If looking bigger is the goal...

[mathgainer]

Let's say someone has reached a 200lb bench, 300lb squat and 400lb deadlift using whatever progression they required (including intermediate programming).

What is the benefit of trying to increase past these numbers? Even these numbers seem to be far in excess of what is needed in daily life. A washing machine weighs 70kg.

Is it not just adding unnecessary stress and fatigue to your daily life once you have reached those numbers?

Yes, continue to exercise and lift. But I don't see the point of continuing to push for PR's on a regular basis. It is like someone continuing to study degree after degree after obtaining their first one.

Unless it happens to be your job e.g. a strongman or powerlifter.

Well what about getting bigger, surely a skinny ectomorph who has reached those numbers won't have gained much size?

What about just eating more? Gaining size through getting to an 800lb deadlift requires eating excessive amounts of food anyway, far in excess of what is needed to put on bodyfat. So why not just continue eating in a surplus after reaching those numbers, and continuing to exercise?

tl;dr: Someone has reached the numbers stated above, and is keeping themselves healthy through regular exercise, and doesn't look "small" in clothes. Why would they need to continue increasing their lifts? Am I missing something?

If someone says "looking bigger through muscle is better than looking bigger through body fat". Isn't this a contradiction of what Rippetoe said about looking bigger in clothes being the more important thing? (Razor sharp abs are nonsense, etc.) Also the person still has a decent amount of muscle to be able to maintain those numbers.

[Mark Rippetoe]

Breathtaking stupidity. This guy is not even a troll.

[Jason Donaldson]

Mathgainer, understand that what I'm about to say is constructive, and coming from a genuine care and compassion for you, and a very real sympathy. If I read you right, you remind me of myself some time ago. I overthought things, and had a deep-rooted and subconscious misunderstanding that training needed to make complete sense to me before I could do it. I was obsessed with exhaustive analytical comprehension.

And I never got strong, and I never stuck with it. I got injured, or thought I did, a lot. Life being what it is, I fell away from physical activity almost completely.

Eight years ago, in my mid 40s, after far too long being fat, weak, and frail, I finally started really training, and I leaned into the NLP. I quickly picked up the necessary basic conceptual understanding, and then DID, instead of THOUGHT. What I gained experientially then finally came to inform my thinking, once I had the experience to form the thought process, instead of the other way around.

And dammit, I finally got STRONG.

The ?/200/300/400 you mention is a waypoint for a male lifter, but those numbers aren't even the "you've probably done the program" sticker numbers. Half a lifetime ago, I too thought a 200 lb bench was amazing, but it's just not. I had a 190 bench in my early 20s, from just pushups, calisthenics, and martial arts... Now here I am at my age with a 270 lb PRESS, and still adding. Not because I'm awesome, but because it's just that attainable.

I know all too well how hard it is for some of us to calm our brains down, submit to a program, and just do it. But let a kindred soul tell you: It's absolutely worth it. Trust the experience of those who've done it, and invest about a year in really doing the program. You'll earn your own real experience, you'll own your understanding, and it will pay massive dividends in strength and everything that comes with building it.

And if you just can't quiet the overanalysis right now? Well, I get it, believe me. Then go your way in peace, my friend. The program and the principles aren't going away - they'll be there for you. And so will we.

[Alexander Dargatz]

Mathgainer,
how old are you?
I don't even understand what it is you're asking.
I suggest you train and gain and reach those numbers. They are not as high as you seem to think they are.

tl;dr: Someone has reached the numbers stated above, and is keeping themselves healthy through regular exercise, and doesn't look "small" in clothes. Why would they need to continue increasing their lifts?

Nobody "needs" to do anything. Do as you want. I want to increase my numbers. The journey is the destination, and stronger is always better than weaker.

Am I missing something?

A lot.
Some of it may become apparent when you squat 400.

[Maybach]

Yeah no one with a 300 pound squat looks small in clothes. At that point, you're basically a powerlifter. Time to switch over to hypertrophy.

[biggah_traps]

Let's say someone has reached a 200lb bench, 300lb squat and 400lb deadlift using whatever progression they required (including intermediate programming).

What is the benefit of trying to increase past these numbers? Even these numbers seem to be far in excess of what is needed in daily life. A washing machine weighs 70kg.

Is it not just adding unnecessary stress and fatigue to your daily life once you have reached those numbers?

Yes, continue to exercise and lift. But I don't see the point of continuing to push for PR's on a regular basis. It is like someone continuing to study degree after degree after obtaining their first one.

Unless it happens to be your job e.g. a strongman or powerlifter.

Well what about getting bigger, surely a skinny ectomorph who has reached those numbers won't have gained much size?

What about just eating more? Gaining size through getting to an 800lb deadlift requires eating excessive amounts of food anyway, far in excess of what is needed to put on bodyfat. So why not just continue eating in a surplus after reaching those numbers, and continuing to exercise?

tl;dr: Someone has reached the numbers stated above, and is keeping themselves healthy through regular exercise, and doesn't look "small" in clothes. Why would they need to continue increasing their lifts? Am I missing something?

If someone says "looking bigger through muscle is better than looking bigger through body fat". Isn't this a contradiction of what Rippetoe said about looking bigger in clothes being the more important thing? (Razor sharp abs are nonsense, etc.) Also the person still has a decent amount of muscle to be able to maintain those numbers.

You plan to continue eating in a surplus and gaining weight without gaining muscle? So you'll intentionally fat fuck yourself? More muscle vs less fat is a trade off people make in different ways, this is just a bizarre desire to get the worst of both worlds

[SouthernLifter]

You can learn physics and mathematics at a university, but they certainly won't teach you not to be a complete idiot there.

[Griffin727]

If your goal is to look like a 150 pound small but ripped frat guy go ahead, but if you want to fill out a XXL T shirt and not be fat you may want to up those numbers to. 400, 600, 700. Also a 700 pound stone is harder to lift then a 700 pound deadlift. Once you understand this you will see why your thinking is wrong.

[Wilderlife]

No one has ever been 'too strong'. The stronger you are, the easier it is to do things that are important. The older you get, the more important your strength will become. Besides being useful, it will help to prevent injury due to more muscle supporting your skeletal structure and higher bone density.

[dalan]

Because being slightly stronger than an average untrained person isn't enough for most people who like to lift. Because normal sucks. Because when you get old and progress naturally stops and starts to go backwards, you have a much longer and slower decline than if you peaked at "good enough."