How long did it take for you to grow out of your strength/pseudo-powerlifter phase?

How long did it take for you to grow out of your strength/pseudo-powerlifter phase?

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  1. 2 years ago
    Anonymous

    I started off with normal bodybuilding before powerlifting was even a thing people cared about

    I had about 10 years of normie dude bro bodybuilding, and then powerlifting took off, and powerlifters claimed you can get the same results doing powerlifting as you do bodybuilding as a natty, but you also get a ton of strength, and the bonus you don’t even need to train as much! And you only need to focus on a few lifts!

    So I believed their claims. I switched from my normalgays bodybuilding to the specific autistic powerlifting routines…… and I lost muscle and size and got fat…… but my bench squat and deadlift were better…

    Turns out it’s all bullshit. If you want to look good just stick to the high volume bodybuilding stuff and don’t worry about maximising strength on the big 3. If anything I’d suggest replacing bench press for dumbell press, and doing an RDL over a normal deadlift, and replacing squats with lunges.

    There’s also the cope about
    >just get a strong bench and weighted chinup and you’ll have massive arms!!!! NO NEED FOR ISOLATION BRO!!!

    Yeah I got my bench and weighted chin up massively, but my arms shrunk because I had stopped doing tons of curls and tons of tricep extensions, turns out you need all that isolation work in high volumes, and that NO - you can’t just get big doing minimalist work on a few compound lifts, that is 100% bullshit. I lost so much gains switching from standard dude bro high volume bodybuilding training to that minimalist powerlifter crap.

    Save yourself the time and just learn from my own experience

    • 2 years ago
      Anonymous

      Sounds like you ran a shit program with no accessory work.

      • 2 years ago
        Anonymous

        that's what all strength programs are about

        • 2 years ago
          Anonymous

          Maybe if they are shit. Even cookie cutter ones like 531 have accessories you're supposed to do that include isolation work for arms.

          • 2 years ago
            Anonymous

            Yeah but bare minimum required to do the main lifts
            You don’t do accessories unless you need to.

    • 2 years ago
      Anonymous

      I have the exact opposite experience

      used to do bodybuilding programs with very little focus bench, pull ups, deadlifts etc. Never really any gains and all the 20 different exercises were stalling constantly. I was focused on losing fat and doing programs that build muscle simultaneously. It was hopeless and I wish I had a PT or an experienced coach to guide me sooner.

      switched to starting strength and said frick it lets get fat, and boom, I made the most significant gains in my life after 3 months, followed up by 3 months diet. Best shape of my life. after that getting girls has been very easy

      The girl I had sex with last night kept complimenting my quads. It's not just the bicep they love, chest and legs are also very important from my experience.

      • 2 years ago
        Anonymous

        >after that getting girls has been very easy

        Based

      • 2 years ago
        Anonymous

        Sounds like the main difference was you starting eating at a surplus rather than a deficit, rather than the programming

      • 2 years ago
        Anonymous

        You just weren't eating. It's fact that the fatter you get the more absolute muscle mass you can put on. The bulkers weren't full of shit. Literally the problem I see with every skinny frick in the gym is that they're 130lbs year round.

    • 2 years ago
      Anonymous

      post body or stfu

  2. 2 years ago
    Anonymous

    My latest theory on getting swole is that whenever you progress a lift you build some muscle. So if you progress your bench from 60kg for 5 to 100kg for 5 you built a lot of chest. If you progress cable flies from 4 weight things to 8 weight things for set of 15-20 you gained muscle. If you progressed your chin up from 5 reps at bodyweight to 5 reps of 30kg you built some muscle. If you progress your 1 arm row from 20kg x 10 to 45kg x 10 you gained muscle. And your job as a lifter that wants to get huge is to just get stronger at the different exercises and to pick a few exercises per bodypart and train them hard as frick and try to progress then switch and repeat the process.

