Novice period - 3 to 9 months - Why?

[ToyStory]

Hello Coach Rippetoe,

I have book Practical Programming Of Strength Training 2nd edition. There you say that the novice stage lasts - 3 to 9 months. My questions is what determines that?

Is the lenght of novice stage determined by how underweight you were compared to someone else? And why some people get to the intermediate level in 3 months. There is a big difference between 3 and 9 months.

If you are going to be a novice for 9 months does this mean that you start with a 95 squat and after 9 months it's 350-405?

This is me. Am I doing it right?

SQ - 95lbs to 285x5
Bench - 65lbs to 180lbs
Press - 45lbs to 119lbs
Deadlift - 95lbs to 375
Power clean - 55lbs to 145lbs

BW 145 to 191
Height - 6' (181)

I needed 6 months to get to this if I don't count the first few weeks I needed to learn how to do hip drive. Am I one of those 9 month novices ?

[Mark Rippetoe]

You do not understand the concept of a "range"?

[halbritt]

BW 145 to 191
Height - 6' (181)

Who cares. You still need to gain some weight.

[ToyStory]

I'm sorry. I know what range is.

But let's say you are a novice for 9 months. Are you expected to sustain around 10 - 15lbs weekly progress on squat during all those months. In Practical Programming, p.111 you said:" A simple recycling of the training intensity will work once, and maybe twice."
If you do only two restarts for 9 months the squat will be very high even if you start with bar. Is that possible or the 9 months novices are people like me that are more underweighted than the other novices who needed only 3 months to get to the same point - good bodyweight/height ratio?

[Mark Rippetoe]

You do not know what our definition of novice is.

[Chipmissioner]

You stop being a novice when the novice program and its linear progression stops working for you. You do not stop being a novice at "X" bodyweight based on your height, or at a 2.0 BW squat/1.5 BW bench/2.5 BW dead, or any other arbitrary number.

[ToyStory]

Thank you for the answers. I know the definition of novice - until you need more time to recover from doing squat and you start do squat increase by 5lbs a week.

I know that but why there are novice you get to 315-405 squat for 3 months and there are others who get to 315-405 squat in 9 months? Isn't it because the short period novices have good bodyweight/ration?

[Greg C]

noob.jpg

Jesus. It's not really that hard, is it?

Because Noob A =/= Noob B.

[DanO_123]

Not everyone gets stuck at the same weight in novice progression. Some will squat beyond 405lbs some will get stuck at 250lbs others are genetic freaks who will stay novices till they are squatting lots more.

9months is probably genetic freak

3 months = bad genetics or someone who has a lot of prior training experience and will require intermediate programming sooner.

[Jonathan Vechet]

Don't forget simple technique problems.

When I began in late December my working squat weight was only 185lbs. I just did 275lbs for 5/4/3 on Friday. I reset the weight several times due to mobility and form issues. I also taught myself to squat, and I'm an idiot, so it took a little longer than it should have had I had a coach.

You're not me. I'm not you. Neither of us are that other guy. A lot of your weights have tripled since you started. I wish I had that problem.