1

Just Some Of The Guys Whose Bodies And Life Changed:

2
A Couple of Guys Whose Strength Skyrocketed
After utting !y Ad"ice to Work:
3
Who The #eck $s !ehdi%
If you are not familiar with Mehdi, he is a 400lbs Squatter, 500lbs Deadlifter and highly
sought after strength coach with over 15 years of inthetrenches e!"erience "resently
communicating his advice to #million guys each year$ %is website StrongLifts.com is the
"remier strength and muscle building resource in the world, and has so far reached more
than 15million guys in only & years$ %is StrongLifts Community is the biggest strength
community counting over '0,000 Members from 1() countries$ *s an author, Mehdi+s
StrongLifts 5x5 program has been "raised on thousands of websites including Men+s
%ealth, ,odybuilding$com, -nation, .aceboo/, My"rotein and too many others to list$
Mehdi+s "rivate clients routinely "ay u"wards from 0'$4(5$00 for his "owerful advice1 with
over (52 re"eating business with him$ -here+s usually a waiting list and client candidates
first have to fill in an a""lication form describing their stats, goals and motivation$ 3ou can
get a concise "resentation of the strength and muscle building strategies he ran/s as
essential in this new 5!5 re"ort, at no cost whatsoever$
If you can handle a candid, nobullshit a""roach to weight training, free of all the myths
s"read by muscle maga4ines, and you+re eager to discover why the ma5ority of guys in the
gym never get the body and strength they really want, then this 5!5 re"ort is mustreading$
4
-he 5!5 6e"ort$ 7o"yright 8 '010 and beyond by Strong9ifts ,:,*$
Some 6ights 6eserved$
&ou may distribute this boo/ freely via email, faceboo/, twitter and any other means$ 3ou may lin/
to this boo/+s download "age at htt";<<stronglifts$com<5!5re"ort$html from your website, blog,
forum, faceboo/, twitter$ 3ou may "rint this boo/ and leave a co"y at your gym and<or give co"ies
to your friends$ 3ou may bundle this boo/ as a free bonus with other "roducts as long as it is left
com"letely intact, unaltered and delivered via the =D. file$ 3ou may re"ublish &00 words e!cer"ts
from this boo/ as long as they are accom"anied by an attribution lin/ bac/ to htt";<<stronglifts$com<
&ou may 'OT alter, transform, or build u"on this boo/ without the e!"ress written "ermission from
the author$ 3ou may >?- translate this boo/ to any other languages without the e!"ress written
"ermission from the author$ 3ou may >?- sell this boo/$
The information in this (ook is for educational purposes only) -he ideas, conce"ts, and
o"inions e!"ressed in this boo/ are based on the author+s "ersonal e!"erience, his inter"retation
of available research, and the e!"erience of his Strong9ifts Members$ -his boo/ is >?- medical
advice, nor is it intended to re"lace it, and the author is >?- a doctor$
*lthough weight lifting has statistically the lowest rate of in5ury, you should be cautioned that there
is an inherent ris/ with any form of "hysical activity$ Systematic bad technique and<or using more
weight than you should be handling because you got carried away by your ego, are reci"es for
in5uries$ 9ac/ of fle!ibility or bad "osture from years of inactivity can also lead to "ains and in5uries$
It is im"erative that before beginning any training "rogram or diet, including any as"ect of the
StrongLifts 5x5 program, you receive full medical clearance from a licensed "hysician$
-he author and S-6?>@9I.-S ,:,* claim no res"onsibility to any "erson or entity for any
liability, loss or damage caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly as a result of the use,
a""lication or inter"retation of the material in this boo/$ -he author "rimary+s language is .rench,
not Anglish, so misinter"retation is "ossible$ 3ou are solely res"onsible for your choices and
actions$ If you don+t agree, "lease delete this boo/ from your com"uter and move on$
Avery results testimonial in this boo/ is from a real Strong9ifts Member$ >o one was "aid for a
testimonial or endorsement$ ,efore and after "ictures were not retouched or altered$ 6esults
Bbodyweight, body fat "ercentage, measurements, etcC were selfre"orted by the Strong9ifts
Member and therefore cannot be confirmed$ Strength stats were often verified using videos$
Strong9ifts Members all benefit from social su""ort, accountability and encouragement from other
Members$ Dithout this social su""ort you may not get the same results$ Dithout doing the "rogram
as laid out, your ty"ical results may differ$ In the end, you may get no results at all if you 5ust read
this boo/ without actually a""lying anything$ -here+s no such thing as a Silver ,ullet$
5
Ta(le of Contents
$ntroduction
%ow -his 5!5 6e"ort Dill 7hange 3our ,ody *nd 9ife .orever$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$#
EI was s/e"tical$$$ I gave it a try$$$ I got hoo/ed$F$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$11
art $ * #o+ to ,-ALL& Gain !uscle and Strength
*re 3ou Sic/ *nd -ired of -raining
Avery Day Dith 9ittle or >o 6esults to Show .orG$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$15
-raining Secrets .rom *rnold Schwar4enegger$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$1H
Dho Alse Dants a Dorld 7lass =hysiqueG$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$1(
%ow Alite ,odybuilders ,uild -heir =hysique -oday$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$'0
Dhy 3ou Must -rain .or Strength Aven If @aining Muscle Is 3our @oal$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$'1
-he Ironic Difference ,etween ,odybuilders *nd Strength -rainers$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$''
E,ut *ll -hose @uys Ise SteroidsJJ(F$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$'H
%ow to @ain Muscle Dithout @etting ,ul/y$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$'(
Dhy =ersonal -rainers @et Sued$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$&1
art $$ . StrongLifts /0/: The 1ltimate Strength and !uscle Building rogram
Dhat -he %ec/ Is -his 5!5 Method *nywayG$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$&5
@ive Me 1' Dee/s *nd I+ll @ive 3ou
-he Kind ?f ,ody *nd Strength 3ou *lways Danted$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$41
E-hey *ll 9aughed Dhen I Started Dith -he Am"ty ,arbell,
,ut -heir 9aughter 7hanged to *ma4ement Dhen -hey
Saw Me Squatting ''5 =ounds 1' Dee/s 9aterJF$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$44
*ma4ing Secret Discovered ,y @ree/ Drestler *dds ?ver 100 =ounds
-o 3our 9ifts Avery Month *nd Su"er7harges 3our Motivation$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$45
,eyond Strong9ifts 5!5 -he Strong9ifts 9adder of Strength$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$4(
art $$$ * 2uestions and Ans+ers
1) 6easons Dhy 3ou May Say E>oF to My ?ffer
to @ive Strong9ifts 5!5 * .ree 1'Dee/ -rial$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$51
art $3 * /4 ,eal*Life Success Stories
E,ut My ,ody Is DifferentF$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$H)
'0'#y olds$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$H#
&0&#y olds$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$1'0
404#y olds$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$15(
50H5y olds$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$1(&
1&1#y olds$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$1()
art 3 * ,esources
%ow to Master -echnique on the Squat, ,ench, Deadlift, =ress, 6ow$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$'0#
%ow ?ften %ave 3ou Started a >ew -raining =rogram ?nly to
.all ?ff -he Dagon Dee/s 9ater *nd @ive I"G$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$'10
6
=age intentionally left blan/
+++)stronglifts)com
7
$ntroduction
8
#o+ This /0/ ,eport Will Change
&our Body And Life 5ore"er
Inside this 5!5 re"ort, I+m first going to share the secret to gaining roc/ hard muscle L and
then I+ll reveal the "owerful "roven training strategy that to" bodybuilders and gold medal
?lym"ic athletes used, and still use, to build their world class "hysiques and strength$
-he results you can e!"ect from the training method you will do in the coming months are
going to sound to good to be true$ Kee" in mind that I will bac/ u" my claims with genuine,
real world "roof from my very own Strong9ifts Members and "rivate clients$ So don+t ta/e
my word for it$ %ere are 5ust some of the things my "rogram will do for you$$$
Gain !uscle) A!"ect to gain '5lbs of raw muscle your first year of training$ *dd
another 1'lbs your '
nd
year and Hlbs your third year if you stic/ to the "rogression I+ll
show you$ So that+s 4&lbs of 1002 "ure, natural muscle that you can achieve, even
if you have Ebad geneticsF li/e me or have been training for 10 years already$ $
6e"elop Brute Strength) 3ou+ll gain a massive amount of strength on all your lifts
and will get stronger than (02 of the guys in the gym Beven the big steroidusing
guys weighing &0lbs more than youC$ -his strength strength will carry over to s"orts
but also daily activities li/e "ic/ing u" heavy ob5ects, carrying groceries or moving
furniture$ *ll of this will be easier and you+ll be im"ressing your friends$
-liminate Stu((orn 5at) 3our body fat will automatically go down by increasing
your muscle mass$ Man boobs and belly fat will finally vanish$ *nd since e!ercise
ma/es you stic/ to your diet better, you+ll ma/e healthier food choices$ -he real
benefit though is that you+ll be able to eat more than before without gaining fat,
without having to s/i" on your favorite foods, and without eating weird$
Gain Confidence) %ow do you thin/ you+re going to feel when "eo"le re"eatedly
com"liment you on your dramatic "hysique transformation and strength gainsG
?bviously you+re going to feel more confident and gain res"ect, and that is going to
im"rove your social s/ills with men but also women in any /ind of situation$
$ncrease &our -ndurance) ?/ay, you won+t be able to run a marathon doing my
"rogram Bbut who needs that anywayGC$ ,ut you will build enough endurance to run
& miles anytime without ever doing any of that boring and "ainful cardio$ *ll your
endurance gains will "urely come from doing my "rogram & times "er wee/$
$mpro"e &our #ealth) 3our bones and 5oints will be stronger, your fle!ibility will
s/yroc/et, you+ll stic/ to your diet better, your libido will increase, your blood
"ressure will decrease, you may even eliminate nagging bac/, /nee and shoulder
"ain forever as many of my S9 Members have$ *ll of this 1002 naturally$
Boost &our !oti"ation) 3ou+ll gain results fast while having fun L every wor/out
you+ll lift more than last time, not forever but longer than you thin/$ -his constant,
measurable "rogress will boost your motivation; you+ll loo/ forward to going to the
gym Bbad news; you+ll only go &! "er wee/C and to brea/ your "revious =6$
Sa"e Time 7 !oney) My "rogram only ta/es & wor/outs "er wee/, and you won+t
need any of those e!"ensive su""lements and fancy machines$ In fact, you can do
the whole "rogram at home with chea" equi"ment, saving tremendous amount of
money on gym membershi"s, and gaining com"lete freedom as a result$
-here+s a lot more you can e!"ect, but I "refer to sto" here because your s/e"ticism alarm
is "robably going berser/ already$ Must reali4e this is >?- a Eget ri""edF quic/ scheme,
>?- a method where you+ll loo/ li/e the guys on the cover of muscle maga4ines within )
9
daysN >?- a method where you+ll have to ta/e e!"ensive su""lements or worse drugs to
get results$ 3ou will also >?- have to s"end your life in the gym training H!<wee/ doing ')
e!ercises "er wor/out that you can+t even remember$ -his is also >?- your Ewor/out of
the monthF where you do this, then 5um" on the ne!t new thing$ *ctually, this is >?- li/e
anything you+ve ever seen before$ *nd my method wor/s and I can, and will, "rove it$
I won+t ,$S$ you in this re"ort$ Dhat you+re about to read is based on 15 years of training
myself and coaching hundreds and hundreds of "rivate clients L who all gained massive
amounts of muscle and strength$ *dd the feedbac/ of tens of thousands of Strong9ifts
Members who interact with me day to day$ >othing in this re"ort comes from some
armchair s"ecialistN it all comes from s"ending a lot of time under the bar$ -his isn+t a
re"ort drawn from other boo/s by a student and s"ectator, it is an inthetrenches re"ort$
*nd if you are living the life of the lifter, you will hear its ring of authenticity loud and clear$
It is a "ersonal re"ort, me tal/ing straight with you, as if I was coaching you, and as if we
were sitting around at the end of our training, 5ust hanging out$ ,ecause it is "ersonal, I will
tell you quite a bit about myself and about my training life, "ast, "resent and future$ >one
of this is about bragging$ I have no need for that or interest in doing so$ .ran/ly, I don+t li/e
tal/ing about myself$ ,ut I have to do it here to convince you that I+m a guy you should
ta/e seriously even though I will "resent ideas that you might find difficult to acce"t$
Ouic/ ti" on how to use this boo/$ I+m sure you+ve heard that /nowledge is only "ower if
a""lied$ -hat+s why I recommend you to first s/im through this boo/, then read it bac/ to
bac/, and then a""ly what you+ve read immediately in the gym$ -hen one month from now
you should read this boo/ again$ .ight the voice telling you you already /now the material
and do it anyway$ -hen one month later, read this boo/ again for a &
rd
time$
-here are ' reasons why I want you to do this$ ?ne is motivation$ -here+s no easier way to
/ee" yourself motivated than by reading motivational stuff regularly$ -his boo/ is filled with
success stories from Strong9ifts Members$ 6ead them to stay motivated$
-wo, most im"ortant, is that the mind can only "rocess so much information at a time$ 3ou
will need more than 5ust one reading to gras" everything that I+ve e!"erienced the last 1'y
lifting weights, coaching "rivate clients, analy4ing the "rogress of Strong9ifts Members,
and that I then s"ent the last H months condensing into this boo/$ -hin/ about it L I+m
atheist, but why do you thin/ some "eo"le s"end their lifetime reading the ,ible or the
KoranG It+s because the material is way too dense to be understood in one reading$
-his is why I want you to read this boo/ several times$ 3ou will see things on your '
nd
and
&
rd
reading that you didn+t see the first time$ *nd your "rogress in the gym will give you a
better understanding of the conce"ts and "rinci"les because you have now e!"erienced it$
.act is, the more you read this boo/, the more the material will come alive$
-hat said, let+s start with the first real world success story from one my most accom"lished
Stronglifts Members to "rove you that my method is truly life changing$
10
8$ +as skeptical))) $ ga"e it a try))) $ got hooked)9
(y StrongLifts !em(er Will aka 8Sid9
Dill, '&, '00lbs, H+0F, from >3, IS*$ @raduate student in Industrial Angineering$
,efore I started training, most of my time was s"ent sitting at my des/ or on my couch$ I
was a s/inny 1H&lbs from leading a com"letely inactive life$ I hadn+t "layed any s"orts or
done any /ind of e!ercise since I was 1011 years old$ =layed soccer and bas/etball for
two years, li/ed both, but was mediocre at best and never considered myself Pathletic$P
?nly "rior e!"erience I had with weights was in March '00( fooled around with random
machine e!ercises in my "revious schoolQs gym for a few wee/s$ ,ut got tired of that fast
because I was wea/, didnQt /now what I was doing and wasnQt seeing any /ind of results$
I discovered I had borderlinehigh blood "ressure at a routine doctor visit in Man +0#$ It was
at that "oint that I decided I needed to Pget activeP and start eating better to hel" bring my
"ressure down$ I was tired of being a couch "otato and wanted to start Ewor/ing outF but I
didn+t really /now what to do$ I did cardio for a bit, but not consistently enough to change
anything and I hated running and cardio in general$
* few of my friends at my school train with weights and I figured IQd rather get into that /ind
of thing than 5ust doing cardio$ -hey told me to start out with the machines to Pget used to
things$P It was stu"id, because I was never going to build strength doing that, but at the
time I figured they /new what they were tal/ing about$
I didnQt thin/ about weight training again until May Q0# when my friends who were doing ,,
s"lit ty"e stuff told me I should chec/ out the gyms at my new school$ -he weight room in
the gym closest to me had almost all free weights and no machines$ IQd never touched a
free weight in my life so I started searching online for a free weight "rogram and came
across Strong9ifts 5!5$
I was s/e"tical at first$ I didnQt thin/ something as sim"le as Strong9ifts 5!5 would really
wor/ because of all the highre" routines I saw in maga4ines and stuff, and I thought lifts
li/e Squats and Deadlifts and doing low re"s were only for advanced guys$ .igured IQd give
it a try though since I was a beginner and thatQs who the "rogram is for$ ?nce my lifts
started going u" I got hoo/ed on getting stronger$
11
S9 Member Dill before<after gaining &)lbs
Will:s Gains
!ay ;44<
=Start SL/0/>
Oct ;44<
=After SL?0/>
'o" ;4@4 Gains so far)))
*ge ''y ''y '&y
,odyweight BH+0PC 1H&lb 1(4lb '00lbs R&)lbs
,lood =ressure 1&(<)5 11(<H5 <
Deadlift #5lb &15lb 500lbs R405lbs
Squat H5lb &&5lb 4)5lb R410lbs
,ench =ress H5lb 1H0lb '50lb R1(5lbs
I was s/inny my entire life and no one would have ever considered me PathleticP before I
started training$ -he demands of linear "rogression and my desire to /ee" my squat going
u" caused me to /ee" my food inta/e high, which led to the weight gain$ I used to thin/ I
was PhardgainerP ty"e, but it wasn+t hard for me to get my weight u" and "ut some muscle
on my frame as long as I /e"t Squatting heavy and eating when my body told me to$
-he only thing I can attribute the fast strength gains to is desire and consistency$ *side
from a ' wee/ vacation, I never missed a session on S95!5<&!5$ I trained when I was sic/,
and when I 5ust felt li/e cra" Band sometimes still hit =6s$C I sle"t ( hrs almost every day$ I
ate when I needed to eat$ Dhile at first I was s/e"tical, once I saw my numbers going u", I
started to ta/e this very seriously$
,lood "ressure was borderlinehigh before I started training L bac/ to normal now$ I did
4ero cardio during this time$ My doctor actually told me that weight training wouldn+t hel"
and I should have been doing cardio, but my ,= slowly started coming down$ I thin/ the
heavy Squatting three times a wee/ alone contributed a lot to this$ I was in a "osition
where I was doing 4ero e!ercise beforehand, so my heart was getting "lenty of wor/ from
Squats and Deads$ I also started eating a much cleaner diet, even though I was eating
much more than I was before$
IQm way more confident, outs"o/en, assertive$ I was /nown for being a "retty reserved and
insecure guy before I started training but not anymore$ I can stri/e u" a conversation with
12
S9 Member Dill =ulling 400lbs
anyone$ -al/ing to women es"ecially is much easier for me$ *nd I am much more li/ely to
stand u" for myself in a situation where, "reviously, I would have bac/ed down</e"t my
thoughts to myself$
I felt really outof"lace in the gym when I first started, intimidated by the bigger guys, and
afraid of loo/ing lost<li/e I didn+t /now what I was doing$ Dhen I started S95!5, I was able
to wal/ into the gym with a "lan every time, which meant I /new what I needed to do and
didn+t have to worry about what anyone else thought of me$ >ow the gym is my second
home and a great stress reliever$ It+s a "lace where I feel really comfortable, I do /now a
lot of guys there now and going to the gym hel"s me get my mind off of stress etc$
I+m stronger, I+m healthier, I loo/ better, and I 5ust feel better all around$ ,efore I started
training, I was doing well in school, but I didn+t have much else besides that going on$ I
was tired a lot and lac/ed energy Bfrom not slee"ing and eating enoughC$ I was "hysically
very wea/, lac/ed selfconfidence and didn+t have much of a social life after coming to a
new school$ *ll of that has reversed$ I never would have started eating and slee"ing better
if I hadn+t found S9$ Since I did, my "roductivity is way u", since I have a lot more energy
during the day$ So I s"end less time wor/ing$ Strength training gave me direction, a means
to im"rove my life and something else rewarding to "ut my energy into besides school$
My friends doing the ,, s"lits were s/e"tical at first and as/ed me why I was training this
way$ ,y the time I finished &!5 linear "rogression I was stronger than them and now they
loo/ to me as an e!am"le of how to get strong<train hard in the gym$ I get a lot of
com"liments on my "hysique$ .riends outside the gym have noticed the change in me and
as/ me what IQve been doing$ =eo"le I meet Bguys and girlsC can tell from loo/ing at me
that I train differently from most of the benchandcurl 5oc/ey ty"es$ IQve become Ethat guyF
in the gym who went from squatting H5 to Squatting<Deadlifting 400R in a year and some
of the stronger guys refer "eo"le to me$ I get a lot of questions now in the gym about the
/ind of stuff IQm doing$
My training log in the S9 7ommunity hel"s me /ee" going to the gym and wor/ing hard
because I /now if I donQt, "eo"le on the forums are gonna be as/ing what IQve been u" to$
*nd I still donQt /now that many "eo"le who train this way BI train alone most of the timeC,
so itQs great to have li/eminded "eo"le "roviding su""ort<giving me advice L almost li/e I
have several training "artners$
%ow many guys in the gym do you see doing isolation wor/ day after day and never
getting any strongerG =robably a lot$ If you want to get strong, then you have to do the big
barbell lifts$ -hereQs no need to be intimidated by this, because youQll be starting light$ *nd
the sim"licity lets you do whatQs most im"ortant Lget S-6?>@A6 by moving the weight u"
every time and brea/ing "ersonal records$ DonQt be the guy coming into the gym and
lifting the same weights every wee/$ -he core of the S95!5 "rogram is adding weight to
the bar on a regular basis$ Dho wouldnQt want to do that for as long as they canG I didnQt
thin/ IQd be able to do it for long, but I /e"t going and havenQt loo/ed bac/$
Strong9ifts Member Dill a/a PSidP, '&, >3, IS*
13
#o+ to ,-ALL& Gain !uscle and Strength
A,T $
14
Are &ou Sick And Tired of Training -"ery 6ay
With Little or 'o ,esults to Sho+ 5or%
I sure was a few years ago$ ,ut before I e!"lain that, let me start by sharing a little secret
about the way I thin/; I do NOT like reinventing te !eel$ %ere+s what I mean; I believe
the fastest way to get somewhere is to find a guy who has accom"lished what you want,
study how he did it, and then co"y the e!act ste"s he went through$
-hat+s why soon after I started lifting weights in 1###, I as/ed a guy in the gym who had
the /ind of body and strength I wanted if I could train with him$ %e agreed, too/ me under
his wing and we trained together for almost ' years, never missing a single wor/out$ -he
resultG Dithin 1' months I gained ')lbs, was Squatting ''5lbs and finally eliminated my
stubborn belly fat and man boobs$ Most im"ortant is that I received lots of com"liments
from the big bouncers who were training in my gym, and this boosted my confidence$
-hen my mentor quit lifting to focus on his studies and I continued alone$ I had by this time
hit a "lateau everywhere, I wasn+t getting any stronger and I couldn+t figure out why$
Maybe you+ve been in a situation li/e this where you can lift a certain weight easily and
then the wee/ after you suddenly can+t lift it anymore$ I was frustrated, and nobody in the
gym seem to /now a solution$ %ec/, I was even in better sha"e than the "ersonal trainer$
So once again, I set out to find a guy who had what I wanted, discover how he did it, then
co"y$ Since there was nobody in the gym to offer hel", I decided to loo/ for a boo/$ Kee"
in mind I was training li/e a bodybuilder bac/ then, I didn+t /now about strength training
yet$ Dhich is the first guy which comes to your mind when I say bodybuildingG Most li/ely
*rnold Schwar4enegger, he remains the most influential bodybuilder ever$
I bought *rnold+s Ne! "ncyclopedia of #odern $ody%uilding and started e!"erimenting
with the different s"lit routines revealed inside the boo/$ -raining 1 muscle "er day using
lots of isolation e!ercises for 5 sets of ( re"s, always ta/ing the re"s to failure until I got
"um"ed, forced re"s on the last set, and switching my routine all the time to confuse my
muscles$ =rogress I measured by how sore I was the day after my training$
-he resultG .ran/ly I couldn+t tell you if I got more muscular than before$ Dhat I do /now is
that I was getting in5ured instead of getting stronger which made no sense to me$ My lower
bac/ hurt whenever I was standing for e!tended time, I often couldn+t slee" on my side
because my right shoulder hurt so much$ In fact, I had removed the ,ench =ress and
Squat from my training because I couldn+t do them "ainfree anymore$ My whole training
now revolved about 5ust /ee"ing the "hysique I had, and this really got me bored and
made me lose motivation L I was 5ust getting by, nothing more$
-he other thing that ha""ened is that I got em"loyed$ I landed a 5ob in E7or"orate ,elgiumF
and was now commuting ' hours every day and wor/ing shifts and wee/ends$ I sim"ly
didn+t have the time anymore to train 5!<wee/ for u" to & hours li/e when I was a student$
*nd I fran/ly got fed u" with training to failure and wal/ing with sore legs all the time$
-he turnover ha""ened in *ugust '00& when I went on holiday to -ur/ey with a friend of
the gym and my mentor who had resumed training by then$ *ll & of us loo/ed muscular
from all the training we did, and that obviously got us attention$ -o give you an e!am"le,
one day we were wal/ing at the beach and these @erman girls came over as/ing if they
15
could be with us on the "icture because Ethey never had seen something li/e thatF$ %ow
would you feel if this would ha""ened to youG I obviously had a huge confidence boost$
,ut that would be only tem"orary$ * few days later we went to those -ur/ish saunas and
when the big guys wor/ing there saw how muscular we were, they immediately challenged
us at arm wrestling$ De, ignorantly, too/ u" the challenge because, after all, these guys
were all fat$ 9ong story short, we lost to guys that had never touched a weight in their lives$
*nd I could give you a lot of e!cuses, but the fact was; we loo/ed strong but weren+t$
I felt humiliated$ As"ecially since ( years earlier, the e!act reason why I got into all of this
was that I had I lost at armwrestling to all my friends and then a girl$ 3ou see, I never did
any s"orts in my life and I also wasn+t born to be big or strong; while I+m now almost 50lbs
heavier than 15y ago and "ulling 500lbs, my wrists are still only H$)F my thumb overla"s
my middle finger when I grab my wrists$ -hey call that bad, hardgainer genetics$ 7ou"le
that with a sedentary lifestyle of too much -: and videogames, and you understand why I
couldn+t even do a single =ushu" at age 15 while that girl I lost armwrestling at could$ It
was a huge humiliation and blow to my ego, and that+s why I started doing daily =ushu" to
overcome my wea/ness$ ,y age 1( I had succeeded; I could do )0 "ushu"s in a row on
my /nuc/les, had gained 1'lbs and was now loo/ed at as the Es"ort guyF$ .ew months
later, in *ugust 1###, I 5oined a gym to train my whole body because I had no legs$
-o me, discovering that ( years after I lost at armwrestling to all my friends and a girl, I
was losing again but now to guys who had never touched a weight in their lives was sim"ly
unacce"table$ I thought all that training and loo/ing muscular, for whatG It all felt li/e a
huge waste of time, and I once again decided to do something about it$ *nd so I began to
research why it seemed li/e I couldn+t a""ly the strength I had build in the gym$ *nd that+s
when I discovered that I had been training wrong all the time$$$
Training Secrets 5rom Arnold Sch+arAenegger
-he truth is that *rnold Schwar4enegger did not build his ama4ing "hysique and strength
using the routines described in his boo/ the Ne! "ncyclopedia of #odern $ody%uilding.
%e did not build his massive si4e and strength by doing the s"lit routines that became
"o"ular in @old+s @ym in :enice ,each and that you+ll find in muscle maga4ines$
*s "roof, consider these quotes from *rnold Schwar4enegger+s biogra"hy, Te "ducation
of a $ody%uilder. -his boo/ was first "ublished in 1#)), ( years before his more "o"ular
boo/ Te Ne! "ncyclopedia of #odern $ody%uilding, which I believe was ghost written$
&merican maga'ines !rote a%out te split routine as if it !ere my secret( it %ecame te
%ig ting. "very%ody tougt tat !as o! I)d gro!n as muc as I ad in suc a sort
time *.. +rom te %eginning, I !as a %eliever in te %asic movements, %ecause tat
!as ,eg -ark.s preference. &t te times ,eg adn.t accelerated is !orkouts for some
ma/or competition, e !ould stay !it te %asic exercises.....
,eg -ark.s teory !as tat first you ave to %uild te mass and ten cisel it do!n to
get te 0uality1 you !ork on your %ody te !ay a sculptor !ould !ork on a piece of clay
or !ood or steel. 2ou roug it out 3 te more carefully, te more torougly, te %etter 3
ten you start to cut and define. 2ou !ork it do!n gradually until it.s ready to %e ru%%ed
and polised. &nd tat.s !en you really kno! a%out te foundation. Ten all te faults
16
of poor early training stand out as opeless, almost irrepara%le fla!s......
I !as doing heavy squats, heavy bench presses, and tis provided some of te
foundation !ork of my %ody, !ic as al!ays made me appear strong. Certain
%ody%uilders lack tat look. Tey ave good %odies %ut tey don)t appear po!erful. Te
reason is inade0uate foundation training. 4ood early training so!s up in te muscles
around te spine. Tere is really no exercise for tose muscles1 teir development is
/ust an indication tat you ave put in some eavy ground !ork, eavy s0uats and
eavy dead lifts, a lot of lifting and ro!ing. I ad done tese exercises from te start. I
developed strong %asic muscles !ic gave me te po!erful look people !anted to
see.....
I !as %uilding up, %ulking, going after te mass, !ic to me meant 567 pounds of
seer %ody !eigt. &t tat time, I didn.t care a%out my !aist or anyting else tat !ould
give me a symmetrical look. I /ust !anted to %uild a gigantic 5573pound %ody %y
andling a lot of !eigt and %lasting my muscles. #y mind !as into looking uge, into
%eing a!esome and po!erful. I sa! it !orking. #y muscles %egan %ursting out all over.
&nd I kne! I !as on my !ay....
,eg -ark ad %een a po!erlifter1 e ad done s0uats !it 877 pounds, %enc presses
!it 577 pounds and dead lifts of over 977 pounds. I sa! no reason !y I souldn)t
continue in te same groove. I won the German championships in heavy-weight
powerlifting %efore I stopped. #y %ody !eigt !as up to 557 and I convinced myself
tat it !as time to cisel do!n, to start getting more 0uality in my %ody.....
Most guys don+t /now this, but *rnold Schwar4enegger was a com"etitive ?lym"ic
weightlifter, "owerlifter and strongman from 1#H& to 1#H($ %e started lifting weights at age
15 and 1 year later he com"eted for the first time in
?lym"ic 9ifting in @ra4, *ustria$ -he year after he
won the Munior Deightlifting com"etition in Syria4
and in 1#H5, at age 1), he won the *ustrian
?lym"ic weight lifting com"etition$ *fter this, *rnold
Schwar4enegger moved to =owerlifting, com"eting
4! from 1#HH to 1#H(, winning twice and "lacing '
nd
twice$ %e also won the Munich stonelifting contest,
a strongman event, in 1#H)$
More im"ortant to you is that Schwar4enegger was
>?- born with ama4ing genetics li/e many
ignorant guys will claim$ In Te "ducation of a
$ody%uilder, *rnold reveals that he only weighed 150lbs at H+ when he started lifting
weights at age 15$ ,y 1#H5 he weighed '00lbs, and when he got out of the army 1 year
later he weighed ''5lbs$ So *rnold gained )5lbs in 4 years$ -he obvious question is; how
the hell did he gain so much muscle, so fastG BIn case you thin/ the answer is steroids,
/ee" reading, I+ll tal/ about that in a momentC$
3ou already /now *rnold was a com"etitive ?lym"ic 9ifter and =owerlifter during all this
time$ So how do ?lym"ic 9ifters and =owerlifters trainG Dhat /ind of e!ercises do these
guys doG 3ou can be sure that the bul/ of their training does >?- consist of isolation
e!ercises li/e trice"s /ic/bac/s, bice"s curls and cable e!ercises$ >or do they waste their
17
*rnold Deadlifting )10lbs in 1#H(
time with machines li/e the lat "ulldown, leg curl, bowfle!, total gym or smith$ ?lym"ic
lifters and =owerlifters do free weight, com"ound e!ercises$ -hey Snatch, 7lean, Mer/,
=ress, Squat, ,ench =ress and Deadlift$ *nd they do it heavy$ *rnold+s best lifts; 4)&lbs
Squat, 440lbs ,ench =ress, )10lbs Deadlift, 'H4lbs =ress, '4&lbs Snatch, '#(lbs 7lean S
Mer/, and a 5H0lbs stone lift between his legs$ 3ou can find a "icture of that sic/ stone lift
on "age () of his boo/ Te "ducation of a $ody%uilder. I+ve included a "icture of his
)10lbs Deadlift above to "rove you that I+m not ma/ing all of this u"$
So this is *rnold Schwar4enegger+s secret; he did >?- gain )5lbs in only 4 years using
the s"lit routines muscle maga4ines claim he used$ *rnold did >?- do silly isolation
e!ercises and machine wor/ to build his world class "hysique that would ma/e him win the
Mr ?lym"ia in 1#)0$ *rnold did heavy, com"ound e!ercises and trained for strength$ *nd
he+s not the only one who has used this training strategy$ %e learned it from his mentor$$$
Who -lse Wants a World Class hysiBue%
*rnold Schwar4enegger+s :"ducation of a $ody%uilder; is full
of references to 6eg =ar/ who was his lifelong mentor$ If
you+ve never heard of =ar/ before, he was Mr ,ritain, Mr
Auro"e and &! Mr Iniverse during the 50s$ =ar/ had '0F
arms, weighed ''5lbs at H+1F and was the '
nd
guy ever to
,ench =ress 500lbs raw BI+ll tal/ about the 1
st
guy who
achieved this feat in a minuteC$ 6eg =ar/ could also Squat
H05lbs, Deadlift over )00lbs and =ress &15lbs$
*s an actor, 6eg =ar/ starred in 5 %ercules sand and sandals$
It was one of these movies that im"ressed the 15y old *rnold
Schwar4enegger who, as a result, started training e!actly li/e
his idol to achieve the same "hysique$ >otice the mindset; find
a guy who has what you want, discover how he did it, then co"y$ *rnold didn+t reinvent the
wheel, he used what was "roven to wor/$ -his is an im"ortant lesson for you$
So what do *rnold Schwar4enegger and 6eg =ar/ have in commonG Incredible amounts
of strength they could both Deadlift over )00lbs$ *nd they aren+t outliers$ In 1#H5 -he
@overnator met a 5+5F bodybuilder from Italy in Munich$ -his guy was Dr .ranco 7olumbo$
*rnold and him became friends, started training together Beven though they com"eted
against eachotherC and eventually moved
together to *merica in the late H0s$ In fact
they were such a good friends, that they
started a successful bric/laying business and
then a mail order business$ Most guys don+t
/now this, but *rnold was a millionaire by the
age of &0, well before he started his
successful acting career in %ollywood$
So who the hec/ is Dr$ .ranco 7olumboG Must
li/e *rnold, this guy had a bac/ground in
=owerlifting and ?lym"ic lifting$ Some of his
accom"lishments; =owerlifting cham"ion of
Italy, @ermany and Auro"e$ .ranco also
18
6eg =ar/ in P%erculesP
.ranco Deadlifting what loo/s li/e )00lbs
"laced 5
th
at the Dorld Strongest man in 1#)) Bhe was actually first until he dislocated his
leg during an eventC and was even stronger than *rnold Schwar4enegger$ .ranco+s stats;
5'5lbs ,ench =ress, )50lbs Deadlift, H55lbs Squat, &'5lbs =ress, ')0lbs Snatch, 400lbs
7lean S Mer/$ .ranco could even "o" a hot water bottle by inflating it orally Bwatch the
movie -umping Iron to see him do thisC$ -hat+s how strong this guy was, and /ee" in mind
he weighed only 1(0lbs while *rnold was '&0lbs$
%ere are .ranco+s bodybuilding titles; H! Mr Iniverse, 4! Mr ?lym"ia, &! Mr Dorld and '!
Auro"e$ *nd remember .ranco in5ured his leg during the Dorld Strong Man 7om"etition in
1#))$ It too/ si! hours of surgery to fi! his leg$ -hose dumb doctors actually said he would
never wal/ again$ 3et .ranco fully recovered within & years and then won the Mr ?lym"ia
title in 1#(1, the year after *rnold retired$ I believe he would have won more titles had he
not in5ured himself, and if he had not been com"eting against *rnold all the time$ ,eing the
5+5F smaller guy, .ranco always lost the overall title to the H+'F *ustrian ?a/$
,y the way, Dr .ranco 7olumbo was also the "rivate coach of Sylvester Stallone who he
hel"ed to achieve his best sha"e for 6oc/y '$ Dhen you /now .ranco+s bac/ground, you
can can assume that he made Sly do heavy, free weight, com"ound e!ercises$
So here you have & accom"lished bodybuilders L *rnold Schwar4enegger, 6eg =ar/ and
.ranco 7olumbo L who could all Deadlift over )00lbs$ It is e!tremely im"ortant that you
understand that these guys were all very strong, that they didn+t achieve their "hysique
and strength using those silly isolation s"lit routines from muscle maga4ines, but that their
training consisted of heavy, free weight, com"ound e!ercises li/e the Squat and Deadlift$
My question to you is; ho+ much can you SBuat and 6eadlift%
,e honest$ I+ve trained in a commercial gym for 5 years, I hel"ed thousands of guys to
gain muscle and strength, and I /now that the overwhelming ma5ority of them neglect to
train their legs because they hate Squats and are afraid of Deadlifts$ *nd as I+m going to
e!"lain later, this is the e!act reason why most guys have no results to show for$ If you do
not do any /ind of heavy Squats and Deadlifts, you+ll never get anywhere$ 6emember that$
,ut maybe you thin/ all these oldschool training strategies do not a""ly today anymore$ So
let+s loo/ at how elite bodybuilders train right now$$$
19
*rnold, Stallone and 7olumbo >o idea who the cutie is$
#o+ -lite Body(uilders Build
Their hysiBue Today
,odybuilder 6onnie 7oleman won the Mr ?lym"ia
com"etition from 1##( to '005 for a total of ( time$
%e also holds the I.,, record with 'H wins$
6onnie has com"letely dominated the bodybuilding
scene and won even more titles than -he
-erminator$ So what+s this guy+s secretG
6onnie released several D:Ds over the years
where you can see how he trains for the Mr
?lym"ia com"etition$ In ETe <n%elieva%le; you
can see him Deadlifting (00lbs for ' re"s while
yelling ElightweightF and E"eanutsF $ 1 all of this 5
wee/s and a half before winning the Mr ?lym"ia
'000 com"etition$ In another of his D:Ds, 6onny is Squatting (00lbs for ' re"s$
Interestingly, 6onny rarely uses machines in these videos and has even admitted that he
"refers free weights$ I believe this is because he /nows that free weights force you to
balance the weight yourself and thus yield su"erior muscle gains as a result$ .ree weights
also allow for natural movements, ma/ing them safer than machines which tend to force
your body into fi!ed, unnatural movement "atterns$ ,ut more about that later$
%ere+s an im"ortant quote of 7oleman that sums down his training "hiloso"hy$$$
:"very%ody !anna %e a %ody%uilder... %ut don.t no%ody !anna lift no eavy !eigt.=
I.,, "ro bodybuilder Mohnny ? Mac/son also believes in heavy, free weight, com"ound
e!ercises li/e the Squat and Deadlift$ *nd he has, 5ust li/e *rnold Schwar4enegger, a
bac/ground in "owerlifting and has even bro/en several *merican records$ In fact, at the
IS=. '00( >ational =owerlifting 7ham"ionshi"s in 6hode Island, he almost bro/e the
world record Deadlift with a ('1lbs "ull$ %ere are some of Mohnny+s best lifts; (04lbs
Deadlift, ('5lbs Squat and 545lbs ,ench =ress$
-he im"ortant detail here is that Mohnny ?
