personal training, and I'm sure a social life. He recently deadlifted 700 pounds twice, beltless. It doesn't sound like this guy makes a whole lot of excuses.

Arnold Schwarzenegger gave a speech to a college class a few years ago. After the speech, a student raised his hand and complained, "Governor, my tuition has been going up, and I can't afford it anymore. I need more assistance. Now I have to work a part-time job and I also need to study."

Arnold replied, "Well how many hours do you go to class?"

"I've got 2 hours one day, and 3 hours another day. And I have to study 3 hours minimum each day."

"OK, so that's.. 6 hours one day and 7 hours the other day, counting your commute and all that. What do you do with the rest of your day?" Arnold inquired.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, the day is 24 hours. Have you ever thought about working more? Or maybe since you have so many more hours available, maybe taking more classes, rather than wasting your life away and complaining?"

"I'm not wasting my life away!"

"Yes you are. The day is 24 hours long. Maybe you need 6 hours for sleeping. That's 12 hours left. You still have time for dating, dancing, drinking, and all kinds of things! Why are you complaining?!"

Arnold then explained that during his quest to win Mr. Olympia, he trained five hours a day. He took acting classes in the evening for almost four hours a day. He worked in construction several hours a day. He took college classes at Santa Monica Community College, too.

If something is important to you, you'll find a way to make it work. Nothing great is accomplished without first overcoming great obstacles. Stay positive and work off your frustration in the gym.

Smolov Jr. for Bench

The Smolov Jr. for Bench program is based off the Russian squat routine known as Smolov. It is shortened to 3 weeks, however, and you don't need to be an advanced lifter to take advantage of this program. It is set up as follows:

It is generally not recommended to do other presses while doing this program. Benching four times per week is enough.

The percentages are based on your 1RM. You may want to adjust that number down by five pounds if you want this program to be a little easier. Some lifters don't make any progress with this program, and some burn out. Others, though, will benefit from the extra benching and varying set and rep ranges.

I used this program when I was struggling with SL 5x5 after hitting my PR of 225 lbs. I was still perfecting my form, and with benching only 3 times every 2 weeks, I felt I wasn't getting enough practice. 

With a working PR of 225, this program would start with 6x6 @ 157.5 and end with 10x3 @ 206 lbs. You can use fractional plates if you want to get specific, but just round.

After following this program, my bench increased by 15 pounds to 240. Most importantly, my form solidified with the extra practice. I've seen similar success stories with this program. And if you don't make any progress, you've only "wasted" three weeks. If you've plateaued on your bench, give Smolov Jr. a shot.

My Success with Stronglifts

My story with powerlifting began in January 2013. A coworker decided to hold a "body transformation" competition where the person with the biggest change in overall body composition after three months would win the grand prize of about $150. The money was just added motivation for me; I wanted to finally get in shape. I had read Arnold Schwarzenegger's autobiography "Total Recall" and I was ready to go. After some quick googling, I discovered Mehdi Hadim's Stronglifts 5x5 program. He sold me on the idea of a strength training program that was old school. I would squat and deadlift like Arnold. Let's do it.

The only problem was that my gym didn't have a squat rack. It was only $10/month, and with a part time job, I couldn't afford much else. So, I did my squats in the smith machine. Don't do that. I also didn't follow the 5x5 for benching. I thought I could do it faster on my own. I was consistent with my workouts, going three times per week. I deadlifted, overhead pressed, and rowed per the program. Three months later, I won the competition. Everyone else had quit working out, but I made steady progress. What I didn't know then was that by not following the program exactly, I hadn't progressed as far as I could have. My gym transitioned to a Planet Fitness, throwing out all barbells as well as any hope of following this program. I accepted a job in Arizona, moved out there, and stopped working out while I found a place to live.

Fast forward to October 2013. I found a gym with a power rack, two squat racks, and no closing time so I could squat heavy at 3:00AM if I wanted to. And I did. I have always been a "skinny-fat" guy (you know, the gamer physique) and I was on a mission to see what could have been if I had followed 5x5 to the letter. Integral to my success with this program was my joining the Stronglifts "Inner Circle." It is a forum with other guys experiencing similar problems with various powerlifting programs. I found I could vent there, share my successes there, and get invaluable advice from experienced lifters. I paid the nominal fee and joined. I will emphasize it again: I couldn't have done it without the Inner Circle.

January 11, 2014 6:30AM. I woke up to hearing my name: "John! Hey man, it's 6:30, almost time to go." It was Chris Hartle, a guy I hadn't known just three months earlier, but was now my go-to for lifting motivation and advice. The previous night, I had driven five hours to his house for a powerlifting competition hosted nearby by another "Inner Circle" member. I grabbed a cup of coffee, and we set out, unsure of what to expect.

We arrived to find about twelve lifters of varying experience warming up in the lone squat rack in Jeff's garage. It was Saturday morning in a very nice part of town near wine country in California. I'm sure his neighbors were very intrigued by the group that was stretching while ACDC blared. The plan for the day was to squat, bench, and deadlift until about 1PM. After the competition, Jeff and his wife had prepared a small feast for us to devour while we watched the NFL playoffs.