    • 2 years ago
      Anonymous

      truly groundbreaking stuff

    • 2 years ago
      Anonymous

      Big if true

    • 2 years ago
      Anonymous

      >So if you progress your bench from 60kg for 5 to 100kg for 5 you built a lot of chest
      big if true

    • 2 years ago
      Anonymous

      >So if you progress your bench from 60kg for 5 to 100kg for 5 you built a lot of chest
      Bullshit, im doing 55 kg dumbells on incline for reps and my bench PR is 165 with pause. At bw lower than 90 kgs. And my chest is still as shitty as it was when i was struggling with 100kg

  3. 2 years ago
    Anonymous

    like 4 and a half years when I cut and suddenly lost over 100lbs on my squat and deadlift, each. Also no arm size even though I did curls and triceps from the start. The problem is low density of work. You spend like an hour in the gym to do maybe 6-9 sets for your "main work"

  4. 2 years ago
    Anonymous

    Around 2 years. Realized no one cares how much I can deadlift, even if I could lift the most in the gym, someone in the next gym probably lifts more. Ultimately, casual powershitting is cringe unless you are genetically ahead and will go to competitions.

    • 2 years ago
      Anonymous

      >Finally break 2pl8 on the deadlift
      >bigger guy on the squat rack next to me gives me a brofist
      The right people care about how much you deadlift.

    • 2 years ago
      Anonymous

      This is an advanced lifting old gay wisdom that you only really realize after a couple injuries and years in the gym. It took me until my late 20s to stop ego lifting cuz you eventually realize like you said, there’s really no upside besides potential injuries

  5. 2 years ago
    Anonymous

    I never had a strength phase
    I’ve only ever cared about looking good

  6. 2 years ago
    Anonymous

    About a year. Just about a month ago, I realized that I looked like a pudgy IPA lover. I was in the powersharter phase because I wanted to be able to defend myself against someone by just being bigger and stronger. If you can do 40 pushups in a row you're already stronger than any 16 year old jogger who may try to mug you

  7. 2 years ago
    Anonymous

    Still in that phase. Squat 340kg now, breaking records left and right.

    • 2 years ago
      Anonymous

      Post body (you won't)

      • 2 years ago
        Anonymous

        No, because I never take body pics.

  8. 2 years ago
    Anonymous

    Too long. I think it took 7 years. I do think it helped build up a foundation. Now, 12 years in, I'm basically a curl bro. I work my legs every 2 weeks maybe. I do very few barbell exercises. I curl every time I'm in the gym. I think Bugenhagen was right all along. Pick a few things to specialize in and let the rest of the body maingain. Seems to be the best way for keeping it interesting and staying motivated.

  9. 2 years ago
    Anonymous

    Bros I'm back in the gym after hurting my shoulder. It would hurt after benching past a certain weight. I find dumbbells much easier on my shoulders. I also don't wanna deadlift (although I do posterior chain work). Is dumbbell chest press as good? I'm working on my shoulder injury and could possible close grip barbell bench again soon but don't know if it's worth.

    • 2 years ago
      Anonymous

      In some cases it is better, as it his some stabilizer muscles that barbell bench doesn't hit. It also can be useful if you've got asymmetric strength (i.e. left pec stronger than right).
      Don't go pushing yourself until your shoulder is healed up. You do not want to make it worse, trust me.

      • 2 years ago
        Anonymous

        Thanks, but how do I know when it's healed up? I'm just doing internal and external rotation excercises with bands and also doing the overhead stretch with a stick if that makes sense. I feel better than a month ago, but it's probably still there in some way.

        • 2 years ago
          Anonymous

          Keep doing what you're doing, as all that will help it heal up. If you no longer feel any pain and have full range of motion with that shoulder, you're good. If your range of motion is hindered whatsoever and/or moving it in certain ways causes some pain, then you still gotta let it heal.

          • 2 years ago
            Anonymous

            Cool thanks. So basically don't push past pain. I've got no pain at the moment whatsoever (although we'll see what happens when I start upping weights again, but Im confident), tomorrow I have a db chest and db shoulder press day so I'm gonna go ahead and do them. At the moment they are quite low weight with high volume. I'd rather do something than give up and no workout.

            • 2 years ago
              Anonymous

              Get resistance bands, look into stretching, and don't stop at pain, stop at any twinge or discomfort. You gotta nip it in the bud or you'll be back to square one.