Mac/son has com"eted in "owerlifting since
'000, & years before he became an I.., "ro
bodybuilder$ During the "ast decade, he has
continued to com"ete in "owerlifting D%I9A
com"eting as a "rofessional bodybuilder$
3ou can even find a video of Mohnny ?
Mac/son training with "owerlifter Matt Kroc as
"art of his "re"aration for the Mr ?lym"ia
'00# BI+ll tell you who Matt is in a momentC$
So why does Mohnny ? Mac/son train for
strength even though he is a "rofessional
bodybuilderG %ere+s a quote where he
20
6onnie 7oleman Deadlifts (00lbs
Mohnny ? Mac/son L =owerliter and ,odybuilder
reveals what he believes is the secret to building muscle$$$$
=$ody%uilders tese days tink tere.s a !ay around ard !ork for getting %ig. Tey
tink tat !it /ust a fe! more reps and isolation exercises, everyting !ill %e fine. $ut
nothing can replace heavy lifts.;
-his means that Mohnny ? Mac/son and 6onnie 7oleman both strongly believe that the
secret to gaining muscle is >?- high re" isolation e!ercises on machines, but heavy, free
weight, com"ounds li/e the Squat and Deadlift$ *re you starting to see the trendG
Why &ou !ust Train 5or Strength -"en
$f Gaining !uscle $s &our Goal
%ere+s the bottom line; muscle si4e is directly related to strength gains$ It doesn+t matter if
you get "um"ed and sore from your wor/outs, nor does it ma/e a difference if you reach
failure on each set or not$ -he only thing that matters is L are you getting strongerG
-he guy who can ,ench '45lbs for 5 re"s will have a bigger, more muscular chest
than the guy who struggles to ,ench =ress 1&5lbs$
-he guy who can Squat &(0lbs for 5 re"s is always going to have more muscular
legs than the guy who can+t even Squat 1)0lbs for 5 re"s$
-he guy who can Deadlift 4#5lbs will have a more muscular bac/ than the guy who
never does any /ind of Deadlifts, but wastes his time on the lat "ulldown$
Maybe you only want to gain muscle and don+t care about develo"ing strength$ ,ut the fact
remains that if you are not lifting weights heavier than H months ago, then I can guarantee
you that you won+t gain the muscles you+re after$ *nd getting "um"ed using a myriad of
su"ersets and dro" sets so you wa/e u" sore the day after won+t change anything about
that L the guy Squatting 1)0lbs will always be less muscular than the 400lbs Squatter$
-his isn+t 5ust an anecdotal fact as illustrated by bodybuilders li/e *rnold Schwar4enegger,
6eg =ar/, .ranco 7olumbo and 6onnie 7oleman$ -his is also a scientific fact that has
been "roven &5y ago already$ %ere+s one of the oldest research "a"ers from @oldberg *9,
et al$ BMechanism of wor/ induced hy"ertro"hy of s/eletal muscle$ Med Sci S"orts$ 1#)5
.allN)B&C;1(5#(C that "roves that muscle si4e is directly related to strength gains$
:It is suggested tat increased tension development >eiter passive or active? is te
critical event in initiating compensatory gro!t.:
-his increased tension is adding weight to the bar$ I call this method =rogressive 9oading$
*nd this isn+t 5ust the most effective strategy to gain muscle, it+s also the sim"lest one$ >o,
you can+t add weight every wor/out forever, that would be way too easy, but you will be
able to do this for a very, very, very long time as you+ll discover in the coming wee/s$
* less obvious reason why Squatters and Deadlifters are always more muscular than the
guys who neglect these e!ercises, is that Squats and Deadlifts are more challenging$
-hey force you to balance the weight yourself
-hey allow you to stress your body with the heaviest weights "ossible$
-hey wor/ several muscles at a time, not 5ust your legs but your whole body
21
Averybody /nows that the guy who wor/s the hardest will accom"lish the most im"ressive
gains$ Dell it+s way more easy to do this using com"ound e!ercises li/e the Squat and
Deadlift that allow you to use heavy weights to start with$ -raining intensity is higher, and
thus you achieve more muscle and strength gains$
It is crucial that you understand that training until failure to get "um"ed and sore are >?-
necessary to gain muscle, nor are they indicators of "rogress$ -his means you don+t have
to do all those "ainful su"ersets, dro" sets and forced re"s$ -he only thing that matters is
that you do get strong$ If you don+t; you won+t be gaining muscle L end of story$
The $ronic 6ifference Bet+een
Body(uilders And Strength Trainers
If you train in a commercial gym li/e I did for 5 years, what you will notice is that most guys
rarely train their legs$ Some even never train them at all the 7a"tain I""erbodies as I
call them, big u""erbodies with chic/en legs$ -heir routine usually consists of high re"
isolation e!ercises li/e curls in the Squat 6ac/, trice"s /ic/bac/s and ab crunches, with
Monday being national ,ench =ress Day and -uesday >ational ,ench Day "art '$
-he resultG (52 of these guys train li/e bodybuilders Bor they thin/ they doC but never loo/
li/e one$ Must go ta/e a loo/ at your local gym; how many guys actually gain muscle and
strength with those ,$S$ routinesG -he large ma5ority get nowhere and that+s why they quit
going to the gym within months Ba minority gets results, and I+ll e!"lain why in a minuteC$
>ow if you loo/ at the "hysique of guys who do train for strength L "owerlifters, strongman
and ?lym"ic lifters L you+ll see that these guys almost always loo/ more muscular than the
guys doing those silly bodybuilding routines from muscle maga4ines$ -he irony$
.irst e!am"le; =owerlifter Matt Kroc, who as I said earlier trained with the "ro bodybuilder
Mohnny ? Mac/son as "re"aration for Mohnny+s Mr ?lym"ia '00# com"etition$ Matt Kroc is
the record holder in the ''0lbs =owerlifing class with a 100&lbs Squat, )&(lbs ,ench and
a (10lbs Deadlift$ -he "icture on the right is from his first BJC bodybuilding com"etition L Mr
Michigan in '010 L where he too/ the first "lace in the heavy weight class$
Muscle maga4ines will tell you you need to get sore and "um"ed to build muscle, and that
strength training alone won+t cut it$ ,ut you 5ust got to loo/ at "owerlifters li/e Matt Kroc to
see the truth; strength training builds muscle, and it does it ama4ingly well$
22
(10lbs Deadlifter Matt Kroc Dins 1st ,odybuilding 7om"etition
*nother e!am"le, 6ussian "owerlifter Konstantin Konstantinovs who until recently held the
world record of the raw deadlift at #&#lbs$ %ow many guys doing those silly bodybuilding
routines and machine wor/ end u" loo/ing li/e thisG
>e!t, Kir/ Karwos/i$ H time world "owerlifting cham"ion and I=. world record holder in the
Squat with 1001lbs in the 1'5/g weight class$ E7a"tain Kir/F isn+t 5ust frea/y strong, he
also has a "owerful "hysique to bac/ it u"$ 9oo/ at him$
*nd this doesn+t ha""en with 5ust "owerlifters$ 9oo/ at the "hysique of ?lym"ic 9ifter Ivan
Stoitsov from ,ulgary, gold medalist at the Dorld 7ham"ionshi"s in '00)$$$
Strength trainers are almost always more muscular than bodybuilders because muscle
si4e is directly related to strength gains$ 3et most guys get confused by the su"er heavy
23
Ivan Stoitsov, ?lym"ic @old Medalist
7a"tain Kir/, 1001lb Squatter
Konstantin Konstantinovs, R#00lbs Deadlifter$
weight athletes in =owerlifting, ?lym"ic lifting and Strongman com"etitions who are L I
admit L often EfatF$ ?ne e!am"le is the '! ?lym"ic gold medalist %ossein 6e4a4adeh who
com"eted at &5(lbs at the '004 Summer ?lym"ics in *thens$ %e is indeed EfatF$
-he reason some strength trainers are fat is because of their bad diet$ -hese guys have
huge amounts of muscle as a result of their training, but a layer of fat covers them$ 6eali4e
strength gains requires o"timal recovery which largely de"ends on your food inta/e$ Some
guys ta/e the 5un/ food route because it ma/es getting a lot of calories easier$
Dhile I do not agree with this a""roach to nutrition, it is well /nown that world class
athletes are notorious bad dieters$ *s an e!am"le, consider the E,altimore ,ulletF, Michael
=hel"s, 14! ?lym"ic gold medalist$ -he >3 times re"orted in *ugust '00( that his diet
consisted mainly of "i44as, "anca/es, sugary loaden energy drin/s and white bread$ -his
guy also li/es to "arty, drin/s and has been caught smo/ing marihuana$ I say he+s luc/y to
s"end Hh<day, H!<wee/ in the "ool or he would get fat$
Same with *merican .ootball "layer ,ruce 7arter who has set I>7 linebac/er records in
the =ower 7lean B&)4lbsC and the vertical 5um" B40$5 inchesC$ -he '&("ounder has also
been cloc/ed at 4$&# in the 40 and bench"resses 440lbs$ Ouote from an interview$$$
:@o! strict are you a%out dietA;
:Bell, not very. I eat a lot of #cConald)s and fast foods, %ut I do !ork out real ard.;
:Like o! muc #cConald)sA;
:&lmost every day. I usually get tree dou%le ceese%urgers, medium fries, large tea
and a six3piece #cNuggets. I don)t tink eating ealty as far as eating salads and tat
stuff really !orks for me.;
&! ?lym"ic gold medalist Isain ,olt, world record holder of the 100m s"rint, is also a
chic/en nuggets lover$ *nd while there+s no "roblem with eating 5un/ food a few times "er
wee/ BI do eat and li/e McDonald+sC massive amounts of 5un/ food every single day is "ure
la4iness and as/ing for health "roblems$ -hat+s why, as you+ll discover in the coming
months, I will show you a more healthier a""roach to dieting$
,ut there+s another im"ortant reason why some "owerlifters, strongman and ?lym"ic
lifters are fat they 5ust don+t careJ 6eali4e they+re involved in a strength s"ort where the
winner is determined by who lifts the most weight, not who has the most ri""ed abs$ 3et
this does not mean that there+s no muscle underneath the fat$
24
%ossein 6e4a4adeh, '! gold medalist$
*s an e!am"le, consider "owerlifter Dave -ate who ,enched H10lbs, Squatted #&5lbs and
Deadlifted )40lbs$ Dave also used to be a notorious bad dieter, eating massive amounts of
"o" tarts, McDonald+s and Snic/ers$ ?ne day, for health reasons, he decided to clean his
diet$ =ay attention to his "hysique transformation below$$$
%is muscles were always there$ 3ou 5ust couldn+t see them because a layer of fat covered
them$ %ere+s why; muscle mass is directly related to strength gains while EdefinitionF is a
matter of diet L calories in vs$ calories out$ If you eat less calories than your body burns,
you will lose fat Byes there+s more to it, but that+s what it always comes down toC$
*nother e!am"le is =owerlifter<strongman Dave @ulledge$ %e has ,ench =ressed over
)00lbs, Squatted #&0lbs and Deadlifted )&5lbs$ 7hec/ his "hysique transformation after
he decided to "ay closer attention to his diet$
-his is the ironic difference between bodybuilders and strength trainers; the guys who train
for strength and eat right are almost always loo/ing more li/e bodybuilders than the guys
doing isolation s"lit routines using machines without a strength focus$ I+ve stressed why
over and over already; muscle siAe is directly related to strength gains$ -his is a
scientific, anecdotal, "roven fact that you can not ignore$
25
)00lbs ,encher Dave @ulledge before and after losing fat
#&5lb Squatter Dave -ate before and after losing fat
...But Those Guys All se !teroi"s### $oes This %or& 'or
())* +aturals %ithout Ama,ing Genetics-.
9et+s be honest here several of the guys I listed have tested "ositive on steroids or have
admitted using them$ *rnold Schwar4enegger revealed in an interview in 1#)4 that he
used steroids$ So did Dave @ulledge admit steroiduse$ Aven Ivan Stoitsov was tested
"ositive for steroids and was banned from the '00( ?lym"ics in ,ei5ing as a result$
,ut this doesn+t mean that naturals won+t gain muscle if they train for strength$ In fact, the
o""osite is true, if you train naturally li/e me and do one of those muscle maga4ine ,$S$
routines, you will waste a lot of time and effort and ma/e 4ero muscle gains$ Dorse, you
may start to believe that you actually need su""lements and ama4ing genetics$
*gain, the secret to gaining muscle is adding weight to the bar$ 3ou have to get stronger to
build muscle$ *nd whether you ta/e steroids or not, won+t change anything about that$ -he
stronger guy is always going to be the one with the most im"ressive gains$ *s an e!am"le,
(! Mr ?lym"ia 6onnie 7oleman won 4! in a row against his main com"etitor, May 7utler$
7utler "laced '
nd
every single year and only started to win when 7oleman retired$ %ow
come 7oleman always wonG Dhat made the differenceG Dhat was his secretG
,efore I give you the answer, I+ll tell you what it+s not L >?- steroids$ -hese guys both
have access to the latest cutting edge steroids, and they+re using massive amounts of it$
Dhy do you thin/ 6onnie 7oleman com"eted at &05lbs at 5+11F while Schwar4enegger
com"eted at only '&5lbs at H+'F almost &5y earlier$ -hese guys both trained the same way,
could deadlift over )00lbs and are considered genetic frea/s$ ,ut then why was 7oleman
)0lbs heavier than Schwar4enegger, who was taller and the best guy of his timeG
-he reason the Mr ?lym"ia today has turned into this frea/ show of &00lbs behemoths
with huge guts, is that they+re using massively amounts of steroids$ 3es Schwar4enegger
used steroids, but only ' months "er year before com"etition to avoid muscle loss when
dro""ing body fat, and in much smaller dosages than today$ -he difference is shoc/ing; he
was )0lbs lighter than the genetically enhanced mutant 6onnie 7oleman$
26
Dhy was 6onnie 7oleman )0lbs heavier than *rnoldG
*nd yet the rules haven+t changed$ -he stronger guy will always have the most im"ressive
muscle gains even when using steroids$ *nd that was 6onny 7oleman+s secret$ %e won
the Mr ?lym"ia title 4! in a row against his main com"etitor May 7utler because 7oleman
could Deadlift (00lbs for ' re"s, while you can find youtube videos of 7utler struggling with
405lbs $$$ at &10lbs bodyweightJ I+m only 1)0lbs and I Deadlift 405lbs any time with ease$
7utler is a wea/ling and that+s why he lost every single time until 7oleman finally retired$
-he guy who uses steroids can get away with silly high re" isolation s"lit routines because
the drugs are telling his body to gain muscle$ It doesn+t matter how he trains, everything
will ma/e him grow muscle$ 3ou should therefore watch out with the advice coming from
gymbros who often use steroids, but won+t admit it$ -hese guys may be a lot bigger than
you even though they Squat only half the weight you will on the "rogram you+re about to
begin$ It+s the steroids that allow them to get big even though they aren+t strong$
Most guys dramatically underestimate steroids use$ I trained 5 years in a commercial gym
and was good friends with many of the bouncers training there$ *ll those bouncers were
using steroids, and several sold them$ I estimate that about (02 of the guys in that gym
were using steroids too$ My mentor and I never did, because we loo/ed better and lifted
more weight than all those steroid users who had yoyo muscle gains on and off their cycle
and who never did any Squats and Deadlifts$ Made no sense to us to use steroids$
Ouic/ side note; it was actually assumed that we were using steroids while we were one of
the few naturals$ -his is the world we live in today$ Some "eo"le will assume that if you
accom"lished something through hard wor/, you somehow EcheatedF$ Aither with steroids
or better genetics or whatever that ma/es them feel better about their lac/ of gains$ It+s
envy and 5ealousy of what you can do and they can+t$ Ignore those crabs$
So the answer the original question; yes training for strength will wor/ for naturals without
ama4ing genetics$ I+m 1002 natural and was born with hardgainer genetics B1'0lbs at age
15, couldn+t do single =ushu", H$)F wristsC and I assure you I have better results not 5ust
in strength but also in "hysique since I no longer do those silly, timeconsuming, in5ury
causing bodybuilding routines that I did for 5 years because I didn+t /now any better$
27
May 7utler "ulling only 400lbs while 6onnie 7oleman "ulls (00lbs
#o+ to Gain !uscle Without Getting Bulky
So far I+ve mostly showed you "hysiques of guys who got e!tremely big with strength
training$ ,ut maybe you don+t want to become bul/y li/e that, you 5ust want to become
stronger and muscular while staying lean$ -his may be because you do a s"ort li/e bo!ing
where you have to ma/e certain weight classes, or because you do a s"ort li/e climbing
where a higher bodyweight can wor/ against you$
.irst some myth debun/ing L lifting weights will >?- ma/e you bul/y unless you start
eating more$ 3ou will never be able to become li/e 6onnie 7oleman as long as you train
naturally$ 3ou will also never turn into one of those ')0lbs behemoths featured on the
cover of muscle maga4ines$ Datch the documentary :$igger Stronger +aster; 3 7hristian
,oeving admits that cover guys use drugs$ *nd remember; *rnold only weighed '&5lbs$
Maybe you /now one of those s/inny guys who trains H!<wee/, drin/s & sha/es every day,
yet never gains a single "ound$ Dhy do you thin/ he can+t gain weightG ,ecause he
doesn+t get that he needs to eat more calories than his body burns to gain weight$ 3ou do
need to get stronger to gain muscle$ ,ut to get bul/y you need to gain weight$ *nd the only
way you+re going to gain weight is if you start eating more calories than your body burns$
9ifting weights only won+t get you there$ *dd the genetic limit on how much muscle you
can add to your frame naturally that largely de"ends on your build and bone structure$
*s an e!am"le, I+ve been lifting weights since 1### and so far Squat 400lbs and Deadlift
500lbs$ 3et while everybody notices that I lift weights, I+m not bul/y L I wear &' si4e "ants
and si4e 9 shirts Beuro"ean si4esC$ 9oo/ at my full body "ictures below$
%ow come I+m not bul/y even though I+m stronger than most guysG ?ne because I+m 1002
natural I never used steroids$ %ec/ I don+t even use whey$ -wo, I only weigh 1)0lbs at
5+(F$ In case you wonder why I don+t weigh more L because after gaining 50lbs and losing
those man boobs and belly bulge that I was embarrassed about, I+ve reached a "oint
where I+m confident about the way I loo/$ .ran/ly, I don+t thin/ I loo/ s"ecial, but I have no
issues wal/ing shirtless or undressing when getting intimate with a woman, nor do I have
any need or want to be the biggest guy in the grou" Beven though almost all my friends are
way taller than meC$ I feel comfortable with my body and only care about gaining strength$
>ow if I would decide to weigh more, I+d have to start eating more calories than my body
burns$ ,ut since I+m only 5+(F and born with hardgainer li/e genetics Bmy wrists are only
H+)FC I would most li/ely never get heavier than a lean 1#0lbs anyway L unless I start
28
Me Deadlifting 4H'lbs at 1)0lbs ,D on the left, yet not bul/y$
ta/ing steroids or let my body fat increase$ Most guys don+t reali4e this, and some don+t
want to acce"t it, but there+s a genetic muscular limit$ Dhy do you thin/ com"etitors in
drugfree bodybuilding com"etitions never weigh more than '00lbs, with most com"etitors
in the 1H5lbs weight classG 3ou 5ust don+t get to &00lbs li/e 6onnie 7oleman naturally$
Dr 7asey ,utt =hd, author of :2our #uscular -otential;, has analy4ed anthro"ometric
measurements of more than &00 drugfree cham"ion bodybuilders and strength athletes
from 1#4) to '00)$ *fter H years of research he has come u" with a set of equations to
measure your genetic "otential based on your height$ .or a guy with )F wrists and #F
an/les who wants to achieve a muscular body with 102 body fat, this is the ma!imum
bodyweight you can achieve naturally according to his data$$$
5+(F TU ma! 1#0lbs
5+10F TU ma! 1##lbs
H+0F TU ma! '0)lbs
H+'F TU ma! '1Hlbs
-his is >?- your lean body mass, this is your total bodyweight when you ste" on the
scale for your given height and at 102 bodyfat$ Ouote from Dr 7asey ,utt =hd;
:In reality, it !ill take years of dedicated, productive training for most genetically typical
trainees to even approac tese predictions. #ost people, including campions, !ill
never acieve tis level of development trougout all of teir muscle groups 3 and
measurements taken at iger %ody fat levels do not reflect true muscular development.
If you reac D5E of most of tese predictions 3 in lean condition 3 you !ill stand out in
almost any gym. In fact, D5E represents good lifetime goals for most genetically typical,
drug3free trainees. &t a lean D7E you.d look like a fitness model.:
-a/e #02 of my genetic limit of 1#0lbs and you get 1)1lbs$ I have no idea what my body
fat is, nor do I care, but loo/ing at the "ics it+s clear that it+s fairly low and I weigh 1)0lbs$
So while I may not thin/ that I loo/ that s"ecial, for a lot of "eo"le I do, which e!"lains why
I often get guys or girls as/ing me if I lift weights or something Bmy girlfriend as/ed me the
first time she saw me, and it was winter with me wearing a woolen turtlenec/C$
-his is a tough "ill to gras" for most guys because they+re brainwashed by these muscle
maga4ines who /ee" showing guys weighing ')0lbs$ *dd the Mr ?lym"ia com"etitions
with guys li/e 6onnie 7oleman and May 7utler weighing over &00lbs and then the su"er
heavy weights in "owerlifting, strongman and olym"ic lifting who often weigh &50lbs$
3ou can+t forget that *rnold Schwar4enegger only weighed '&5lbs at H+'F when he won the
Mr ?lym"ia com"etition$ %is training "artner .ranco 7olumbo won the Mr ?lym"ia at only
1(0lbs$ -hese guys where the best of their times, yet they+d loo/ Es/innyF com"ared to the
heavy weights today$ *nd *rnold admitted using Balthough small dosesC of steroids$
-he most im"ortant guy you need to remember though is *rnold+s mentor, 6eg =ar/$ %e
was born before steroids e!isted and weighed '14lbs at H+'F when he won the Mr Iniverse
in 1#51$ 7onsidering Dr 7asey ,utt+s equations of what is "ossible for naturals, 6eg =ar/
is a good e!am"le of the /ind of lean "hysique that you could accom"lish naturally$
,ottom line; you will not get bul/y overnight by 5ust touching a barbell$ -o get bul/y, you
29
have to eat more calories than your body burns$ If you don+t eat more on "ur"ose, you will
get muscular from doing heavy free weight com"ound e!ercises, but not bul/y$
If anything, the fat loss that will occur as a result from gaining strength will ma/e you loo/
smaller at the same bodyweight because muscle is denser than fat$ *s you can see on
the "icture right$ 5lbs of muscle ta/es less s"ace than 5lbs of fat$
So you will loo/ more athletic at the same weight$
.inally, most guys I+ve coached are severely underweight by at
least '0lbs and need to eat more$ I often see guys being afraid of
eating a lot, this is obviously going to hurt your strength gains$ Must
get strong, eat lots of healthy foods, and the "hysique will ta/e
care of itself L you won+t turn bul/y, you won+t turn into a fatto, you+ll 5ust get muscular$
&ou:"e Been Lied ToC
%ere+s the truth; almost all ma5or muscle maga4ines own or are owned by a su""lement
com"any$ Men+s .itness, .le! and Sha"e maga4ine are all owned by Deider @lobal
>utrition, a ma5or su""lement com"any founded by Moe Deider himself$ -hese maga4ines
will on "ur"ose "ut you on those isolation s"lit routines that only wor/ if you were born with
ama4ing genetics or if you+re using steroids$ -heir goal is for you to not get any results, so
you eventually start to believe that su""lements are truly the missing ingredient$ .ran/ly,
these maga4ines are "lain advertisements disguised as information$
-he bad news is that most su""lements are useless$ -he ones who claim drugli/e results
can+t wor/ or they+d be classified as drugs by the .D*$ Su""lements will never be more
than "owdered foods$ =rofit margins are obviously huge when you sell "eo"le "ills that do
nothing, that+s why they can s"end so much money on outrageous advertising$
>ot all maga4ines are of course owned by su""lements com"anies$ ,ut almost all of them
have su""lement ads and rely on them for their revenue$ It would be very stu"id for them
to tell you that su""lements don+t wor/ as it would offend the com"anies s"ending tens of
thousands of dollars each month on ads, and thus "ut the maga4ine out of business$
Some maga4ines don+t run su""lement ads at all$ 3et they will still mislead you with their
Ewor/out of the monthF in every issue, 5ustifying this by claiming that it is im"erative to
confuse your muscles$ -he truth is that muscle confusion is a mar/eting gimmic/ intended
to ma/e you buy each new issue of that maga4ine$ Dhy do you thin/ they feature a new
Ewor/outF each monthG *nd why do you thin/ there are now also websites that have
started to give you their Ewor/out of the dayF or Ewor/out of the wee/FG -heyQre all
shamelessly trying to get you hoo/ed so you come bac/ for more$
,ut itQs not because muscle confusion sells that it also wor/s$ It is a scientific fact that
muscle si4e is directly related to strength gains$ 6emember; *rnold Schwar4enegger could
Deadlift )10lbs before he became )! Mr ?lym"ia$ *nd I assure you you wonQt get that
strong by switching e!ercises, sets and re"s all the time$ 3ou 5ust canQt master technique
or trac/ gains efficiently$ .act is, if you really want to confuse your muscles, hereQs a
sim"le way to achieve this; lift more weight than you did last time$ >ow theyQre confused$
30
.ran/ly, muscle maga4ines are doing to guys li/e you what maga4ines li/e cosmo"olitan
have been doing to women for years; "laying on your an!ieties about your body and
se!ual "erformance$ -his
illustrated by their relentless focus
on develo"ing Ethe "erfect bodyF
as illustrated by their covers
featuring celebrities with H "ac/s
abs and roc/ hard chest muscles$
Dhat they won+t tell you is that
those "ictures are all "hoto
sho""ed, and the cover guys went
on a s"ecial diet and training
"rogram to get in sha"e for that
"hotoshoot$ -hose guys do not
loo/ li/e that year through,
because the radical methods they
had to use to get in sha"e are unsustainable$ Must loo/ how @erard ,utler turned into a fat
lard 4 years after starring in the movie &00 for which he had to do those e!tremely grueling
metcons wor/outs$ -his is >?- S"arta, this is 6A*9I-3$
Why ersonal Trainers Get Sued
-hen there are the "ersonal trainers$ *lmost all of them are, quite bluntly, "lain idiots$ -hey
waste "eo"le+s money and time with dangerous inadequate routines$ Many trainers want
to ma/e their clients suffer$ -hey+ll ta/e a fat guy with 4ero endurance and ma/e him do
%II-$ ?bviously, you+ll get anyone tired and fatigued that way, that+s really easy$ -he
question is; does it yield any /ind of results e!ce"t throwing u" your brea/fastG
If you ever hired one of those "ersonal trainers, you /now
that they made you feel li/e achieving the body you want
would be hard$ It+s not your fault if you feel li/e quitting, I+d
be thin/ing the e!act same thing$ I have often said that the
best training "rogram is the one you stic/ to$ Dell you don+t
teach someone to build the habit of e!ercising by ma/ing
him "u/e on his very first day$ =ersonal trainers who li/e to
ma/e you suffer are >?- qualified$ Dhy do fitness industry
statistics show that (02 of the guys who set out to be
"ersonal trainers quit within ' yearsG ,ecause they+re
clueless, that+s why$
Must loo/ at that "icture of this guy doing barbell squats
while standing on a swiss ball$ >ow I might have done
400lbs Squats with my hi"s going lower than my /nees
which those idiot trainers will claim is dangerous but I will
>?- Squat while standing on a swiss ball$ -hat is 5ust "lain
stu"id and as/ing for in5uries$ If you want to train your
stabili4ing muscles; lift heavy barbells, that will get you
"lenty of wor/ as you+ll discover in the ne!t months$
31
@erard ,utler in E&00F and 4y later on holiday in ,arbados$
-his is why they get sued
My guess is "ersonal trainers want to a""ear cutting edge to you, and that+s why they will
ma/e you "ull a weight or "ush it overhead while you have to stand on one leg on a bosu
ball$ ,ut the trainer himself couldn+t do this without quasimodo form if you+d as/ him$
-he most im"ortant question you should as/ yourself is L once again will this get me
resultsG 7ertifications have become meaningless$ .or a few hundreds of dollars you can
go to one of those "ersonal training boot cam"s and get certified in only ' days$ >ow do
you really thin/ it is "ossible to learn everything there is to learn about how to coach
"eo"le L "rogramming, technique, nutrition and most im"ortant, motivation in only 4(
hoursG -his isn+t 5ust about holding a cli"board and counting some re"s$ 3et this is what
the fitness industry has come down to$ It no longer matters if you had any former training
e!"erience$ 3ou 5ust have to be willing to "ut the money down$ *nd for some e!tra money
and a yearly fee you can o"en your own gym within a wee/$ 3es, it+s that easy$
-he worst "art is that almost all those "ersonal trainers who get certified never continue
educating themselves$ -hey only care about ma/ing money and don+t understand that they
should invest a large amount of that into education$ I read 100 boo/s "er year, hundreds$
Dhat do they readG -hat nonsense in muscle maga4ines I+ll tell you$
-he "roblem is that clients don+t /now the difference$ *nybody can read a boo/ and "ass
some tests, but it+s "utting all that /nowledge and ma/ing real "eo"le transform their body
and life that turns you into a highly sought after coach$ Does that "ersonal trainer loo/ fitG
Is he a bice"s boy with H "ac/ abs but s/inny legsG Do you see him do Squats and
DeadliftsG If the answer is no to one of more of these questions, avoid him$
If the answer is yes, as/ for actual and documented "roof that he has hel"ed other guys
achieve the same /ind of results$ It is one thing to accom"lish results yourself, but it is a
com"letely different thing to ma/e others achieve the e!act same results$ ,efore<after
"ictures and testimonials, li/e the do4ens of "ictures and the 51 success stories I+ve
included in this boo/, are therefore absolutely critical$
.ran/ly, there is 5ust nobody else who will be able to show you as much actual and
documented realworld "roof as I have included in this boo/$ I challenge you to find one$
*nd /ee" in mind I didn+t even include everything I have in order to /ee" this boo/ to
reasonable si4e$ I don+t tell that to be arrogant or to brag, but to illustrate this "oint; you
shouldn+t trust "eo"le who can+t "rovide you with actual "roof that they really /now what
they+re tal/ing about$
>ow I want to switch gears and tal/ about what I believe is the most "owerful training
strategy to gain muscle and strength$ -he 5!5 method$$$
32
=age intentionally left blan/
+++)stronglifts)com
33
StrongLifts /0/: The 1ltimate Strength and
!uscle Building rogram
A,T $$
34
What The #eck $s This /0/ !ethod Any+ay%
5!5 stands for 5 sets of 5 re"s which is what you+ll be doing on the "rogram that I+m about
to share$ Im"ortant to note is that while I urge you to do the "rogram e!actly as laid out,
the secret to this "rogram is >?- the 5 sets of 5$ 7oach @lenn =endlay MS IS*D who
uses this training system with his winning gold medal ?lym"ic athletes once called the 5!5
method :a pilosopy, a structure, a frame!ork;. *nd that is really what this is about$
>obody /nows who invented this training method, and I definitely do not ta/e credit for it$
*ll the research I+ve done has lead me to *rnold Schwar4enegger+s mentor, 6eg =ar/,
who was the first guy to "ublish the 5!5 method in his boo/ Strengt F $ulk Training for
Beigt Lifters F $ody $uilders >GD87?. -his boo/ contained the secret training system
=ar/ had used to develo" his world class "hysique and strength, and that *rnold
Schwar4enegger later successfully co"ied L the 5!5 method$
>ow here+s what+s interesting$ 6emember when I said that 6eg =ar/ was the '
nd
guy to
ever ,ench =ress 500lbs in 1#5)G Dell the 1
st
guy who achieved this feat in 1#5& was the
7anadian Dorld 7ham"ion weight lifter and '! gold medalist Doug %e"burn B)H0lb Squat,
)05lbs Deadlift, &(1lbs =ress and eventually 5(0lbs ,enchC$ Dell turns out that %e"burn,
who was born 'y before 6eg =ar/, also used the 5!5 training method to gain strength$
Aven more interesting is that Doug %e"burn trained in Ad 3aric/+s @ym in ?a/land
7alifornia$ -his "lace "roduced some of the greatest bodybuilding and strength cham"ions
the world has ever /nown li/e bodybuilder and actor Steve 6eeves BMr Iniverse 1#50,
highest "aid actor in Auro"e at the "ea/ of his careerC and ?lym"ic cham"ion Mohn Davis
B'! gold medalist and H! senior world weightlifting cham"ion, could Deadlift )05lbs, Squat
5'5lbs and =ress &4'lbsC$
Dhy is all of this interestingG ,ecause the ,rit 6eg =ar/ trained in Ad 3aric/+s @ym in
1#4# when he visited the west coast during his H months tri" to *merica$ So he must have
met Doug %e"burn and Steve 6eeves who were training there$ =ar/ actually com"eted
against 6eeves for the Mr Iniverse title in 1#50 and lost to him$ So while I haven+t been
able to find "roof that 6eg =ar/ learned the 5!5 method from Doug %e"burn Band I fran/ly
35
Doug %e"burn, 1st guy to ever ,ench =ress 500lbs
don+t really care who invented this method eitherC, it is "ossible that this was the case$
Dhat is sure is that ,ill Starr "o"ulari4ed the 5!5 method years later in his boo/ Te
Strongest Sall Survive >GD98?. Starr was the ?lym"ic 7oach for the ,altimore 7olts when
they won the Su"erbowl in 1#)0, the strength coach of several universities including
%awaii, Maryland and Mohn %o"/in, and national record holder in =owerlifting and ?lym"ic
lifting$ Starr called his training strategy :Te $ig Tree; but if you loo/ed at it closely this
was the good old 5!5 method 6eg =ar/ had "ublished almost ' decades before him$
') years later, in *ugust '00& I lost at armwrestling to some guys during my holiday in
-ur/ey Bread "age 1HC$ %umiliated, I researched how to boost my strength once bac/ in
,elgium$ -here was a guy nic/named :Hon Smit; on this forum whose training method
revolved around 5 sets of 5 re"s of Squats, Deadlifts, 6ows and =resses$ >o isolation
e!ercises, no high re"s, no failure training$ Must adding weight to the bar "rogressively$
-he "remise; gain strength and muscle training only &!<wee/$ I was training 5!<wee/J
-his Mohn Smith guy later turned out to be ?lym"ic 7oach @lenn =endlay MS IS*D who
has so far "roduced #) national cham"ions 1 whose athletes have bro/en '0 *merican
records and won '0 medals in international com"etitions 1 who has Squatted R(00lbs,
Deadlifted R)00lbs, ,ench =ressed R500lbs 1 and who has a master in A!ercise
=hysiology with a concentration in endocrinology through the Kansas State Iniversity 1
and who has "ublished articles in several "eer reviewed 5ournals$
-his 5!5 method loo/ed good on "a"er, but I was s/e"tic L it 5ust sounded to good to be
true$ .ran/ly, I was convinced that you need isolation e!ercises li/e bice"s curls and calf
raises to Esha"eF muscles because that+s what I had done for 5 years$ *nd I was also
afraid that I+d lose the "hysique I had built if I would do com"ounds only, es"ecially since
the 5!5 method didn+t call for high re"s which I believe were crucial for EdefinitionF$
-he other thing was the whole idea of Squatting &!<wee/$ I was one of the few guys in my
gym to train my legs$ My mentor had introduced me to Squats in Manuary '000 and I had
done them every single wee/ ever since$ ,ut to me the idea of Squatting &!<wee/ was 5ust
cra4y$ I /new how brutal training legs was, I often had sore legs for ) days$ Squatting &!