My "competitors" ranged in size from 5'5" 150lbs to a bodybuilder who was probably 6'1" 225. I weighed in at 194, the heaviest I had ever been. We were all there for the fun of it, and we all screamed and cheered to help a guy get out of the hole at the bottom of his squat. I've never been in such an environment.

I stepped up and starting warming up to squat. We all took turns with five reps of the bar, five with 95 lbs, 5 with 135, and so on. I was encouraged because as I squatted, I heard, "wow, damn, perfect form man" and "I'm jealous of your form." I assumed they were just being nice. When it was my turn up, I opened with 315. A few weeks back, I had hit 335 in the gym, albeit with questionable depth, so I was confident in 315. It flew up. Chris also opened with 315 and he nailed it. We both were still on the 5x5 program and we were at the same weight for pretty much all the lifts. We pushed each other to get better.

My second lift was at 340, a 5 pound PR. All lifts were recorded to be analyzed later, but my depth was good. I could feel my stretch reflex at the bottom of my squats and I was bouncing out of the hole with no problem. Chris also squatted 340 with no problem. My final lift was at 365, a 30 pound PR that would be incredible progress after squatting for just three months. The lift was a little slow, but it was smooth and I could hear my guys behind me screaming. "COME ON! LET'S GO! YOU GOT THIS!!! AHHHHH!" Hitting that gave me confidence for my other lifts. Chris seemed to lose his balance with 365, a weight I know he was strong enough to lift, so he lost it.

Next up was benching. I got 215 in the gym about a month prior, but this was my worst lift. My form was not very good. I didn't understand leg drive, and I even struggled with hand placement on the bar. I had nagging neck and shoulder pain as a result. I started with 215 and it went up without issue. My second attempt was at 225 and it also went up, although it was ugly. My form needed a lot of work. I don't think 230 ever made it more than a few inches off my chest. I'm not sure, but I think Chris ended with 225 as well.

Deadlifting is where boys become men. It's probably my favorite lift. My first attempt was at 335. I chalked my hands, got into a zone, and pulled it no problem. Attempt two was at 365 and it stood no chance. To this point, Chris had pulled the same weights and we were both feeling unstoppable. Waiting for my third attempt, I listened to Master of Puppets through the speakers and got my mind right. For me, the only sticking point I have is getting the weight off the ground. I know some guys struggle with locking the weight out and stuff like that. It's mental for me. Getting the bar off the ground is the hardest part.

Watching the video now is funny to me. Master of Puppets literally ended one second before I began my lift. It was between songs, and the silence was deafening, everyone watching to see what this skinny guy could do. I pull as hard as I can and scream because I've never come close to lifting this much weight. It flies up my legs with no problem. It actually felt light. I get out of the way and watch Chris kill that weight, too. After lifting and stretching and loading barbells for other guys for about five hours, we were spent. We ate brats, drank beer and watched football.

Me, about to pull 385 in Jeff's garage. Don't let his kids' paintings in the background fool you; we were warriors.

Chris and I drove back and stopped for a victory Starbucks on the way. We talked of what we could do in 2014. After just three months we hadn't missed hardly any reps in the gym. I was aiming for 405/255/455 in April's competition. We stopped to play some pickup basketball and that's when I realized just how tired I was. I drove back to Phoenix that night. I couldn't wait to get back in the gym!

So, just how did my results compare with the three months from January-March 2013?

It's not even close. I want to focus on the benching part of those graphs, the red line. On the left, I screwed around and just tried to do as much as possible. At the end, I could barely bench 170 lbs. And 170 was rough. On the right, I did the 5x5 program and progressed to where I could bench 200 for 5 sets of 5, with much better form. On the left, I started lighter with my deadlift and squat, so that has a little bit to do with the big difference by the end, but not that much. It doesn't explain why I didn't miss reps on my squat until 325 lbs or my deadlift until 315 lbs. On the left, however, my squats in a smith machine stalled at 190 lbs. And again, it was a rough 190. Smith machines are not natural. You are setting yourself up for failure at best, and at worst an injury. Squatting, though, is as natural as breathing.

Thanks to this program, in 3 months, I went from not working out to a 980 lb total. My knee pain went away. I was getting hit on in the gym. My confidence went through the roof.

A large part of powerlifting and even heavy strength training is mental. The impossible often seems so until it is proven to be possible. If I would've set my sights on a 365 pound squat in just three months, I probably would've started missing reps in anticipation. I would've psyched myself out. Instead, I focused on getting the next rep. I didn't fear failure, although I didn't know what that would look like either.

Arnold Schwarzenegger tells a story of his bodybuilding days when he could do calf raises of 315 pounds, the most he had ever seen anyone do to that point. His bodybuilding buddy, Franco Colombu, surely wasn't aware of any such physical limitations as Arnold witnessed him blast calf raises of 1,000 pounds. After seeing that, the weight Arnold used skyrocketed. The limitation he placed on himself was purely mental. You can achieve success in the gym and in life if you ignore the impossible and focus on the next rep.