              • 2 years ago
                Anonymous

                At the moment the only weird thing or twinge I can think of is when pressing up on a dumbbell shoulder press there's a slight clicking or crack in my left shoulder. No pain or discomfort whatsoever. That fine? Apart from that I'm doing work with resistance bands. I'm trying to strengthen my rotator cuff basically

    • 2 years ago
      Anonymous

      Yeah. I saw jujimufu mention he stopped barbell benching and his bench got better when he competed again. I was the same way too I'd get to just 245lb for rep work and then I'd injure something. It happened consistently.

    • 2 years ago
      Anonymous

      In some cases it is better, as it his some stabilizer muscles that barbell bench doesn't hit. It also can be useful if you've got asymmetric strength (i.e. left pec stronger than right).
      Don't go pushing yourself until your shoulder is healed up. You do not want to make it worse, trust me.

      Thanks, but how do I know when it's healed up? I'm just doing internal and external rotation excercises with bands and also doing the overhead stretch with a stick if that makes sense. I feel better than a month ago, but it's probably still there in some way.

      Keep doing what you're doing, as all that will help it heal up. If you no longer feel any pain and have full range of motion with that shoulder, you're good. If your range of motion is hindered whatsoever and/or moving it in certain ways causes some pain, then you still gotta let it heal.

      Cool thanks. So basically don't push past pain. I've got no pain at the moment whatsoever (although we'll see what happens when I start upping weights again, but Im confident), tomorrow I have a db chest and db shoulder press day so I'm gonna go ahead and do them. At the moment they are quite low weight with high volume. I'd rather do something than give up and no workout.

      Get resistance bands, look into stretching, and don't stop at pain, stop at any twinge or discomfort. You gotta nip it in the bud or you'll be back to square one.

      If youre having shoulder pain you are probably lifting too much weight, too much volume, both, and/or with poor form. I fractured my left shoulder in high school, never did therapy on it, never bothered to correct my form (was young dumb and ego lifting). Caused me chronic pain for literally a decade. Over the last two years I have deloaded like 3 or 4 times. Everytime I do I get far stronger overall.

      How I fixed my shoulder:
      - use light weight (like 1-3 lb) dumbbells before you start with bands. Bands are great but the resistance can make it hard to fix muscle imbalances until you’ve made a mind muscle connection and strengthened it a bit. I warm up before every workout with 3lb dumbbells and do lateral raises, front raises, and bent over T raises targeting my rear delt and scapula
      - most likely if you’re having shoulder pain it’s because your form is bad in one way or another. don’t worry about upping weights just focus on fixing your form. The strength will come much faster once you do. I would suggest even lifting lighter than you think you need to for awhile. Once you stop ego lifting you realize the biggest guys in the gym aren’t doing their max every set. They’re using safe levels of they can move a lot in good form (hypertrophy)
      - lots of band stretching but not too much because I actually reinjured my shoulder multiple times by overdoing it with bands
      - you probably also neglect your back. Deload your back exercises and focus on really tensing the muscles on your bad shoulder side as you lift. Mind muscle connection is everything in my experience. For example part of my interior shoulder pain was because my lats/scapula/rear delt on that side was super weak. I had lost the ability to really pull with them over the years after I fractured it. Deloading and stretching allowed me to fix that
      - dead hangs and active hangs are a really good way to help fix it as well, so them daily

  10. 2 years ago
    Anonymous

    Like 6 years. But instead of switching to bodybuilding style split I just quit lifting for like 2 years. Now a few months into hypertrophy focused lifting and having great results but the ego hit of not lifting the same weights I used to and knowing I probably won't ever do that again is a little demotivating. I value my health and looks a lot more than I did before though so no regrets making the switch.

    • 2 years ago
      Anonymous

      Whats a good Hypertrophy workout plan? Can you list yours? I am also trying to start Hypertrophy. How much % decrease of you weight did you have for Hypertrophy?

      • 2 years ago
        Anonymous

        I'm doing picrel minus the trap shrugs. I got demotivated when tis happened back in February and have only been back in the gym for 2 months now. First month was really light basic shit for my joints to get adapted. I only started this routine recently and didn't think of it as a percentage of my former. I just started from really low and continued from there. Going well so far.