"er wee/ was as/ing for overtraining, I believed in training 1 muscle "er wee/ ma!$
So I dismissed the 5!5 method and did other stuff$
-he turnover ha""ened in March '004 when I got /ic/ed out of the gym where I trained at
for 5 years B"artly my fault, "artly gym "oliticsC$ I eventually found a new gym which had a
Squat 6ac/$ It was 015,00 "er month more e!"ensive and further from my "lace than my
"revious gym but since I needed to train somewhere, I 5oined in *"ril '004$
3et I never felt home there$ -his was a much more commercial gym than my old one$ -hey
didn+t have any ?lym"ic barbells but smaller &0lbs bars without middle /nurling, with fi!ed
sleeves and which already bent at '50lbs$ -heir 45lbs "lates weren+t ?lym"ic ones with a
1)F diameter, but those small ones$ -ry to Deadlift li/e that$ It sure frustrated me$
& months later I saw on a dutch training forum "ictures of this guy+s new home gym$ ,ac/
then, there weren+t any stores selling 6ac/s in ,elgium, so I was stunned when I saw this
guy had a =ower 6ac/$ I discovered I could get a full setu" for 0'500 B>?-A; it+s way
36
chea"er today a friend of mine bought the same setu" last year for less than 01000C$ It
was a big investment, but I /new that I+d get my money bac/ within & years by saving on
gym fee and fuel driving bac/ S forth$ *dd all the time I+d save and freedom I+d gain$ I
ordered my home gym which I installed in my "arent+s garage where I still train today$
-he only "roblem was that I no longer had access to machines or cables now that I was
training at home$ So I loo/ed for a routine that would fit$ -his brought me bac/ to the 5!5
method I had discovered through @lenn =endlay e!actly 1y earlier$ >ow I was still s/e"tic,
but I had no o"tions$ I also figured that if I could build this body once, I could do it again so
I had nothing to lose$ I remember considering going to the commercial gym 1!<wee/ to hit
my chest and arms with isolation e!ercises if I would ever lose definition or Esha"eF$$$
Dell that never ha""ened$ -o my own ama4ement, I didn+t lose any si4e or definition on
my arms or chest after I started to focus on strength using the 5!5 method$ I actually
started to loo/ stronger, denser than before which is what *rnold meant B"age 1HC$ My
"hysique also became more balanced; my trice"s, shoulders and u""erbac/ which had
always been lagging finally started to catch u"$ I never overtrained from Squatting &!<wee/
and my nagging lower bac/ and shoulder "ain, that I accumulated from overem"hasi4ing
certain body "arts with those imbalanced routines for years, finally vanished$
,ut the best "art was really that I was saving an incredible amount of time$ I went from
training 5!<wee/ for at least 'h<day to training only &!<wee/ for about 1h$ -hat meant I was
now saving at least &H4 hours of gym time or 15 days "er year$ I now had more time to
have a life outside of the gym Bfriends, hobbies, familyC D%I9A getting better results than I
had ever had before *>D without all that "ainful failure training and sore legs$
I obviously never went bac/ to bodybuilding after this$ *nd when my friends now came to
me for training advice, I gave them the 5!5 method$ I quic/ly discovered that a ma5or
mista/e everybody made, including myself when I first started, was to start way too heavy
-he result; e!treme soreness from Squats which in some cases lead to missed wor/outs
in wee/ 1, and in most cases lead to stalling too early and losing motivation as a result$
-o "revent guys from quitting the "rogram because of their own ego+s getting in the way, I
added my own twist to the 5!5 method; enforcing starting with the em"ty barbell$ -his
eliminated the issue of starting too heavy, allowed them to focus on technique rather than
weight, and eliminated all questions regarding how much weight they should start with$
3ou no longer needed to calculate your wor/ weight based off your 16M that you may not
even /now anyway, you 5ust start with the em"ty bar and "rogress from there, done$
Most im"ortant; since you+re starting light, you can add weight each wor/out for a long
time without stalling, which obviously increases motivation$ Success breeds success; you
see the weight increase each wor/out so you /now the "rogram is wor/ing and that /ee"s
you going and even crave for more$ -his is the reason why almost nobody ever s/i"s a
wor/out the first 1' wee/s when a""roaching the 5!5 method using the em"ty bar strategy
that I came u" with$ *nd when you /now that consistency is the real secret to 9?>@
9*S-I>@ success, not missing a single wor/out early on is invaluable$
Strong9ifts 5!5 was born$
37
Who -lse Wants to !ake !oney 2uick And -asyD Sitting
At &our Eitchen Ta(leD $n &our 1nder+ear%
?/ay, I do not wor/ from my /itchen table in my underwear because that+s not my style,
but I could if I wanted$ I+m writing this from my a"artment not so far from ,russels, sitting at
my des/ in my s"ort "ants and a -shirt, where I have made tens of thousands of dollars
during the last several years$ I have achieved the EfantasyF of ma/ing a ton of money from
a homebased, easy, "leasant business doing something that I+m "assionate about$
-here+s nothing really s"ecial about what I do and I honestly believe that you could do it
too if you wanted$ %ec/, it would "robably be easier for you because Anglish isn+t even my
"rimary language B.rench isC$ >ow I can understand if all of this may sound hard to believe
because, fran/ly, if you would have told me 5 years ago that I would become the most
e!"ensive strength coach in the world, reaching 15million of guys through my website in
only & years, I thin/ I would have laughed in your face L but here I am$
It still ama4es me today that I didn+t thin/ earlier of ma/ing a living with everything I /new$
%ere+s why; you+d "robably never guess if you+d see me, but I+m a bit of a nerd L I studied
I- and 5ust li/e ,ill @ates I+m a college dro"out$ I quit my studies in my '
nd
year and then
landed a 5ob in E7or"orate ,elgiumF$ @ood "ay, many benefits, stable contract, large
com"any with '0/ em"loyees, guaranteed to have a good "ension later and damn fine
colleagues who turned into close friends that I still see today$
Dhy would I give all of that u"G It was this mindset of wanting to im"rove at the gym that
had gotten into other areas of my life$ I grew dissatisfied with my 5ob; I was wor/ing li/e a
robot doing the e!act same thing each day, wasn+t learning anything new and felt as if I
was getting dumb and dumber by the minute$ I didn+t li/e 5ust Egetting byF I felt I could do
more with my life than what I was doing and craved for some sort of challenge$
*ll my attem"ts at "romotion failed largely due to dumb cor"orate "olitics$ I felt Estuc/F and
started to hate my 5ob$ Imagine having to commute ' hours each day, wor/ing shifts and
wee/ends, being forced to wor/ harder every year, not being a""reciated for all of this,
getting a silly 0)5,00<year salary increase in return, but then having to give bac/ 5)$&2
B,elgium is one of the to" 5 countries in the world with the highest income ta! than/s to
those damn socialistsC$ -hat was my life for 5 years$
I didn+t want to wait until H5 to have fun$ I wanted to be free to wor/ when I wanted and
how I wanted$ Most im"ortant L I wanted to be rewarded for wor/ing hard$ So rather than
letting myself get de"ressed or waiting for someone to /noc/ on my door to ma/e my life
better, I decided to ta/e control over my own life L I started see/ing for an Eo""ortunityF$
I began reading a lot, and eventually stumbled on the conce"t of EblogsF in *ugust '00H$ I
had never heard of blogs before, but I li/ed the conce"t of ma/ing a living by hel"ing
"eo"le to solve their "roblems$ *fter all, this is what I had been doing as a tech su""ort
since '00', so I had the s/ills$ -he only thing I needed was a to"ic to blog about$$$
) months later I met my mentor at a "arty, the guy who introduced me to Squats in '000
and who had ta/en me under his wings for ' years$ I told him that I wanted to start a blog
and then quit my 5ob, but that I had no idea which to"ic to blog about$ My mentor re"lied;
38
:2ou sould make a %log a%out !eigt training;.
It was as if a light bulb had gone on$ ,ut I didn+t say anything and stubbornly continued my
e!"lanation because I thought this was a bad idea$ -here were too many websites on
weight training already and L most im"ortant who am I anywayG
*nd yet, I couldn+t get the idea out of my head the wee/s after$ ,ut I could also not
convince myself to do it because I 5ust didn+t thin/ this had a chance to wor/$ Most "eo"le
said I shouldn+t do it because I had a good 5ob in a stable com"any, earned well and was
guaranteed to have a good "ension later$ If I quit, I would most li/ely never find a 5ob li/e
this again$ Some "eo"le told me to go for it because I had no debt, no wife, no /ids$ I had
nothing to lose, only to win$ *nd if I could ma/e this wor/, I+d be ma/ing a living doing
something that I+m "assionate about, wor/ing when I want and how I want$
I too/ me a while to reali4e that there was no other website that e!"lained how I trained$
Avery single one of them advocated those silly bodybuilding s"lit routines where you have
to train H!<wee/ doing ') isolation e!ercises "er wor/out, ta/ing each set until failure so
you get "um"ed and sore, and ta/e a load of e!"ensive su""lements on to" of it to get
results$ It was all a confusing, com"licated, an unorgani4ed mess ran by sna/e oils$
-his is what convinced me to create a website about strength training, free of all the ,$S$
and clutter and with a definite standardi4ed a""roach$ I didn+t 5ust want to ma/e the very
best website in the fitness niche, I wanted to ma/e the best one in the world$ Averything
under one roof, a "lace that I wish e!isted when started training, that would have saved
me a lot of time and effort, and that would have shortcut my success$
It was obvious I should do this$ *nd so ' wee/s later I registered the domain EStrong9iftsF
and set as deadline May 1
st
'00)$ -he site went online on that date as "lanned, I wrote my
first article on the des/ ne!t to my bed at my "arent+s "lace$ I had fran/ly no idea what the
hell I was or should be doing, but I figured that if I would a""ly what I had learned from
lifting weights L "ersistence L that I would eventually get where I wanted to be$
May 1&
th
'00) I resigned$ Strong9ifts$com wasn+t ma/ing any money yet, but I was fed u"
with my 5ob$ 5 years was enough$ I lost all source of income and went bro/e for more than
a year$ Most of that time I s"ent in that little room at my "arent+s "lace, wor/ing li/e a
madman (5 hours a wee/, without any /ind of social life$ >ot a day at the beach$
3et I+d do it again$ *s I write this we+re a cou"le of days away from '011$ It+s been now &,5
years since I founded Strong9ifts$com which quic/ly established itself as the number 1
strength training resource in the world L 15million guys reached in only &,5 years, and
more than '0,000 Strong9ifts Members from more than 1() countries$ I obviously ma/e a
lot more money now as a small business owner than when I was em"loyed and I have my
own "lace, but that+s not that im"ortant for me$ Dhat is im"ortant is that I wor/ when, how
and how much I want D%I9A doing something that I love$ -hat+s why I+m still often wor/ing
)0h<wee/; I really, really, really li/e what I do and I would do it all for free if we didn+t live in
a world were you have to "ay bills and ta!es$
My 5ourney with Strong9ifts$com has been similar to my weight training 5ourney; starting
out clueless, doing a lot of dumb mista/es as a result, yet "ersisting until I got where I
wanted Band I+m 5ust getting started reallyC$ If bad genetics held me bac/ as a lifter, Anglish
39
not being my "rimary language held me bac/ as an entre"reneur$ 5 years ago I couldn+t
even write a grocery list, it too/ me tens of thousands of hours of writing to get to the level
where I am today$ *nd I really wished I would have had someone to guide me on my way,
it would have shortcut my success$ Maybe one day I+ll be teaching that too$
>ow all that bragging has a "oint why the hec/ has Strong9ifts$com become so "o"ular,
so fastG ?bviously, it+s because my methods wor/$ I truly have a system that can change
not 5ust your body, but your life$ *nd I can, and will, "rove it to you$
WA,'$'G
3es, a warning; the method you+re about to discover is going to be radically different from
anything you+ve seen before$ 3ou will be s/e"tic$ 3ou will tem"ted to instantly re5ect it$ 3ou
will find it contrary and challenging to what you+ve been taught and may have done before$
3ou will wonder where the frigging arm curls, ab crunches and calf raises are$ 3ou will be
tem"ted to add e!ercises to target these body "arts$ 3ou will also be tem"ted to do &!(
instead of 5!5 so you achieve more Edefinition,F even though I stressed in this re"ort that
muscle si4e is directly related to strength gains and that definition is fat loss BdietC$
3ou will also underestimate this method$ 3ou will thin/ that & e!ercises "er wor/out is not
enough$ 3ou will want to add e!ercises and train more than &!<wee/$ 3ou+ll be tem"ted to
start with more weight than 5ust a silly em"ty bar$ I warn you, 5!5 does loo/ easy on "a"er,
but I assure you it will turn e!tremely challenging as you "rogress$
-o avoid missing out on an incredible o""ortunity to transform your life for the better, you
need to "atiently and carefully consider this training method that will at first seem dead
wrong, illogical, irrational and unreasonable to you$ *nd remember what >a"oleon %ill,
author of the bestseller Tink F 4ro! ,ic, said$$$
:Neglecting to %roaden teir vie! as kept some men doing one ting all teir lives;.
-o encourage you, I want you to /ee" & im"ortant things in mind$ ?ne, I was the biggest
5!5 s/e"tic ever$ 5 years of bodybuilding s"lit routines had brainwashed me into this idea
that you need isolation e!ercises for & sets of ( re"s until failure to gain muscle$ I couldn+t
believe that I would be able to Squat &!<wee/, and that+s why it too/ me a year to try this$
* full year$ 9uc/ily I gave it a try and it com"letely transformed my body and life$
-wo, the 5!5 method is "roven to wor/$ -his strategy was used by 6eg =ar/ and *rnold
Schwar4enegger to build their world class "hysiques and strength$ It was used and is still
being used by @lenn =endlay MS IS*D with his world class ?lym"ic athletes who have
won gold medals and bro/en *merican records$ -his method is almost )0 years old and
there are tens of thousands of success stories "roving that it wor/s$ * few do4ens of them
are in this re"ort for you to e!amine$ I could actually have included hundreds of these
success stories but I wanted to /ee" the length of this re"ort within reasonable si4e$
-hree, the most im"ortant one, is that the only real way to find out if this method wor/s, is
by giving it a honest try for 1' wee/s$ De can tal/ a lot about why this method wor/s, but
at the end of the day the "roof is in the "udding$ 3ou got to actually try it to believe it$
40
Gi"e !e @; Weeks And $:ll Gi"e &ou The Eind Of
Body And Strength &ou Al+ays Wanted
%ere+s what I want you to do; testdrive my Strong9ifts 5!5 "rogram e!actly as laid out for
1' wee/s and then you can 5udge for yourself whether this "rogram really wor/s or not$ I+m
e!tremely confident that you will gain muscle and strength because tens of thousands of
guys, from all sorts of bac/grounds, bodyty"es, genetics and ages, did with this "rogram$
Strong9ifts 5!5 is s"lit into ' full body wor/outs for a total of & sessions "er wee/$ -he first
time you go to the gym you do wor/out *, the ne!t time wor/out ,$ 3ou then alternate
wor/out * and , every time you go to the gym for a total of & sessions "er wee/$ %ere+s
how the two Strong9ifts 5!5 wor/outs loo/ li/e;
StrongLifts /0/
Workout A Workout B
Squat Squat
,ench =ress ?verhead =ress
,arbell 6ows Deadlift
& e!ercises "er wor/out doesn+t loo/ li/e a lot, but remember it+s not about the amount of
e!ercises, it+s about the intensity of your training L and that will increase fast as I+ll e!"lain
in a moment$ .ran/ly, you+ll eventually be ha""y that there are only & e!ercises because
you+ll be toasted 5ust after doing your heavy Squats$ Kee" also in mind that these are full
body e!ercises L your arms will not remain s/inny, they+ll increase in si4e B"roof followsC$
Im"ortant; you never A:A6 do Stronglifts 5!5 two days in a row because your body needs
recovery to gain muscle and strength$ If you do ma/e his mista/e anyway, then you won+t
be able to add weight each wor/out$ *lways wait at least 1 day before doing a Strong9ifts
5!5 wor/out again$ Most Strong9ifts Members train Mon<Ded<.riday, li/e this;
StrongLifts /0/ Week @
#onday Bednesday +riday
Workout A Workout B Workout A
Squat Squat Squat
,ench =ress ?verhead =ress ,ench =ress
,arbell 6ows Deadlift ,arbell 6ows
>otice how the wor/outs * and , alternate every time you go to the gym$ >otice also how
the e!ercise order is always the same L you+re always doing Squats first, then ,ench or
?verhead =ress, and then ,arbell 6ows or Deadlifts$ 3ou do >?- start with the ,ench
=ress because Squats are the most im"ortant e!ercise of Strong9ifts 5!5$
41
Inli/e wee/ one, your second wee/ of Strong9ifts 5!5 will start with wor/out , because
you ended your first wee/ with wor/out *$ %ere+s how wee/ ' loo/s li/e;
StrongLifts /0/ Week ;
#onday Bednesday +riday
Workout B Workout A Workout B
Squat Squat Squat
?verhead =ress ,ench =ress ?verhead =ress
Deadlift ,arbell 6ows Deadlift
3ou now understand what I mean when I say to alternate wor/out * and , each session$
-his isn+t roc/et science; wee/ & is e!actly li/e wee/ 1 and wee/ 4 is e!actly li/e wee/ '$
-he only difference is that the weight you+ll be using in wee/ & and wee/ 4 will be much
higher than in wee/ 1 and '$ I will e!"lain that in a moment too$
*ll these e!ercises you must do with free weights, using an ?lym"ic ,arbell$ -his means
you don+t use machines or the smith$ %ere+s why; barbells force you to balance the weight
yourself and allow for natural movements$ ?n the other hand machines<smith balance the
weight for you Bwhich means less muscle and strength gainsC and force you into fi!ed,
unnatural movement "atterns that can cause /nee, lower bac/ and shoulder "ain$ 3ou
also don+t use dumbbells because you can lift more weight with a barbell$ More im"ortant
is that you 5ust can+t do heavy Squats with dumbbells, you need a barbell for that$
3ou+ll do 5 sets of 5 re"s B5!5C with the same weight on every e!ercise after you+ve done
your warmu" sets$ -here+s 1 e!ce"tion, Deadlifts, where you+ll only do 1 set of 5$ %ere+s
why; 5!5 or even &!5 Deadlifts would mess with your recovery and cause stalling because
you+re already doing 5!5 Squats &!<wee/$ I urge you to stic/ with 1!5 Deadlifts$
StrongLifts /0/ Sets 7 ,eps
Workout A Workout B
Squat 5!5 Squat 5!5
,ench =ress 5!5 ?verhead =ress 5!5
,arbell 6ows 5!5 6eadlift @0/
>ever 5um" straight into your wor/ weight, warmu" first$ *s an e!am"le, let+s say your
wor/ weight for the Squat is 1&5lbs$ -hen here+s how your training would loo/ li/e$$$
'V5 45lbs TU ' sets of 5 re"s with the em"ty ?lym"ic bar
& ! #0lbs TU 1 set of & re"s with the 45lbs bar R ''$5lbs<side
5 ! 1&5lbs TU first set of 5 re"s with your wor/ weight
5 ! 1&5lbs TU 'nd set of 5 re"s with your wor/ weight
5 ! 1&5lbs TU &rd set of 5 re"s with your wor/ weight
5 ! 1&5lbs TU 4th set of 5 re"s with your wor/ weight
5 ! 1&5lbs TU 5th and final set of 5 re"s with your wor/ weight
42
*lways include the weight of your barbell$ ?lym"ic barbells weigh 45lbs$ If your bar weighs
less, you should add weight to get to 45lbs$ I urge you to get access to a real ?lym"ic bar;
you+ll be able to lift heavier weights because of the revolving sleeves which are also easier
on your wrists and shoulders, the bar won+t bent with heavy weights, and it+s 5ust safer$
3ou also need access to a =ower 6ac/ so you can Squat heavy and in all safety$ -here+s
sim"ly no safe way you can "ut a &00lb bar on Band offC your u""erbac/ without a =ower
6ac/$ Squat Stands Bwith saw horsesC are the ne!t best thing$ -he smith machine is >?-
because it forces your body into fi!ed movement "atterns and balances the weight for you$
-his means it can get your lower bac/ and /nees in5ured, doesn+t build real world strength,
and is less effective for muscle gains than Squatting with free weights$$
3ou should ta/e about 1min rest between your wor/ sets$ *s the weight on the bar
increases and you start struggling to get 5 re"s on each set, start ta/ing u" to 5 mins rest
between sets, this can ma/e the difference between getting 5 re"s or not on your ne!t
wor/ sets$ =revent your wor/outs from getting too long by not ta/ing any rest between
your warmu" sets L 5ust load the bar then do your ne!t set$ ,ut stay focused$
%ow fast should you liftG *s fast as you can on the way u", controlled Bbut not slowC on the
way down$ 9ifting fast is not cheating, and it+s definitely not dangerous if you use "ro"er
technique$ If you lift fast on the way u" you+ll be able to lift more weight than if you lift slow$
Do not listen to those idiots saying lifting slow is better L yes it is challenging, but muscle
si4e is directly related to strength gains$ 3ou get stronger more quic/ly by lifting fast$ So lift
as fast as you can once you get a hang on the "ro"er technique$
*fter your 5 sets of 5 re"s on Squats are over, you move the ne!t e!ercise, the ,ench or
=ress de"ending on whether it+s wor/out * or ,$ *fter this you move to 6ows or Deadlifts$
-his means you do >?- do that silly circuit training mi!ing one set of Squats with one set
of =resses and then one set of 6ows$ 3our goal is >?- to get e!hausted, your goal is to
add weight on the bar every wor/out$ *nd the best way to accom"lish this is to do every
e!ercise, set, and re" with 1002 focus, >?- by rushing through each e!ercise in an
attem"t to get out of breath or sweaty$ 6emember; this is a strength "rogram$
Stic/ to the e!ercise order, it isn+t random 3ou Squat first because it+s the most im"ortant
e!ercise$ 3ou then move to the ,ench<=ress so your legs and lower bac/ get a brea/$ *nd
then you move to 6ows<Deadlifts which wor/ your "osterior chain again$ Stic/ing to the
same e!ercise order allows you to trac/ "rogress more efficiently because no variable is
changing e!ce"t the weight on the bar Bsets<re"s<e!ercises<order remain constantC$
>otice that on the Deadlift you only do 1 set of 5 re"s, not 5!5 or &!5 because that could
cause stalling when combined with 5!5 Squatting &!<wee/$ So let+s say your wor/ weight
on the Deadlift is ''5lbs, here+s then how it would loo/ li/e;
5! 1&5lbs TU 1 set of 5 re"s, 1st warmu" set
5! 1)5lbs TU 1 set of 5 re"s, '
nd
warmu" set
5! ''5lbs TU 5 re"s with ''5lbs, your wor/ set
1!5 Deadlifts doesn+t loo/ li/e a lot, but as you can see L you have your warmu" sets, so
you+re actually doing more$ *nd as you+ll also e!"erience in the coming months, once the
weight becomes heavy, you+ll be ha""y to end your training with only 1 set of 5 Deadlifts$
43
They All /aughe" %hen I !tarte" %ith The 0mpty
Barbell, But Their /aughter 1hange" to Ama,ement %hen
They !aw 2e !quatting 334 5oun"s (3 %ee&s /ater#.
-he biggest Strong9ifts 5!5 mista/e you can ma/e is starting with weights too heavy$ Most
guys care way too much about what other "eo"le in the gym Bor anywhere else actuallyC
are thin/ing$ -he tem"tation is therefore huge to start with heavier weights to show off, but
it+s also a huge roadbloc/ to your own success and a guaranteed way to fail the "rogram$
-he "roblem with starting too heavy is that it can get you e!tremely sore L es"ecially from
Squats$ Ironically, the fastest way to eliminate soreness is to train sore muscles again by
going to the gym anyway$ ,ut many guys will ignorantly s/i" the ne!t wor/out or even the
ne!t '$ -his is a huge "roblem because consistency is the real secret to success, and you
don+t develo" this asset by s/i""ing wor/outs early on$ In some cases missing sessions
during the critical first & wee/s becomes the beginning of the end$ I+m sure you+ve heard
that it ta/es '1 days to build a new habit$ Dell the first & wee/s of Strong9ifts 5!5 are
designed to do that L to ma/e you build the habit of e!ercising$ -his is consistency$
More im"ortant to you is that on Strong9ifts 5!5 you+ll be adding weight on the bar every
wor/out anyway, boosting your wor/ weight by H0lbs "er month on the Squat$ If you start
too heavy, you won+t be able to achieve 5 re"s on all 5 sets in wee/ & Bor even 'C, lose
motivation as a result, and that is again the beginning of the end$
-his is why I say; it:s (etter to start too light than too hea"y$ %ec/, they may all laugh
when they see you start with that em"ty bar, but when you+re Squatting ''5lbs for sets of 5
only 1' wee/s later, their laughter will change to ama4ement$ %ow many guys do you see
Squatting ''5lbs in your gymG >ot much$ 3et you can accom"lish this strength feat in only
1' wee/s by starting with the em"ty barbell and adding 5lbs each wor/out$ I therefore urge
you to start with the em"ty ?lym"ic barbell on the Squat, ,ench and ?verhead =ress$ It
may feel too light at first, but this will allow you to "ractice correct technique$
?n the Deadlift and ,arbell 6ow you should
start with #5lbs<H5lbs res"ectively since you
can+t "erform these lifts without weight on the
bar "ro"er technique means the bar rests on
the floor at the start of and between each re"$
Ise "lates with 1)F diameter so you have the
correct bar height$ If you don+t have light
"lates with this diameter, "ut two '5lbs "lates
flat on the floor below the bar to raise the bar
so the bar is about #F off the floor$ ,y the way,
if your gym doesn+t have round "lates li/e in
the "icture on the right, switch gym$ 3ou can+t
Deadlift<6ow correctly with octagonal "lates$
If you can+t do ,arbell 6ows correctly with H5lbs, start with the Inverted 6ow$ >o weights
required here, 5ust do as many re"s as you can on each set, starting with both feet flat on
the floor if you can+t do them with straight legs and always trying to beat your "revious
record, until you can do & sets of 1' re"sL then you move to ,arbell 6ows 5!5$
44
=ut ' "lates flat on the floor when starting with
small "lates so you get the right bar height for
Deadlifts and 6ows li/e on the right$
If you have been lifting weights during the "ast months then starting with the em"ty barbell
may feel too light$ My advice remains though; it+s better too start too light than too heavy$
*void soreness, avoid early stalling, and s"ent some time mastering technique on all the
lifts$ If you want to start heavier anyway, then start with 502 of your 56M$ So if your ma!
,ench =ress is 5!''0lbs, you should start with 110lbs for 5!5$ -hat will still be fairly light,
but remember you+ll be adding 5lbs "er wor/out, and so you+ll be ,enching 1#0lbs for sets
of 5 re"s within 1' wee/s$ Avery single guy who does Strong9ifts 5!5, even the ones who
have been lifting for years already, set new records on this "rogram$ @ains will come fast if
you+re "atient$ Starting too heavy doesn+t ma/e you "rogress faster, it hurts gains$
AmaAing Secret 6isco"ered By
Greek Wrestler Adds O"er @44 ounds To &our Lifts
-"ery !onth And Super*Charges &our !oti"ation
Dhat is the best way to measure if your training "rogram yields resultsG 3ou already /now
muscle si4e is directly related to strength gains$ -hus, if your training ma/es you stronger,
you /now you+re gaining muscle$ So the sim"lest way to measure the effectiveness of your
training "rogram is by measuring if the weight on the bar increases over time or not$ So I
cannot ,$S$ you here L you will quic/ly /now whether Strong9ifts 5!5 wor/s by 5ust loo/ing
at the "rogression in weight on the bar$ If it goes u" L which it will L the "rogram wor/s$
-he large ma5ority of guys who do Strong9ifts 5!5 will never ever miss a wor/out during
their first 1' wee/s trial$ Dhat I /ee" hearing is that they loo/ forward to going to the gym
again and are incredibly motivated$ -his is of course because with Strong9ifts 5!5 your
wor/ weight increases every single wor/out, so you /now you+re ma/ing "rogress by 5ust
com"aring the weight you+re lifting today vs last wor/out$ -his is the easiest way to boost
your motivation L seeing results L because success breeds success$ >o bullshitting with
E"um"F or EsorenessF, you+re either lifting more or you+re not$ *nd if you do, it+s wor/ing$
-here is another im"ortant reason why you
need to increase the weight every wor/out;
it+s crucial for strength gains and thus muscle
building$ -he legend goes that in *ncient
@reece, the wrestler Milo of 7roton, trained
for strength by carrying a new born o! daily$
*s the calf grew bigger and heavier, Milo got
"rogressively e!"osed to more weight, which
forced his body to grow stronger and more
muscular$ Milo eventually became one of the
strongest guys of his time, eventually winning
the ?lym"ic @ames H!$
-his may be only a legend, but the moral of the story is that to gain strength you need to
add weight$ Dhy would your body develo" the strength to Squat &00lbs if you never Squat
&00lbsG 3ou must lift heavy weights to get stronger and gain muscle as a result$
-his training strategy of adding weight systematically I call rogressi"e Loading and it is
/ey to all the training "rograms in the StrongLifts Ladder of Strengt >"age 4(C, including
Strong9ifts 5!5$ Must li/e Milo, you+ll start light and add weight "rogressively$ 3ou do not lift
45
the same weight wor/out after wor/out, wee/ after wee/, month after month$ @uess what;
this would actually ma/e your body DA*KA6$ Maybe you+ve been in a situation where you
suddenly can+t bench the weight that you can normally bench easily$ Dell now you /now
why; if you always lift the same weight, your body becomes la4y and you lose strength$
?bviously, I+m not going to ma/e you carry a newborn o! daily li/e Milo did, you+ll 5ust use
barbells and add 5lbs to the bar every wor/out$ %ere+s how the first wee/ of Strong9ifts
5!5 loo/s li/e when you start with the em"ty barbell as I recommend you to do$$$
StrongLifts /0/ Week @
#onday Bednesday +riday
SL/0/ Workout A SL/0/ Workout B SL/0/ Workout A
Squat
5!5 45lbs
Squat
5!5 50lbs
Squat
5!5 55lbs
,ench =ress
5!5 45lbs
?verhead =ress
5!5 45lbs
,ench =ress
5!5 50lbs
,arbell 6ows
5!5 H5lbs
Deadlift
1!5 #5lbs
,arbell 6ows
5!5 )0lbs
*ll those weights are including the weight of the bar which weighs 45lbs if it+s an ?lym"ic
one L the one you should be using for ma!imal strength, comfort and safety$ 3ou can see
how the weight increases every wor/out by 5lbs on every e!ercise$ Deadlifts are here L
again L an e!ce"tion; you+ll be adding 10lbs "er wor/out instead of 5lbs$ %ere+s why; if you
only add 5lbs "er wor/out, this totals for &0lbs<month vs$ H0lbs<month on Squats$ So your
Deadlift would be lower until you start stalling on Squats while it+s su""osed to be higher$
So add 10lbs on Deadlift each wor/out li/e this$$$
StrongLifts /0/ Week ;
#onday Bednesday +riday
SL/0/ Workout B SL/0/ Workout A SL/0/ Workout B
Squat
5!5 H0lbs
Squat
5!5 H5lbs
Squat
5!5 )0lbs
?verhead =ress
5!5 50lbs
,ench =ress
5!5 55lbs
?verhead =ress
5!5 55lbs
6eadlift
@0/ @4/l(s
,arbell 6ows
5!5 )5lbs
6eadlift
@0/ @@/l(s
Dhen Deadlifts become challenging, you move from 10lbs to 5lbs increments$ ,y the way,
when I say add 5lbs on the bar, that means you add ',5lbs on each side$ Some gyms only
have 5lbs "lates$ 3ou could get away with adding 10lbs "er wor/out on the Squat, but not
on the ,ench or =ress because these e!ercises use smaller muscles$ 5lbs "lates are thus
crucial$ 7hea"s/ates will glue ' washers together$ Smart guys who understand that time is
money will invest in a "air of fractional "lates li/e I own and ta/e them to the gym$
46
3ou obviously can not add weight every single wor/out forever, that would be too easy$
Aventually Strong9ifts 5!5 will become brutally challenging, and you+ll start missing re"s$
Do reali4e that most guys dramatically underestimate how long they can add weight every
wor/out$ Sometimes, you may have struggled to get 5!5 on your last wor/out, but then the
ne!t wor/out, where you use 5lbs more, turns out easier$ It+s weird, but it ha""ens all the
time$ 6emember; you+re getting stronger each wor/out, what is challenging today will be
easy tomorrow$ 3ou have therefore no idea whether you+ll achieve 5!5 or not until you
actually go to the gym, get under the bar, and attem"t to get 5!5 with that weight$
3et stalling is inevitable and "art of the game$ *s an e!am"le, let+s say your wor/ weight
on the Squat is '00lbs, you may only get 5<5<4<'<1 5 re"s on the first ' sets, 4 re"s on the
&
rd
set, ' re"s on the 4
th
set and 1 re" on the last set$ Dhen this ha""ens, do >?- lower
the weight during your wor/out so you achieve 5 re"s on each set$ 9ifting heavier weights
matters more to gain strength$ So you /ee" your wor/ weight and try to get as many re"s
as you can on each set with "ro"er technique, even if that means you only get 1 re"$
In this e!am"le, because you didn+t accom"lish 5!5 on your Squat but 5<5<4<'<1, you do
>?- increase the weight the ne!t wor/out for that e!ercise$ Dhich means the ne!t time
you Squat you use '00lbs again and aim for 5 re"s on all 5 sets$ -hings will now become
challenging and the real fun is about to start$ 9ift fast, be focused, and ta/e 5 mins rest
between your sets to get your 5!5 with '00lbs$ Ma/e sure you+re eating at least &000
calories "er day and slee"ing (h<night, it+s crucial for o"timal recovery$ Start also wearing
a =owerlifting ,elt and use chal/ for Deadlifts$ ,oth will boost your strength$
' things may ha""en now$ Ideally, you achieve 5!5 with '00lbs this time$ 7ongratulations,
this means you increase the weight by 5lbs again the ne!t time you do that e!ercise$ If
you do not get 5!5 for the '
nd
time in a row B5<5<4<&<' for e!am"leC L you try for a &
rd
time
with the same weight the ne!t time you do that e!ercise$ A!am"le below;
-0ample Stalling on StrongLifts /0/
#onday Bednesday +riday
SL/0/ Workout A SL/0/ Workout B SL/0/ Workout A
Squat
5<5<4<'<1 '00lbs
Squat
5<5<4<&<& '00lbs
Squat
5<5<5<4<& '00lbs
%ere you didn+t accom"lish 5!5 with '00lbs three times in a row$ Do not try a 4
th
or 5
th
time,
it+s bad for your confidence under the bar$ Instead, deload; you ta/e 102 weight off for the
e!ercise you stalled on only and "rogress from there$ So in this e!am"le, you would start
the ne!t Monday with 1(0lbs on the Squat and do 5!5$ .ocus on technique and lift as fast
as you can$ -hen you add 5lbs to the bar every wor/out again$ It will ta/e you ' wee/s to
get bac/ to the '00lbs you stalled with and this time you will achieve 5!5$
Deloads are the most "owerful strategy to blast through any "lateau, consistently add
"ounds to your lifts, and gain strength and muscle$ %ere+s how they wor/; the main reason
why stalling occurs is that your body doesn+t get recovered in time$ *gain; you can+t add
weight every wor/out forever, that would 5ust be too easy$ ,y "erforming a deload, your
body gets e!tra recovery because the wor/ weight is lower$ *nd when you eventually no
longer ma/e "rogress with deloads, it+s time to switch to StrongLifts ?0/$$$
47
Beyond StrongLifts /0/ **
The StrongLifts Ladder of Strength
I+ve stressed earlier in this re"ort that Strong9ifts 5!5 is >?- a 1' wee/ "rogram where
you try this for a while, then switch to the ne!t Ewor/out of the monthF$ 1' wee/s is really
only the beginning L it is you testing the "rogram and me shamelessly trying to get you
hoo/ed$ Indeed, I+m confident that after your 1' wee/s trial your muscle and strength gains
will motivate you to continue the 5!5 training method I have introduced you to$
,ut Strong9ifts 5!5 is obviously >?- a "rogram that you+ll do for the rest of your life$ %ow
long can you gain strength using itG 3our bodyweight, training e!"erience and most
im"ortant, attitude matter more than what most guys thin/ does; genetics, age and body
ty"es$ -he guy who has trained before, may only ma/e & months of "rogress$ -he ')0lbs
guy who starts with the em"ty bar, could ma/e 1' months "rogress$ -he s/inny guy with
4ero training e!"erience, he could ma/e H month "rogress$ So & to 1' months is the rule$
*s I+ve e!"lained above, eventually you won+t be able to ma/e "rogress with Strong9ifts
5!5 anymore$ 3ou+ll be alternating too much between stalls and deloads, and ma/ing very
slow "rogress on your lifts$ -he reason for this is that 5!5 Squats &!<wee/ eventually
becomes too stressful when the weight starts to increase$ My own analysis of hundreds of
training logs and surveys of Strong9ifts Members shows that most guys usually need to
switch from 5!5 to &!5 once they hit the '00lbs mar/ on the Squat$
>ow before you fi! on this number L many Strong9ifts Members got way "ast that$ S9
Member >orman B"age 1(0C got "ast 400lbs with S95!5, o/ay he weighs &00lbs but he
also had a heart attac/ before he started lifting$ Myles B"age '0&C got "ast &00lbs and he
bro/e "rovincial records after 1 year of training$ *gain, everything de"ends on your body
weight, training e!"erience, and attitude$ So if you+re a s/inny 1&0lbs at H+'F and s/i""ing
wor/outs all the time because you+re 5ust "lain la4y, you will most li/ely not going to get to
'00lbs without stalling L you+re going to need to eat more and get your act together$
Instead of fi!ating on that '00lbs mar/, use the deloads to figure out when to switch from
Strong9ifts 5!5 to Strong9ifts &!5$ 3ou should switch to &!5 after you deload '! on a lift$
-his cuts the training volume by almost half and thus im"roves recovery$ -raining will feel
lighter for a while, and you+ll be able to add weight to the bar for a few more wee/s$ Do not
start with &!5 immediately as the ' e!tra sets of S9 5!5 allow you to "ractice technique
more$ Averybody /nows technique is the /ey to gaining strength and avoiding in5uries, and
the secret to mastering technique is to "ractice a lot$ I+m sure you+ve heard the saying that
"ractice ma/es "erfect and "erfect "ractice ma/es "ermanent$
Aventually you+ll also no longer ma/e "rogress with Strong9ifts &!5$ 3ou will here too start
stalling and deloading, ma/ing little "rogress$ Solution; switch from 1!5 after ' deloads to
"lummet the volume and increase your recovery$ So this actually means that there may be
some e!ercises where you+ll be doing 5!5, some where you+ll be doing &!5 and some 1!5$
Isually, the =ress is going to be the first e!ercise you+ll stall on, and thus the first e!ercise
where you+ll already have switched to 1!5$ ,ench will be second, Squat will be third with
6ows somewhere in between$ >ot on Deadlifts because you+re doing 1!5 already$ Kee" in
mind that bad technique can mess with the order you stall on$
48
*fter another ' deloads on your Squat with Strong9ifts 1!5 it+s time to switch to Strong9ifts
Intermediate$ -his is what I call the StrongLifts Ladder of Strength . which as the name
im"lies is not "ic/ and choose, it+s a ladder$ *nd li/e with every single other ladder, you
start at the bottom and then climb it by choosing the ne!t "rogram in the list as you get
stronger and no longer ma/e "rogress with the "revious training "rogram$
1$ Strong9ifts 5!5
'$ Strong9Ifts &!5
&$ Strong9ifts 1!5
4$ Strong9ifts Intermediate
5$ Strong9ifts *dvanced
Strong9ifts Intermediate and Strong9ifts *dvanced are obviously outside of the sco"e of
this boo/, but you can find more information about both "rograms on Strong9ifts$com and
inside the Strong9ifts 7ommunity Bchec/ "age '0# for resourcesC$
$!O,TA'T; I can+t stress enough how crucial it is that you start down the ladder with
Strong9ifts 5!5$ Many guys will see the name EadvancedF and conclude that because
they+ve been training for 10 years they are advanced$ -he harsh truth is that these same
guys often can+t even Squat &00lbs$ ?bviously, if you can+t Squat &00lbs "arallel, you are
not advanced at all$ -he term advanced relates to how strong you are, not how many
years you+re training$ *s an e!am"le, Strong9ifts Member Dill B"age 11C has been training
for not even ' years$ 3et he+s an advanced lifter because he Squats 4)5lbs and Deadlift
500lbs$ 3ou may be training a lot longer than him, but unless you lift what he does, he+s
more advanced than you$ -he good news is that several of my Members got stronger in 1'
months following the Strong9ifts Methods than in 1' years doing those silly bodybuilding
s"lit routines that I also did for 5 years before I discovered about this 5!5 method$
6eali4e also that on Strong9ifts 5!5 the weight increases every single wor/out$ Dith S9
Intermediate it increases once a wee/ and with S9 *dvanced it increases monthly$ -he
reason for this is that an intermediate<advanced lifter can no longer ma/e "rogress by
adding weight every wor/out, the stress of the wor/outs is too big$ Squatting &50lbs 5!5
&!<wee/ is obviously harder than Squatting 1&5lbs 5!5 &!<wee/$ So if you want the fastest
muscle and strength gains Band who wouldn+t want thatGC you have to start with Strong9ifts
5!5$ If you start with the other "rograms without being ready for it yet, you+ll be losing time$
Dhat about *.-A6 Strong9ifts *dvancedG .irst, always focus on the tas/ at hand$ Do not
be one of those guys ma/ing "lans for things you+re not ready for yet$ -he bottom line is
that once you+re "ast Strong9ifts *dvanced, you+ll have enough e!"erience to /now how to
reach the ne!t level$ -here are many many "rograms that my Strong9ifts Members have
done "ast that level and that share the same "rinci"les as Strong9ifts 5!5 L free weights,
com"ounds, "rogressive loading but that are all outside the sco"e of this boo/ obviously$
,y studying their training logs inside the Strong9ifts 7ommunity you+ll be able to discover
for yourself what you need to do once you reach that level$
*ll in all, the Strong9ifts 9adder of Strength is worth about '& years of "rogramming$ 3ou
have right here what I believe is the most "owerful training system available$ It is a refined
version of what *rnold Schwar4enegger and 6eg =ar/ were doing decades ago, a method
that I learned from @lenn =endlay MS IS*D and that he still uses successfully with his
?lym"ic athletes$ It wor/s L give Strong9ifts 5!5 a try the very ne!t Monday that comes$
49
2uestions and Ans+ers
A,T $$$
50
@F ,easons Why &ou !ay Say 8'o9 to !y Offer
to Gi"e StrongLifts /0/ A 5ree @;*Week Trial
*s attractive as Strong9ifts 5!5 is, I e!"ect that only about )02 of the guys receiving this
boo/ will try my "rogram$ *lthough that+s o/ay with me from a business stand"oint, it still
bothers me "ersonally$ DhyG ,ecause I wasted years doing bodybuilding s"lit routines
and really wished that someone had given me this 5!5 method a decade ago$ It would
have shortcut my success dramatically, saved me hours of gym time, and "revented all
the in5uries that I accumulated from doing imbalanced routines that favored body "arts$
More im"ortant to you is that I /now how much my Strong9ifts Members have benefited
from doing this "rogram$ I+ve followed their training logs, watched their ama4ing "rogress
from year to "resent, and read their success stories$ -ens of thousands each year tell me
that Strong9ifts 5!5 didn+t 5ust change their bodies, it sim"ly changed their lives$
,ecause of this, I 5ust hate the thought of someone not doing Strong9ifts 5!5 because of
some omission in my e!"lanation$ -hat+s why over the "ast &,5 years I+ve collected all the
feedbac/ from more than 15million of guys 5ust to try to figure out why you may say EnoF
to my free 1'wee/ trial offer$ I+ve also tried to remember all the reasons that /e"t me from
trying this 5!5 method Bfor a full yearJC bac/ in '00&$ *fter several hours of brainstorming, I
could only thin/ of 1) "ossible reasons why you may say EnoF$ %ere they are;
!quatting 6 Times 5er %ee& Is Too 2uch.
