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Thread: Toughest part about getting big and strong on your own?

  1. #1
    Join Date
    May 2022
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    66

    Default Toughest part about getting big and strong on your own?

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    I know there are probably a ton of people out there who have gotten very big and strong on their own at home - no coaching, no commercial gym, no trainer, etc.,

    I am a few months into the NLP and pretty excited with the results thus far. I've never done an ounce of lifting anywhere except for home or my work's small gym.
    I've got my power rack and plenty of weights and a good barbell, so I'm not worried about having the equipment to get very strong.

    My question is, for those of you who have never had any formal coaching or teaching, what were the biggest challenges that you faced along the way?
    Was it primarily form (cues, etc.) or motivation?

    I feel like my lifts are pretty solid from a form standpoint, I've read the blue and gray books, and read most every article on this website and watched most videos. However, I still wonder if at some point once the weights get really heavy, if I would be much better off seeking out a coach to work on minor form issues, programming, etc. ?

    Thanks in advance for any input, experiences, and such from those of you who do it all on your own (with the help of the SS program and community of course).

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jun 2019
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    1,912

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    Quote Originally Posted by aschaul10 View Post
    However, I still wonder if at some point once the weights get really heavy, if I would be much better off seeking out a coach to work on minor form issues, programming, etc. ?
    Don't wait that long. Get your form looked at now, so you can internalize and practice the corrections when the weights are lighter. When the weights get heavy, you have a greater chance of having form break down, which will happen, but if you have poor form to begin with, you could get hurt. That might require a significant reset. Or, if you wait until the weights are heavy to seek out a coach, the corrections may also require a significant reset. So consult with one now, then at regular intervals after that, in-person if at all possible.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jun 2020
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    223

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    I think there are a lot of us who go alone for quite a while. My strong advice though would be get in front of a SSC sooner rather than later. I thought i had my squat dialed in after 3 yrs+ of solo training (just the books/videos etc). I then went to a SSC, he still found several issues, i then had to de-program my way and do it properly ! It makes all the difference.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jun 2021
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    Winter Springs, FL
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    Do you video your sessions and try to coach yourself? Everybody is subject to "form creep." I can't add anything beyond what's already available in the forums. You need to have somebody look at your lifts on a periodic basis or you are guaranteed to slowly pick up bad habits that are hard to break.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    May 2020
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    I've lifted for over 50 years. With rare exceptions, motivation has never been an issue. Unlike when I started, there is a lot of useful (and useless or worse) information readily available and filming one's lifts doesn't require someone holding a large expensive recording device.

    When I started out, there were a lot of powerlifters who were willing to share advice. As Mark would probably tell you if asked, much of what we thought we knew decades ago was incorrect.

    After a few months of watching online videos, reading and recording your own lifts, you may know more than some coaches. When I work out in a commercial gym, I frequently get asked by trainers for advice. If you can find and afford a good coach, don't wait until you have developed bad habits.

  6. #6
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    Feb 2020
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    I think that, of course, the best thing is to have someone that knows what they're doing teach you. Failing that, you can get strong on your own. People do it all the time. There's enough books and videos out there that anyone should be able to pick up the movements. Having a good coach will definitely speed up the process about a hundred times over though. The squat and deadlift especially have a ton of little things that a novice might not pick up on unless someone watches them perform the lifts and makes the necessary corrections.

    TLDR: Get a coach if you can but if you can't, read and watch as much as you can and be critical of yourself.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    May 2020
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    I've lifted for over 50 years. With rare exceptions, motivation has never been an issue. Unlike when I started, there is a lot of useful (and useless or worse) information readily available and filming one's lifts doesn't require someone holding a large expensive recording device.

    When I started out, there were a lot of powerlifters who were willing to share advice. Unfortunately, much of what we thought we knew decades ago was incorrect.

    After a few months of watching online videos, reading and recording your own lifts, you may know more than some coaches. When I work out in a commercial gym, I frequently get asked by trainers for advice. If you can find and afford a good coach, don't wait until you have developed bad habits.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Feb 2020
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    2,421

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    The toughest part about doing the NLP on your own is not quitting when you run into your four month elbow tendinitis session when the squat starts approaching 300 and you want to die.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Oct 2014
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    This sums it up nicely.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Aug 2017
    Location
    Colorado
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    427

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    starting strength coach development program
    Quote Originally Posted by Jovan Dragisic View Post
    The toughest part about doing the NLP on your own is not quitting when you run into your four month elbow tendinitis session when the squat starts approaching 300 and you want to die.
    This^

    And transitioning from novice to intermediate.

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