New to strength training and SS forum

[SHOLCOMB72]

I wanted to say thanks to thanks to Ripp and all SS members for the book, Youtube videos and the podcast. I have been lifting weights 5-6 days a week for the last 10 years and I didn't have much to show for it. I looked like a guy that worked out but was getting fatter and weaker every year. I finally decided I didn't know what I was doing and the guidance I was getting from the magazines and bros over the years wasn't ever going to work. I thought strength training was for guys in the military, prison or football players. I also thought it was a good way to hurt myself. On January 1st 2016 I decided I was going to do everything different and that meant no more pump routines and staying comfortable. I made a few Google searches and SS seemed to pop up everywhere so between the SS and Muscle for Life websites I had enough information to start doing deadlifts, squats, military and weighted chins in the 5 rep range with a goal to progress every week. I wasn't doing ANY of these lifts before because they were intimidating and uncomfortable.

Fast forward 9.5 months and I have doubled my DL and squat, put 75lbs on chins and the side effect of this has dropped my body fat from around 20% to around 10%. I'm 43 and my physique has never looked better and I do less than half the sets, reps and days at the gym. Oh also some of the nagging aches and pains I had learned to ignore have basically gone away. Thinking about it I'm a little pissed off that I didn't find this out sooner in my weight training life. Strength training at Golds gym is a little lonely at 5:00am but I have the racks all to myself. Thanks for your time and feedback.

[DingusMingus]

Awesome, congrats--that's serious progress in strength, wellbeing, body composition, everything!