-he idea of training a muscle once "er wee/ ma! is "revalent within bodybuilding circles
influenced by muscle maga4ines$ 3et if you "ay attention to athletes you will notice that
every single one of them trains each muscle several times a wee/ without EovertrainingF$
S"rinter s"rint several times a wee/, climbers climb several times a wee/, weight lifters
Squat several times "er wee/$ ?nly bodybuilders thin/ in terms of muscle grou" s"lits$
Dhy do you thin/ athletes don+t "unish themselves with failure training and forced re"s li/e
bodybuilders doG ,ecause there+s no way you could train that muscle again, you+d 5ust be
too sore, your muscles would never be recovered in time, and you most li/ely wouldn+t
even feel li/e training again because failure training is beyond "ainful$
Dith Strong9ifts 5!5 you may get sore or "um"ed, but this isn+t a requirement for muscle
and strength gains$ -he only requirement is that you add weight to the bar$ *gain L muscle
si4e is directly related to strength gain, E"um"F or soreness are irrelevant$ So you+re not
training to failure at all, you+re training to success$ *nd this is the reason why thousands of
Strong9ifts Members are able to Squat &!<wee/, adding weight each wor/out, without
overtraining L there is none of the failure training and forced re"s bodybuilders do$
If your question is whether your legs will become dis"ro"ortionate from Squatting so much$
?ne, weight lifting doesn+t ma/e you bul/y that is a myth$ 3our legs will get muscular but
for them to get bigger you need to eat more$ 6emember, I Squat 400lbs and my girlfriend
may often 5o/e I have a big butt, but I wear &'F 5eans because I+m only 1)0lbs at 5+(F$
-wo, everybody is born with certain genetics that will determine how you will eventually
51
loo/ li/e$ Must e!amine the do4ens of "ictures of Strong9ifts Members inside this boo/$
-hey all trained the same way$ 3et you try to find ' guys with the e!act same "hysique$
-his "roves my "oint; your genetics will decide how you loo/$ I have naturally large chest
muscles but a s/inny "air of calves$ I got over it a long time ago, and so should you$ Do
>?- get caught u" in that "ursuit of that E"erfect bodyF li/e muscle maga4ines are trying to
brainwash you with L nobody frigging cares, no woman cares, I>9ASS you care$
Some of this comes bac/ to the fear of getting big$ It+s not li/e you+re going to wa/e u" with
-om =lat4+ legs after 5ust & wee/s of doing Strong9ifts 5!5$ >either will you ever achieve
the leg develo"ment that 6onnie 7oleman had L this guy was using steroids$
@ive the Strong9ifts 5!5 "rogram a testdrive for 1' wee/s, see how your body reacts to it,
and then decide whether this is a good a""roach or not$ Averything is reversible anyway
and this is truly the only way you+ll ever find out if this "rogram will wor/ for you$
.474 Three Times 5er %ee& Is Too 2uch.
-his is bullshit "iled high and stin/ing strong$ Dhether 5!5 is too much or not de"ends on
the intensity L the amount of weight L you+re using$ Dhen you start Strong9ifts 5!5 with an
em"ty barbell as I urge you to do, you+re not going to EovertrainF from doing 5!5 &!<wee/
because the weights are far too light$ Aventually, yes, 5!5 will become too much but then
you sim"ly move to &!5$ *nd when that also gets too stressful, you finally move to 1!5$ It+s
not roc/et science and it+s "roven to wor/; hundreds of Strong9ifts Members have used
this a""roach to achieve the 400lb Squat, and several of them are inside this boo/$
%ere+s a quote from ?lym"ic 7oach @lenn =endlay MS IS*D, who has so far "roduced #)
national cham"ions, '0 gold medalists and whose athletes li/e 7aleb Dard have bro/en
R1& *merican records$ @lenn has a master in A!ercise =hysiology with a concentration in
endocrinology through the Kansas State Iniversity, so he has studied how different levels
of stress affect your endocrine system and how this affects your bodyQs ada"tation to the
stress$ %e also "ublished several "a"ers in "eer reviewed 5ournals, and is the coauthor of
-ractical -rogramming for Strengt Training of which he wrote the "rogramming cha"ters$
.inally, he has deadlifted R)00lbs, Squatted R(00lbs, ,ench =ressed R500lbs$
?bviously, he /nows better than anyone else what wor/s and what doesn+t$ *s I+ve said
earlier, I based my Strong9ifts 5!5 "rogram and the whole Strong9ifts 9adder of Strength
on how he is training his athletes, and he+ll tell you he+s fine with that since I give credit
where credit is due all the time$ 3ou are free to contact him at htt";<<www$"endlay$com to
chec/ the validity of this quote 5ust in case you thin/ I+m ma/ing this u"$
#edi advocates 5 sets of 5 across, or in oter !ords, you do 5 sets of 5 !it your top
!eigt &+T", !armup. Tis is aimed at complete %eginners to !eigt training, and
re0uires tat you start !it an empty %ar, and add !eigt very slo!ly >5l%sI!orkout?.
I don.t tink its unreasona%le to say tat an average male could s0uat G57l%s for 5 reps
!itin 536 !orkouts. &pplying simple mat to tis routine tells me tat going from a J5l%
%ar to G57l%s !ill take 5G !orkouts, or 9 !eeks.
,ussian researc tells us tat rank %eginners make /ust as muc progress using 87E of
52
teir max as tey do using K7E or D7E. 87E of G57l%s is D7l%s. On StrongLifts 5L5,
you !ill get to D7l%s in !eek J. So you !ill spend 6 !eeks learning te movements and
adapting to te volume, and !ill %e at a very result producing !eigt !itin a mont.
Seems reasona%le to me.
On StrongLifts 5x5, !en you eventually stall, it !ill %e %ecause as te !eigt gets
eavier you !ill lose te a%ility to andle te ig volume. 2ou !ill run out of recovery
capacity %efore you run out of capacity to make 0uick strengt gains.
Te logical !ay to conclude te program is to start cutting volume. Ben you stall !it
5 sets, reset te !eigt, and drop to 6 sets. Ben you stall !it tat, reset te !eigt
and drop to one set. 4oing from 5 sets to 6 sets, ten to G set leads you directly into my
-endlay 5L5 program.
If your ead is spinning no! !it 5 possi%le programs and 0uestions a%out !ic is
%etter and !ic you sould do, let me clear tings up. Tese 5 training programs are
good, no single one is %etter tan te oter. Bic one is %est for 2O< depends on
!o 2O< are.
If you are completely new to weight training, really have very little i"ea what you
are "oing an" no i"ea how to estimate your best set of 4, an" have little or no
access to coaching, then !tronglifts 484 is the better choice. It is e7tremely har"
to screw this program up, an" as you go through it you will not only be gaining
muscle an" strength, but you will be gaining valuable e7perience that will be very
han"y to have when you get to the more a"vance" programs.
If you ave some training istory, some idea of !at you can do and o! your %ody
reacts to training, or if you ave access to good 0uality coacing, you migt %e %etter
off to start rigt in on my -endlay 5L5 program. $ut remem%er, !en you coose a
!eigt to start !it, %e conservative.
If you can.t figure out !ic program to start !it, pick Stronglifts 5L5 and ten progress
on from tere. Meep in mind tat if you move into -endlay 5L5 from Stronglifts 5L5, you
are not going to ave 8 monts of progress on -endlay 5L5 like you migt ave ad if
you ad started out on it. Some of tat progress !ill ave appened already %efore you
started it. 2ou !ill make more progress, ten like usual, progress stalls and you must
move on.
Maybe you wonder L but then why not start with 1!5 or &!5 immediately since that is better
for recoveryG ?ne, because if it+s not better for recovery necessarily, all of that de"ends on
how much weight you+re using$ 7learly, if you start with the em"ty barbell, as I urge you to
do, there is no way you+re going to overtrain doing 5!5 &!<wee/$ *nd you+ll eventually stall
too whether you begin with &!5 or 1!5, it+s not li/e there will be a &00lbs difference in
strength gain$ -his is what @lenn =endlay means in the last "aragra"h above$
-wo, the e!tra ' to 4 sets allow for more technique "ractice, and everybody /nows that
technique is the /ey$ #52 of Strong9ifts Members never had any coach teaching them the
lifts, they+re com"letely selftaught 5ust li/e I am$ *nd the way they+ve mastered the lifts is
through "ractice L "ractice ma/es "erfect, "erfect "ractice ma/es "ermanent$ More sets
im"roves technique faster and total sets, incl warmu" ones, is always higher with 5!5$
53
,efore you start doubting Strong9ifts 5!5 ma/e sure you study the do4ens of success
stories at the end of this boo/$ -hen ma/e sure you actually give the "rogram a try for 1'
wee/s before believing whatever some idiot who never even did Strong9ifts 5!5 claims$
?"inions of "eo"le who did not do the "rogram do not count$ Strong9ifts 5!5 will not cause
overtraining or my thousands of Members wouldn+t get strong$ It wor/s$
9ou +ee" Isolation 07ercises to Buil" Bigger Arms An" 1alves.
Do you really believe that your arms are going to remain s/inny when you can Squat
400lbsG 3our arms will have to wor/ hard to /ee" that bar across your bac/$ *dd holding
the bar during heavy Deadlifts and the "ulling on ,arbell 6ows$ .orearms also get wor/
from holding the bar on Deadlifts and overhead when doing =resses$ 7ombine all of that
and you understand why your arms will increase in si4e, without doing a single curl$
*s an e!am"le, consider Strong9ifts =latinum Member -om B"age )HC who increased his
bice"s by ',5F within wee/s, without doing a bice"s curl once$ Instead, -om started eating
more, gained 'Hlbs and increased his Squat from 1&5lbs to '40lbs, so far$ -his is the real
secret to bigger arms; you can not achieve an 1(F bice"s, no matter how much curling you
do, if you remain a s/inny 1&0lbs at H+0F$ My arms are 15F and I+ll never get them bigger,
no matter how much curling I do, because I only weigh 1)0lbs at 5+(F$
So the number one way to increase your arm si4e is to gain weight, and this starts with
eating more and increasing your strength on the heavy com"ounds li/e the Squat and
Deadlift$ If you need to em"hasi4e your arms then add &!1' chinu"s after wor/out ,$
7hinu"s are su"erior to curls because they+re com"ound e!ercises L and you+re using
your own bodyweight Bwhich is more than you+d ever curlC$ Switch to weighed chinu"s
when &!1' becomes easy, doing &!5 and adding ',5lbs each wor/out ,$ Must remember
increasing your Squat matters most and that you need to eat more to get bigger arms$
3our calves will obviously grow too if you get stronger and gain weight$ ,ut calves largely
de"end on genetics$ Aven though I now Deadlift 500lbs my an/les are still only ($)F than/s
to my "arents who have s/inny calves$ I used to do tons of isolation e!ercises during my
early bodybuilding years to increase their si4e but never saw much gains from it$ So one
day I 5ust got fed u" with all that foolishness$ @oatlegs are now my trademar/, I feel
comfortable wearing shorts and showing them, and I believe you should to$
3ou can+t let yourself get brainwashed by those muscle maga4ines which /ee" focusing
on develo"ing Ethe "erfect bodyF$ .act is, nobody cares whether you got a "erfect body or
not$ -he only "eo"le who do are the ones who are obsessed with their own body to start
with because of that same brainwashing$ * vicious circle you don+t want to be "art of$ If
you want to add calf wor/ anyway, then add &!1' raises at the end of wor/out ,, but I
warn you; it will almost never ma/e a significant difference because calves T genetics$
.ollow Strong9ifts 5!5 as laid out for 1' wee/s, measure your arms and calves when you
start, then com"are after 1' wee/s$ 3ou will see that they both increased in si4e$ >ot by
10F obviously, but they will have grown bigger$ -ry it to believe it$
54
9ou +ee" Ab %or& to Buil" !i7 5ac& Abs.
3ou build abs in the /itchen$ Si! "ac/ abs is all about diet, there+s no such thing as s"ot
reduction L you can+t lose fat locally by doing lots of situ"s or similar utter nonsense that
idiot "ersonal trainers will tell you to do$ *nd /ee" in mind a low body fat without muscle
underneath is useless; you need to build muscles first in order for them to be visible$
So ste" 1 is to build strong abs using heavy Squats and Deadlifts$ *s I write this, I haven+t
done any /ind of ab e!ercise for more than a year yet I have a H "ac/ that doesn+t 5ust loo/
strong but is strong$ DhyG ,ecause I Squat 400lbs$ Must loo/ at all the "ictures in the front
of this boo/ of my Strong9ifts Members who have H "ac/ abs$ 3ou as/ them how much
situ"s they did to accom"lish that, almost none$ -he reason why they have H "ac/ abs
anyway is that the "rimary function of your abs is to stabili4e L /ee"ing your torso u"right$
*nd no e!ercise trains this better than heavy Squats, Deadlifts and =resses$
Dhile we+re at it, more myth debun/ing$ My &'F 5eans are loose at my waist and that+s why
I always wear a belt$ I could actually wear &1F 5eans if it wasn+t for my thighs and glutes$
My "oint being that heavy lifting does >?- increase waist si4e$ 3ou won+t get a gut li/e
some bodybuilders have L that+s from steroids$ .urther "roof, several Strong9ifts Members
li/e Michael B"age 144C can attest that their waist si4e decreased since they started lifting,
even though, in many cases, their bodyweight actually increased$
,ottom line; build strong abs first, then your diet will determine whether you see them or
not$ If you somehow feel a need to em"hasi4e your abs, add reverse crunches &!1' at the
end of your wor/out *$ Dhen that gets easy, switch to hanging /nees raises$ Dhen that
gets easy, the ab wheel$ Do >?- do '5 ab e!ercises, no need for that$ 1 e!ercise ma!
"receded by heavy Squats, Deadlifts and =resses will be "lenty of ab wor/$
.9ou +ee" 67: for 2uscle Gains An" $efinition.
It is a scientific fact that muscle si4e is directly related to strength gains$ -o gain muscle,
you need to get stronger$ *nd which re" range you use for that matters less than actually
getting stronger$ ,ecause if you+re not lifting more weight today than H months ago, you
will not gain a single "ound of muscle, no matter how "um"ed or sore you get with &!($
%ow do you thin/ *rnold Schwar4enegger achieved his )00lbs DeadliftG %e didn+t build his
world class "hysique doing &!( but using 6eg =ar/+s 5!5 method$
,efore you thin/ of doing &!( instead of 5!5 because I 5ust said that the re" range doesn+t
matter much, here are 5ust some of the reasons why 5 re"s is su"erior to ( re"s
TechniBue impro"es) -he more re"s you do, the more fatigue sets in and the
more your form deteriorates$ 3our technique im"roves when doing only 5 re"s vs ($
*nd "ro"er technique is critical for strength develo"ment and thus muscle gains$
Speed $ncreases) 3ou can lift faster when doing only 5 re"s than when doing (
re"s because s"eed obviously decreases as you do more re"s$ 9ifting fast isn+t
cheating li/e those slow lifting advocates claim, it allows you to lift heavier weights$
Strength $ncreases) ,ecause you can lift faster with better technique, and because
it+s easier to add weight each wor/out when you only do 5 re"s vs$ ($ So you will
gain strength and thus muscle faster as a result$
If you+re a s/inny 1&0lbs at H+0F loo/ing for Ebul/F, the re" range you use is again irrelevant$
55
,ul/ is diet, caloric e!cess$ Dhich means you have to eat more than your body burns to
get bul/y$ &!( is 5ust a waste of time if bul/ is your goal$
Definition on the other hand is diet$ Don+t buy into that metabolic wor/outs hy"e claiming
faster fat loss$ %II- is overrated, and at the end of the day most guys sim"ly don+t have the
time to burn significant calories though e!ercise L it will have to come from your diet in the
first "lace$ So the good news is you don+t need to do all that "ainful and boring cardio, you
5ust need to eat less cra" and more healthy foods, without being anal about it$ Increasing
your strength will increase your muscle mass$ -his will automatically decrease your body
fat and thus your muscles will become EdefinedF$ %igh re"s have nothing to do with that$
?ne warning$ I+ve seen guys accom"lishing ama4ing results with Strong9ifts 5!5, but who
then switched to &!($ -his is a mista/e on ' fronts$ ?ne, it goes against my revolutionary
"rinci"le Edon+t fi! it until it+s bro/eF$ Dhy change what wor/sG -wo, for the &)
th
time now,
muscle si4e is directly related to strength gains$ 3ou can lift more weight for 5 re"s than for
($ If you switch from 5 re"s to ( re"s, your wor/ weight will decrease and you+re removing
the muscle building stimulus$ -he result; muscle loss L you+re shrin/ing$
-estdrive Strong9ifts 5!5 e!actly as laid out for 1' wee/s and you+ll see that you will gain
muscle by increasing your strength on all the lifts$ &!( is unnecessary, and it+s definitely
not how to" bodybuilders li/e Schwar4enegger, =ar/ or 7oleman built their "hysique$
.Three 07ercises 5er %or&out Is +ot 0nough.
It+s not about the amount of e!ercises you do, it+s about the intensity$ It would be better if I
didn+t tell you this, but most Strong9ifts Members will confess that they were often toasted
after their Squats, and that they were ha""y they only had ' e!ercises to do after that$
@ranted, when you start Strong9ifts 5!5 with the em"ty barbell as I urge you to do, it may
feel too easy$ ,ut the weight increases by 5lbs "er wor/out, which means you+ll reach the
''5lbs Squat within 1' wee/s$ -hat+s if you never s/i" a session li/e most guys on S95!5$
,y this time the wor/outs will be way more challenging than when you started$ -hin/ about
it; what+s more challenging, a bice"s curl or a ''5lbs SquatG ?bviously the latter$
Doing ') e!ercises "er wor/out is unnecessary, unrealistic and "lain silly$ >obody can
stay focused for so much time, rushing through a myriad of e!ercise$ Most guys can+t even
remember what e!ercise was ne!t anyway, and you can+t maintain a high training intensity
when doing so many e!ercises unless you+re doing cra""y isolation$ More isn+t better$
.Training ;nly 6 Times 5er %ee& Is +ot 0nough.
*nd training more than & times "er wee/ doesn+t ma/e a "rogram more effective$ 9ess is
more$ 3our muscles need rest to recover, grow bigger and become stronger$ So does your
central nervous system need recovery$ If you do Strong9ifts 5!5 more than &! "er wee/,
you will be stalling all over the "lace$ -his is a & day "rogram, with rest days built in for
"hysical and mental recovery from the heavy com"ound e!ercises$
Ise your off days to get your mind off to gym and to s"end times with friends<family or on
hobbies$ If you absolutely have to do something, then use them for mobility wor/, soft
56
tissue wor/ and technique wor/ with &02 of your ma!$
If you somehow need to do conditioning wor/ BI never do itC, then do >?- add it on your
off days$ %II- is way too stressful because it requires you to go all out to be effective$ If
you do it on your off days anyway, you+d never have any recovery and you+d quic/ly be
stalling all over the "lace$ My recommendation; wait until the first 1' wee/s are over before
you even thin/ about doing e!tra conditioning wor/, so you have some foundation of
cardiovascular fitness first$ -hen you can add it, but at the end of your Strong9ifts 5!5 Byes
that+s hard but the only wayC, never more than '! "er wee/, and s"read it out$
*void doing too much too soon, li/e getting into & different s"orts at once, which are
usually conflicting in their nature, and which will end u" getting you mentally burned$ 3ou
want to be doing this for years, not 5ust a few wee/s, and consistency is crucial for this$
.I $on<t %ant To !quat Because I =ave Ba" >nees.
-hen what+s your "lanG Struggling with bad /nees for the rest of your lifeG 3ou have right
here the chance to finally eliminate that nagging /nee "ain forever$ Squats are the most
"owerful e!ercise to strengthen your /nees; the more you can Squat, the stronger the
muscles surrounding your /nees become, and thus the higher the stability of your /nee
5oint$ -his actually means that if you have bad /nees, you ought to be Squatting$
I+ve been Squatting "arallel and at times even lower for almost 11 years now L from my
'0s to now almost age &0 and I never ever had any /ind of /nee "ain$ ,ut since I didn+t
start with bad /nees, my e!"erience may not be relevant to you$ So I+ll give you actual
success stories of Strong9ifts Members who did start with some of the worst /nees ever$
-he worst case of /nee "ain I+ve ever seen is the one from Stronglifts Member Michael$
,efore he discovered Strong9ifts 5!5 he was struggling with arthritis$$$ in his early '0sJ It
was actually so bad, that his left leg was about 4cm smaller than his right one from always
leaning on one side$ .ortunately, Michael did not acce"t his condition and gave Strong9ifts
5!5 a honest try$ -oday, he+s Squatting almost &00lbs, has gained 55lbs bodyweight, and
is 1002 free of /nee "ain$ 3ou can read him telling his own story on "age 14'$
*nother e!am"le is that of Strong9ifts Member 7has Maloney B"age 1(&C who is 55y old,
almost twice the age of Michael$ 7has torn his *79 while "laying indoor soccer during the
1#(0s$ In 1### he had his *79 reconstructed and in '00( he discovered Strong9ifts 5!5$
-oday, his /nees no longer swell when "laying racquetball and he never had any /ind of
/nee issues from Squats 1 even though he does them with '(5lbs, again at age 55$
?ne more e!am"le is Strong9ifts Member %arrison who in5ured his /nee ligament during a
s/i crash when he was 15 Bhe also has scoliosisC$ Dhen he discovered Strong9ifts 5!5 at
age '', he still had occasional /nee "ain and so he was, understandably, concerned about
in5uring it again$ 3et he gave it a try and today he can+t remember the last time his /nees
hurt even though he+s doing Squats with &10lbs$ %is story is at "age ))$
9ast e!am"le is Strong9ifts Member =aul who used to train on machines li/e the 9eg
=ress for years$ ,y age &# his /nees began bothering him so much that he had to sto"
doing them all together$ %e then discovered Strong9ifts 5!5, started to Squat, and today
he is com"letely free of /nee "ain$ *n im"ortant detail; =aul Squats 545lbs below "arallel,
57
had never done Squats before he discovered Strong9ifts 5!5 in '00(, and he is 41y oldJ
=aul is convinced that Squats are res"onsible for eliminating his /nee "ain com"letely$ %is
story is on "age 1)4$
I could go on li/e this, but you get it$ %ere you have "roof from a '4, &0, 41 and 55y old
re"resenting thousands more li/e them, that Squats will >?- ruin your /nees$ ?ne thing I
have observed after seeing hundreds of guys finally eliminating their nagging /nee "ain, is
that their biggest stumbling bloc/ is almost always "sychological rather than "hysical L
the fear of getting in5ured again will be your main challenge, and you+ll have to conquer it$
Datch out by the way with "eo"le telling you to do half Squats instead of hitting "arallel$
%alf Squats are >?- safer for your /nees, they can actually destroy them because they
cause muscle imbalances Blots of quads develo"ment, but little hams<glutesC$ 3our body is
designed to Squat below "arallel$ Dhy do you thin/ babies naturally sit in the bottom
Squat "osition when "laying with toysG *nd if this was really bad for your /nees, wouldn+t
your body be designed in a way to "revent you to Squat "arallel in the first "laceG Indeed$
-he whole EDee" Squats *re ,adF myth is s"read by gym bros who hurt their /nees by
doing Squats wrong, which is how the large ma5ority of gym goers do it$ I challenge you to
find 10 guys in your gym who Squat with "ro"er technique$ Dhen these guys now go get
hel" for their "ainful /nees, those dumb doctors wrongly conclude that the e!ercise was
the cause instead of the bad technique$ I+ve only met one doctor so far who recommended
me to Squat "arallel$ .ran/ly, I was stunned$ ,ut then again, he did Squats$ *ll other
doctors, "ast and "resent, told me that lifting weights is bad for your health, even though
the *merican 7ollege of S"orts Medicine L the largest s"ort medicine S e!ercise science
organi4ation in the world L recommends weight lifting$ -he irony when these dumb doctors
who were almost always fat and out of sha"e com"limented me on my blood "ressure and
what else, right after they told me that lifting weights was unhealthy$
I have learned over the years to ta/e everything these su""osedly educated Ehealth
s"ecialistsF say with a grain of salt$ I conduct my own research and always as/ for '
nd
and
even &
rd
o"inions$ *s an e!am"le, in March '00# I bro/e my right thumb during a fall on an
icy s/etch while s/iing in ,ulgary$ H wee/s of immobili4ation later, I had lost )02 mobility,
lots of strength and my thumb was still swelling$ ' months later, I still couldn+t train, ty"e or
write "ainlessly$ My thumb had bro/en at a bad "lace, bottom of the distal "halan!$ -he
first doctor, an ortho"edist, wanted to "erform surgery L scra"ing the "halan! to ma/e
room for the 5oint to move$ I /new that would be "ure butchery so I refused$ -he 5
th
doctor,
an ortho"edist s"eciali4ed in hand in5uries, said that surgery wasn+t necessary$ I 5ust had
to be "atient because it could ta/e a full year for the swelling and "ain to disa""ear$
58
De+re now 1) months later$ I do not have full mobility bac/ in my right thumb and "robably
never will$ It+s also still swollen$ ,ut I do have #52 mobility now, I can hold 500lb Deadlifts,
and I can write and ty"e "ainlessly again$ 7all me biased, but I strongly believe I owe this
to weight lifting$ >o way my thumb would have recovered li/e this with the usual "hysical
thera"y or, worse, 5ust by doing nothing$ *nd this is my "oint; you have to "ush yourself to
do the wor/, even if it may feel "ainful as it was for me$
If you have bad /nees, here+s the secret; start with the em"ty bar as I /ee" telling you to
do, ta/e your time and focus on Squatting with "ro"er technique$ -hat means Squatting
below "arallel li/e *sians Bmy girlfriend is 7hineseC and babies naturally do$ 3ou do not
need to Squat as low as ?lym"ic weight lifters do, but do /ee" in mind these guys Squat
e!tremely low and heavy, almost daily, yet without having a high instance of /nee in5uries$
>either do my thousands of Strong9ifts Member Squatting several times "er wee/$ 3our
biggest challenge will be mental L let "ain be your guide and see how far you can go$
.I<m Afrai" of =urting 2y Bac& with $ea"lifts.
-he to" reason why some guys hurt their lower bac/ on Deadlifts is almost always the
same reason why hundreds of guys hurt their bac/ lifting a "lain bo! from the floor L bad
form$ In fact, you can hurt your lower bac/ way more easily doing the latter$ %undreds of
guys each year suffer a hernia from re"eatedly "ic/ing ob5ects from the floor with a bent
bac/$ =ay attention to the "icture below of wrong vs$ right way to lift$
-he guy on the right is Strong9ifts Member ,en B"age 1'0C who is now almost "ulling
400lbs$ 3ou can see how his starting "osition on the Deadlift is e!actly the same as the
right way to lift an ob5ect from the floor in the middle "icture$ So this actually means that if
you do Deadlifts regularly and with "ro"er technique, you will dramatically reduce the ris/
of lower bac/ in5ury from "ic/ing an ob5ect from the floor$ DhyG ,ecause you will have built
the habit of "ic/ing an ob5ect from the floor while /ee"ing your bac/ straight and while
bending through your legs$ %ec/, you can even eliminate lower bac/ "ain$
.ew e!am"les; Strong9ifts Member %arrison B"age H#C used to have chronic lower bac/
"ain due to some mild scoliosis B(2 curvature in lumbarC$ -oday, '1 months after starting
Strong9ifts 5!5, he+s only a few "ounds away from hitting the 400lbs yet he claims that his
lower bac/ "ain is almost com"letely gone$ More im"ortant; nothing else had ever wor/ed
for him including e!tensive stretching and visits to a chiro"ractor$
%ere+s a even more dramatic story that Strong9ifts Member *le! BE"lacasseFC shared
59
inside the Strong9ifts 7ommunity$$$
I !as once a skinny G57 l% 8. tall !eakling...I started training !it full %ody routines in
summer of 5779. &fter K monts and some modest %eginner gains, I !anted more. I
started StrongLifts 5x5 in te !inter of 577K. I !ent from G85l%s to GD5 l%s and still ad
a six pack...tis !as over approximately K monts. I continued to train, %ut !it te %irt
of my daugter, i only really ad time to s0uat and deadlift 5x per !eek.
Ten in te summer of 577D, I dove into a pool. #y moter told me never to dive into
sallo! pools, %ut I figured I ad everyting under control. Bell, te !orst appened
and I landed on te top of my ead, compressed my spine and %roke my CG verte%rae.
I got out of te pool and !as in a lot of pain %ut, %eing te stu%%orn guy tat I am,
refused to go to te ospital for 5J ours. Bell I !alked into te ospital on my o!nN
Te doctors told me I ad a 67E cance of living, and a G7E cance of !alking again.
&fter talking !it many doctors and specialists, telling tem a%out my medical istory,
my neurosurgeon concluded tat te t!o years of eavy !orkouts and muscle %uilding,
com%ined !it te neuro muscular connection associated !it s0uats and deadlifts,
elped my muscles to react instantly on impact, sta%ili'ing te %reak and allo!ing me to
virtually !alk a!ay from te in/ury. I !as laid up for K !eeks, not allo!ed to move,
!ic !as a killer for me. &fter te %races came off, I !as do!n to G95 l%s, and I ad
virtually no muscle left in my neck or traps. Bell, after taking more tan a year off, I
ave gotten te doctor.s permission to %egin training eavy again.
Tanks #edi for your !onderful program. I credit your advice and my perseverance for
%eing a%le to pick up my 5 year old daugter, make love to my %eautiful !ife, and en/oy
!at many of us take for granted. +or anyone !o reads tis, remem%er, training isn.t
al!ays a%out %eing uge, strong, or good looking. Sometimes it.s /ust to stay aliveN
7onsider also Strong9ifts Member Keith who was initially afraid of lower bac/ in5uries from
Deadlifts because of his bodyty"e and age$ *lmost & years later, he+s Deadlifting &)0lbs at
age 4' and that imaginary bac/ in5ury never ha""ened$ -he lesson here is that most guys
fear things that in "ractice almost never ha""en$ 3ou can read his story on "age 1)1$
>ow I guess it would be better if I didn+t say this, but although weight lifting has statistically
the lowest rate of in5ury com"ared to any other s"ort, you should be cautioned that there is
an inherent ris/ with all forms of "hysical activity$ ,ut li/e Aric 7ressey MS once said$$$
:If you live your life te rigt !ay, you.ll pro%a%ly !ind up in an ortopedist.s office at
some point. If you live it te !rong !ay, you.ll !ind up in a cardiologist.s office.;
.rom my e!"erience training now for more than a decade, I was always in5ured less than
my friends "laying contact s"orts li/e soccer or im"act s"orts li/e running$ >ow I have
been in5ured, and sometimes it was "retty bad, but it was always my own fault L ego, bad
technique, bad "osture, lac/ of hi"<thoracic mobility$ I strongly believe that my des/ 5ob,
first 5 years wor/ing as an em"loyee and now &,5y wor/ing from home doing Strong9ifts
full time, is way more dangerous than doing heavy Squats and Deadlifts$
-ruth is, every single e!ercise is bad for your bac/ if you do it wrong$ ,ut Deadlift with
"ro"er technique and you will build a strong, healthy lower bac/$ So the secret here is to
60
start light so you can actually master "ro"er technique$ Do Strong9ifts 5!5 as laid out for
e!actly 1' wee/s, start light, and use "ro"er technique$ It wor/s$
!tarting %ith The 0mpty Bar Is Too /ight.
-hen I have s"ecial advice that will be of interest for you$ ,ut first, I+m going to assume '
things$ ?ne, that you actually have "erformed all the e!ercises of Strong9ifts 5!5 before$
-wo, that you have also mastered the technique on all these lifts$
If that+s your case, then you should start with 502 of your 56M and "rogress from there$
So if your ma! ,ench is 5!''0lbs, start with 110lbs for 5!5$ -hat will be light com"ared to
what you+re lifting now, but remember you+ll be adding 5lbs "er wor/out, and so you+ll be
,enching 1#0lbs for sets of 5 re"s within 1' wee/s$ *nd remember; you have to Squat
again ' days later, so you do not want to get e!tremely sore from starting too heavy$ 3ou
also do not want to stall in wee/ ' already, as this would com"letely demotivate you and
ruin the whole "rogram$ *lways start way lighter than your current ma!$
If the "rogression is to slow to your li/ing, add 10lbs "er wor/out instead of 5 BDeadlifts;
'0lbs instead of 10C$ Do reali4e that this means you+ll add 1'0lbs to your Squat "er month,
and H0lbs to your ,ench<=ress$ ?bviously, you won+t be able to sustain this "rogression
for more than a cou"le of wee/s$ Kee" the "rogress going switching to 5lbs increments
B10lbs on deadlifts, but here too 5lbs eventuallyC when things become challenging$
In all cases, you will achieve better strength and muscle gains if you start too light rather
than too heavy$ If you+re confident you can handle more weight, use bigger increments to
get there faster$ Must remember strength training is a marathon not a s"rint$
Barbell ?ows Are Inferior to 5ower 1leans.
*rguments can be made both ways, and discussions li/e this are silly$ Averybody /nows
that ?lym"ic 9ifts, li/e =ower 7leans, are more technical than lifts li/e 6ows$ So for faster
strength and muscle gains, it ma/es more sense to start with ,arbell 6ows, use them to
build a solid foundation of strength and technique, and /ee" the =ower 7leans for later$
-hat is if you actually have access to bum"er "lates and a "latform, things I do not have in
my home gym$ -his is why my quads were full of bruises from trying to catch a heavy bar
after each clean so I wouldn+t brea/ my bar by dro""ing it on the concrete$
,arbell 6ows also strengthen your u""erbac/, which is one of the wea/est muscles of
most guy+s$ 3ou will never get the same /ind of u""erbac/ develo"ment from =ower
7leans$ 3et strong u""erbac/ muscles are absolutely crucial for healthy shoulders and to
increase your ,ench =ress, a lift that most guys "lain suc/ at$ -he only benefit of =ower
7leans is that they develo" e!"losiveness, but if that is really your goal 9ouie Simmons
has clearly made the case that it isn+t the best lift to achieve this anyway$ Simmons is by
the way the only guy on earth to have Squatted #'0lbs at age 50, with a '100 total, and
has wor/ed with '5 world and national 7ham"ion "owerlifters, and ') who have totaled
over '000lbs, and even a Dorld 6ecord holder in the 400m dash$ So I thin/ he /nows$
61
I recommend you stic/ with ,arbell 6ows$ If you can+t do them correctly or e!"erience
bac/ "ain because you+re "osture is all over the "lace, start with Inverted 6ows while you
wor/ on that$ Meanwhile, clean your "resses$ So every set of ?verhead =ress, you clean
the weight from the floor Bor from the hang "ositionC on your shoulders$ -his way you get
the benefits of the 6ows, and some of the benefits of the 7leans$
I $on<t =ave Access to a 5ower ?ac&.