        • 2 years ago
          Anonymous

          I don't get the DB Front Squats, they're shit with adjustable dumbbells, an nobody has a fricking set of Hex DBs at home

        • 2 years ago
          Anonymous

          You can do this while also incorporating strength training

          In Push Day alternate between replacing floor press with 3x5+ Barbell Bench press and replacing db shoulder press with 3x5+ Barbell Shoulder press

          In Pull Day alternate between replacing db rows wiith 3x5+ Barbell Rows and replacing db shrugs with 1x5+ Deadlift

          In leg day alternate between replacing lunges with 3x5+ Barbell Squat and replacing db front squat with 3x5+ Barbell Squat

        • 2 years ago
          Anonymous

          You can do this while also incorporating strength training

          In Push Day alternate between replacing floor press with 3x5+ Barbell Bench press and replacing db shoulder press with 3x5+ Barbell Shoulder press

          In Pull Day alternate between replacing db rows wiith 3x5+ Barbell Rows and replacing db shrugs with 1x5+ Deadlift

          In leg day alternate between replacing lunges with 3x5+ Barbell Squat and replacing db front squat with 3x5+ Barbell Squat

          Also there are no exercises here for upper chest so replace the db floor fly with an db incline fly

      • 2 years ago
        Anonymous

        PPL with a rest day in between and stay within 10-15 rep range for all movements. Weight decrease was extreme but I also was out of the gym for two years and dropped a ton of bodyweight.

        • 2 years ago
          Anonymous

          Reddit ppl if you're a beginner

          >reddit PPL
          But that shit has sets of 5 for the main lifts (deadlifts, squat, bench, OHP, rows). Isn't that bad for hypertrophy?

          • 2 years ago
            Anonymous

            No, there's plenty of high rep volume on the other exercises

      • 2 years ago
        Anonymous

        Reddit ppl if you're a beginner

  11. 2 years ago
    Anonymous

    Coincidentally, today was my last day lifting for all out strength, and I'm switching over to hypertrophy work. I came back to it after years off and told myself I could powerbloat until I plateaud or hit 1234. Today was the day I had to admit that I've plateaud at about 80% whatever. Took me about 6 months of serious lifting.

    Sure I could work hard and bust the plateau and keep on bloating, but this was always the plan anyway so whatevs. Going to keep my squats and hexbar diddlies, but won't be pushing them super hard. Everything else is going to aesthetics.

  12. 2 years ago
    Anonymous

    Longer than it would have if I had been lifting consistently. I still want to reach 300/400/500 though.

  13. 2 years ago
    Anonymous

    Last week when I changed my routine. Moved away from doing full body workouts and to a split body routine. Was doing SL on/off during my college years despite stalling.

  14. 2 years ago
    Anonymous

    I allowed myself to fall into the trap of the whole “eat big to get big” dogma, whilst doing a pathetically low volume of lifting such as that found in 3×5 programs, I do feel that others (especially very young guys who don’t know any lifters IRL) will continue to get suckered into GOMAD whilst doing routines that last no longer than 20-25 minutes and just make them hate what they see in the mirror.

    I know I did. I was fat, injured, still had skinny arms and didn’t lift again for years until more recent times.

    Not to mention, those routines just aren’t fun. They’re billed as “simple” but most of them have some elaborate deload process built in once you plateau that you’d never remember unless you did nothing but read that program day and night.

    I wouldn’t blame the likes of Mark Rippetoe for this trend (he has made numerous clarifications, and has never presented himself as other than a strength coach) but rather the army of dedicated SSers that present the program as the answer to all problems and denigrate anyone doing things differently with endless pejoratives and e-statting.

    They say:

    Wanna get jacked? Do SS. Wanna get aesthetic? Do SS. Wanna bodybuild? Do SS. Wanna become CEO of a Fortune 500 company? Do SS.

    Only on the internet does this madness exist! Only on the internet do people think that squatting and eating a 2000 calorie surplus a day will cut bodyfat, build and sculpt your bicep peak and give you boulder shoulders.

    I’ve never known or met anyone IRL who has looked well built and lean who built themselves up using a low volume, low rep, CNS wrecker of a routine.

