Size and strength vs gym bunny

[fluxboy]

Hey Rip et al!

So I've been a little bummed over the past few weeks because progress is slowing, eveyone looks bigger, no one does squats, power cleans, or deadlifts, yet ... everyone ... looks ... bigger.

Perhaps some of you can relate to this.

Anyway, I saw a real weightlifter in my gym today, 250 lbs, 6'5", push pressed 225 lbs for a few sets, and I was reminded why I adopted Rip. A genuinely strong man steps in the room, and you notice. Instant respect. Even the muscles appear different, if that makes any sense. They just look thicker and smoother without that watery, inflated look to them.

Talking to the cat, I got the impression he could tear me in half.

I just thought I'd mention this because I know sometimes I get lulled into wondering if some cosmetic bodybuilding wouldn't be in order ... then you meet someone with real muscle, capable of driving hundreds of pounds overhead repeatedly, and they look so much better, and command so much more respect than the 'iPod, abs & guns' crowd, there simply is no comparison.

So Rip, I seriously need another forty pounds of bodyweight, and the strength to match ... any suggestions?

Experimental is fine. Faster is better.

I'm cool.

http://www.fluxboy3000.blogspot.com/

Best,
Flux

[Mark Rippetoe]

You fool, you're doing everything right, you're gaining weight, getting stronger, and you're bitching about your progress. What ambitious young trainee wouldn't be impatient? So here's your test: do you have the gumption to do your homework and stick to the program in the face of the temptation to try something that supposedly speeds things up? This is when the lazy bastards try to find steroids.

Will you pass the test?

[rocko]

I completely relate to this post. I've been on SS for a little over 4 months and have gained a little over 20lbs. My lifts have increased considerably, especially the deadlift and the squat. Some people who know have noticed the changes, but overall I look like an average tall guy (as opposed to a skinny bastard, which I was).
There are plenty of guys at the gym I go to who are still bigger than I am. The great majority of them spend their time doing different versions of the bicep curl as their #1 exercise. The few who do squats do them above parallel.
Some of them look at me at disbelief when they see the kind of weigth I squat. One of the big guys actually told me once that that was pretty good weight for me and then he said he used to lift heavy weigths like that when he was younger, but no longer now that he's 50.
Then there is this other guy who's the bodybuilder type, who spends a lot of time on the leg press and hack squat machines. He can bench press more than what he squats. He's in fact a big guy but he barely squats about 5lbs more than me, a 4 month novice trainee on SS. The worst part of it is that there are a bunch of wanna be bodybuilders who hang out with this dude like a bunch of cheerleaders and keep complimenting him on his biceps.
It's a very sad state of affairs and it can discourage you when you see nearly everyone around you doing exactly the opposite to what you've learned from Mark's books and this forum.
However, ocassionally you find someone who's big and freaking strong. There is one fellow at the gym I go to who's like that. He doesn't have pretty muscles like the bodybuilder type, but he can lift some serious weight and he's been lifting for years. And guess what, he knows who Mark Rippetoe is. When you see that, you realize you're not alone. You just have a long way to go.
Sorry Mark, I know this is long, but I just had to let my frustration out

[Mark Rippetoe]

Most people will never train correctly, because it is hard. I can't think of a better way to sort the wheat from the chaff.

[McKirdyP]

Find a new gym !

[fluxboy]

Hey thanks for the feedback, Rocco, I was sure I wasn't alone. Actually, when I talked to the giant, he gave me some advice:

"Just keep doing squats."

"So here's your test: do you have the gumption to do your homework and stick to the program in the face of the temptation to try something that supposedly speeds things up? This is when the lazy bastards try to find steroids."
-The Ripper

I guarantee you, Rip, I'll pass on the 'roids. I like my body chemistry just the way it is, thank you very much. And I like my balls even more. However, I might dabble a little with the routine. Provided I'm doing a healthy dose of squats, deadlifts, power cleans, and presses, eating a good wallop of food, and increasing the poundages ... it's okay to fine tune things a little, yes?

Best,
Flux

[Gordon Bombay]

Most people will never train correctly, because it is hard. I can't think of a better way to sort the wheat from the chaff.

I might be in the extreme minority here, but I actually find training for strength (5 rep sets, long rest period) easier than bodybuilding type training (10+ rep sets, short rest period). Maybe it's psychological because I find the former way more satisfying, but high volume training does seem to tire me out so much.

[Jamie J. Skibicki]

The first time you clean what some beach muscle pumped gym bunny deadlifts, you'll get you own crowd of cheerleaders.

[Robert Callahan]

Who cares if the body builder guys in your gym still look more inflated than you do. If you are lifting more weights than they are you are stronger than them regardless of size. So when you see a guy 1/4 squating less than you full depth squat you can tell yourself, well he may look bigger but i am a shit load stronger and that is all that matters

-Robert

[Chucky]

One of the big guys actually told me once that that was pretty good weight for me and then he said he used to lift heavy weigths like that when he was younger, but no longer now that he's 50.

I'm 50, and the best thing that ever happened to me as far as busting through a decades-long plateau was my discovering the squat through Starting Strength. Really.