=ut the bar on your bac/ for Squats using the Steinborn 9ift$ ,ar vertical on the floor, then
Squat under it and dro" the bar under control on your u""erbac/$ >ow Squat your 5 re"s$
Dhen you+re done, bring the bar to the floor by reversing the movement$
-his is obviously >?- the safest method to Squat, nor will you be able to lift heavy weights
this way, but at least you can testdrive Strong9ifts 5!5 for a few wee/s$ In the longterm, it
is your res"onsibility to find a gym that has a =ower 6ac/ so you can get the bar safely on
your bac/ for Squats$ 6eali4e also that =ower 6ac/s come with hori4ontal safety "ins that
can catch the bar in case you fail on a re" on the Squat, but also on the the ,ench =ress
if you miss a re" the "ins will catch the bar and you won+t end u" stuc/ under it$
9ifting weights without a =ower 6ac/, whether you have a s"otter or not, is >?- safe$ >or
will you ever be able to lift heavy weights on Squats$ -hat+s why I own a 6ac/, and that+s
why all my most accom"lished Strong9ifts Member either own one, or belong to a gym that
has a one$ ,ig chain commercial gyms may not have a 6ac/$ 9oo/ for a "owerlifting gym
in your area, usually the smaller, lesser /nown ones$ -hese gyms are out there, you 5ust
have to find it by as/ing around$ If you really can+t find one, consider a home gym$ =ower
6ac/s start at 0&50 with free shi""ing on *ma4on$ If you lac/ s"ace, get Squat Stands
and a "air of saw horses to act as safety "ins$
I $on<t =ave a !potter.
>either do I$ I+ve lifted all alone, in my home gym, for the ma5ority of the "ast ) years, and
I+m now Squatting 400lbs and Deadlifting 500lbs$ *ccess to a =ower 6ac/ is much more
im"ortant than access to a s"otter$ *s I+ve e!"lained above; the safety "ins will catch the
weight if you ever get stuc/ on the ,ench< Squat$ >ote that you do not need a s"otter on
the =ress<Deadlift, nor should you be doing these lifts inside the rac/$ ?n the =ress, you
return the bar on your chest then to the floor$ ?n the deadlifts, you 5ust dro" it on the floor$
Dhatever you do, do >?- use dumbbells for the ,ench =ress L they+re not safer than
barbells$ Dhen the weight gets heavy on a dumbbell the only way to get it bac/ safely on
the floor is by throwing it$ *nd since the total amount of weight you+ll be using will be lower,
the muscle and strength gains will also be lower than when using heavy barbels$
Do not listen to those idiots tal/ing about dumbbells being better for stabili4ation L one,
develo"ing ma!imum strength beats stabili4ationN two, if stabili4ation is the goal there are
better tools, li/e sandbagsN three, barbells also strengthen your stabili4ing muscles, why
do you thin/ you+re sha/ing when you first start lifting barbellsG -his does >?- mean that I
am against dumbbells, I have and use them, this only means that Strong9ifts 5!5 is >?- a
dumbbell "rogram and does not wor/ with dumbbells at all$
62
3ou also do not start lifting weights in the smith machine$ -hat thing forces your body into
fi!ed, unnatural movements$ 3our body doesn+t move into straight u" and down lines, yet
that+s what that smith forces you to do$ It leads to lower bac/ and /nee in5uries$ -he fact
that it balances the weight for you also ma/e it less challenging and thus leads to sub"ar
results in muscle gains but also strength gains Byou have to balance yourself in real lifeC$
.or ma!imal safety you 5ust start light, focus on mastering technique, and add weight
slowly but surely$ *s long as you use your head and don+t do stu"id things li/e loading the
bar with 400lbs while you can+t even Squat 1&5lbs "ro"erly, you will be safe$
I<m +ot In 2y 3)<s or 6)<s Anymore, %ill !trong/ifts 474
%or& for !omeone 1onsi"erably ;l"er-.
3es, absolutely$ Strength training is actually one of the few s"orts where your age of little
significance$ .ew e!am"les;
-he world record holder in the Squat and Deadlift, *ndy ,olton, is 40y old$ -his guy
has Deadlifted R1000lbs and Squatted R1'00lbs$ 7onsider also Alite "owerlifter and
strength coach 9ouie Simmons who has done Squats with #'0lbs "ast his 50s$
-o" bodybuilders are usually around 40 years$ 6onnie 7oleman won the Mr
?lym"ia it at age 41 in '005, and he also Deadlifts R(00lbs$ Same with De!ter
Mac/son who won the Mr ?lym"ia in '00( at age &#, and he Squats 550lbs$
Some of my strongest Strong9ifts Members are over 40y old$ Mames is 4' and
Deadlifts R500lbs$ >ico is also 4' and he+s only a few "ounds away from Deadlifting
500lbs$ =aul is 41 and Deadlifts over H00lbs$ >orman is 44 and he Deadlifts and
Squats over 500lbs Band he had a heart attac/ before discovering Strong9ifts 5!5JC
-he list goes on and on$ *nd you+d thin/ age would be a "roblem, that they+d be too old for
all of that, that their slower recovery and metabolism would get in the way, that their 5oints
and bones might not ta/e it, but they+re all doing it and "utting the '0y olds to shame$
I have included inside this boo/ the success stories of Strong9ifts Member 7has and ,ob
B"age 1(& and 1(5C$ ,oth guys discovered Strong9ifts 5!5 in '00($ ,oth guys never had
done any Deadlifts in their life before$ 3et both guys are now Deadlifting over 400lbs$ -he
im"ortant detail; 7has is 55y old and ,ob is H4$ %ec/, 7has had his *79 reconstructed a
few years ago, and ,ob won the >3 State Deadlifting 7ham"ionshi" in the Masters H0H4,
6aw *mateur division last Summer '010$
Strong9ifts Member :lad B"age 155C shared that he once thought that he was too old to do
what he+s doing now at age &#, Deadlifting 44'lbs$ %e obviously /nows better today, but
his confession reveals a mindset that a lot of guys, maybe you right now, share L they
thin/ that age is their limitation$ 9et+s be honest; it does ma/e a difference, but way less
than most guys thin/$ -he harsh truth is that age is only a "roblem if you thin/ it is$
Start Strong9ifts 5!5 with the em"ty barbell as I recommend and add 5lbs on the bar each
wor/out$ 3ou may have to switch to &!5<1!5 sooner than the teenager with better recovery
ca"abilities$ >othing wrong with that, adding weight systematically is what matters$ Don+t
hesitate switching to &!5 and 1!5 sooner if you feel, after having tried it first, that your
body can+t ta/e 5!5<&!5 &!<wee/$ Must ma/e sure you hit the gym &!<wee/ L even doing
only 1!5 &!<wee/ will result in faster muscle and strength gains than 5!5 only '!<wee/$
63
%eight Training Increases Bloo" 5ressure.
Myth$ =lenty of studies have shown that weight training decreases systolic and diastolic
blood "ressure$ @ranted, your blood "ressure does increase during a heavy set of Squats
or Deadlifts, but it goes bac/ to normal after your set is done$ -his is actually how your
cardiovascular fitness im"roves with strength training Bwithout having to do that dragging
cardio C$ Instead of boring you with research, here are actual case studies from Strong9ifts
Members who decreased their blood "ressure with Stronglifts 5!5$
.irst, Strong9ifts Member Dill B"age 11C L he had borderline high blood "ressure before he
started Strong9ifts 5!5 %is doctor told him to do cardio because weight training wouldn+t
hel"$ Dill listened, did cardio, but didn+t stic/ with it because obviously, cardio is boring$
Dhy do you thin/ they "ut -:s and maga4ines in the cardio area of each gymG Dill then
discovered Strong9ifts 5!5, started the "rogram and within a year his blood "ressure
"lummeted from 1&( to 100 without any /ind of cardio, rather Squatting and Deadlifting$
In case you thin/ this only a""lies to younger guys, consider S9 Member ,ob B"age 1(5C
who is &! the age of Dill L H4 years old$ 9i/e Dill he had high blood "ressure when he
started, 1&($ ' years after having done Strong9ifts 5!5 his blood "ressure has "lummeted
to 100$ *gain, without doing any /ind of cardio, but 5ust by increasing his Deadlift L which
he does with 410lbs at age H4, while he never did any Deadlifts before$ Interestingly, ,ob
claims that his blood "ressure actually increased when he was doing cardio$
*nother case, Strong9ifts Member >orman B"age 1(0C who is 44$ %is blood "ressure was
almost 150<100 when he had a heart attac/ "rior to discovering Strong9ifts 5!5$ *t his last
chec/u" his blood "ressure was 1'5<)0$ %e hasn+t been on any medication for a year, and
he does Squats and Deadlifts with 500lbs$ %e even won his first "owerlifting meet$
Many dumb doctors who are su""osedly educated will claim that weight training increases
blood "ressure and that it isn+t healthy$ 3et the *merican 7ollege of S"orts Medecine L the
largest s"ort medicine and e!ercise science organi4ation in the world L recommends it$
%ere+s a quote from their website$$$
Ising free weights as "art of an e!ercise "rogram can be a safe and effective means of
im"roving strength and fitness for all ages and fitness levels, for men and women$ -hey
"rovide a stimulus for musclefitness develo"ment, which can increase the amount of
calories you burn Bbody fat reductionC, increase muscle si4e, enhance muscular
strength, "ower and endurance, and increase strength of bones$ Increased muscle
strength can also have a "ositive im"act on quality of life for older adults$
-he *7SM would obviously not recommend weight training if it was bad for your health$
Do Strong9ifts 5!5 as laid out for 1' wee/s, your blood "ressure won+t increase, it will
increase 5ust li/e it did for my Strong9ifts Members$
%eight Training 2a&es 9ou !low an" Infle7ible.
More ,$S$ *s/ ,elgian actor and martial artist Mean 7laude :an Damme, who also won
the Mr ,elgium bodybuilding com"etition in 1#)(, if lifting weights made him slow for
fighting and infle!ible for full s"lits in my favorite movies of his $loodsport$ Aven I.,, "ro
bodybuilder 6onnie 7oleman, who weighs over &00lbs and is full of steroids, was always
64
doing s"lits as "art of his "osing routine for the Mr ?lym"ia com"etition$
-here are lot of idiot coaches who claim that you shouldn+t lift weights because it will ma/e
you slow and infle!ible for s"orts$ 3et all elite teams have a strength S conditioning coach
today$ *nd all to" athletes do strength training -iger Doods lift weights and is re"orted to
,ench =ress &00lbs, David ,ec/ham lift weights, Kobe ,rian llift weights, Isain ,olt does
Squats$ 9oo/ at all the football "layers today doing heavy lifting$
7ase studies I have$ Strong9ifts Member Don B"age 1'#C and Myles B"age '0&C both "lay
6ugby, and they say lifting weights im"roved their game, and that they were less in5ured
since they started lifting$ Strong9ifts Member Simon B"age 1&5C is an e!amateur bo!er
and he strongly believes that fighters should do Squat and Deadlifts$ Strong9ifts Member
Scott B"age 1#)C does =ar/our, a s"ort where s"eed and fle!ibility is crucial$ %e believed
that lifting weights would made him slow and infle!ible$ ,ut here he has today, Deadlifting
R 400lbs, and he+s actually better at =ar/our than/s to his increased strength$
@uys get infle!ible from sitting on their couch all day instead of doing regular mobility wor/
and Squats below "arallel$ @uys become slow from doing curls inside the Squat 6ac/
instead of doing Deadlifts and Squats, lifting the bar as fast as they can$ 3ou do
Strong9ifts 5!5 as laid out, you will not get slow and infle!ible$ 3ou will be faster, more
fle!ible and you will have a definite advantage over your o""onent not lifting weights$
%eight Training !tunts Growth.
*nother myth$ Deight training does >?- stunt growth$ *rnold Schwar4enegger started
lifting weights at age 15 and he+s over H+'F tall$ 9ou .errigno, the original %ul/, started
lifting at age 14 and he grew to H+ 5P$ Dave Dra"er, Mr Iniverse 1#HH, began lifting at age
10 and he was H+0F tall$ Shaquille ?+>eill also began lifting in his teens and he grew )+1F
tall$ Many, many famous athletes started lifting weights in their early teens$
7ase studies$ Strong9ifts Member Ma/e B"age 1()C started S95!5 at age 15 at 5+10F$ '
years later he+s 15y old, Squatting R500lbs, and H+0F$ 7learly, lifting heavy weights didn+t
stunt his growth at all, he /e"t growing$ Strong9ifts Member Dei B"age 1#5C started S95!5
at age 1)$ 1 year later he+s 1F taller even though his deadlift almost doubled to 45'lbs$
If a 1 or 'F growth is not enough to convince you, chec/ the story on "age '05$ -his
Strong9ifts Member wanted to remain anonymous because it was the father "osting his
son+s story who is only 15 y old$ Dhat matters is his growth; 5+4F at age 1& when starting
Strong9ifts 5!5$ '# months later, his Squat s/yroc/eted from an em"ty bar to 150/g, and
he gained &&,1/g bodyweight$ 7urrent height; 5+10F, a HF gain$ 7ase closed$
Some "eo"le actually believe that weight lifting could s"ur growth through increased bone
minerali4ation Bthis is a mere hy"othesisC$ In all cases, how tall you+ll be is in the first "lace
a matter of genetics, and then of getting "ro"er food when you grow u"$ >othing to do
about the former, but the latter you can; lifting weights encourages a healthy lifestyle$
-he only way lifting weights will stunt growth is if you damage your growth "late by letting
the weight fall on you$ 3ou should therefore su"ervise teens lifting, enforce starting with an
em"ty barbell and discourage bad technique and ego$
65
/4 ,eal*Life Success Stories
A,T $3
66
But 2y Bo"y Is $ifferent.
-here is one more reason why some guys are hesitant to do Strong9ifts 5!5 that I haven+t
listed yet$ -his is actually such a big one that I+ve dedicated the rest of the boo/ to it$ %ere
is that reason; !& BO6& $S 6$55-,-'T$ 3ou may at this "oint be interested to start my
"rogram, but still have doubts because you+ve heard that every%ody is different$
>ow it would be better if you didn+t tell you this, but yes, everybody is different$ @enetics,
body ty"e, bone si4e, metabolism, length of limbs, age, etc all these things "lay a role$ *s
an e!am"le, I have s/inny H$)F wrists, my thumbs overla" my middle finger when I grab my
wrists$ So I+m not born to be big or strong, and this is one reason why I started my 5ourney
as a 1'0lb wea/ling who couldn+t do a single =ushu" and who even lost at armwrestling
to a girl$ -o add to this, I have long limbs with a short torso which wor/s against me on the
Squat<=ress, and I also was diagnosed with mild scoliosis$ I have flat feet and my right arm
was almost dislocated when the doctors tried to get me out of my mom+s womb BI weighed
a who""ing 5$'/g when I was born, then turned s/innyC$ I+m sure there+s more$
3et, today I Squat 400lbs, Deadlift 500lbs and weigh 50lbs more$ I do not thin/ it was hard
for me to gain weight or strength, nor do I consider myself a terrible Squatter even though I
should be with my long legs$ *nd this is my first "oint; I never used my limitations as an
e!cuse to stay mediocre$ I 5ust went to the gym, did my heavy Squats and Deadlifts, and
was consistent$ Dhich brings me to my '
nd
"oint; I did >?- train using a different "rogram
to get where I am today L I started my strength 5ourney with the 5!5 method and still use
heavy, free weight, com"ound e!ercises with "rogressive loading at this moment$
So yes your body is different, but no that doesn+t mean you need to train differently$ -he
Strong9ifts 5!5 "rogram uses "rinci"les which a""ly to anyone L whatever your genetics,
body ty"e, age, bone si4e, leverages, even race or gender$ It is very im"ortant that you
understand this and strongly start to believe it$ ,ecause if you don+t believe it, there+s no
way you can achieve it$ >a"oleon %ill stressed in his bestseller Tink F 4ro! ,ic that
selfconfidence was crucial for success$ Aven *rnold Schwar4enegger said that :Te
mind is te only limit. &s long as te mind can envision someting, you can do it.;
-his is what the rest of this boo/ is about; "rove you that the whole Emy body is differentF
mindset is utter nonsense, and that Strong9ifts 5!5 wor/s for everyone$ 6emember this
method is almost )0y old, there are thousands of success stories of guys who boosted
their strength and transformed their body using this method, including Schwar4enegger,
6eg =ar/, Doug %e"burn, ,ill Starr, and maybe Sylvester Stallone and .ranco 7olumbo$
Aven 6onnie 7oleman was doing heavy weight wor/s with com"ound e!ercises$
@lenn =endlay MS IS*D, who was the ins"iration for my Strong9ifts 5!5 "rogram, still
uses this 5!5 method today with his ?lym"ic weight lifters who have won gold medals and
bro/en *merican records$ Some of his accom"lished athletes include;
7aleb Dard who has bro/en 1& *merican weight lifting records already, including a
44H, Hlb 7lean S Mer/ record, and heQs only '0 years old$
Mon >orth number 1 lifter in the #4/g class in the IS, member of the '010 =an*m
team, and only 5/g away from one of the oldest *merican records on the boo/s, a
1H5/g snatch in the #4/g bodyweight class$
67
Donny Shan/le, national cham"ion and =an*merican medalist, who snatched
1)'$5/g B*merican recordC and clean and 5er/ed 4H&lbs$
-here+s also -$M$ Dard who used the 5!5 method under @lenn =endlayQs coaching to
"re"are for the >.9 combine and draft in '010$ -$M$ boosted his Squat by 50lbs in the
months leading to the combine, eventually went much higher in the draft than e!"ected
Bearly 'nd roundC and is now a standout in the defensive bac/field$
3ou can find thousands of success stories 5ust li/e these from guys who have used the
5!5 method during the "ast )0 years$ I have included a few do4ens from my very own
Strong9ifts Members inside this boo/, not for want or need of hundreds or thousands
more, but in the interest of /ee"ing the length of this re"ort to reasonable si4e$ -he
commonalities of these success stories are im"ortant and fit into two categories$
?ne is "roof$ -hese stories feature ordinary guys from all sorts of bac/grounds, wal/s of
lifes, bodyty"es, genetics, ages, hec/ even race, who have accom"lished e!traordinary
"hysiques, strength, confidence, health, lifestyles, and "ositive influence on others, often
while overcoming limitations, in most cases very quic/ly, and in some cases without any
"rior weight training e!"erience$ -hey have little in common but having done that and
being Strong9ifts Members$ I /now "ersonally everyone you will meet in this boo/$ Some
have ama4ing genetics, most do not$ Some are only 15y, most are '040y old, and one is
H4y old$ Some lost 100lbs, some gained (5lbs$ Some were already training for '0y, others
were com"lete beginners and never did any /ind of s"orts in their life$ Some are students,
many are em"loyed, and a few are selfem"loyed li/e me$ ?ne is only 5+&F, most are 5+10F,
and some are H+5F$ Some guys were "rivately coached by me but most never had a coach$
-here+s an e!marathon runner, an e!amateur bo!er, & rugby "layers, a "ar/our guy, a
cancer survivor, a heart attac/ survivor, several "owerlifters, etc$
-here is nothing Es"ecialF about them that you lac/$ -heir stories are revealing of mindset,
not of "rerequisite qualifications$ -his is very im"ortant because from my e!"erience
coaching countless of guys to gain strength and dramatically change their body and life
using the 5!5 method, it+s been my observation that, as they start and "rogress, virtually
all stumbling bloc/ are inside their belief system L what they thin/ they can and cannot do,
what they believe they can and cannot achieve, and how fast they thin/ results will occur$
-he other is methods$ Dithin their stories and e!am"les, you can find L and should loo/
for and list L the same ste"s re"eated, the same strategies em"loyed$ -heir body ty"es,
genetics, age and bac/grounds may all differ$ ,ut the way they train is the same; almost
all of them started with Strong9ifts 5!5 and climbed the Strong9ifts 9adder of strength, and
those no longer on the "rogram are still using the e!act same "rinci"les; free weights,
com"ounds, "rogressive loading$ 3ou have inside this boo/ a collection of e!am"les that
re"resents thousands more 5ust li/e them, all using the same methods$ It is here for you to
see$ %ere for you to co"y$
?ne of my favorites quotes ever is this; :If tey can do it, so can I;. I want you to /ee" this
in mind as you read their success stories$ I did it, they did it, and you can do it too$ -his
method is fool "roof, testdrive it for 1' wee/s and you+ll ama4e yourself$
68
I ran into a guy I ha"n@t seen in : or A months. The first thing
he sai" was, <goo" grief man you@ve gotten swole#<.
My name is %arrison$ IQm originally from 6oc/ville, MD IS* and still reside in the
Dashington, D7 area$ IQm now '4 and wor/ in government affairs$
IQd been wor/ing out "retty consistently my whole life, either "laying s"orts or lifting
weights$ I tried other wor/out methods li/e circuit training and %II- with minimal success$
IQm 5Q#F and before starting Strong9ifts 5!5 I was 1H0lbs, and "retty much Es/inny fatF and
unsatisfied$ In the "ast, a ty"ical weight lifting "rogram went as follows; return to the gym
after a cou"le months off, angry with myself for slac/ing, do some form of %II- for about H
months, "lateau, slac/ off again, re"eat$ My earlier training did not involve squatting or
deadlifting$ I did some bench "ress, shoulder "ress, dumbbell curls, chin u"s, di"s and
crunches$ I didnQt turn into a wea/ fat man, but I didnQt turn into a strong man either$
Dhile I was in college my house was burglari4ed$ *nother time while I was wal/ing home
some "un/s tried to rob me$ I refused to give u" any "ro"erty and scared the guys off with
a /nife, but vowed to do whatever I could from that moment on to never be seen as a soft
target again$ I wondered what would have ha""ened if I hadn+t had that little blade$ I+d also
strained my bac/ moving into a new a"artment$ I never wanted to be so wea/ that I
couldn+t move my own "ro"erty around$ IQve always lifted, I 5ust wanted to become bigger,
stronger, healthier and more disci"lined$ *nd I wanted to do it in a safe, healthy way using
a method that would wor/ for the rest of my life$ 3our reasons may be different than mine$
Aither way we share a common goal$
So one day I googled Ehow to get bigger and strongerF and Strong9ifts 5!5 came u"$ I
didnQt /now much about weight lifting and the 5re" range sounded "retty low$ I wondered
if it would be effective$ I in5ured some /nee ligaments in a s/iing crash when I was 15$ *t
'' I still occasionally got some "ain in the /nee$ I /new that strengthening my legs and
/nee 5oint would hel", but I was concerned that squats would aggravate the in5ury$ IQve
also got chronic lower bac/ "ain due to some mild scoliosis B(2 curvature in lumbarC$
I figured as long as I was careful and too/ my time to learn form, IQd /now if I was
aggravating the issues$ I decided to give it a try and after my first cou"le of squat sessions
69
I could barely wal/J I was seriously sore, which I /new was a sign that I hadnQt been really
wor/ing out hard before, even though I thought I was$ IQve got a lifting mentor who told me
that all the real strongmen from generations "ast and "resent use sim"le barbell lifts to get
brutally strong$ It all started ma/ing sense within a few months$ -hings really too/ off after I
did @?M*D for three wee/s$
#arrison:s Gains
!arch ;4 ;44<
=Start SL/0/>
6ecem(er F ;4@4
=Current SL?0/>
Gains so far)))
*ge '' '4
,odyweight B5+#PC 1H'lb 1#'lb R&0lb
,ody fat 1)2 142 &2
,ice"s 11P 15P R4P
Deadlift 1&0lb &H0lb R'&0lb
Squat H5lb &10lb R'45lb
,ench =ress 140lb '55lb R115lb
=ress H0lb 140lb R(0lb
I started Strong9ifts 5!5 March '0, '00#$ I "rogressed steadily and did a total of two
deloads all the way bac/ down to 1&5 lbs on squat to im"rove form$ I then "rogressed and
did 102 deloads at '00 lbs and '&5 lbs on squat, and then started switching to &!5 on the
e!ercises as I stalled for a third or fourth time$ I made my last switch to &!5 BbenchC in Muly
'010$ IQm confident my lifts will continue to go u"$ IQm "lanning to com"ete in a squat,
bench and deadlift "owerlifting meet this s"ring, 5ust for fun$
My family and friends have
noticed IQve gotten bigger and
stronger$ 9ast month I ran into a
guy at the gym who I used to wor/
with$ I hadnQt seen him in ( or #
months$ -he first thing he said
was Egood grief man youQve
gotten swoleJF =eo"le in the gym
are sometimes sur"rised at how
much I can lift for my si4e$ I get
com"liments on squat form from
some guys, others tell me IQm
going to hurt my /neesJ
I regularly accom"lish feats of
strength li/e carrying all of my groceries u" the stairs in a single tri"$ Dhen I moved to a
new a"artment in '00# that didnQt have an elevator, 5ust three months into Strong9ifts 5!5,
it was easier than when I moved in '00($ Dhen I moved in '010 I relished the o""ortunity
to use my newly acquired strength$
Dhen I started Strong9ifts 5!5 my arms were 11W at the widest "oint of the bice"$ >ow
theyQre 15W, 1( months into the "rogram$ * lot of this growth came on the bac/ of my arms
from "ressing and rowing$ I feel I get the most wor/ for my arms doing weighted chin u"s
and "ull u"s, and heavy barbell rows$ *bout 4 months ago, once I was doing weighted
70
chins with decent weight, I added curls with a full barbell for &V( at the end of row day$ I
thin/ itQs made a difference in arm si4e, but "robably not much$ IQm u" to #0 lbs on that$ I
donQt thin/ you should add curls until youQre squatting over &00 and benching at least '00$
In fact, you shouldnQt modify the "rogram at all until then$ -he disci"lined mindset that
heavy squats gives you allows you to really "um" u" your whole body if you add au!iliary
e!ercises$
Since IQve been doing barbell training my lower bac/ "ain is almost com"letely gone$
>othing else had wor/ed before including e!tensive stretching and visits to a chiro"ractor$
I canQt remember the last time my /nee troubled me$
-he biggest mista/e I made before I discovered Strong9ifts 5!5 was not thin/ing squats
are im"ortant$ Squats change your entire "hysique$ I was also afraid of eating %I@AJ IQve
learned that if you want to be bigger, youQve got to eat bigger and quit worrying about
getting fat$ 3ouQve got to ma/e eating a "art of your training and eat for your goal weight$
Sometimes that means forcing down that e!tra re" from the for/ to the mouth$ I also
learned to quit ma/ing e!cuses for reasons not to train$ IQm sure the days IQve lifted even
though I felt run down, a little sic/ or had to wor/ late have made all the difference$
-here are so many /nowledgeable Members inside the Strong9ifts 7ommunity$ Dhen I
was learning the lifts I got useful ti"s and feedbac/ off of videos I "osted within 5ust a few
hours$ ?ther S9 Members "ost to"ics and questions that get me thin/ing about how I can
im"rove my own training and nutrition$ *dditionally, going to the board once a day or so
/ee"s me thin/ing about my strength goals and reminds me to stay on trac/$ -hereQs
nothing worse than losing all the hard wor/ youQve "ut in to lifting due to inconsistency$
Kee"ing a training log inside the Strong9ifts 7ommunity lets me reflect on my wor/outs
and loo/ bac/ on my "rogress$ My log shows a clear "ath of "rogress on all my lifts and
im"roved disci"line and commitment to the goals I set for myself$ I can also see how much
IQve learned about weight training theory and what wor/s and what doesnQt$ -he best way
to learn what wor/s is to go get under the bar, and loo/ing bac/ on my log I can see that I
rarely miss wor/outs anymore$ -hat certainly builds confidence in my ability to stay
committed, in lifting and everything else in life$ IQve got a few regular followers on my log
who /ee" me accountable$ -he sim"le social "ressure of /nowing IQll "ost my wor/out
results online really hel"s when IQm dreading that ne!t heavy squat set$
I wor/ 10 hours<day in a suit and tie office environment$ I s"end most of my time
com"letely sedentary at a des/ and usually only get about ) hours of slee"<night during
the wee/$ *nd I made it wor/$ *ll it ta/es is commitment and eating big$ If youQve never
done a real barbell strength training "rogram before, Strong9ifts 5!5 is worth a try$ ItQs
something anyone can do regardless of age or fitness level$ It will hel" you selfactuali4eN
you will reach your bodyQs genetic "otential if you stic/ with it$ If youQre too fat now youQll
lose fat and build muscle$ If youQre too s/inny youQll "ut some meat on your frame$ *nd
above all, if youQre wea/ youQll become strong$
S9 Member %arrison a/a EMaslowF, '4, Dashington D7 IS*$
71
I feel more comfortable an" I feel most physical challenges
can be attac&e" with confi"ence..
My name is *ndreas$ I am '5 years old, 1#'cm tall and weigh #'/g$ I wor/ full time as a
software develo"er and have quite a busy lifestyle that comes along with wor/ing and
living in a big city B?slo, >orwayC$
I had a normal s/inny loo/ing "hysique as of May '00( but had been sedentary for a long
time throughout my college and university studies in Angland$ I s"ent hours studying,
gaming, and going out BbeerJJC$ I also had a rec/less diet with "lenty of ta/eaway$ *fter I
graduated, I s"ent most days at wor/ 5ust sitting$ I was therefore s/inny and in "oor sha"e
for a guy in his early '0s$ >ot overweight, 5ust unfit$
-his basically means that my strength "erformance was li/e that of the average sedentary
male; very "oor$ I did not have any troubling issues with my a""earance though a tall
frame with broadish shoulders can get sur"risingly s/inny without loo/ing malnourished$ I
5ust felt that I was not doing my body 5ustice with the way I was living$
I have not been inactive all of my life$ I was amongst the fastest s"rinters in my secondary
school and usually the fastest "layer "laying in the local soccer games$ >ow this does not
mean I was a big talent, but I was above average in terms of running<s"rinting$ I sto""ed
"laying soccer in year '000 but because I still carried a bit of this "ride with meN it was
nasty to find out what ) years of being la4y had done to my body$ ,ut really, who was I
/iddingG Dhat else should I have e!"ectedG
I first realised the bad state of my fitness during the s"ring of '00( when on a mountain
bi/ing tri", "ulling a bi/etrailer u" some roc/y hills$ I could barely com"lete the tas/ of
"ulling the trailer that day and was in fact very close to being sic/ several times during that
P"hysical e!ertionP$ It was a true moment of enlightenmentN something had to (e done)
My future flashed before my eyes at the to" of the hill; I could end u" as a wea/ com"uter
nerd with a com"letely wasted athletic "otential$ I gave it some thought, and could not
acce"t this "otential sequence of events, I /new that right away$$$ -his was the turning
"oint$ Something changed that day$
72
So I ditched 5un/food and com"uter games in Mune '00( and started doing endurance
training$ -his was the only ty"e of training I had e!"erience with before from "laying
soccer so I 5um"ed onto the first solution was familiar with; more running and cycling$
I started to realise that I wanted "ower and strength, not 5ust endurance, since I gathered I
would only become s/innier than I was$ I remember seeing two e!tremes on the internetN
the s"rinter vs marathon runner$ A!"losive "erformance vs$ s/in and bones with e!treme
endurance$ I figured meeting somewhere on the middle would be sensible and so I
introduced resistance training to my life$
,y ?ctober '00( I sto""ed and went for the gym instead$ My ambition was not to loo/ li/e
some musclefle!ing su"erstar but to im"rove my "hysical "erformance$ :isual changes
for the better were of course welcome as an added bonus$ * =- set me u" with a "rogram
on machines to build strength and endurance$ &!15 re"s were used, focus on bac/ and
chest mostly$ *lso had leg "ress for lower body wor/$ I es"ecially requested this as I
figured there is no "oint in getting big bice"s with "athetic loo/ing and wea/ legs$
.irst sessions using machines were hard, I felt as if my muscles were bleeding after each
training session$ -his got better fast, but I was shoc/ed by my horrible state of wea/ness$ I
recall seeing an older guy B50 yearsRC "ressing almost twice what I could do for 15 re"s on
the machine$ I was early '0s, he was EoldF$ I thought being young automatically meant
good strength$ I obviously lac/ed "ers"ective and thought I was a lot stronger than I really
was bac/ then$$$ >ow I have a lot of res"ect for 50R guys after seeing what some of them
lift in the S9 7ommunity li/e ,ob BH4y, read "age 1(5C$
I started reading about full body wor/outs in the Men+s %ealth IK forums$ -hen I reali4ed
that the lifts they were tal/ing about were freeweight and not machines$ I researched how
to do these freeweight lifts on @oogle and I believe it was the S9 Squat guide that
connected me to Strong9ifts$
Strong9ifts 5!5 came across as an organised and structured way of training$ I+m analytical
by nature and concluded that the S95!5 routine was building u"on solid foundations and
"rinci"les$ I was convinced to start S95!5 as I wanted to im"rove athletic abilities and
"ushing weights on weight machines would not have the same "ractical carryover$ *t first
sight I was daunted by having to learn technique on all these liftsN but after a""lying some
common sense I decided that the invested time to learn the lifts would "ay off long term$
I had never done a Squat, so I had a cou"le of goes first with 5ust the bar BI watched the
youtube video from Mehdi 15 times at wor/C$ -hen I fired away 5!5 with 40/g and it felt
about right$ 7om"leted all with good form, or so I thought$ 9ast re"s were a bit tough,
muscles were not used to it$
My logic was that women started with the '0/g bar and so I should start with more$ I didn+t
really gras" the conce"t of the bar quic/ly getting heavy when adding '$5/g every session$
It was a combination of overestimating my own strength level and es"ecially ego$ My
father has had "hysical wor/ all his life and is strong because of this$ In terms of height
and width I was similar to him Bbut lighterC and so I wrongly concluded that I also had to be
strong from the getgo$ -his sounds really stu"id now, but this was my reasoning at the
time$ *fter trying free weights I made some realisations "retty quic/ly$
73
?n the ,ench I 6A*993 noticed how machines give false strength$ I had a tric/y time
balancing the weight "ro"erly$ It too/ strength to balance it, strength I had never needed to
use on machines$ -o "ut it into "ers"ectiveN on the machine I could easily go H5/gR 5!5
and I had "lenty enough with 40/g on the free weight bench "ress to be honest$ -his was
sufficient "roof to me that free weights and S95!5 was the best way to go about this$
40/g on the free weights Squat wasn+t a "roblem, but )0/gR was at that stage$ -he weight
caught u" with me faster than I could learn form "ro"erly at sufficient de"th$ I believe I was
a slo+ learner on the Squat, the movement felt unnatural to me$ If I could choose again
today with the /nowledge I have, I would have started with the em"ty bar and "osted
videos of me squatting to get a review of Strong9ifts Members earlier$
-hese were the numbers I had before S95!5 with my lifting e!"erience at that "oint$ I may
have been able to force out more, but it would not have been safe to do so$ I had severely
wea/ened glutes, hi"s and hams from sitting so much and general lac/ of activity$ My diet
was also insufficient for my tall frame$
Andreas: Gains 'o" ;44G 6ec ;4@4 Gains so far)))
*ge '&y '5y
,odyweight BH+&PC 1(0lb '0'lb R''lb
Deadlift 1&'lb 41(lb R'(Hlb
Squat ((lb &5'lb R'H4lb
,ench =ress ((lb '&'lb R144lb
My bodyweight has increased by 10/g but my relative strength has s/yroc/eted on to" of
this$ My lifting stats are obviously nothing ama4ing, but I+m stronger than the average guy
on the street now$ -his may have some "sychological im"act confidence wise, although
this is hard to quantify$ I feel more at ease in social situations and I find normal daytoday
situations much easier to deal with, everything seems A*S3 com"ared to fullde"th squats
near your "hysical limitJ If you can+t relate to this, get started on lifting now and you will
never regret it$
?ther than that I feel more comfortable and I feel most "hysical challenges can be
attac/ed with confidence$ I notice that the strength carries over to all ty"es of wor/$ *n
74
e!am"le is "hysical sledgehammer< hatchet ty"e gardening wor/$ I hel"ed some family not
long ago with this and I could com"letely tear it u" without getting fatigued or e!"eriencing
a lac/ of "ower$ -he lac/ of endurance got me into training originally, but I+ve almost only
done strength training$ My base cardio fitness im"roved noticeably as my lifts got stronger
so I+ve not needed to add much dedicated cardio$ I would do the same againN gain
bodyweight and im"rove strength first$ 7om"ound lifts are much more fun than running$
I+m ha""y to have found this way of training and to /now that all my lifts are done at "ro"er
range of motion with safe technique$ I am "articularly ha""y to have gotten a solid and
dee" squat technique as I struggled a lot with that lift$ -he S9 7ommunity has been very
valuable in this regard$ I was Squatting too high Bnot hitting "arallelC$ -ogether with the
hel" of the S9 Members I corrected this and I now squat "ro"erly with hi" crease below
the /nees$
My log inside the S9 community is a neat way to /ee" training history and discuss things
that went well or things that went really bad, or sim"ly shit$ 3ou get res"onses from
Strong9ifts Members that can relate to the "oundages you lift and understand the meaning
of "ushing themselves hard$ It+s very motivational to discuss training with li/eminded
"eo"le$
If you want to get in better sha"e I would recommend S9 5!5 along with an increased
calorie diet to get the ball rolling$ 3ou can im"rove your "erformance and "hysique by
using barbell com"ound lifts and ad5usting your diet towards your goals$ It wor/s$
S9 Member *ndreas a/a EMaroonF, '5, ?slo >orway$
75
It has really change" me in more ways than Bust physical
strength. I am getting to where I want to be with
myself, getting stronger an" confi"ent.