My squat soon stalled with the 5x5 program at 325 pounds, the second most I had seen anyone progress to until that point. The most was a young man (read: kid) in New Zealand by the name of Daniel Yska. He was 18, and progressed to 397 lb with this program, eventually squatting 440 pounds in the 198 lb weight class. Damn impressive.

I was proud of my 325, until I saw what Chris did.

Stronglifts

Stronglifts is a website and powerlifting program created by Mehdi Hadim. All credit is to him, and I strongly encourage you to visit his website stronglifts.com. He offers a FREE pdf book that explains his program in its entirety, as well as where it came from and some additional motivation. He asks for nothing in return, but he does offer an inner circle that you can sign up for (for $19.99 per month). There, you can log workout info and have the support of other powerlifters. You get the push of others who have gone through the same thing as you and it's one of the reasons I was able to stick with powerlifting early on. I am a believer in this program because I've seen the results, and I can't thank Mehdi enough for creating that program and website.

Alright, so what is it? It's called Stronglifts 5x5 because you'll be doing 5 sets of 5 for most of the main lifts. As Mehdi explains, the program can trace its roots to a program that Reg Park did back in the 70s, although much lighter in volume and number of exercises. The Stronglifts version utilizes just five different exercises, and workouts that can be completed in under an hour, just 3 times per week. No cardio. No situps. I gotta say I was a fan from day one.

The five lifts are the back squat, bench press, deadlift, overhead press, and barbell row. This program takes advantage of a well-documented principle called progressive overload. Progressive overload means incrementally increasing stress (weight) over time as a way to stimulate strength gains. In Stronglifts, it means adding five pounds to the bar each time you squat, for example. Your body is surprisingly efficient at adapting to this additional stress. It is a mark of most strength training programs. Add weight, add volume, decrease rest time, etc. It's proven that your body will adapt.

The program is laid out as follows:

As you can see, you will add five pounds to your squat each time you workout, and you will squat three times per week. I promise you, squatting 3x/week is in no way overtraining. And adding five pounds each workout is very doable. With this schedule, you'll add approximately 65 pounds each month to your squat. This is the fast track to a BIG squat. If you're a beginner, start with the bar (45 pounds). If you're not a beginner, but your form is a little suspect, start with the bar. It's better to start too light and have perfect form, than to start too heavy because you feel embarrassed about squatting an empty bar. I can't emphasize enough: START WITH THE EMPTY BAR!!!

You will bench every other workout and add five pounds each time. Again, I, (and Mehdi, and everyone who has ever tried this program) recommend starting with the bar. You'll add about 35 pounds each month to your bench. Enjoy the program while the weight is light because you will soon long for the days of 45 pound squats.

After benching, you'll move to barbell rows. All of the workouts you see here are an integral part of this program. A bigger barbell row means a bigger bench. A bigger squat means a bigger deadlift. It's important, especially early on, to do all of the exercises. Every rep. You're only cheating yourself if you cut rows because squats wore you out. After barbell rows, you are done with the workout. All in all, you can complete this workout in under 45 minutes.

Day 2 begins with squats again. Always do the workouts in the order listed above. Squats should always be first. You will need all of your strength on most days to complete the squats. After squatting, you will overhead press. This will be important for benching and deadlifting, so don't skip it. Finally, you will deadlift. Unlike the other exercises, you will add 10 pounds to the bar every time you deadlift. This will make sure your deadlift keeps up with your squat. Also, you will only do 1 set of 5 reps.

"What happens when I miss reps?"

You should only add weight to the bar if you completed all five of the sets from the previous workout. If you failed a rep, then repeat the weight at the next workout. If you fail it again, repeat it one more time. If you are successful, then you can continue adding weight again. But, if you fail this weight a third time, then take 10% off the weight and work your way back up. For example, if you fail squatting 5x5 at 200 pounds three workouts in a row, then take 10% (20 pounds) off and squat 5x5 at 180 pounds next workout. You will add weight from there. Early on, you should feel rejuvenated and blow through that wall. But, if you get back to 200 and fail three more times, then follow the same procedure and take 10 % off and try again. If after three deloads, you can't work past a weight, then 5x5 changes slightly.

You will switch to three sets of five (3x5). You should be able to progress further because you are able to recover better. Once you deload with this program three times and fail at the same weight three times, it's time to switch to three sets of three (3x3). Following the progression of 5x5, 3x5, and then 3x3, will take you months. I can't speak for everyone, but it's not unusual to be squatting 250, 300 or more. On 5x5 alone, I hit 365 in a short amount of time. This program is a marathon, not a sprint. Keep your eye on the prize, and you will soon draw crowds when you squat at the gym.

That's it. That's the program. Just follow the progression above and you will notice surprising gains in your strength. Without cardio and situps, you will also lose fat. I have seen before and after pictures of guys who completed this program and the results are incredible. Personally, I stopped looking like a 15 year old boy and actually grew a chest, so that was great. Again, go check out stronglifts.com. Mehdi will lay out everything I said and much more. Good luck!