Testimony from the "hardest gainer"

Hi SS Forum,

My name is Tselot Kifle. I started training on my own after learning the lifts from a SS certified coach. At the time I was 24 years old, and weighed in at 130lbs soaking wet. I'm also 6ft 3in. I am Ethiopian so I've always accepted that I was genetically doomed to be the hardest gainer of them all. Until SS. I gained 30lbs in less than two months.

Here are my starting lifts: 08/2017

Body weight: 130lbs
Sq: 65 (5)
Bp: 65 (5)
Dl: 85 (85)

Current: 160lbs
Sq: 220 (5)
Bp: 110 (5)
Dl: 225 (5)


I stayed consistent for the 3 months and then had a major lay off. I was inconsistent after that. Hit and miss in the gym. Not eating enough is the hardest part for me. Last month I decided to hire a SS coach. I train with him three times a week. I was delighted to discover I still have some linearity left in the tank. I'm still working at it but I wanted to share my progress. I'm hoping to gain another 25-30lbs.

Fantastic! Well done Tselot. Thanks for sharing your SS story.

Funny how even the hard gainers seem to do well on Starting Strength, even if it's not run ideally. It's almost as if even though physiology and genetics differ, the general adaptation process is more or less identical for 99% of the population.

Congrats on your progress, Tselot!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Brodie Butland

Funny how even the hard gainers seem to do well on Starting Strength, even if it's not run ideally. It's almost as if even though physiology and genetics differ, the general adaptation process is more or less identical for 99% of the population.b

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Having been immersed in the hardgainer world for some years prior to arrival here, in reality, the main difference in approach between SS and hardgainer philosophy consists of a more positive mental attitude found here. Less hopelessness and negativity so often found embedded in the DNA there. Coupled with the SS models for lifting, much of the novice programming is similar. Where SS and hardgainers would part company is their long term use of microloading to progress after novice gains stall.