My name is -om Mer/ley, I live in 7algary, 7anada$ I wor/ "art time at a deli and go to
school$ ,efore I started lifting I was underweight, I am about 5+10 and I only weighed
around 1'0lbs$ I had almost no body fat, I was "retty wea/ and couldn+t do much of
anything really$ I never did any s"orts before lifting$
I started lifting because I wanted to change who I was and im"rove myself$ ,eing strong
and confident is what I always wanted, but I wasn+t$ I started wor/ing out in the summer
'010, my routine was basically nothing, I had no organi4ation or /new what I was doing
besides what friends told me$ I would try and wor/out 5 days a wee/, all isolation and
machine e!ercises$ I got no results, not even on machines or with dumbbells$ I thought
squats were the scariest e!ercise ever and were terrible for your bac/ and /nees, and only
the weird strong loo/ing guys did it$ I was basically your average gym tool$ -he /ind of /ids
you see with their friends wasting time on cra" that doesn+t wor/$
I found Strong9ifts 5!5 through my friend Danny who started strength training$ I got e!cited
from what I saw and what he was doing, and thought maybe I could start seriously training
and changing myself$ I was s/e"tical too though, I didn+t /now anything about strength
training, it was all new to me$ ,ut it seemed legitimate and I had a friend to try it with$
My results didn+t go too fast right away since I was halfassing the "rogram$ ,ut even 5ust
doing that I "ut on 10lbs in a cou"le of wee/s, while barely eating and lifting not too much$
I thought my scale was bro/en, I didn+t /now if I was being tric/ed by something or not$
I wanted to get really serious and ma/e strength training a"art of my life, and I found out
that there was a Strong9ifts =latinum 7oaching =rogram, so it seemed obvious I should
76
invest in it$ I thin/ 5oining Mehdi+s coaching "rogram was one of if not the best decisions in
my life, if only I could train with him in "erson haha$ It has really changed me I thin/, in
more ways than 5ust "hysical strength too$ I am getting to where I want to be with myself,
getting stronger and confident$ -he online coaching feels very "ersonal, it can be harsh
and rewarding, and Mehdi is very good at motivating es"ecially$ 3ou get change and
"rogress out of it, I am getting what I want out of it, actual results, more than I have with
years of on and off training$ I would definitely recommend it$
Tom:s Gains June ;@
st
;4@4 'o" ;;
nd
;4@4 Gains so far)))
*ge '0y '1y
,odyweight B5+10FC 1&0lbs 15Hlbs R'Hlbs
Deadlift 110lb '40lb R1&0lb
Squat 145lb '40lb R#5lb
,ench =ress #5lb 145lb R50lb
-his is now the 5
th
consecutive month I+m "ersonally being coached by Mehdi$ I thin/ very
differently than I did 5 months ago, about everything in my life$ I am a lot more organi4ed
and motivated in everything, I am more mature, confident, reliant, consistent in almost
everything I do$ * lot more confident in myself, see myself differently, feel li/e more of a
man basically$ I /now I have a lot more wor/ to do still$
I am sur"rised how often "eo"le notice, friends, family, cowor/ers$ =eo"le say I loo/
different now, stronger, thic/er$ I get com"liments a lot, about how easily I lift a crate of
meat, or how much healthier I am starting to loo/$ =eo"le I /now come to me for advice
about wor/ing out, dieting, etc$ .riends and cowor/ers even comment on my change in
behavior often Bmore confident, assertiveC$ I heard of Strong9ifts 5!5 from my friend
Danny, I now lift more than him on almost all e!ercises Be!ce"t "ressC$ %e is im"ressed
with what I have done with myself so far$
I can do a lot more, I am more confident in my strength$ 9ifting things around home and
wor/ is easy$ I am the "erson "eo"le as/ to do "hysical labor they need done$ It all ma/es
me want to get even stronger$ My goal is to get over &00lbs in squat and deadlift$ Must
/ee" lifting and getting as strong as I can be$ I want to be a healthy, good loo/ing, strong
weight$ >o more s/inny twig loo/$ *round 1)01(0lbs for my height$ I see myself getting
more disci"lined and dedicated to strength training as I learn what it ta/es to be a good
lifter Bthe diet, training, strictnessC$
I get lots of loo/s in the gym, sometimes itQs because I have been hogging one of the squat
rac/s or bars for about an hour to do squats then "ress then dead lift, sometimes I thin/
itQs because meat heads canQt believe a smaller guy li/e me is lifting more than them, and
other times itQs "robably because idiots thin/ IQm using EwrongF form$ Sometimes I get
com"liments on my form, or how I loo/$ ?ther times I get told how I should have my feet
closer together, and how I should never go below "arallel on squat cause it will hurt my
/nees and bac/ hahaha$ -he only "eo"le squatting more than me now are the few guys I
see that are actual strength trainers B'00lb R guys that are built li/e tan/s, wearing
regional com"etition shirtsC$
-raining with Mehdi wasnQt easy, IQve had to wa/e u" at )am everyday, eat u" to )000
77
calories a day, I have lost a girlfriend, had friends attem"t suicide, family issues, all while
still having to /ee" u" an a""etite, slee"ing schedule, and training routine$ * 9?- of days I
didnQt want to do shit, I didnQt want to get out of bed, eat anything, go to the gym, some
days I didnQt do that stuff$ I messed u" "lenty of times with slee"ing in, not eating, etc$
Some days I was "hysically sic/ and couldnQt eat or slee", but I still hit the gym feeling li/e
cra"$ ?ther times I was feeling de"ressed, sad, whatever, but I still ate and trained$
I 5ust made myself get u" early and start eating and getting ready to get to the gym, didnQt
matter if I wor/ed later that day or was having "roblems in life, I was in a bad mood all day
and didnQt feel li/e wa/ing u" or eating or wor/ing out "lenty of times$ It is 5ust will "ower
that made me do all of it$
I learnt from failures to eat and train hard enough that consistency is im"ortant in growing
strong$ -his way of thin/ing transferred over into other as"ects of my life too$ I learnt how
to deal with and solve "roblems that held me bac/ from my goals$ I /new I had to change
how I ate and trained, and change how I thought too, sto" thin/ing li/e a loser$ -o /now
what I want and try and get it, all that clichX stuff$
*lso of course I found out that #02 of what I had heard about training, su""lements,
wor/outs, gaining muscle, what to eat, everything was bull shit$ I learnt what really wor/s
and "ut it into "ractice to see for myself that it wor/s$
-he biggest thing holding me bac/ was my own thin/ing$ I thought wor/ing out and eating
"ro"erly were very very com"licated$ .itness maga4ines had so many different wor/outs
and a""arently you needed to do different routines every month or whatever to get results$
-here are so many /inds of su""lements and different /inds of "roteins and sha/es and
"ower bars, etc$ Averyone had different info, how much "rotein you should eat, how to do
e!ercises "ro"erly to not hurt yourself, what to eat and when to eat it$ I didnQt /now there
was a difference between body building and strength training$ I didnQt /now anything$ It
seemed "retty much im"ossible to get strong and the body I want$
?nce I started wor/ing with Mehdi I discovered I wasnQt eating nearly as much as I thought
I was, and that what I needed to eat wasnQt su""lements$ I was unmotivated because of all
the confusion I had, once I learnt what was gonna wor/ for me I started getting into things,
and getting motivated to /ee" going$ I use to thin/ my genetics were also gonna "revent
me from ever getting strong, and thatQs why I had been so s/inny my whole life$ I "roved
myself wrong within a few wee/s, when I "ut on a lot of weight and was lifting a lot more
once I started doing things "ro"erly$
78
,y wor/ing with Mehdi directly I have learnt the im"ortance of consistency, /ee"ing trac/
of everything and stic/ing to a "lan$ -rac/ing my diet everyday and ma/ing sure I ate
enough hel"ed me to start getting stronger$ -rac/ing my calories every day for 5 months
was a "ain usually, really not that hard but it can get annoying$ I never tried trac/ing my
diet before in my life$ *fter doing it though I saw how little I had always been eating, and it
made it easier to visuali4e I guess, what I was eating and what I needed to eat to "ut on
weight$ It 5ust hel"s to see the numbers$
I can understand you would have doubts about Strong9ifts 5!5, I did$ ,ut after the first
month, if you are trying hard at it, you will see it was a good decision$ If you really want to
change your life and ma/e training a "art of it and change yourself for the better, this can
be a good way to hel" you do it I thin/$
-he "rice for MehdiQs "rivate coaching is e!"ensive, but all coaching is really$ Most
trainers that would come with you to a gym charge by the lesson B5ust for that one dayC
which is "ointless, itQs im"ossible to learn anything in 5ust one day$ =rogress isnQt made in
5ust one day, it ta/es hard wor/ and lots of time and dedication$ =ersonal trainers can cost
hundreds a wee/, or month de"ending on how good they are, but most trainers are idiots,
most =A?=9A in general are idiots about becoming strong and how the body wor/s$
Strong9ifts seemed li/e it wasnQt full of bull shit and broscience$ -he moment I heard of
Mehdi coaching, I 5um"ed on the chance to send in an a""lication to 5oin his =latinum
7oaching "rogram$ Mehdi decided to ta/e me as a "rivate client and we started Mune '1st
'010$ If you are dedicated to changing yourself then this coaching "rogram might be for
you$ It is very e!"ensive, es"ecially for someone who ma/es a shit earning li/e myself, but
it has been worth it for me$ 3ou have to be willing to dedicate time and effort into it to ma/e
it worth your while$ I did that and I am very ha""y with what I have gotten out of it$
Strong9ifts =latinum Member -om Mer/ley, '1, 7algary 7anada$
79
I use" to thin& of myself as a har"gainer. +ow I
"on@t thin& there@s such thing C Bust a guy who
"oesn@t &now how to train or eat..
My name is @abriel, and I currently reside in 9ondon, Angland$ IQm '5 years old, 1$)&m tall
and IQm a sales e!ec for a com"uter com"any$
I used to thin/ of myself as a EhardgainerF and for many years tried everything to gain
weight and muscle, all to no avail$ Aating more fat, drin/ing oil, ta/ing e!"ensive Eweight
gainerF su""lements, not moving at all and lifting weights Bisolation stuffC most days of the
wee/$ >othing wor/ed$
I thought the reasons why I never gained weight were a combination of genetics,
insufficient training, and stress from wor/$ I resigned myself to believe that I was somehow
Eborn s/innyF and there was nothing I could do to change that EfactF$ I remember when I
was a /id, my doctor told me that being s/inny was ?K and that I would rather be s/inny
than fat, so I would live a long life$ -his didnQt comfort me$ I still didnQt li/e my image and I
had no confidence in my body L a sentiment that I still had until recently$
I had very little confidence when it came to showing my body Beven my forearms L I
always wore long sleeves, even in hot daysC$ @irls didnQt loo/ at me in college and
"referred the more EbuffF boys who were in s"orts teams, and for this reason I remained
single all the way through high school and college$ I also didnQt li/e to go to swimming
"ools for fear of "eo"le ma/ing fun of my s/inny body$ My cousins and friends called me a
s/eleton or a bag of bones$ -his wasnQt really hel"ing with the selfconfidence$
In '00(, I got a gym membershi" as I thought it was the logical thing to do in order to get
big and strong$ =lus, every one of my buff friends was a member of this "articular gym$ ,ut
my efforts were futile as I was not doing things right; I was not eating the right foods in the
right amounts, and I was overtraining by training too many times a wee/ with high
re"etition weight lifting and very little food and recovery$
80
During my time in the gym I trained 4 to H times a wee/, all the e!ercises done in a
ha"ha4ard manner; I would do what I felt li/e doing L some barbell curls, lat "ulldowns,
dumbbell flies, concentration curls, and sometimes "ush u"s , sit u"s and bodyweight
squats$ Mostly curls to be honest$ I was sim"ly listening to my whim and sometimes
followed the advise of guys in the gym and relatives who told me to Ecurl to get biggerF$ I
/new that most of these guys were either on steroids or eating enormous amounts of food$
I couldn+t bring myself to do either$ 9ac/ of motivation, I+m sure$
Dell, my arms grew a few centimeters bigger and I could definitely see a bit of a si! "ac/
showing$ ,ut I still didnQt gain any weight at all and I didnQt loo/ bigger than I was in my
teenage years$ I still weighed a mere 55/g, which you can obviously see in my "icture on
the left Bta/en in Se"tember '00#, before I started @?M*D and S95!5C$
During the autumn of '00#, I was tal/ing to a friend, and I told him that I hated being a
hardgainer$ %e recommended that I go for @?M*D and adhere to the Strong9ifts 5V5
"rogramme$ I still remember his words; Emil/ and com"ound lifts are the /eyF$ I soon
started the Strong9ifts 5V5 "rogramme and the results have been ama4ing$ I had given u"
on weight training and having found something so sim"le as S95!5 gave me a lot of ho"e$
I thought it loo/ed easy, but once I got down to it I found it to be hard as hell for me, but I
decided that it was all worth it$
Ga(riel:s Gains Sep ;44< Oct ;44< July ;4@4 Gains so far)))
*ge '5y '5y 'Hy
,odyweight B5+(PC 1'1lb 141lb 1H5lb R44lb
,ody .at 152 1)$52 112 4,002
Daist &0P &0P &'P R'F
Deadlift 110lb 154lb &41lb R'&1lb
Squat 100lb 14#lb '(Hlb R1(Hlb
,ench =ress ((lb 110lb '0#lb R1'1lb
-han/s to Strong9ifts 5V5 and @?M*D I have gained 44lbs in 11 months, from 55/g to
)5/g$ *lso, I gained more strength than I ever have gained before$ *nd itQs been chea"er
than going to the gym, as I invested less than Y'00 in a bench, a Squat 6ac/, a set of
weights with an ?lym"ic bar, and a sturdy =ullu" bar$
I definitely feel e!tremely selfconfident with the way I loo/ now$ I am not afraid to go to the
beach or the swimming "ool$ =eo"le have all started to say how EbuffF and big I loo/
nowadays$ @irls chec/ me out when I go out Bto my fianceeQs disli/eC and only my mum
remembers what I loo/ed li/e when I was s/inny$ I feel more able to "rotect my loved ones
and my libido is sim"ly ama4ing$ I feel I can get much more out of life$ I mean, I could get a
lot out of it before but now my body is stronger L with a strength that s"ills into my state of
mind day by day$
My cardiovascular endurance has im"roved also as a result of strength training$ I do li/e
doing some cardio from time to time, but I no longer feel I EneedF to do it, and I do less
than before$ I can now swim 500m without ending u" "anting, I can run faster and longer
distances, my fighting s/ills BI have a bac/ground in Martial *rtsC have definitely im"roved
as a consequence of my strength training L I can now lift an o""onent overhead, which I is
81
something I only dreamt of doing in the "ast$
I was concerned about the financial and health consequences of drin/ing so much mil/
and eating much more food than I was eating bac/ then$ ,ut I still went and did it after
reading about S9 Members who had a lot of success with @?M*D and S95!5$ 9oo/ at me
now L healthy as ever and the financial investment isnQt as great as I thought$ 6oughly Y&
a day for all the mil/ I needed, and no changes to the rest of my food bill L I switched to all
whole foods, which ended u" being chea"er than canned and "rocessed foods$
@?M*D results; '0lbs in & wee/s; During the time I was doing @?M*D I felt sic/
sometimes BitQs normal, donQt be afraidC I had diarrhea and nausea at times since I was
not accustomed to eating so much$ ,ut then came a time when I started to crave mil/$ I
couldnQt have a meal without one or two large glasses of mil/$ -he stuff is li/e ambrosia to
me now$ *t first I didnQt thin/ it was healthy as I heard "eo"le telling me that mil/ is bad for
you in large quantities$ I thought Ewell, other guys are doing it and they donQt loo/ sic/ to
meF, so I still followed my conviction and did @?M*D$ I have already sto""ed doing
@?M*D since I reached my ideal bodyweightN however, I still drin/ the stuff sometimes
u" to ' litres a day if I feel li/e it$
>ow I donQt thin/ thereQs such thing as a EhardgainerF L 5ust a guy who doesnQt /now how
to train or eat$ It has nothing to do with genetics$ -hatQs an e!cuse for failure$ ,ased on my
e!"erience I would recommend @?M*D and S95!5 to any "erson who considers himself
a EhardgainerF$ Sto" giving yourself silly e!cuses$ @et under the bar and drin/ your mil/J
I have also benefited greatly from MehdiQs blog and the Strong9ifts 7ommunity$ >owhere
else have I found so much sound advise and here my questions have been answered
honestly and the answers 5ust ma/e sense$
If youQre a s/inny guy who 6A*993 wants to get big, IQll say this to you; 6ead MehdiQs
boo/, reread it and a""ly the "rinci"les of S95!5$ *nd drin/ your mil/, for goodnessQ sa/e$
DonQt be "ut off by what you hear from others$ Mil/ is good for you and @?M*D is the
best, healthiest way to "ut on weight$ .orget e!"ensive "rotein sha/es and weight gainers
L that is the real bad stuff and it sim"ly doesnQt wor/$ I am, along with many others, living
"roof that @?M*D and S95!5 sim"ly wor/s$
S9 Member @abriel, a/a E@D*#W, '5, 9ondon, Angland$
82
2y weight went from 33) lbs to (A4 lbs, I am
stronger, faster, leaner, healthier, happier..

*fter being la4y for so long I started wor/ing out in '00(, dreaming to get in best sha"e of
my life in about H months$ I failed because of lac/ of "lanning, lac/ of disci"line and lac/ of
valid information$ I was overweight, on the verge of obesity$ I wor/ed out for about 1 and a
half years and my weight dro""ed only 10lbs$ My strength increased because I was
beginner, but nothing ma5or was going on$ I loo/ed almost the same$
?ff course I bought creatine, whey, fla!seed oil, some other "rewor/out bullshit and
guess whatG >othing really ha""ened, e!ce"t that "robably my liver and my /idneys were
crying and as/ing me what they done to me so I+m "unishing them with all that 5un/ every
day$ @ot some muscle as well, but at what e!"enseG I quit using creatine and "rewor/out
stuff$ -oo/ awhile to get used to wor/ing out clean again, but I managed to do it$
I was still wasting my time with some s"lit routine wor/outs, with a lot of trice"s e!tensions,
bice"s curls, leg e!tensions, hamstring curls, calves wor/, annoying long ab wor/outs$$$
*ll this gave some results, but nothing ma5or$ I done Squats when I was bored Bwith
horrible formC$ I done Deadlifts$$$ Dait, I didn+t do Deadlifts$ I thought Deadlift is something
that hurts your bac/ and is useless$
I figured out I was doing something wrong$ Dell helloJ So I started reading how to get big
and lean$ I finally learned Squats are im"ortant$ I learned good nutrition is number 1,
without it, you can throw everything else away, I learned rest and slee" are more im"ortant
than actual training$ ,ut all that was still not settling in, because information came from a
lot of sources$
I started losing fat, maintained muscle, but my strength was not im"ressive$ I was 5ealous
Bnot ashamed to admitC to see /ids in the gym lifting more weight than me, and being same
si4e or smaller$ ?ne "erson who was was deadlifting 405 lbs and weighed at least '0 lbs
less than me said EI have a website for you, I thin/ youQll li/e it$F @uess what website that
wasG I got home, went on Strong9ifts$com, started reading MehdiQs boo/, then everything
else on the website, then a""lying all I learned$
>ow most im"ortant of everything; 6esults$ I am stronger, faster, leaner, healthier,
83
ha""ier$ My weight went from ''0 lbs to 1#5 lbs, but that+s not so im"ortant$ Dhat+s
im"ortant is that while my weight B.*-C was going away, I was getting stronger, and I am
still getting stronger$ Strength is going u", fat is going down$ I feel ama4ing$
,odyweight; '00lbs Z 5Q10W
,ench =ress; '40lbs B5V5C
Squats; ')5lbs B5V5C
Deadlifts; &15lbs B1V5C
?verhead =ress; 145lbs B5V5C
=eo"le who say that 5V5 is bad for si4e gains have conclusively "roved that they have no
/nowledge about the matter and should stay quiet$ S95!5 has done a lot of good things for
me$
>ot long time ago, some /id was im"ressed by my strength and body so he as/ed me
what I do and how I do it$ I told him I do Strong9ifts 5V5$ %e said I was bullshitting him, no
way I do 45 e!ercises "er training session$ So I said, letQs try it one day$ %e is one of
those /ids who can ,ench =ress more than he can Squat Band does "artial SquatsC, and
donQt /now what Deadlifts are$
So he "ut #0lbs on a bar, did 5 funny Squats and said to me that was easy$ I told him; EDo
those Squats right, all the way downF, and I even thought him hi" drive, how to "lace the
bar without a "ad$ I told him to lower that weight, cause it was too much$ So he got the
form almost right, but refused to lower the weight$ %e was benching funny as well, so I
showed him to bench "ro"erly$
I didnQt see the /id in the gym for a wee/$ I finally saw him and he started com"laining to
me how he was soooo sore, couldnQt move his legs and arms for & days, and went bac/ to
his old wor/out, because he EcanQtF do S9 5V5$ E,ro I canQt$F I 5ust said o/, and continued
with my wor/out$ %ow much will something wor/ is u" to you$ I" to your disci"line,
concentration and determination$ >ever say you canQt do something L you can$ *""roach it
with attitude; EI canQt do it yet,F or EI have "roblems doing it, "lease hel" me,F or 5ust be
honest and say; EI donQt want to do it$F
6emember to start Strong9ifts 5V5 with low weights, lower than what you thin/ is enough$
@et the form right, stic/ with the right form at all costs$ Do >?- give u" when weights get
really heavy$ -hatQs when you get strong, when you grow and all other good things
ha""en$
,e "ersistent, eat big, train hard, have a right mindset and results will come$
S9 Member ,ranimir a/a EA!odusF, '&, >ew %am"shire IS*$
84
2y brother was much stronger than me when I starte",
but he stalle" out while I continue" to progress,
an" I<ve since beaten all his 5?s..
My name is Moe .arrell, and IQm a software develo"er from ?maha, >ebras/a$ I started
lifting weights in Manuary '010$ I was '# years old, H+'P, and weighed 1(5lbs$ I had lost a
lot of weight and become s/innyfat instead of 5ust "lain fat, but I was still wea/, and tired
easily, so I was loo/ing for something to im"rove my "hysical condition$ -he cardio
machines at my gym didnQt a""eal to meN long cardio sessions bore me to tears, and my
"lantar fasciitis is always a concern when I+m on my feet for long stretches at a time$
Aventually I hit on strength training$ My younger brother, who is far more athletic than I am,
was loo/ing to get bac/ into lifting around the same time, so this wor/ed out "erfectly$ De
started out on a P"rogramP of his devising, which was basically a fourday s"lit using way
the hell too many e!ercises including every ty"e of curl imaginable$ De did squats on leg
day, but sto""ed way above "arallel because my brother told me going lower would wrec/
my /nees$ I didn+t /now any better$
-he E"rogramF was good for some early gains, but in less than two months, I stalled
everywhere at once and couldn+t get unstuc/$ I didn+t /now what to do aside from trying the
weights over and over again, and this obviously wasn+t wor/ing, so I finally did what I
should have done in the first "lace and started scouring the Internet for information$
I don+t recall how I came across Strong9ifts$com, but I li/ed the detailed descri"tions of
e!ercise technique$ I learned that I+d been benching and squatting im"ro"erly$ -he
Strong9ifts 5!5 "rogram loo/ed intriguingly sim"le L it almost loo/ed too sim"le, given that
IQd gotten accustomed to doing eight e!ercises a day, every day$ I was also hesitant to try
it because I figured my brother wouldn+t want to switch "rograms, and I didn+t want to lose
my training "artner, but I was getting nowhere$ I needed a change$ S9 5!5 was a "roven
"rogram whereas what I was doing was not, so I decided to give it a try$
I began the Strong9ifts 5!5 "rogram on March ''
nd
'010$ I started with 1&5lbs on the
squat, #5lbs on the bench and deadlift, and an em"ty bar on the "ress$ My brother decided
to try the "rogram too, so we+d still be doing the same thing, but he never really made an
85
effort to follow it$ %e started with very close to his ma! weights, then added &0H0 minutes
of isolation e!ercises to the end of every session, and trained on his off days too, because
5!5 alone wasn+t PfulfillingP enough$ Aventually he dro""ed it altogether and went bac/ to
his s"lit routine$ %e was much stronger than me when we started, but he stalled out while I
continued to "rogress, and I+ve since beaten all his =rs$
-he squat and I have had our differences, so I+ve "rogressed more slowly than I otherwise
might have$ I+ve never had to deload because of weight, but I+ve done so for a few other
reasons$ -hat first one you see was when I switched from highbar to lowbar$ I /new that
Mehdi recommends lowbar squats, but IQd been doing highbar squats u" to that "oint
because that was all I /new$ -he lowbar "osition felt so unnatural to me at first that I
thought I must have been doing something wrongN I was afraid I was going to dro" the
weight at any moment$ Aventually I reali4ed that I 5ust needed time to get used to it, so I
went bac/ down to 1&5 and wor/ed my way bac/ u"$ -oday the lowbar "osition feels
comfortable and totally secure$ In retros"ect, "erha"s I should have started the "rogram
with a lighter wor/ weight$ I started at 1&5 on the squat because I had done squats before,
albeit badly, and thought I could handle the weight easily with correct form, but learning
the correct form too/ more time than I thought it would$
,y the time I was squatting '00, I was having trouble with my /nees and it was getting
worse, which "rom"ted me to ta/e si! wee/s off of squatting while I waited to see a doctor
who was su""osed to /now about this stuff Bbut who instead gave me the Squats *re ,ad
s"eechC$ *fter si! wee/s, I discovered the 5oys of foam rolling and mobility wor/, and these
resolved my /nee "roblems com"letely$ I deloaded all the way to #5 and resolved to "ay
close attention to form as I wor/ed bac/ u"$ *t the same time, I reduced the volume of my
wor/ sets from 5!5 to &!5$
My latest deload, that dee" "arabola at the very right edge of the gra"h, was an
e!"eriment with the Starr rehab "rotocol$ ,y the time I got into the u""er '00s, I was
having considerable "ain in my adductors while squatting, even with 5ust the em"ty bar$ I
thin/ this may have been a result of descending into the hole too quic/ly, with not enough
control$ I tried to train through it for awhile, but it started getting worse$ ?riginally I was
going to try a 102 deload with a more /neesforward stance that+s those two green
"oints around &00lbs but then I decided to give Starr+s rebab "rotocal a shot$ -hat+s 15
86
consecutive days of squatting, with nine days of '5re" sets, two days of 15s, two days of
10s, and two days of 5s$ I 5ust finished that on Monday, and my adductors are feeling
good, so I will now return to my regular "rogression, and I see no reason why I wonQt be
able to "ush my squat still higher$
$I had never attem"ted the deadlift before beginning the 5!5 "rogram$ I+d heard they were
bad for your bac/ L li/e squats are bad for your /nees, rightG -his lift was the hardest for
me to learn$ *side from my issues with getting the form correct, my bac/ strength was
"retty "oor$ I had read that an untrained man my si4e Bthe si4e I was thenC ought to be
able to deadlift around 150lbs$ I tried wor/ing u" to 1&5 on my first day so I wouldn+t have
to deal with stac/ing "lates underneath the bar to elevate it, but it wasn+t ha""ening$ >ot
even close$ So I started with #5lbs instead, and even that felt difficult at first$
Deadlifting frustrated me for the first month or two, but I was able to move the weight u"
steadily, and eventually I grew comfortable with the movement$ I have yet to deload this lift
or even fail twice at the same weight$ *nd some of the PfailuresP shown above are 5ust
cases where I got all my re"s but felt I needed to re"eat the weight with better form before
I could call it good and move on$
87
My bench "ress might still be my wea/est lift, "ro"ortionally s"ea/ing, but I+ve been very
ha""y with my "rogress, in no small "art because of how much the bench frustrated me
when I was doing it on my brother+s s"lit routine$ ,efore starting S9 5!5, I had been trying
to bench H!155 and had failed four consecutive attem"ts, even with an incom"lete 6?M
Bagain, I didn+t /now any betterC$ Dhen I got to 155 on S9 5!5, I blew right through it$ I
stalled at 1(5 and was worried that I wouldn+t get any further, but after wor/ing bac/ u", I
had an awesome string of successes and went u" to ''0 before I missed another re"$
-his was the only lift for which I started with an em"ty bar, "artly because I+d never done it
before, and "artly because I figured it wouldn+t be all that long before it started to get
challenging$ Sure enough, at 5ust over 100lbs, the "ress started /ic/ing my ass$ I deloaded
at 115, which was right around the time of my switch to &!5$ *fter seeing some advice on
the S9 7ommunity about microloading the "ress, I got myself some 1$'5lb "lates and have
been using them to advance on the "ress ever since$ I+ve been using them on the bench
also$ I strongly recommend this to everyone$ .ive"ound 5um"s on the "ress are 5ust too
much for most of us to sustain for long, I thin/$
I had to deload a second time at 1&5, which really suc/ed, because that was my goal
weightN I failed right at the finish line$ I wor/ed bac/ u" and got it though, and made it to
150 before I started having trouble again$ Infortunately, that failure at 150 was a "retty
s"ectacular one$ My first attem"t got me 5<0<0, and my second was 5<4<0$ Dhat would
have been my third attem"t fell in the middle of my Starr rehab "rogram, in which you+re
su""osed to avoid heavy wor/ outside of the lift you+re using to wor/ the in5ury, so as to
"reserve your resources for recovery, so I decided on a "reem"tive deload and did 1&5,
then nothing for the rest of the rehab "rogram$ I+ll wor/ my way u" from there, then switch
to 1!5 when I start having trouble again$
I+ve gained 51 "ounds since I started training$ My body fat "ercentage has tic/ed u" a few
"oints, and I+m definitely carrying some e!tra weight, but certainly I+m not turnyoutostone
hideous or anything$ *ny adverse effects one might e!"erience from loo/ing at me are
li/ely to be minor, as long as one avoids frequent e!"osure over long "eriods of time$ My
wife will "robably e!"erience health "roblems as a result of this at some "oint, but if she
wasn+t wiling to deal with that, she shouldn+t have married me$
88
Joe:s Gains !arch ;4@4 'o" ;4@4
Gains so far)))
*ge '#y '#y
,odyweight BH+'PC 1(5lb '&Hlb R51lb
Deadlift #5lb &50lb R'55lb
Squat 1&5lb &'5lb R1#0lb
,ench =ress #5lb '''$5lb R1')$5lb
=ress 45lb 14)$5lb R10'$5lb
In all seriousness, though, IQm very ha""y with the way the weight gain has gone$ .riends
and family who havenQt seen me in a long time are stunned when they see how different I
loo/, and several of the regulars at the gym have begun as/ing me what IQm doing to get
so big$ My brother has begun as/ing me for advice on his diet$ *nd while my wife was at
first uneasy about the idea of me "utting on a lot of weight, sheQs had nothing but good
things to say about the changes in my body$
Dhen I started S9 5!5, I didn+t "articularly want to gain weight$ I figured I+d 5ust try to get
stronger without getting any heavier, because I was "aranoid about gaining fat$ -his is
"robably because at one "oint, bac/ in '005, I weighed '5' with a relatively high body fat
"ercentage$ Dith B"oorC diet and cardio, I went as low as 1)# at one "oint, and I couldn+t
imagine adding bac/ all the weight I+d wor/ed so hard to lose$ It+s not at all the same,
though$ I loo/ and feel a lot better today than I did the last time I weighed '&5$ -he only
downside is that I+ve had to re"lace a lot of e!"ensive clothing$ %o"efully I won+t have to
do that again$ =erha"s I+ll level off where I am now$$$ but I+ve said that before$
I began a training log inside the S9 7ommunity about 4 wee/s after starting the "rogram,
and itQs "roven to be an invaluable resource$ :ery few of my friends and family lift at all,
and those few who do donQt train the way I do, so I canQt really have a twosided discussion
with them about my "rogramming, my successes, and my setbac/s$ Since the forum is full
of "eo"le wal/ing the same or similar "aths, I have a "lace where I can get useful insights
when IQm struggling with something, and where I can share my accom"lishments with
"eo"le who are as enthusiastic about them as I am$ -hat is a huge motivator, and hel"s
89
me get myself to the gym even when IQm feeling beat u" and tired and would rather stay
home$ ItQs also been hel"ful to be able to loo/ bac/ at how I was feeling during "ast
wor/outs from time to time, 5ust to get a little "ers"ective$ ItQs cool when you reali4e that a
weight that too/ all your strength a few months "rior is now an easy "art of your warmu"$
-o those who may be in a "osition similar to where I was bac/ when I started S9 5!5, I
would offer a few sim"le "ieces of advice$ .irst, trust in the "rogram$ It has wor/ed for tons
of "eo"le and will wor/ for you too, if you a""ly it correctly$ Second, donQt let im"atience
get the best of you$ ItQs tem"ting to increase your weights too quic/ly, or to try "ushing
through an in5ury for too long, but these things will slow you down in the end$ Sometimes
you need to ta/e a ste" bac/ in order to /ee" moving forward, and a few wee/s is nothing
in the grand scheme of things$ ,e smart$ -hird, do your homewor/$ -hereQs a huge amount
of misinformation on strength training out there, much of it s"read by "eo"le whose
bac/ground or training suggests that they really ought to /now better$ Dhen someone tells
you that squats will wrec/ your /nees or that deadlifts will wrec/ your bac/ or whatever,
donQt ta/e them at their word$ Do your own research and draw your own conclusions$ *nd
finally, start a training log$ ItQs the best thing you can do to /ee" yourself accountable and
motivated$ -he S9 7ommunity is full of "eo"le who have been successful in reaching their
goals, and weQll hel" you get there too$
S9 Member Moe .arrell a/a EIronblaydeF, '#, ?maha IS*$
90
!trength training has arouse" an inner confi"ence that I
"i"n@t &now I ha". I@ve been promote" in my Bob an"
have move" into lea"ership roles
My name is *dam, IQm '# and IQm from *ustralia$ IQm a #5 office ty"e guy$ IQve been lifting
weights on and off since I was about 15$ I can remember curling a house bric/ regularly
even younger than that maybe$ I can also remember having a heavy log in the yard and
lifting it from the ground above my head li/e the guys in the ?lym"ics$ I didnQt /now what I
was doing, but I /new I li/ed to lift stuff$ I "layed a lot of s"ort in school and lifted weights
as a com"lement, 5ust doing hea"s of re"s and going from machine to machine$
Sometimes using every machine in our school gym$ I donQt recall there being a single
barbell$
?ver the years I did weights on and off$ I "ut on hea"s of weight from my school days and
neglected my "hysique$ ,ut IQve always been a big guy so it didnQt bother me much$ IQve
always owned a set of dumbbells and IQve /ind of always ha"ha4ardly done a few curls
here or a few over head "ress there$ IQve had two stints at commercial gyms$ -he first time
I 5oined a gym I was wor/ing out 5 days a wee/ doing the body building ty"e routine the
"ersonal trainer showed me$ -his went "retty well and I lost some weight, but after a year
of this routine I had little muscle growth to show for it, and even less motivation$ Ouit the
gym and moved on$ =ut on more weight than when I started$
-he first time I 5oined a gym was right after my mom was diagnosed with a terminal illness
and I bro/e u" with a longterm girlfriend$ It was a combination of these dramas as well as
an a""reciation of my own mortality in addition to being overweight, out of sha"e and
needing something "ositive in my life$ I figured lifting weights was it$ I 5ust wish I had been
strength training then instead of the bodybuilding stuff I was doing$
-he reason I 5oined a gym the second time was to im"rove my strength$ *bout .ebruary
'00# I had a brain wave that I wanted to get strong$ I had been gra""ling for about ' years
and I figured being stronger would be a good idea$ I canQt remember what I searched for,
but I found stronglifts and it was li/e a revelation$ I can remember reading the boo/ for the
first time and it 5ust made so much sense$ IQd never heard of a 5V5 routine before$ I
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remember thin/ing what on earth is this Mehdi guy going on aboutG Averyone /nows you
have to do &V10 rightG Averyone /nows you have to do a 5 day body s"lit, bac/ day, chest
day, bice" day, leg day etc etc$
.ortunately I was o"en minded enough to give S95!5 a go$ *nd that decision was one of
the best IQve ever made$ ,efore I found Strong9ifts I had actually started bac/ at a
commercial gym and was doing a body building routine I got from a su""lement com"any
website$ %ow embarrassing$ @oing nowhere and in5uring elbows with endless curls I
decided this stronglifts "rogram was worth a shot$ I gotta admit S95!5 was very different to
anything else I had tried before and the idea of all those squats worried me a little$ *nytime
I had done squats before, they hurt$ ,ut what I was doing wasnQt great so I had nothing to
lose trying a new a""roach$ I dug in and got started on Strong9ifts 5V5$
Dell it was "retty clear to me even after 5ust a month on the "rogram that every minute I
had s"ent lifting weights u" until this "oint had been an almost com"lete waste of time$
9i/e I said, it was a revelation$ *t the same time I was disa""ointed at the strength I could
have gained in the years s"ent doing useless 5un/, I was also e!cited as I /new that from
now on each session would be inching me forward, every time$ -his was the first time that
I had trac/ed the weight that I lifted and the re"s$ ,efore I had no idea what weight I was
going to do until I got to it and thought, yeah that sounds about right$
,ecause I had been lifting for a while, "lus being a big guy I starting my first Strong9ifts
5!5 wor/out with the following weights in *"ril '00#;
Adam:s Gains April ;44< July ;4@4 6ec ;4@4 Gains so far)))
*ge ')y '#y '#y
,odyweight BH+0PC 1'5/g 140/g 145/g
Deadlift (0/g '10/g '40/g R1H0/g
Squat H0/g '&0/g ')5/g R'15/g
,ench =ress H0/g 1&',5/g 140/g R(0/g
=ress 40/g 10',5/g 11)/g R))/g
-oday my weight is u" to 145/g, I donQt /now what my body fat is, but it would be fair to
say that is it less than when I started$ I now have thic/ slabs of muscle across my bac/, my
arms and legs are huge and overall I have a much more intimidating "hysique$ =eo"le
regularly comment on my "hysique$ Aven though I still have quite a high level of body fat, I
even get "eo"le as/ing me if I use steroidsJ ?f course I donQt$
* more im"ortant change though is that I hardly care how I loo/ li/e$ -he loo/ "art means
almost nothing to me at all$ ItQs not why I lift$ So why do I liftG >ot to loo/ a certain way, I lift
to be strong$ -o feel that sense of achievement and to be able to loo/ myself in the mirror
and /now that I did something few others did today$ I found my limit and "ushed through it$
*nd more, I get to have this feeling again and again$ -hat is why I lift$
Since IQve been strength training IQve been "romoted in my 5ob and have moved into
leadershi" roles$ I donQt /now that these two are related, but the selfconfidence strength
training gives you certainly enhanced my leadershi" s/ills$ Strength training has aroused
an inner confidence that I didnQt /now I had$ IQve never been short of confidence, but IQve
been overweight for as long as I can remember and I guess at some subconcious level
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this affected me, but since IQve been strength training I could care less about my weight$
-hatQs not to say IQm not going to wor/ to im"rove, it means that I donQt care what other
"eo"le thin/, and IQm not hung about it$ IQm comfortable in my own s/in$
Since IQve been strength training IQve quit smo/ing and I drin/ very occasionally$ I used to
smo/e '0&0 or more a day and drin/ every day$ >ow I might not drin/ more than once a
wee/, and even then itQs only a drin/ or two instead of getting wi"ed out$ I also get slee"$ I
get to bed early each night and IQm u" before sunrise everyday$ It too/ a little to get used
to, but I love this change in my life$ -he disci"line of getting u" before dawn each day is
very rewarding$ 3ou have more "roductive hours each day$ I get u", get brea/fast, go train
and still get to wor/ early$ I get to finish early and go train gra""ling or muay thai, or go
home and s"end quality time with my family$ In my e!"erience getting u" early translates
to getting to bed early$ @etting to bed early can cure many bad habits, such as drin/ing
each night or "artying too hardJ
I got so into the strength training that my gra""ling fell by the wayside$ I didnQt gra""le for
about 1' months$ ?nly recently have I gone bac/ to training and whilst my fitness has
dro""ed a little my strength is through the roof$ ?nce my fitness level comes bac/ to
where it was the overall im"rovement will be incredible$ -hatQs not to say IQm not fit, but
weight training and gra""ling require different sort of finesses$
In the future I want to get my body fat down$ IQve not focused on it to date, but I have
started a stricter diet and I e!"ect to /ee" the same strength and muscle mass and move
to around 1'5/g$ I also want to see all of my weights go u"$ I also want to im"rove my
technique$ I want to continually im"rove my technique$ I thin/ itQs something that even after
'0 years can still be twea/ed and im"roved$ *nd most im"ortantly I want to stic/ with it$ I
want to still be lifting '0 years from now$ >ot to wal/ away after a year or two, but ma/e
this a lifestyle that continues for as long as I am able$ So I donQt consider myself a success
story, but more a wor/ in "rogress and this a "rogress
u"date$
I was as/ed by a wor/ colleague if I was interested in
entering a strongman com"etition in ?ctober and I 5um"ed at
the chance$ It was a novice com" aimed at beginners, which
was 5ust "erfect for me$ I was able to get in 5ust ' sessions
using the strongman im"lements before the com"$ I tied for
third which was a very "leasing result$ I have decided to
"ursue strongman and have more com"s lined u" for
December '010 and early '011$ My short term goal is to win
a local com"$ My long term goal is to com"ete nationally$
-he Strong9ifts 7ommunity has been a big "art of my
success to date$ I "ost a log here for a cou"le of reasons$ IQve
gotten used to /ee"ing a record of my wor/outs now and I
en5oy "osting my latest numbers$ I also li/e the accountability to myself and the other on
the site$ ,ut the most im"ortant thing I li/e it the motivation$ %aving others who have
wal/ed the "ath before you give you encouragement is fantastic motivation$ *nd then,
having others following your e!am"le is even more motivation$ It creates a big feedbac/
loo" where we all "rogress together$ *ll in different ways and at different s"eeds and
93
different levels with very different goals, but in a way we all "ush each other forward$
If you want to get stronger you have to train for strength$ -here is no "oint running
marathons if you want to be a s"rinter and vice versa$ So if you want to be strong why are
you doing a body builders routineG If I had to offer advice to someone considering doing
S95!5 IQd say 5ust give me 1' wee/s$ -ry this for 5ust 1' wee/s$ ItQs & wor/outs for 1'
wee/s, &H wor/outs, thatQs all$ -ry it$ If you get no results or you donQt li/e it, by all means
go bac/ to your body builder routine$ -his is not 5ust hy"othetical either, IQve laid this
challenge down to 4 different "eo"le who all did 1' wee/s and are all still doing strength
training to this day$ *ll have moved on to other strength "rograms, but all are still strength
training and "rogressing$ -his is definitely the "lace where strength starts$
Strong9ifts Member *dam a/a E*damrF, '#, *ustralia$
94
I loo& more manly, an" I@m a man of tra"ition
an" feel men shoul" be men.