    • 2 years ago
      Anonymous

      >that you’d never remember unless you did nothing but read that program day and night.
      yeah dude you gotta read day and night to remember "take 10% of the bar" lmao dude come on

      >I’ve never known or met anyone IRL who has looked well built and lean who built themselves up using a low volume, low rep, CNS wrecker of a routine.
      its suppose to be for a couple of months. What do you get out strawmanning this shit? OH that is rright, yous

      • 2 years ago
        Anonymous

        Groups on the internet, such as the SS forums, have probably left untold amounts of guys disappointed with how they've looked after 3-12 months.

        Meanwhile, the "bro" who goes to the gym and does curls, bench, shoulders and a few chin-ups and leg presses totally blows the SS "student" out of the water, getting bigger arms, shoulders, pecs and upper back without that much fat gain.

        • 2 years ago
          Anonymous

          That's because starting strength is shit.

    • 2 years ago
      Anonymous

      based
      frick SS and all of its apologists
      bunch of fat/skinnyfat Black folk squatting 3 plates while struggling to bench a plate

    • 2 years ago
      Anonymous

      Starting strength has the best poster boy for their program, that lard ass zach evetts. That’s the result you get from GOMAD and following a fatass coach.

      • 2 years ago
        Anonymous

        Chase Lindley is the new poster boy now

  15. 2 years ago
    Anonymous

    ~2 years

    I still squat. I don't really DL. I prefer dumbbells and cables for chest, although I do bench.

  16. 2 years ago
    Anonymous

    the people who do Starting Strength are recognizable immediately ie a big ass, wide hips, small arms, shoulders and minimum 30% bodyfat

  17. 2 years ago
    Anonymous

    most bodybuilding programs with heavy singles thrown in are better powerlifting programs than most powerlifting programs

  18. 2 years ago
    Anonymous

    Still going. I've just started running a training plan for a pr test around new years and after that I might ease off and just train for hypertrophy.

  19. 2 years ago
    Anonymous

    a year maybe two, tired of being in the gym for hours just for five sets
    doing ppl with low rest pauses, looking bigger by the day for not even 45mn per session, Im also skipping legsday even if I have a three plate squats

  20. 2 years ago
    Anonymous

    Everyday a beginner to the gym will ask what program he should do.
    People will usually respond with either Starting Strength or Stronglifts and order them to eat a lot. A few months will pass and the beginner have stalled and is confused with why he’s not gaining any muscle despite putting so much weight on the bar.
    They say he should stick with the program, read the book, get a lot of sleep and eat even more food and not to switch programs unless he’s reached “intermediate” lifts. The beginner sticks with it and runs it for 1 year, while making very little progress.

    Here is where the problem actually lays: Starting Strength and Stronglifts does not actually build muscle, but PEAKS it. In other words, It builds what is already there. Yes! Really!

    Both of these programs are based on Bill Starr’s 5×5 that was made for off-season football players that wanted to get their numbers back up in the weight room with as little work as possible. That is also the case as a beginner. With these programs you’re not actually getting stronger, just adapting to the training, becoming more efficient at moving the bar and getting the central nervous system to handle the work load.

    • 2 years ago
      Anonymous

      duno if its pasta or not
      but I commited the mistake to recommend ss for a huge skellie friend and he didnnt manage to do to the gym for a month straight

    • 2 years ago
      Anonymous

      I did nothing athletic my whole life and then got to a 152.5 kg x 5 squat on SS in my 20s. Are you seriously implying I already had the muscle to be able to do that?

      • 2 years ago
        Anonymous

        Yes, you fricking moron. Starting Strength literally does not produce muscle, it's nerve adaptation and training your body to recruit enough fibers.

        Do you seriously believe you're building any muscle mass doing 5 reps?

    • 2 years ago
      Anonymous

      This is exactly where I am, what is a good alternative?

    • 2 years ago
      Anonymous

      >With these programs you’re not actually getting stronger, just adapting to the training, becoming more efficient at moving the bar and getting the central nervous system to handle the work load.
      I remember Alan Thrall pointed that out on why people stall in SL/SS programs

  21. 2 years ago
    Error: You seem to have mistyped the CAPTCHA. Please try again.

    Just do Reddit PPL bros

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