Caitlin doing SS in Melbourne, Australia

[Kyle Schuant]

I've often told clients that I wish I'd filmed their first sessions so they could look back at them three months later. What'll strike you is not just the change in the weights lifted, but how good the movement's become. Finally I'm doing this, one woman's training for three months will be recorded here.

Caitlin is a young woman who has done the usual cardio and light weights, and has become interested in lifting heavier and getting stronger. She has no significant injury issues, so provided she shows up regularly and eats plenty of good food, her progress should be steady and rapid for three months or so, after which she should be able to squat 60kg, press 30kg, bench press and powerclean 40kg, and deadlift 80kg - or thereabouts, people vary a bit in this.

We'll follow her in her journey for these three months. I will coach Caitlin using the Starting Strength method, which means that in her first session she'll squat, press and deadlift, and we'll work up to a weight she can do reasonably comfortably for 3 sets of 5. Below is her first workout, I include the last work set from each exercise.

What you'll see here is what we usually see in the first few sessions or barbell work, that she quickly gets the basic idea of the movements, but the bar wobbles a bit - it's not easy to control a 220cm 20kg piece of steel - and the trunk is a bit unstable, particularly the lower back. This is okay. New coaches and internet commentators will expect a perfect movement in the first three sets. This shows a lack of understanding of the process of training: we don't expect someone to squat 100kg on their first day, nor do we expect a perfect squat on the first day, it's a process. It starts light, and gets heavier, it starts rough and gets better.

Over time as she becomes more confident in the movements and stronger, things will become steadier. But she has a good start.

[Kyle Schuant]

In the Starting Strength method, in the first session the lifter learns to squat, press and deadlift, with women working up to 3 sets of 5 with a weight which is just beginning to slow the bar down. In the second session they'll squat again with a slightly heavier weight, learn the bench press and the powerclean.

With squats, typically in the first session we focus on getting the movement right in the hips, this means "knees out" and "hip drive", ie using the glutes and hamstrings to get the weight up. Once they have that down, in the second or later sessions we look at the grip and upper back. We use the low-bar back squat, which means the bar sits just below the spine of the scapula and on top of the posterior deltoids. People will tend to bend their wrists and let the weight rest on it, which is fine with the 20kg empty bar, but less than ideal with 100kg. In this video, you can see that we're trying to get her to straighten her wrists and pull the bar down into her back.

Caitlin spends a bit too long thinking about all this, and it's hard to hold the bar there for a whole minute. We may have started the weight a bit high for her, we'll just add a smaller amount next time and in a week or two it'll sort itself out.

Bench press is a bit simpler, keep your shoulders back, pick a point on the ceiling directly above you, lower the bar down and press it up, reset shoulders if necessary.

The powerclean like all quick lifts comes from the hips. It's the rapid hip extension that gets the weight up. But people will want to use their arms to get it up, in this respect good upper body strength actually makes learning the powerclean harder. We were a bit hurried at the end of the session so didn't have the time to stop Caitlin trying to row the weight up. That's alright, the weight will go up, and at some point be too much for her to heave up, so she'll have to use her hips.

Some say it takes years to learn barbell movements. In personal training courses squats are described as an "advanced" exercise, not sure what that makes cleans and snatches. The basics can be learned in ten minutes, or a few sessions at worst, it's a lifetime to master.

Caitlin expressed surprise that after the first warmup sets her soreness from last time was gone. This is common, if you wait for the soreness of the first session to go away it could be most of a week, too long. Just ignore it, come in and lift anyway, you'll feel better soon.

She was also surprised that squatting 30 and 35kg felt so much easier than just two days ago.
"Yes, you're stronger."
"In just two days?"
"The first adaptations are not growing new muscles, but learning to use the muscles you've already got, and learning the movement."

She also reports a ferocious appetite after lifting. This is normal, eat plenty of good food.

[Miro]

This is really cool. I can imagine how gratifying it's going to feel to watch your trainee grow in both strength and confidence.

[Kyle Schuant]

It's great, yes. As I said, while obviously the weight on the bar goes up, what really strikes you is the difference in movement quality. Even someone who doesn't know about lifting, or the sport, or dancing or whatever it is, can tell the difference between the newbie and the experienced one.

It's also useful for other people to see that even when you start off rough, you will eventually get good, provided you just keep showing up and doing it. Most of us when we start feel we'll be terrible forever.

[armo]

This is really cool. Watching with interest!

[krazyduck]

Good thread. Keep it coming.

[Kyle Schuant]

She'll have another session tonight, but posted a selfie to her friends on facebook (just to her friends, so I can't pass it on) and reports,

"Did you know that you can still be mean and lean without having to diet? Photographic proof! Today's meal consisted of 3 bananas with peanut butter, a quarter of a cake, 6 chicken schnitzels, 4 biscuits and a smoothie. And that's nothing.

"About a year ago I thought the solution was to cut calories and max out constantly. Whilst that worked temporarily I quickly gained the weight I lost as soon as I stopped high intensity training.

"About a month ago, I started strength training with Athletic Club East and I will never look back. In order to get my gains I have to eat, eat, eat! And look at the results.

"To anyone who is wants to look great and not have to kill yourself doing so, I seriously recommend getting involved with the Club. Best life decision ever!"

She's not actually too fussed about losing fat, but she has a lot of friends who are, so is trying to present it that way. It also makes me think of my wife who competed at a powerlifting meet yesterday, and when she began lifting, she insisted I not put her bodyweight up when discussing it. Today she said, "make sure they know I was injured and that's why I didn't lift as much!" In the beginning people worry about the weight on the scales, a year later they worry about the weight on the bar.

[BareSteel]

Awesome, Kyle. She already showed more confidence in her squat after just two sessions. Sounds like she has a great trainer and the right attitude.

[Kyle Schuant]

Today's episode includes 6 chicken schnitzels, a surprisingly explosive squat, and screams for mercy.

A tight trunk is most important in barbell lifts. Notice from the first to third session Caitlin's lower back moves around less. She still struggles in standing up straight at the top of the squat, tending to lean forward, and in setting up for the press wanted to have her elbows resting on her body and leaning back. It takes time to realise that you need to turn your body into a tight column of muscle to support a heavy barbell. Practice.

She's getting better. See especially that her 40kg squat from today is quicker and more explosive than her 35kg squat from the first session. From Tuesday to Sunday she's stronger, and so explosive than in the second rep she loses her footing. We've let the beast strength out of the cage, now we need to tame it, control the force so that it all goes into the barbell.

[Miro]

Once I have built a home gym (by the end of this year) I will get a PVC pipe or a foam roller (whichever is cheaper) and roll it around me. Gotta see what all the fuss is about.

In any case, keep it up! Both the squat and deadlift look good. Now she just needs to press the right way and she will be golden for life.