My name is 9eon, IQm originally from Surrey BIKC but now live in Kent and wor/ in a call
centre, similar to Mehdi who wor/ed on a hel"des/ for 5y "rior to creating Strong9ifts$
I have "layed s"orts in the "ast, 7ric/et was big for me as a child and I "layed with a local
team for a few years, I then went on to 6ugby but without my glasses I couldnQt see what
was going on so failed at thatJ I have also "artici"ated in Martial *rts such as *i/ido Ba few
yearsC, -hai ,o!ing BH monthsC and finally ,MM for a year or so but missed out a fair bit of
time due to in5ury$ *s I have moved to a new 7ounty I no longer train the ,MM$
I started lifting because it is always something I have been interested in, I was always a
chubby as a youngster but des"ite that I was naturally strong for my age as I s"ent a lot of
time outdoors, and the odd bit of manual labour does wonders for you$ *lso I am very old
school in my thin/ing and I believe as a male it is my duty to "rotect my family and being
strong is a good way of accom"lishing this$ My goal has always been to be strong for that
reason, and because I value "ushing yourself continually through life to both "hysically
and mentally develo"$
=rior to S95!5 I have trained s"oradically with dumbbells<barbells but I never had access
to heavy weights so I 5ust made do with what I had, but I always focused on com"ound
e!ercises and a full body wor/out, although I followed no routine so I 5ust did whatever I
felt li/e$ *s I had no "rogramming I had no system of adding weight or re"s I 5ust lifted the
weights quite aimlessly so I did not really get anywhere with this, but it did /ee" me fit and
I did lose the fat I carried as a child$
I found S95!5 via google, I was searching for strength routines when I moved to Kent and
all I had with me were dumbbells$ I saw the main S95!5 routine and really wanted to
,arbell train but local facilities suc/ed so I /e"t with my D,s$ I had my sights set on the
routine for the future however as I agreed with all the "rinci"les$
I eventually bought a house with my Dife in *"ril '00# and started to set u" a home gym
by the end of Mune '00# eager to try Strong9ifts5!5$ I followed the routine with some basic
equi"ment at first but I did not 5oin the Strong9ifts 7ommunity as I thought it would be
95
clichy and annoying li/e a lot of the ,, websites out there, however I eventually decided to
5um" in and found the S9 7ommunity to be e!tremely friendly and hel"ful L that was the
best move I could have made, the su""ort I received Band still doC in my training log is
fantastic$ I was also attracted by the challenges and logs as they "rovide great motivation$
I started with a bodyweight of (5$5/g and started light but unusually with a higher ?%=
than bench as I had never had access to a bench before$ ,ac/ in .eb '00) however when
I trained ,MM I weighed H(/g and this was basically what I did the last time I trained
Squats &V15 Z &5/g B>o rac/, so i was cleaning the weight and "ressing onto my
shoulders L high bar styleC
Deadlift &V5 Z (&/g
Leon:s Gains June ;44< 'o"em(er ;4@4 Gains so far)))
*ge '5y 'Hy
,odyweight B5+10FC (5$5/g #4$H/g R#$1/g
Squat &),&/g 1H5/g R1'),5/g
Deadlift &),&/g '00/g R1H',)/g
,ench =ress '),&/g 10',5/g R)5,'/g
I had to /ee" the squats light or I would have "roblems getting the bar off my bac/ BI did
not even thin/ about front squats at the timeC$ I did not really get strong with the dumbbell
routine to be honest but it did /ee" me fit at the time, theres a reason why barbells are the
recommended "rescri"tion, anything else 5ust not wor/ as well and you canQt ma/e use of
linear "rogression as easily as on a barbell$
I com"eted for the first time in *"ril '010 in a =owerlifting 7om"etition$ I Squated 1&5/g,
,enched #'$5/g, and Deadlifted 1)0/g$ -he =owerlifting 7om"etition was awesome fun
and I am ta/ing this s"ort more seriously now, and "lan to com"ete again$ My lifts may be
low but the "oint is anyone can com"ete if they are willing to try and I did it with less than a
years training, donQt worry about beating others, 5ust loo/ to get some =rsJ
I com"eted 6aw Band without beltC for the second time in ?ctober '010 at the @,=. SA
Deadlift and "ulled '00/g$ 7onsidering my "revious best "ull was 1(0/g that was a
massive =6 for me$ I really en5oyed it and I am loo/ing forward to com"eting further ne!t
year$ It was also good to lift with S9 Member Simon B"age 1&5C and great to have his
encouragement$
IQm heavier than I started by around 10/g, and if you loo/ to '00) I was H(/g which I feel
was ridiculous for me now, I was too small really, I am more suited to more big and strong
ty"e of body, I donQt need to loo/ ri""ed 5ust big, it suits my face I guess$
=eo"le at wor/ have commented but when they realise what I have achieved they
understand IQm not a fat guy, they can tell its muscle but the weight gain still scares "eo"le
because its against the usual advice$ I have had one guy state he would beat my whole
team at wor/ in armwrestling, but heQs worried about me due to my si4e and strength L he
does want to challenge me thoughJ *lthough I was more EtonedF to coin an incorrect yet
"o"ular "hrase when I weighed H(/g, my wife does "refer me now Im larger L at the end
of the day I loo/ more manly, and IQm a man of tradition and feel men should be men$
96
IQm far more confident, the com"etition was a big factor for this as I had to go there and I
/new nobody as I train alone, and then ste" u" on the "latform and lift with everyone
watching$ L I could do this at a dro" of a hat now, I am incredibly confident at wor/ and
command a very confident "rescience so "eo"le often go to me for hel" etc$
-he Strong9ifts community are fantastic and have congratulated me on each ste" forward
to encourage me further, "ic/ed me u" when I was down, and offered hel" and advice if I
had a training issue L as I train alone this is incredibly valuable to me$ If I didnQt have so
many "eo"le following my log I "robably wouldnQt be where I am now, I have the S9
community to than/ for my "rogress$ -he fact that I always have someone, no wait a
whole community, to turn to if I need advice /ee"s me here its li/e a family$ *nd 5ust li/e
a strong family you donQt even have to as/ for hel", the advice, su""ort and
encouragement is delivered "rom"tly so you are never without someone behind you
"ushing you forward$
If you want to get the same results as me, and don+t thin/ Strong9ifts 5!5 would wor/ my
first res"onse would be to as/ you why the reason being, is that there is no anecdotal,
statistical or any other research or evidence to suggest that it would not wor/$
Secondly I would "oint out that the theory behind S95!5 is not new, its tried and tested
s"orts science, linear "rogression a""lied to full body wor/outs com"rising of com"ound
movements has been used by strength athletes, and in fact athletes in general for years$ *
maga4ine article "romising abs in 4 wee/sG I would go with years of e!"erience over a
chea" article thought u" in an office$
S95!5 wor/s, its as sim"le as that$ I no longer "artici"ate in ,MM but if I did I would "erform
a lot better, I would have more weight behind me first of all, and second I would have more
strength and e!"losive "ower L that combined with technique would im"rove "erformance
considerably$ In terms of what I am doing now, it "rovided me with the base strength that
allowed me to train for a "owerlifting com"etition and ta/e u" the s"ort, while my training
differs now I would not have started on this route without S95!5$
S9 Member 9eon a/a EDellhairedbeastF, 'H, IK$
97
DThe "ifference is night an" "ay. The best
way to "escribe it is - I feel Ecapable@D
My name is Mohn, IQm from 7edar 6a"ids, I* where I wor/ as an electrical engineer$ *bout
two and a half years ago I weighed about 1)5lbs at HQ0F and around 152 ,.$ I was not
"articularly active, although I "layed on a softball team and also did some cardio and light
weight training Bbut never got any stronger with what I was doingC$ I basically ate whatever
5un/ I felt li/e eating$ I wasnQt fat, but I definitely wasnQt healthy$
I had been lifting since high school and the main reason would "robably be low self
confidence$ -he "roblem was that the /ind of lifting I was doing was com"letely ineffective
so I never saw any changes in my body or got any stronger to raise my selfconfidence$
My training was u""er body focused, consisted of a lot of machine wor/, was highre", and
most im"ortantly I hardly ever increased the weight I was using$ -he result was that after
going to the gym off and on for five years, my "rogress was essentially 4ero$
I wasnQt actively loo/ing for a new "rogram, but I came across Stronglifts$com from a guest
blog "ost by Mehdi on another website$ I was immediately struc/ by the lac/ of ,S on the
Stronglifts website$ *nd after reading through Mehdi+s boo/, it 5ust made sense to me$ I
had found the advice that I wasnQt loo/ing for, but really really needed$
I was a little unsure that my body was really ca"able of what Strong9ifts 5!5 said I could
do$ *t the time, '50lbs Squat seemed li/e an im"ossible amount of weight$ ,ut I didnQt
want to quit before I even started, so I gave it a chance$
John:s Gains
4/H;@H;44G
=Start SL/0/>
@;H;;H;44G
=-nd ?0/>
6ec ;4@4
=current>
Gains so far)))
*ge '&y '&y '5y
,odyweight BH+0PC 1)5lb 1#5lb 1(0lb
Deadlift #5lb ')5lb &&5lb R'40lb
Squat H5lb '&0lb '#5lb R'&0lb
,ench =ress H5lb 1)5lb 1(0lb R115lb
-he difference is night and day$ -he best way to describe it is I feel [ca"ableQ\there is no
"hysical tas/ that I feel nervous about doing anymore$ I "lay recreational volleyball and I
can easily bloc/ guys who have si! inches on me$ I hel" my friends move and carry all
their heavy stuff without worrying that I might dro" it$ IQm more comfortable with
confrontation because I /now what my body is ca"able of$
My clothes fit great tight around the shoulders and chest, my butt fills out my 5eans, and
my arms fill my sleeves$ I have e!cellent "osture, not because I focus on it, but because
thatQs what being strong does to you$ Must last wee/ a friend commented on an old "icture
of me and how much bigger I am now$ I am friends with all the regular guys in the gym, but
I still get loo/s when I squat or deadlift heavy or do weighted di"s with #0lbs stra""ed to
my waist$ 9ast month a middle aged body builder Ba "retty big guyC a""roached me after I
had finished a set of deadlifts and com"limented me for lifting heavy$
-he number one mista/e I made is not following the conce"t of "rogressive loading$ 3ou
98
cannot get stronger without lifting heavier weights than your body is used to$ .or years I
wouldnQt increase the weight I was lifting unless I was [comfortableQ with it$ ,asically I was
letting myself be la4y, ho"ing that one day I would wa/e u" magically be strong li/e the
guys I admired$ -he great thing about Strong9ifts 5!5 is that it forced me to "ush my
comfort 4one and allowed me to finally ma/e "rogress$
My second mista/e occurred after starting S9 5!5$ I read that I should eat more to hel"
recovery, which is true, but I too/ that to mean I should eat everything in sight$ *s a result I
gained weight ended u" with a lot more fat that I wanted which meant I had to cut my
calories$ Infortunately the dieting stalled my lifting "rogress and eventually reversed some
of the gains I had made$ If I could do it over again I would not try to bul/ so aggressively$
My third big mista/e was switching "rograms too often$ I got off to a good start doing
S95!5 for H months, then moving to &!5 when I started stalling too often$ -hen instead of
moving to 1!5, I decided to 5um" straight to Stronglifts *dvanced, then Korte &!& all in the
s"an of about a year$ >ot only do these "rograms begin with a deload "eriod, they both
"rogressed much more slowly than was necessary for someone with my level of strength$
,etween my diet issues and "rogram *DD, I "robably lost a yearQs worth of solid gains$
9oo/ing bac/, my best strength gains came when I stuc/ with one "rogram for longer than
si! months and ate 5ust enough food for recovery$ -he two times that ha""ened were
Stronglifts 5!5, and now 5<&<1$ -here was a lot of wasted time in between where I screwed
around with different "rograms and diet and got 5ust about nowhere$
IQve been a Strong9ifts Member since I started Strong9ifts 5!5 about two and a half years
ago$ IQve seen the site and membershi" grow and evolve from a small blog and forum into
the massive resource it is today$ Most of my time is s"ent inside the community seeing
what other Members are u" to, their questions, and their training$ -he great thing that I see
ha""ening at Strong9ifts is the essential information to get started weight training is being
filtered, refined, and constantly revised to ma/e it wor/ better, the .*Os are /e"t u"dated
to ma/e sure that those questions are getting answered with good advice, and the
Strong9ifts 7ommunity is an evere!"anding source of training e!"erience and /nowledge$
Starting out, the advice and encouragement from Strong9ifts Members on my training log
inside the Strong9ifts 7ommunity was invaluable$ -he truth is as beginners we are not all
that different and having a grou" of "eo"le who have been through e!actly what you are
going through is an ama4ing resource$ I /ee" a log inside the Strong9ifts 7ommunity for
many reasons; to loo/ bac/ at how far IQve come this can be incredibly motivatingN to get
advice from other StronglIfts Members who may be able to see things that hadnQt occurred
to meN as an e!am"le for other "eo"le to loo/ at what has and has not wor/ed for me so
they can learn from my mista/esN finally, I use it as a bac/ u" to my hard co"y training
logs$ If I ever lose those I can still go bac/ to my online log$
-a/e a loo/ at my training log, everything is out there, no secrets$ -hen ta/e a loo/ at the
thousands of other training logs inside the Strong9ifts 7ommunity, many of whom got
better results than me$ Dhile youQre at it read all the success stories$ >ow forget your
e!cuses and 5ust try the "rogram$ @o to the gym and do the first wor/out, two days later do
the second wor/out, re"eat, get strong$
S9 Member Mohn a/a P,aughm5/P, '5, 7edar 6a"ids IS*$
99
At the powerlifting gym which ha" 2r niverse 3))A I
receive" a nic&name Ethe "eceiver@. /b for lb
I was amongst the strongest in the gym..
*sif, '', Sheffield IK$ 7ontracted consultant for software develo"ment$ In '00(, whilst at
Iniversity, I rac/ed u" some mega fat because I had a bad diet$ I was a &HW waist, 5ft #W,
circa '00lb$ ,ody fat was e!tremely high$ I got fat because I never ate "ro"er meals$
Instead my days would consist of biscuits, cris"s, chocolates and ta/eaways$ I went
through "hases that I would dro" weight$ ,ut it was never "ermanent, I "ut it bac/ on$
I went through a difficult "hase in my life and my health deteriorated badly$ I would go a
cou"le of days without food$ It was gastric related, where I would constantly e!"erience
heartburn that led to a very lethargic lifestyle$ -his continued throughout the first year of
Iniversity and even though I would wear decent, e!"ensive clothes, I loo/ed li/e a mess$
Dhen I moved away to do my Internshi" I decided to clean u" my act$ I mean com"letely$
It was the first time I moved away from home$ I was forced to ma/e a change$ I was not
"re"ared to do it halfassed either$ It was all or nothing$ I was convinced I would succeed
in every area$ -hat I would be great in my field$ -hat I would be strong$ -hat I would lose
weight$ -hat I would loo/ good$ *nd all thatG -hat it would be "ermanent$ @iving u" was
not an o"tion$ *s soon as I moved away, I 5oined a local Iniversity gym, changed my diet
and learnt how to coo/$ Dithin a few wee/s I started changing$
-he first months my diet was all over the "lace$ I went through "eriods where I cut my cals
too much followed by times where I went through severe lac/ of motivation$ I became
im"atient and I had cra4y cravings which were so difficult to control$ I occasionally allowed
the odd treat to /ee" me going$ I trained in some of the most unorthodo! ways, changing
my routine every H10 wee/s$ I used to go through a lot of sites gaining /nowledge$ -hen I
moved on to com"ounds such as ?verhead =ress, Squats and =ullu"s$
I found Strong9ifts 5!5 on my quest in gaining more /nowledge$ I li/ed the content written
u" and the boo/ was fantastic$ 3ou /now when your innate dis"osition agrees with
100
somethingG -hatQs how I felt with MehdiQs boo/$ I also really li/ed MehdiQs attitude and
ethos on training and his outloo/ in life$
-he Strong9ifts 5!5 "rogram loo/ed challenging$ IQm a suc/er for a challengeJ My only
concern was Ehow the hell was I going to Squat & times a wee/GJF$ I decided to try it
because if you donQt try it youQll never find out$
Asif:s Gains
Octo(er ;44G
=Start Training>
June ;44<
=Start SL/0/>
August ;4@4
=Gains so far)))>
*ge '0y '1y ''y
,odyweight B5+#PC '05lb 1H0lb 15(lb
Daist &HP &1P &1P
Deadlift < '15lb 41(lb
Squat < 1()lb 41(lb
,ench =ress < 1&'lb '4'lb
ItQs been an interesting 5ourney to say the least$ I cut from 15 stones to under 11 stones
within a year$ 4) "ounds less fat and the strongest IQve ever been$ *nything can achieved
with determination$ As"ecially to the fatties out thereJ =eo"le always comment on how
good I loo/ and cannot believe the change IQve made$ IQve motivated a lot of "eo"le$
I can wear any clothes I li/e and loo/ great in them$ .itting well into suits<tshirts and 5eans$
9osing fat cleared my s/in condition L It was the most irritating form of s/in discoloration
and dried s/in$ ItQs now vanished$ I feel very confident$ I feel strong$ Done seminars with
hundreds of "eo"le "resent$ I can confidently tal/ in large grou"s of "eo"le$
I used to be shy and feel intimidated by "retty girls$ ItQs now the other way round$ I have no
qualms in tal/ing to women anymore and when I wal/ I receive a lot of attention from girls
and receiving that is one thing$ I currently have a number of outstanding marriage
"ro"osals to attend to$ >eed I say moreG %eh$
*t the "owerlifting gym I went to which had Mr Iniverse '00# Dave -itterton I received a
nic/name [the deceiverQ$ 9b for lb I was amongst the strongest in the gym$ I can Squat and
Deadlift '$)],D com"letely raw$ I can =ress my own weight$ =eo"le come over and s"ea/
to me$ ItQs "retty overwhelming to receive so much "ositive feedbac/ from serious "ower
lifters and bodybuilders$ I receive a lot of res"ect and recognition$ IQm more so im"ressed I
started off on 5ust the bar 5ust under a year, training alone for the whole "eriod and IQve got
101
to this stage$ I taught myself from no "rior /nowledge$ I always stood by good form and left
my ego at the door$ I always found squatting difficult$ I decided that I needed to overcome
this$
I didnQt reali4e how much stronger I had become$ I can now do s"orts that I couldnQt do
before$ I did roc/ climbing and I beat everyone, a &0ft wall in '1 seconds, left the
com"etition by at least # seconds$ Must found it so easy to lift my own weight$ I was really
im"ressed considering IQd never done it beforeJ
I got so used to cutting calories, "sychologically and "hysically I struggle to /ee" the [bul/Q,
I feel constantly full$ I can eat a decent amount but itQs the consistency, I eat very well on
training days but on other days I 5ust donQt feel li/e eating as much but I force myself to eat
even if IQm not hungry$ I thin/ it comes down subconsciously becoming fat again$ Dhich
canQt really ha""en again because my lifestyle has changed so much but if it did get to that
stage IQm so much more /nowledgeable now, losing it wouldnQt be as tough$
Mehdi wrote on his blog that training is more im"ortant than diet$ I /ind of discovered that
earlier this year$ *t Iniversity, the final year was very busy and "ressing$ I used to resort
to eating out a lot$ -his included coffee<ca/e sho"s, sandwich bars, ta/eaways etc$ DonQt
get me wrong, I "ut in a lot of effort into "ac/ed lunches and a decent diet the ma5ority of
time but I used to feel really hungry, my e!"enditure of calories were going u"$ %owever, I
was still brea/ing records$ I was getting stronger and I wasnQt "utting any fat on$
I feel li/e IQve bro/e a lot of barriers and myths in see/ing out the truth$ .ads donQt wor/$
Stu"id diet "ills donQt wor/$ Dhat does wor/ is learning how to eat, train and slee"$ -his
"rocess taught me "atience$ IQm "roud of myself$ Aver since IQve now set a goal, IQve
always set out to achieve it$ ,ecause I /now I can$
Dhat have you got to lose in tryingG 3ou can be an ordinary gym rat or you could be
Strong9iftsing gym rat$ *nd trust me, thereQs a big difference$
S9 Member *sif a/a EDar/shadowF, '', Sheffield IK$
102
Being strong an" confi"ent will change your life in so
many ways. There is no questionF !/474 wor&s..
%ey, my name is 6ay, and IQm '& years old$ IQm from a small town 45 minutes north of
>37, and IQm going to college at SI>3 ?swego for -echnology Aducation$ %ereQs my
story of going from being fat to being strong$
,eginning of '00( L '0 years old, '00 "ounds, and all chub$ >o /ind of weight training or
anything$ Must eating "oorly and not ta/ing care of myself$ I made the conscious decision
to change this, because my sister had a child, and I reali4ed that I wanted to be around for
a long time to be around for her, and the rest of my family$ DidnQt want to be the fat uncle
who couldnQt run around and "lay$
Muly 1st, '00( L My birthday$ -his was my goal$ I weigh in at 1H4lbs at 5Q#W$ &Hlbs in half a
year, not badJ I lost those by sim"ly watching my calories and running<lifting weights$ I
recall eating lots of =,SM hahah$ *nd I do remember, my goal was about 1,500 calories a
day$ I only ran ' days a wee/, and never incredibly far, ' miles at most$ My Eweight liftingF
at this "oint was your average mish mash of not really /nowing what I was doing$ >o
com"ound lifts$
*t this "oint I got most of my advice from MenQs %ealth$ I had read a few times that if you
eat 500 calories under maintenance youQd lose weight, and that was my goal$ ?nce I
reached it, I decided I wanted to start adding muscle mass$ I had never gone to the gym
before, didnQt "lay any s"orts in high school or anything$
I messed around doing random e!ercises and machines, until I finally found Stronglifts
5!5$ ,efore this, I was intimidated by Squats and Deadlifts$ *ctually I had never even
,enched$ ,ut I /new the truth was that Squats and Deadlifts were the Ereal dealF so I
finally decided to challenge myself$
I started S9 5!5 in >ovember of '00#$ I remind you1 before Stronglifts 5!5, I had never
Squatted or Deadlifted$ Dithin & months, I was Squatting 1(0 for 5!5, and Deadlifting ')5
for 5 re"s$ S-6?>@9I.-S 5^5 D?6KS$ Must follow the "rogramJ -oday I+m at 1)0 lbs$
and 1&2 bodyfat$ My 16MQs as of right now, are as follows$
Squat L ''5
Deadlift L &50
103
,ench L 1H5$
-ime for "ics$ Isn+t real without "ics rightG So the "rogression of the "ics is e!actly how I
described above$ Manuary '00(, Muly '00(, today$

?n the side shot, loo/ at the to" of my abs$ -hey aren+t fle!ed, but loo/ at the difference
from the middle, s/inny shot, to the shot on the right after squatting and deadlifting for a
few monthsJ Stuff li/e that is awesome$

I honestly have never felt so good before$ ,eing brutally honest, girls werenQt too
interested in tal/ing to me when I was '00 "ounds of chub$ -hat has all changed$ IQve
always /nown how to tal/ to girls and be myself, so the fact that IQm in sha"e and confident
in my loo/s is 5ust the icing on the ca/e$
,eing strong and confident in yourself will change your life in so many ways$ ?ne funny
e!am"le; IQm a 6esident *ssistant at my college$ -hat basically means IQm in charge of a
floor of residents at my school$ Kee"ing them in line, ta/ing care of roommate conflicts,
104
emergencies, enforcing alcohol "olicies etc$ Averyone in my building tells me E6ay you are
by far the most intimidating 6*F$ -hat hel"s with the 5obJ =eo"le are more li/ely to listen
when a guy who loo/s strong and confident tells them to sto"$
It was funny, because, when I came here to SI>3 ?swego, I was already in sha"e$ -hese
"eo"le never /new me as the '00 "ound chubby /id$ It was actually weird to get used to$
IQve never had "eo"le as/ me if I wor/ at the gym before$ *nd once again1 itQs cool when
girls notice you, 5ust by loo/ing at you$ *lso, I 5ust li/e being a useful human being$ ,eing
able to "ic/ &50 lbs$ u" off the ground will definitely ma/e you a more useful$ B,een a
volunteer firefighter since I was 1H, "lan on ta/ing a test for a "aid de"artment soon$C
*lso, this is something that might sur"rise you$ I+ve had a lot of "eo"le bust my balls and
"o/e fun at me for lifting weights$ I went from "eo"le ma/ing fun of me for being fat, to
"eo"le ma/ing fun of me for being a PmeatheadP$ It can be a bummer, es"ecially when it+s
"eo"le who you thought of as good friends Bthis ha""ened to meC$
3ou need to reali4e you are doing this for 3?I, and the ones who 6A*993 matter and no
one else$ If someone feels the need to "o/e fun at you for ta/ing care of yourself and
being dedicated to it, I guarantee they are 5ealous$ -hat+s the only reason "eo"le feel the
need to tear others down$
I. this ha""ens to you, 5ust learn to not worry about what these "eo"le say$ I+m not saying
cross them off your friends list, 5ust don+t bother tal/ing to them about it anymore$ 7hances
are they+ll never understand$ Dhat matters is you are dedicated to ma/ing yourself better,
and the "eo"le who really matter, li/e your family and loved ones, will /now this$ -hese
are the only "eo"le that matter anyways$
IQm ha""y with my results, but I wish I had found Stronglifts 5!5 sooner$ Doing a &!<wee/
com"ound e!ercise "rogram would have hel"ed me lose the fat and would have given me
a head start on the muscle mass$ I made the mista/e of switching "rogram too early a few
months ago, I hadnQt ma!ed out my linear "rogression gains$ *nd if you chec/ my training
log, I+m wor/ing on correcting this and going bac/ to basics$
So if you are overweight<chubby li/e I was, or s/inny and wanting to get more muscular, I
would definitely recommend Stronglifts 5!5 as a starting bloc/ Band it will ta/e you "retty
far, mil/ it for as much as you can$C I never even "layed any s"orts seriously before this,
and although IQve got a long way to go, you can see from the "ictures that Stronglifts made
a huge difference$ -here is no question; It wor/s$
S9 Member 6ay, '&, >3 IS*
105
!/474 wor&s, follow it, see yourself in G
months time an" you@ll be ama,e"#.
My first name is 6onald, IQm '& and from Indonesia$ In '00) I had a very sedentary
lifestyle and ate a lot of 5un/ foods, I was a student BIniversity of *delaide in *ustraliaC and
was very busy with all assignments and didnQt do any s"orts$ I was 1)'cm tall, weighed
H(/g, was chubby and had a belly as well$
-hen I decided to diet and wor/out$ During that time I did random machine e!ercises, tried
to do squats but I found they were too scary so I stuc/ with the smith machine$ I ate very
little, for e!am"le I ate one chic/en "ie and a sausage for dinner or sometimes a very
small amount of rice and meat$ *s for my wor/out, I 5ust did random things li/e machines,
cardio, bice" curl, etc$
.ast forward to '00( IQve lost weight and weighed around H'/g$ ,ut I loo/ed s/inny which I
didnQt li/e, I wasnQt ha""y with my "hysique and my girlfriend also encouraged me to bul/
u"$ So I remember ty"ing Ecan you lose fat and build muscleF and didnQt find anything
useful$ -hen I tried Ebuild muscle lose fatF and found Strong9ifts and thatQs when it all
started$
*t first I thought Strong9ifts was li/e those random websites where "rograms are being
sold and claim that you could build muscle in 4 wee/s$ ,ut after I continued reading I
reali4ed that all the stuff really made sense$ I decided to try Strong9ifts 5!5 because I
thought no harm trying, I didnQt get any result from my "revious a""roach anyway$
,eing an Ee!"eriencedF guy, I assumed that I /new what I was doing$ So, instead of
following S95!5 strictly, I decided to change e!ercises, add e!ercises Bbice" curl \ canQt
106
believe I actually did that, did 5V5 deadlift instead of 1V5, etcC$ I was ho"ing that I could
build muscle faster by doing so$ *nd I also wanted to have bigger bice"s$ I /e"t doing that
and didnQt really see any result until I decided to sto" being an Ee!"eriencedF weight lifter
and 5ust follow S95!5 strictly on 10 Se"tember '00#$ 9oo/ing bac/, I would 5ust follow
S95!5 strictly instead of adding e!ercises, or adding e!tra set for deadlift$
9ong story short, after &4 months I could actually see resultsJ My arms, chest, quads, lats
were bigger and it loo/s "ro"ortional and awesomeJ
,onald:s Gains June ;44< July ;4@4 Gains so far)))
,odyweight BH+0F H'/g )(/g R1H/g
=ress &0/g H5/g R&5/g
Deadlift 55/g 1(0/g R1'5/g
Squat H5/g 14',5/g R)),5/g
,ench =ress )0/g #),5/g R'),5/g
>ow I loo/ much better and feel much better about myselfJ =eo"le loo/ at me, es"ecially in
Indonesia Bmostly girlsC$ My friend said IQm much more muscular and my "hysique is
balanced, not only u""er body$ I also donQt feel as la4y$
I /ee" "romoting Strong9ifts to all of my friends$ ?ne of my high school senior also as/ed
me whether I did S95!5 strictly, and I told him 5ust follow it, donQt add<change the
e!ercises$ *lso, my friend is interested in wor/ing out and as/ me for ti"s$ I introduced him
to S95!5 and heQs gonna start end of ne!t month$ Strength training has became my
"assion now$
.or the chubby dude; S95!5 wor/s, follow it, ta/e care of your diet, see yourself in H
months time and youQll be ama4edJ
-han/ you Mehdi for stronglifts$com and than/s for the wonderful Strong9ifts Members
who hel" me corrected my forms, answer my questions$
S9 Member 6onald a/a E@anteng!F, '&, Indonesia$
107
5eople thought that I was going to the gym G7 a wee&
because of my results. They were impresse" when
I tol" them I only go to the gym 2oH%e"H'ri..
I 5oined the gym when I was 1) years old because I "lay football and my coach told me to
gain weight and strength to "lay better$ I did some EresearchF but didnQt /now what I was
loo/ing for because I was une!"erienced about weights, gym and all that$ I got a ,,
routine via Internet1
I used to train 5!H! a wee/$ I was the ty"ical guy in the gym that only curls and does
bench$ My ,, routine did not include Squat and Deadlift, so that is the biggest mista/e I
did$ I always left the Squat 6ac/ alone and I used it only to do curls with the ?lym"ic bar$
?nce or twice I did Squats and with horrendous form$ ?f course they were "artial Squats
1 honestly I hated Squats$
My bice"s, trice"s and shoulders got more EtonedF$ ,ut my man boobs did not im"rove at
all$ My ,, stats were not even im"ressive com"ared to my S95!5 stats today$ I never did
more than 155 lbs in ,ench B4V10C$ *nd I got "retty tired about training 5H! a wee/ so I
quit weightlifting$
I found Strong9ifts than/s to a friend that "ractices MM*$ So first I read many blog "osts
and the forum and decided to start with S95!5 because I found it interesting and why not
give it a try$ *nd so Manuary 4th '010 was my first day Squatting$ ,efore S95!5 I was not
going to the gym for about H) months$
I started S95!5 to get rid of my damn man boobs and they are finally going away$ My abs
and tra"s are starting to show u" too$ Dent down from ''0 to '0'lbs and gained muscle
finally$ In only 5 months I got the "hysique above$
I /now it is not very im"ressive, but I have the results IQm ha""y with$ I feel great with my
body changes and "eo"le started to notice when I was in my second month into S95!5$ I
didnt li/e my body because my man boobs and love handles but now I can be shirtless
108
and not get embarrassed li/e before$
-dgar:s Gains January ;4@4 June ;4@4 Gains so far)))
,odyweight BH+0F ''0lbs '0'lbs 1(lbs
,odyfat '&2 1(2 52
Deadlift 1'5lbs '#0lbs R1H5lbs
Squat #5lbs '(0lbs R1(5lbs
,ench =ress 1'0lbs ''5lbs R105lbs
=eo"le who donQt believe that S9 wor/s should give it a try and they definitely will love it
and will not sto" doing it when they see their own results$ *nd nothing better than &! a
wee/ thatQs the best of all$ =eo"le thought that I was going to the gym H! a wee/ because
of my results$ -hey were im"ressed when I told them I only go to the gym Mo<Ded<.ri$
I recommend S95!5 1002 because it changed my life in only & months, my "hysique got
better so my selfesteem got higher than/s to Strong9ifts$
S9 Member Adgar ,arahona, '1, %ermosillo Me!ico$
109
5eople who haven@t seen me for a long time are
often impresse" by my transformation.
My name is @eorgiy$ IQm a '1 year old 6ussian guy from :ancouver$ IQm a student and I
wor/ "arttime$
In high school I let my body become wea/ and "lebeian because I sto""ed swimming and
"laying bas/etball$ My diet has always been alright, so it was mostly sitting around that
contributed to my "oor sha"e, I got too into com"uters$ ?ne day I had a moment of clarity,
li/e %amlet in his third soliloquy, and started acting after ins"ecting myself in the mirror$ I
saw that I had let myself sli", and I felt the urge to become fit$
I started running every day the summer of '005, and lost about '0lbs B'&0lbs to '10lbsC$
-hat school year, I still ran, but it wasnQt every day$ Must whenever I could$ In the summer
of '00H I ran longer and more consistently$ I remember the early Ham mornings, heading
down to the la/e and s"ending hours on the trail$ Dhen I started school after that summer,
I weighed 1H5lbs$ Some of my classmates didnQt recogni4e me$ In two summers I
com"letely transformed myself$ I lost H5 lbs because of consistent running B'&0lbs to
1H5lbsC in about 1$5 years$ -o this day this is one of my biggest accom"lishments$
*fter graduation, I remained at 1H01)0 lbs until the Summer of '00#$ I was doing a lot of
swimming in la/es and oceans during that summer$ -he community center I went to had a
"ool and a weightroom, so I began going to the weightroom before my swims$ *t first I 5ust
got used to the equi"ment$ I /new basic wor/outs from high school gym class, so I did
things li/e curls, bench, leg "ress, etc$ Shortly thereafter, it became a routine$
I found out about Starting Strength because I wanted to learn how to squat "ro"erly$ I
started reading literature online, some of which came from Stronglifts$ *fter I moved
gymnasiums I started tal/ing with Strong9ifts Member KI, B"age 1)1C, who I met there$ %e
recommended starting a log on S9$ I weighed the "ros and cons, and soon I was a
Strong9ifts Member instead of a reader$
*round the same time, I switched over to 5!5 from the version of Starting Strength I was
doing$ I had to deload because the volume was much greater$ I didnQt have many concerns
about it$ I 5ust /new I had to /ee" strict form and not get too ahead of myself$ In the "ursuit
of strength, or anything for that matter, you really have to "ush yourself to be consistent$
110
Muly #th, '010$
1(Hlbs$ '1y$ 5Q11F
,ac/ squat; '55 5V&, ')0V1, ''5V1'
Deadlift; &00V1
?%=; 1'0 5V5
,ench; 1H0 5V5
I was about 1H5lbs when I started$ >ow IQm 1(Hlbs$ I love the weight gain$ I /now that
muscle and strength is behind it$ I donQt recall my starting numbers e!actly, but I can say a
few things about my strength$
I had trouble doing three "ullu"s$ >ow IQm able to do sets of ten$
I couldnQt bench "ress 1&5lbs for ten re"etitions$ >ow this feels easy$
I struggled to overhead "ress #5lbs$ >ow I could do it with 1&5lbs$
I love the carry over into other as"ects of life$ .or e!am"le, I love bi/ing$ -he added leg
strength allows me to 4i" around the city with fantastic s"eed and ease$ Moreover, as a
man, I li/e feeling "ower$ Aven though weQre not body builders, strength training
"rogrammes ma/e your body loo/ tremendously better$ Mentally, I feel shar"er, and I live
with training at the bac/ of the mind$ -his ma/es me slee" and eat better, and I drin/ less
alcohol because itQs detrimental to my training$
Dhile I mildly regret not commencing weightlifting at the same time as running, this is the
"ath IQm on and IQm ha""y with it$ If I had the chance to start training from the very
beginning, I would have started strength training at the same time as 5ogging bac/ in '005$
*n e!tra four years of training under my belt would have been "leasant$ I recommend both
to "eo"le who as/ me for fitness advice$ -he combination of strength training and
endurance cardio "roduces results that are more solid than 5ust running alone$ I "refer
lifting to running at this "oint because a lot of my life revolves around that$ %owever, my
ability to run has greatly im"roved$ I thin/ this is mainly because of squats and deadlifts$
=eo"le who /now me donQt say much anymore, but they do notice me getting bigger once
in a while Beven when I donQt notice myselfC$ =eo"le who havenQt seen me for a long time
are often im"ressed by my transformation$ ItQs not 5ust weight loss anymore$ My
"ro"ortions illustrate my commitment to training$$
-he Strong9ifts community is great$ Kee"ing a log allows me to trac/ my "rogress and
receive valuable comments and information$ ,ecause youQre not limited to 5ust one "oint of
view, itQs li/e having tailored "ersonal training advice, but from many sources$ -he S9
community has many com"etent members who share the "assion for lifting, and are more
than willing to assist you by sharing their /nowledge$
If you want results, you need to be consistent with the "rogramme$ Aducate yourself, find
balance in your life, and never give u" because of hardshi"s$ 6emember that "rogress
ta/es time, and that you should en5oy the "rocess$
S9 Member @eorgiy a/a E>i/olaevichF, '1, ,7, 7anada
111
I never thought I woul" be able to "o half the things
I "o now. !trong/ifts transforme" my life.
I was always a fat child and always hated the fact$ I used to wonder why I was fat and say
to myself I would eat right the coming Monday and lose the weight$ Dell i got to the age of
'1 and reali4ed that I hadnQt done anything about my weight at all$
?ne day a friend of mine who was quite strong got me to 5oin a gym and i started to go as
often as i felt li/e$ I got a routine of a gym instructor who told me to do a load of cardio to
lose the weight$ *t the "oint of starting this i was '10lbs at 5Q11F$ *fter H months of this i
had lost )lbs and was quite ha""y with myself$ %owever I hated cardio and so eventually
sto""ed doing it$
-his is when 5V5 came on to the scene$ I found the site on a google search and started to
read everything I could about what was on the site$ I read all the nutritional information, the
weight lifting techniques and even some of the social forums$ -his site transformed my life$
I have now been lifting for 10 months and my lifts have all stalled to the "oint of me going
onto Strong9ifts Intermediate$ %owever this is the "rogress I made on 5V5$
Ben:s Gains
Jan ;44<
=pre*training>
July ;44<
=I !onths Cardio>
July ;4@4
=@; !onths SL/0/>
*ge '&y '&y '&y
,odyweight B5+11FC '10lbs '0&lbs 1H(lbs
,odyfat '#2 G 11$12
Squat < 7ardio ?nly 140/g for 5
Deadlift < 7ardio ?nly 140/g for 5
,ench =ress < 7ardio ?nly (5/g for 5
I never thought I would be able to do half the things I do now$ I have always wanted to
112
start brea/ing but never had the drive or the strength$ >ow I have both and as you can see
it requires a lot of functional body strength$
I am also a lot more confident now than I was a year ago$ I am able to wear what I want
and not worry how I loo/ as well as being able to go u" to girls and tal/ to them on an
equal level$ My friends have nothing but com"lements for me and the ones I havenQt seen
for a year or two canQt believe the change in my "hysical a""earance as well as my
general "resence$
-his didnQt all come over night though and there were sometimes when I felt li/e giving u"
however the Strong9ifts 7ommunity always had hel"ing words to hel" encourage me$ I
remember when I was struggling to Squat due to bad form and S9 Members were quic/ to
"oint out where I needed to sort my form out within several hours of me "osting a video$
=ersonal trainers arenQt even this quic/ or educated$ I am also ins"ired by the "osts that
"eo"le "ut on the site$ I want to squat 1(0/g because I /now there are Strong9Ifts
Members out there who can$ So if they can why cant IG
-han/s very much to everyone inside the Strong9ifts 7ommunity for the /nowledge you
have given me and the ins"iration i needed when i felt down$ *lso I cannot than/ Mehdi
enough for ma/ing this site what it is$ 3ou have changed my life for the infinite better and I
have nothing but gratitude and res"ect for you$
Stronglift Member ,en % a/a E,&nF, '&, 9ancashire Inited Kingdom$
113
/ifting heavy is so much more motivating
an" enBoyable than repetition wor&..
I am '4 years old, originally from Michigan currently living in 7hicago, and I wor/ in quality
control for a "ac/aging distributor$ I first started lifting in '00& to be more com"etitive in
high school soccer$ I saw how much bigger all the college "layers were and reali4ed I
needed to be stronger$
I lifted weights & days a wee/ in an u""er<lower s"lit with ' days being u""er and 1 day
being lower starting out$ -he u""er body was a mi! of benching Bflat, incline, and declineC,
seated and standing "ressing, bent over and u"right rows, and the usual bice"<trice" wor/$
-he lower body was bac/ squatting, leg "ress machine, and leg curls<e!tensions$ I did no
deadlifting$ *ll of this was the usual &4 sets of (10 re" variety$ I used nothing to gauge
"rogress at this "oint in terms of lifting$
-hen from '004'00( I "retty much did the same e!ercises Bwith more machines involved
because of their availability in the university weight roomC and set<re" scheme$ I changed
my scheduling though so I wor/ed out more often, sometimes )R days straight, as I used
wor/ing out as a way to clear my head after classes and studying$ I stuc/ with the u""er
loweru""er "attern though since it was what I was familiar with$ It wasnQt until late '00)
that I finally started deadlifting on my lower body days$
.rom '00& to '00( I went from 150lbs to 1)(lbs at 5Q11W$ I have no idea what the body fat
"ercentages were, but I /now I was s/inny, even at 1)($
Squat L #5lbs to &15lbs
,ench L H5lbs to '45lbs
D9 L Started in '00)$ I didnQt ma! out but I did get u" to ')5 for 5$
.or this entire "eriod I never had any goals in terms of lifting$ I 5ust en5oyed doing it and "ut
in as much effort as I could while I was in the weight room$ Most of the time, es"ecially
while in college, I wor/ed out under time constraints so I would do 15 or so e!ercises in
114
less than an hour and a half$
*fter college I decided that I needed to add some "ur"ose to all the lifting I was doing$ I
decided to do a "owerlifting com"etition, and after I loo/ed at some of the numbers being
"ut u" in the 1(1 weight class I wanted to be stronger to do it$
So I googled Estrength trainingF and Strong9ifts$com "o""ed u" along$ I actually li/ed it
from the start in terms of logical "rogression$ It hel"ed me to establish goals and set u" a
"ath to obtain them$ It was only different for me at first in that I still had the mentality of Eif a
little is good more is betterF when it came to lifting$ My thin/ing on getting stronger was still
add more sets, re"s, or e!ercises$ *fter about a month on S95!5 that thin/ing went away$
-he structure of Strong9ifts 5!5 seemed li/e a good "lace to start for obtaining the goals I
had set for myself, which was to get stronger for my first "owerlifting meet$ I ran S95!5 for
a little over ' months, and the main thing it reminded me of is that "rogress should always
be the goal$ 9i/e many "eo"le in the gym, I went for so long without seeing much in the
way of results that thatQs e!actly what I started to e!"ect$
-wo years after starting out with Strong9ifts5!5 I am 1#(lbs with a 44Hlbs squat, &15lbs
bench, and 500lbs deadlift with a lot of im"rovement still to ma/e$ 9ifting heavy is so much
more motivating and en5oyable than re"etition wor/$ I can see "rogress in terms of weight
on the bar and it /ee"s me motivated every time I ste" in the gym$
My current goals in "owerlifting are to squat and deadlift over H00lbs in single "ly gear
Bcurrent best single "ly squat is 505 for two re"sC and to bench over 400lbs in a single "ly
shirt, all in the ''0lbs weight class$ *fter I hit those goals IQll 5ust add 50lbs to each and try
to hit those$ *t some "oint I would li/e to do one or two ?lym"ic lifting com"etitions 5ust to
challenge myself in a different way, but thatQs a few years down the road$
-he Strong9ifts 7ommunity is an atmos"here of im"rovement$ It hel"s me in that everyone
has the same goal of getting stronger$ 3ou 5ust canQt sift through training logs of Members
getting better and loo/ing to get better without wanting to get better yourself$
3ou have to believe Strong9ifts 5!5 can wor/$ If you donQt believe it can wor/ then you
wonQt try because you actually donQt want it to wor/$ 3ou start out with the mindset of trying
to validate that original belief$ Aven if you are not aware of it$ So you have to believe it will
wor/$ Dhatever reason you using to tell yourself it wonQt you need to find a way around,
and thatQs where the S9 community hel"s a lot$ 3ou wor/ hard over time and it will wor/$
-here is not a whole lot you can say to "ersuade someone it wor/s because the whole
idea of the "rogram is about doing, and there are "lenty of Strong9ifts Members who have
done the doing$
S9 Member Dave a/a E9ifting>erdF, '4, 7hicago IS*$
115
Although there are some things I won@t be able to "o
because of my heart attac& an" being on me"ication for
the rest of my life, getting strong isn@t one of them..
I am a soldier with the *ustralian *rmy$ -he 5ob means I am obviously fairly active to begin
with$ In Manuary 0) I started getting into body building style weight lifting with my best man$
It was going fairly well, both lifting heavy stuff, and general "hysical "re"aration through
com"ulsory =- Bbasically conditioning circuits and enduranceC$ I donQt have any stats from
the time, e!ce"t for my basic fitness assessment B)0 "ushu"s in one go, 100 sit u"s
unassisted, #;00 min '$4 /m runC$
*ll was going well until *"ril 0) when I was diagnosed with >on%odg/inQs 9ym"homa,
and started 7hemothera"y immediately$ It was the most terrible e!"erience of my life$ I
had over 15 un"lanned hos"itali4ations in 5 months, including, amongst other thingsN a
blood clot in a vein in my brain, losing 4$5 9 of blood in one morning due to a tear in my
throat Band being on blood thinners for the clotC, and a ma5or heart attac/ Bcaused by
another clot, des"ite being on blood thinnersC, so now my heart is only around )52 of
what it used to be$ I lost over 15 /g in the first month, from being fit and estimated 1'2
body fat at (& /g, 1(& cm, '& years old$
I have now been in remission for over ' years$ I havenQt "ushed myself to get bac/ to my
"revious level, mainly due to la4iness$ I de"loyed to *fghanistan in Mune 0#, and after
about two months of no e!ercise at all, I decided to do something about it$ %owever, I soon
got frustrated with what I was doing B"retty much random body building style wor/ outs I
decided on once I got to the gymC$ I stumbled u"on Stronglifts at 5ust the right time$
-he boo/ o"ened my eyes to a com"letely different way of training$ I wasnQt even aware
there was a s"ort called strength training$ -he whole idea of training strength instead of
["um"Q was li/e an e"i"hany$ I found the idea of training the movement, not a muscle,
highly attractive$
Luke:s Gains Sep ;44< Oct 4< Best ;4@4
*ge 'Hy 'Hy ')y
,odyweight BH+C 1H(lb 1)Hlb 1()lb
116
Luke:s Gains Sep ;44< Oct 4< Best ;4@4
Deadlift 1&'lb 'H4lb 401lb
Squat 1&)lb '4'lb &0(lb
,ench =ress 104lbs 15#lb ''0lb
*s you can imagine, I am very ha""y with the results, both strength and "hysique wise$ It
has re/indled my desire to /ee" my body in ti" to" condition$ *lthough there are some
things I wonQt be able to do at wor/ because of my heart attac/ and being on "rescri"tion
medication for the rest of my life, getting strong and conditioned isnQt one of them$ I /now I
will be able to "lay s"ort with my son when he grows u"$
-han/ you Mehdi for being the catalyst for my transformation$ I have since done a lot more
reading about strength, general e!ercise and nutrition$ *lthough your ideas arenQt new, the
way you have "ut it all together means the "rogram e!ceeds the sum of its "arts$ 3our
articles are relevant and informative, and you ma/e it easy to understand conce"ts$
3ou have given me the [bugQ to see bigger and bigger numbers go u"$ I ho"e to have my
wife start lifting once I get my home gym set u", and I recommend Strong9ifts 5V5 to
anyone who as/s$ .or anyone who is thin/ing EI canQt do that, IQm too unfit and too fatF
"lease reconsider$ I ho"e my story will change your mind$
Strong9ifts Member 9u/e a/a EKnottedF, '), *ustralia$
117
I never thought I coul" achieve these stats, an" I
owe it all to !tonglifts, 2eh"i@s a"vice, an"
the inspiring stories of !/ 2embers.
%i from the >etherlands,
*fter 1' wee/s of following Strong9ifts 5V5, I thought IQd do my fare share to convince you
boys in doubt of this "rogramQs success that it really does wor/$ So much even, that it may
lead to one or more embarrassing but very satisfying moments youQll remember for quite
some time$ %ereQs my story$
I started doing Stronglifts 5!5 late December '00# after a "eriod of about ' months where
I was very ill and lost a lot of strength1$$if you can even s"ea/ of strength after one year
of running and no strength training$ During that year I didnQt bother counting calories and
eating healthy, I 5ust ate when I felt li/e it$ ,asically ran & times a wee/ with distances
varying between 5 and 15 /m$
*fter those two months I loo/ed in the mirror and said to myself something has to change$
*t that moment I was about )4/g at 1,(0m1$$all fat, no muscles$ Struggled to lift an em"ty
bar for 5 re"s on the ?%= and I couldn+t even beat my girlfriend at EwrestlingF$
>ow, to me this was very degrading, because "revious to the year of running I used to do
strength training$ >o "rogram, 5ust whatever I felt li/e doing$ ,ac/ then I weighed about
(0/g and could ?%= 40/g quite easily$ So you might understand the disa""ointment when
struggling with '0/gJ -his only stimulated me to wor/ even harder on S95!5J
I remembered reading about Strong9ifts 5!5 on the internet and guys having some serious
results with the "rogram$ So I decided to buy me a "owercage with '0/g barbell and 1'0
/g of "lates, and started the routine$ In addition to 5ust training, I also u""ed my caloric
inta/e to about &5004000/cal a day, and tried to get at least (# hours of slee" a day$
I started seeing results after the first few wee/s, but felt results after the first wor/out1$I
could hardly wal/ for three days$ I guess my body wasnQt used to the stress$ I loved itJ
*bout ten wee/s into the "rogram, and only missing ' wor/outs, I had a very
embarrassing moment which showed "roof of the "rogramQs success; IQm a consultant,
and had to give a training to about '0 "ro5ect managers and financials$ I started early that
morning, ma/ing some "re"arations$ =ic/ed u" the "ower cord of the beamer, bent over to
"lug it in, and thatQs when it ha""ened11$$craaaaaaac////$ ? S%]-
>ow, I noticed my "ants getting a little tight, but didnQt thin/ this would ha""en$ * 15 cm
crac/ at the bac/ of my "ants, no way to switch "ants before the start of the training, and
the first guests started to enter the room$ -han/ god I wasnQt wearing my "in/ bo!ers$
>ow I do by no means have a big butt, actually I never really had a butt$ 6ight now
however I feel i can crac/ a walnut with my butt chee/s1$$never tried it of course
-hough this was a very embarrassing moment, the feeling that was much stronger was
118
that of satisfaction$ My training really did "ay off, and I owe it all to Stonglifts, MehdiQs
advice, and the ins"iring stories of S9 Members$ *lthough Mehdi, to be fair, you do owe
me a new "air of "ants$
,emko:s Gains 6ec ;44< !ar ;4@4 Aug ;4@4 Gains so far)))
*ge '#y '#y '#y
,odyweight BH+0PC )4/g (&/g (5/g R11/g
Deadlift 40/g 1'0/g 1H0/g R1'0/g
Squat &0/g 101/g 1'1/g R#1/g
,ench =ress '0/g )5/g #5/g R)5/g
I feel great$ >ever thought I could achieve these stats$ -hough there not so high com"ared
to most S9 Members, IQm e!tremely satisfied with the results$ *nd this was only twelve
wee/s$ My body is starting to show some nice muscle develo"ment$ I even notice
differences in everyday life when "ic/ing things u" li/e a crate of beer, or a chair to
carrying the groceries$ Sure, I canQt run 15/m anymore1 who caresJ I am stronger, I loo/
stronger, and I feel ama4ingJ
-o anybody wondering if S95!5 is going to wor/ for them IQd say 5ust to give it a try$ Dor/
hard at it for at least 1' wee/s, and eat<slee" well$ DidnQt wor/ for you, then quit$ ,ut I can
guarantee youQll be hoo/ed, and com"letely ama4ed with the results$
I would again li/e to than/ you all for sharing your wonderful stories and advice, es"ecially
Mehdi$ 3ouQve changed my life$ I feel healthier and stronger then ever$ -han/sJ
S9 Member 6em/o a/a E.ritsoF, '(, >9$
119
The most profoun" changes have been mental.
It re&in"le" a sense of accomplishment, "evelope"
feelings of self-worth an" grew my confi"ence.
I+m ,en, &1 years old and live in >ew _ealand with my wife and ' daughters$ I+m originally
from 7anada but moved here several years ago$ I wor/ from home as a software
develo"er$
*s a child, I grew u" very quic/ly$ *t 1' yo I was H` tall and your ty"ical lan/y teen$ *round
then I got sic/, couldn+t eat anything for months and was hos"itali4ed$ ,y the time I was
bac/ home, I was all s/in and bones$ -his led to me becoming increasingly an!ious about
my body image$ -he word Es/innyF gained a dee"ly negative connotation and I avoided
being "hotogra"hed$
*bout this time I became confused about my si4e$ *ccording to ,MI, which they taught us
at school, I was "erfectly normal yet I was very s/inny and wea/$ I also learned that
anything with fat or cholesterol is bad, I should limit my meat inta/e, the ma5ority of my diet
should consist of grains Baccording to the 7anada .ood "yramid at the timeC, I needed to
limit my "ortion si4es, etc$ I wish someone would have sat down with me and 5ust said
Elisten, you+re a big guy and you+re active you need to eat a lot more then you do nowF
Dhen it came to training, the old me came u" with a million of e!cuses to not even get
near a gym$ I would tell myself Ethe gym equi"ment doesn+t fit my heightF or EI+m actually
strong, I 5ust don+t loo/ itF$ 6eality was;
I was afraid of being 5udged$ I had no confidence$
I couldn+t as/ for hel" because I was an!ious tal/ing to strangers$
I would have to admit I didn+t /now and, bac/ then, I /new A:A63-%I>@$
.ast forward to '00(; I was '# years old, H+5W and about (0/g$ Much had im"roved in life
but I still had the "roblems with body image and "hysical wellbeing$ I was wea/ and
com"letely out of sha"e$ Sure, I had a flat stomach but you could see my ribs around my
clavical and I had no "ecs$ I had a terrible 5ob and was tra""ed in the ratrace$ My &0th
birthday loomed and I started feeling de"ressed$ I /new I had to do something$
-he turning "oint was a new 5ob$ I wor/ from home and my em"loyer "aid for a gym
120
membershi"$ -hey wanted to ensure I got out of the house$ Dhen I signed u" I received
some free sessions with a "ersonal trainer$ %e gave me a basic wor/out and I dug into it
with immense enthusiasm$ Dhen I started at the gym I;
7ouldn+t bench the bar B'0 /gC
7ould barely 5og for a few minutes
%ad a hard time squatting a 10/g bag on my bac/
My original routine consisted of e!ercises using machines and dumbbells; leg "ress,
seated smith "ress, lat "ull down, etc$ *ll for high re"s, low volume$ I tried creating my own
routine out of bits and "ieces I found but I didn+t really understand what I was doing$
9oo/ing bac/, it was a bodybuilding routine$
-hree months later I had gone from (0/g to (#/g$ I also got strongerJ ,ut trouble was
brewing1 I had "lateaued on many of the e!ercises$ I /new I had to change my routine
but most websites did not have information aimed at the nearabsolute beginner$ In
hindsight, everything I found was related to bodybuilding and I was dee"ly confused about
all the su""lements out there$
I was on Digg and in the comments for an article, I saw mention of Stronglifts$ -here was
so much information freely available and I could understand itJ I li/ed the S9 5V5 routine
as it was sim"le and all the e!ercises were well e!"lained$ ,est of all, I didn+t need
e!"ensive su""lements to succeed$
Shortly after I started Stronglifts, I noticed Mehdi offered "rivate coaching$ I wanted results,
felt I had a lot to learn and thought that he could fasttrac/ my "rogress$ I started being
coached by Mehdi on May 15th '00( weighing (#/g$ -o lose the s/inny loo/, Mehdi
recommended we aim for a 100/g bodyweight$ %e suggested I do @?M*D to increase my
calorie inta/e$ ?n average, I was eating H)000 /cals with my record being #11( calories$
Ben:s Gains under
!ehdi:s Coaching
!ay @/th ;44G
=Start coaching>
June <th ;44G
=;/ days later>
Gains
*ge '#y '#y
,odyweight BH+5PC 1#Hlbs ''1lbs R'5lbs
,ody .at 1'2 152 R&2
9ean ,ody Mass 1)'lbs 1((lbs R1Hlbs BRH52C
.at Mass '4lbs &&lbs R#lbs BR&52C
I achieved my goal weight '5 days later; I gained 11/gJ -hat brought me to 100$) /g at
152 ,.$ In 4 months I gained '0/g B(0/g in mid .eb '00(C$ 7om"aring my results;
?ld routine; bodybuilding s"lit, 5H! wee/, 1' hours$ @ained about 10/g in &
months$ -oo many e!ercises, too many machines involved, no clear "rogression
"ath, nutrition wasn+t clear
>ew routine; S95!5, &! wee/, 1 hour$ @ained 11/g in '5 days$ 6eally en5oy the
routine, love doing big com"ound lifts and clear sense of "rogression in S9 and
beyond, nutrition was sorted$ SoldJ
-he weight I gained doing @?M*D and S95!5 was about H52 9,M, &52 body fat$ *fter I
finished @?M*D, I went down to #( /g Bturns out it was mostly due to water retention
121
because of the high sodium in mil/C$ I continued to gain weight and maintained a
bodyweight of 100 /g for a long time$
Since @?M*D, I+ve tried eating a similar amount of calories without mil/ and found it much
harder$ I also remember getting a sore 5awJ Mil/ is liquid and calories it+s easy to
consume$ ,est of all, it+s relatively chea", caloriedense and is a natural whole food$ -o
this day, I consume about ' litres "ostwor/out$ *ll those calories hel" recovery and,
ultimately, allow you to "rogress faster$
Ben:s Gains 5e( ;44G !ar ;44G 6ec ;44G Gains so far
*ge '#y '#y '#y
,odyweight BH+5PC 1)Hlbs 1#5lbs ''Hlbs R50lbs
Deadlift < ((lbs &&0lbs R'4'lbs
Squat < 55lbs &&0lbs R')5lbs
,ench =ress < ((lbs 1)Hlbs R((lbs
I+ve told other "eo"le about my weight gain$ Most seem to thin/ that I+m on some /ind of
drugBsC and<or a cra4y wor/out regime Bi$e$ ) days a wee/C$ I can understand why some
"eo"le are hesitant when you see all the su""lement<bodybuilding stuff out there$ -o thin/
that results can come from training &! wee/ for about an hour, combined with "lain old
mil/ and healthy food$$$ if only I /new this when I was youngerJ
-he most "rofound changes have been the mental as"ect$ *ll that heavy lifting and big
eating "ut me on the "ath to self im"rovement$ It re/indled a sense of accom"lishment,
develo"ed feelings of selfworth and grew my confidence$ I also learned the im"ortance of
tenacity Bdon+t give u"JC$
*t wor/, I ste""ed u" and starting doing something I once considered my idea of hell;
salesJ %aving to tal/ to "eo"le you didn+t /now Bi$e$ cold callsC, being outside your comfort
4one, dealing with re5ection, etc$ -he /ey element that has enabled me to do this is
confidence$
122
Dhile I continued to lift and do well in many as"ects in life, I slowly started to lose balance
between the three "illars in my life; family, wor/ and training$ Dor/ became the "riority and
I "ut everincreasing amounts of time into it Bso easy to do, when you wor/ from homeC$ I
also struggled to ada"t with changes in my daily routine Bno more morning sessions when
daughter started schoolC, and, eventually, my gym shutting down$ I used that an e!cuse to
sto" lifting altogether and "ile even more time into my wor/$ ,y 7hristmas, I was burnt out
and started feeling de"ressed$ I also started to get sic/, starting with bursitis in my elbow
and culminating with "neumonia, for which I was hos"itali4ed for a few days$ -hose (
months, between sto""ing lifting and getting out hos"ital, was the worse "eriod of my life$
* few wee/s out of hos"ital, I had recovered enough to return to wor/$ Doctors told me I
had to do e!ercise<cardio to rebuild lung ca"acity$ * wee/ or two out of hos"ital, I was
contacted by Mehdi to write my story what you+re reading now$ -hat same day I signed
u" and got bac/ into training$ I set out a new routine with my family and started S9 5!5
with some running$ Much to my sur"rised, I remembered a lot; from mobility e!ercises to
setu" on the core lifts$
Dhile I started with low weights, they quic/ly shot u"$ 5 wee/s l later, I regained 5 /g Bbac/
u" to 100 /gC and was deadlifting 100 /g$ -wo months later I was squatting 100 /g$ I+m
continuing to "rogress, having recently conquered a Squat at 155/g and Deadlift at 1H5/g
at 104/g bodyweight$ I+m also hitting new =6s on the bench, ?%=$
-han/s to my time being coached by Mehdi, I got results faster than I would by myself$ I
feel the advice I got was coming from someone that had e!tensive "ractical e!"erience
and yet had a wide body of /nowledge sufficient to tailor "rograms so they were
a""ro"riate to the "erson i$e$ for fat loss, weight gain, strength, etc$ ?verall, it was money
well s"ent a great investment that gave me a solid foundation$ I also learned that it+s ?K
to as/ for hel"$
Since I+ve been training, I+ve always /e"t a log$ My first logs were 5ust bits of "a"er$ Since
then, I+ve /e"t my log online, inside the Strong9ifts 7ommunity$ I+ve always believed that
one of the /eys to success is to associate with li/e minded "eo"le that have achieved
varied degrees of success$ Ideally, we could be training "artners or even train in the same
gym$ -he Stronglifts 7ommunity is the ne!t best thing$ I+ve got that sense of camaraderie
and have found a "lace to share my trium"hs, failures and everything in between Bfamily
and friends 5ust don+t understand or sometimes 5ust don+t careC$
If you want to achieve similar results; acce"t that the status quo isn+t wor/ing$ 3ou need to
ma/e changes$ S9 5!5 and @?M*D wor/$ -hin/ you /now betterG 3ou don+t$ If you did,
you wouldn+t be in this situation$ Must do it$ Don+t ta/e any short cuts or modify it in any
way$ ,e ambitious and don+t let anything or anyone get in the way of accom"lishing it$
-han/ you Mehdi for setting me on the "ath to strength$
S9 Member ,en a/a E,luestrea/F, &1, Dellington >ew _ealand$
123
0veryone says how goo" I loo& compare" to years
ago. I eat better, feel so much stronger an"
have quit ta&ing "rugs..
My life was quite aimless "rior to lifting to be honest$ I tin/ered with a few Ebodybuilding
"um" "rogramsF you /now the ty"e, wrist curls and an abdomini4er machine, su"ersets
and various other e!ercises$ ,ut I could never build any muscle and ended u" quitting and
staying s/inny$ *t that time I was &' years old$ ,D was around 145lbsN strength was 4ero$
It was hard as being Hft 'F tall and weighing in at 145lbs was demorali4ing as I could hear
"eo"le laughing at me and commenting about my si4eN ?f course it was hard to date
women as my confidence was never that great$ I turned to heavy usage of mari5uana to
ease the "ain and ended u" eating unhealthy food in the "rocess$ I /new I had to do
something about my situation I was tired of being s/inny and longed to be stronger, my
attitude had to change$ I /new that weight training wor/ed in order to bul/ u" I 5ust did not
have the formula for it$ I thought I could never get big maybe because of genetics$
I done bodybuilding ty"e routines and then when this was not wor/ing for me, I moved
onto ,D e!ercises$ ,y doing the bw e!ercises I did gain weight but It was mainly fat from
a 5un/ food diet$ Inha""y with my weight gain and no muscles I stumbled u"on Strong9ifts
bac/ in May '00( after loo/ing at a blog on =ull u"s and how to do them weighted$
I wasnQt convinced at first as the 5 sets and 5 re"s differed from what I was told as a "ast
bodybuilder$ 3ou /now su"ersets, trice"s /ic/bac/s, I mean I never even tried Deadlifts so
you can imagine how daunting it was$ =lus guys I /new got big using steroids$
My greatest concern with S95!5 was the Squat as many Ebig guysF in my local gym had
told me not to squat so low as it could hurt my /nees$ I had never done Squats or Deadlifts
as a bodybuilder so I wanted to ma/e sure the sl5!5 routine was legitimate before I started
the "rogram$ It wasnQt until I read the story of Strong9ifts Member Michael B"age 1&'C
about how squats cured his /nee "ain that he had had for years that it set my mind at ease
about the whole /nee issues$ I was tired of the way I loo/ed and after loo/ing at
testimonies of other S9 Members I gave it a go$
I started Strong9ifts 5!5 bac/ in *ug '00($ My first months were ama4ing, itQs no lie$ I
could feel my body changing and I read all of the articles on the website over and over and
"rinted out many to ta/e to the gym so I had some cues as to how to "erform all the ma5or
lifts$ I also started the @?M*D cycle and that really made me "ut on weight fast$ I li/ed the
"hiloso"hy of S95!5$ I thin/ this ethos wor/ed for me, it allowed me to focus on weight on
the bar, rather than how big my bice"s loo/ed$ Dhen I squatted for a few wee/s
something wonderful started to ha""enJ I sto""ed caring about my bice"s and started
caring about my body as a whole, as a unit$ -his is why I changed to S95!5 I was a
wea/ling and I got my wa/e u" call$
I started S9 5V5 on the 1#th *ugust '00( and ended in late Muly '00#$ I had gained &4lbs
by May '00# or in # months$ ,efore Strong9ifts ,D 1(4lbs L after Strong9ifts '1(lbs$ I
never measured body fat as it was irrelevant for myself since I was coming from a s/inny
bac/ground I was 5ust ha""y to bul/ u"$
124
,oy:s Gains August ;44G July ;44< 'o" ;4@4 Gains so far)))
*ge &'y &&y &5y
,odyweight BH+'PC 1(4lb '1(lb ''0lb R&Hlb
Deadlift 40/g 145/g 1(5/g R145/g
Squat '0/g 1'0/g 140/g R1'0/g
,ench =ress 4',5/g #0/g 100/g R5),5/g
Dhat can I sayJ -he whole system wor/s you really have to follow it to the tee$ I did not
add any e!ercises and I did not ta/e away$ I done e!actly what the "rogram called for$ 3ou
really have to Squat that much and do all the fle!ibility wor/ that comes with it$
I feel great todayN the Strong9Ifts 5!5 "rogram has set me u" for a healthy future in
strength training$ Averyone says how good I loo/ com"ared to years ago$ I eat better, feel
so much stronger and have quit ta/ing drugs$ I also got married in Se"tember '010 and
my wife li/es my new "hysique$ >ow my life has some "ur"ose and I owe all of this to
S95!5 it really has given me the disci"line I need to continue to be healthy$
%aving a log is "aramount for ma/ing this wor/$ %aving an online log is even betterN the
constant "osts of other Strong9ifts Members will stay with me for years$ It really hel"s to
have the odd criticism as well as this ma/es sure you stay on the "rogram S95^5 for as
long as "ossible$ I cannot stress the im"ortance of stic/ing with things even when it gets
tough, this will forge character and disci"line which will hel" you outside of the gym as
well$
If you were s/inny li/e me I would suggest you follow Strong9ifts 5V5 for H months straight$
Do not deviate from what is written down$ .ollow the sets and re"s$ Do not listen to
anyone tal/ing about high re" sets, etc, stic/ to the "rogram$ 6ead u" on e!ercise
e!ecution and fle!ibility wor/$ Drin/ and eat every three hours$ Ma/e full fat mil/ your best
friend$ ,ring mil/ every where with you in a flas/$ 7oo/ your own food$ @o to an E*ll you
can eat "laceF from time to time, it wor/ed for me$ ?nce you reach your desired weight,
you should /now what to do$ -he "rogram wor/s it really is that sim"le$ 3ou must Squat
that much as well, learn all that you can about it$ It ma/es you tough$
7hec/ out my old Strong9Ifts 5!5 log for "roof that this strength training "rogram wor/s$
Strong9ifts Member 6oy a/a E6ereF, &4, 9eeds, Angland$
125
I am in the best shape of my life, which is something I &eep
saying because my shape &eeps getting better..
>eil, from 9ondon IK, I wor/ as a salesman selling financial software to ban/s$ Involves a
lot of traveling BU)02 of my timeC and a lot of eating cra" in air"orts, hotels and etc$
I was relatively s"orty as a /id, quite a good runner, decent at trac/ and field events, and
into rowing for a few years before I started Iniversity$ I was also ridiculously s/inny L at si!
foot one I weighed about 150lbs$ -hen I went to Iniversity and "retty much gave u" s"ort,
e!ce"t for the odd game of football or cric/et for the 7ollege team$ I also started to head
out "artying every night, ate all sorts of cra" and "iled on weight$ Dhen I left Iniversity I
started wor/ as a bro/er, where you were out most nights of the wee/ entertaining clients,
sat at a des/ for 1' hours a day, eating anything fried and greasy and drin/ing most
evenings$ ,y the age of '5 I was '10lbs and seriously out of sha"e BU&02 body fatC$
IQd s"ent about H months wor/ing in South *frica when '5, and had "iled on the "ounds$
Averyone who saw me commented on how fat IQd become$ I hadnQt noticed L even though
IQd been "utting on a "ound of fat a wee/, you donQt see it gradually accrue on your body$ I
also started seeing an old flame in a long distance relationshi", so between seeing her
Babout 1' wee/sC I decided to lose the fat and get bac/ in sha"e$
I 5oined a gym near wor/, and recruited a "ersonal trainer$ %e wasnQt as bad as most of
them, and when I told him I wanted to "ut on muscle he advised me to do squats, deadlifts
"lus a bunch of wor/ on the various weight machines$ IQd been a member of a gym for
most of my '0Qs, but had always gone in without a "lan, doing curls and benching etc L
this time I had a "lan$ I also swam every morning before wor/ for an hour$ -he weights
were &4 sets of (10 re"s, there was no real "rogression in weight, and I squatted Bhalf
squatsC about )0/gs, and could deadlift about (0/gs$
*fter the 1' wee/s IQd lost a lot of fat Babout 14lbsC and "ut on muscle L I loo/ed much
126
better$ Infortunately I then viewed that as E5ob doneF and subsequently sto""ed the
swimming and training$ My gym visits got less and less frequent, I used to hate the D?MS
I got from squatting too, so I dro""ed squats com"letely$ My training reverted to the same
sort of random weight lifting as IQd done before$
*bout a year later I decided to dro" gym membershi" altogether, as it was overly
e!"ensive given how little use I made of it$ I bought a bi/e and started to cycle to wor/
instead B1& mile round tri"C$ I figured this would /ee" me in sha"e, but it 5ust made me
more hungry so I ate more every meal$ I stayed about '00 lbs and was fat, even though I
didnQt thin/ I loo/ed that bad$
I changed 5obs in *ugust '00(, and the new 5ob I too/ didnQt have changing facilities for
me to shower after my cycle ride to wor/$ @iven that I had to 5oin a gym anyway, I figured
IQd loo/ for a routine to follow$ I have no idea what I ty"ed into @oogle, but I found
Stronglifts and started to read u" on it$ -he e!ercises made sense L after all my brother
had been into weights since childhood, and he always squatted, deadlifted and benched
heavy$ -he no bullshit a""roach also struc/ a chord with me, I wasnQt being sold anything,
I didnQt need to buy a ton of useless su""lements, I 5ust needed to do one of ' different
wor/outs, three times a wee/$
Still, I didnQt want to use only the bar$ IQd feel embarrassed in the gym if I was wor/ing out
with 5ust a barbell$ I couldnQt see how it would hel" either$ I decided to stic/ to what I /new
best L dic/ing around with dumbbells and machines$ I didnQt follow a training "rogram, I
5ust did whatever I felt li/e in the gym$ IQd cho" and change the routine I was doing
de"endent on the last issue of MenQs %ealth$ I didnQt /now what I was going to lift in the
gym before I got there L IQd 5ust lift whatever I felt li/e$ I didnQt bother to log what IQd lifted,
which meant IQd never /now whether IQd "rogressed or not$
In .ebruary '00# I was watching rugby in a "ub with a mate, and it was H months before
he turned '#$ De had a bet where we decided to "ut on a stone in body mass Bnot allowed
to be fatC in H months$ IQd been lur/ing on Stronglifts$com anyway, and decided that I had
nothing to lose$ I started drin/ing half a gallon of mil/ a day and followed Strong9ifts 5!5
e!actly as it was laid out$
>eil+s @ains .eb '00# Dec '010 @ains so far$$
*ge '#y &1y
,odyweight BH+1FC 1()lb 1(5lb 'lb
,ody .at ')2 142 1&2
Deadlift 40/g 1(0/g R140/g
Squat '0/g 1'),5/g R10),5/g
,ench =ress '0/g #),5/g R)),5/g
I am in the best sha"e of my life, which is something I /ee" saying because my sha"e
/ee"s getting better$ I used to suc/ in my gut when I was out with friends, now I get
comments from girls as/ing whether IQve lost weight$ My belt buc/le is bac/ down to the
tightest notch L itQs as tight as it was ten years ago$
IQve also got dramatically im"roved "osture L sitting down all day for wor/ when you tal/ on
127
the "hone can lead to slouched shoulders, and I had terrible "ains in my bac/ from the
way IQd sit at wor/$ >ow I wal/ tall, and within about H wee/s of starting the "ain in my
bac/ had gone$ I wal/ with a much better "osture, which ma/es me loo/ more confident
and "ro5ects that into my meetings at wor/$
In the first few months at my gym, most of the "eo"le would ma/e comments about what I
was doing$ ?ne guy told me I was squatting too low$ *nother told me to do sets of 10
because Ethey are better for cardiovascular conditioningF$ -he "ersonal trainers would
come to tell me I was going to ruin my /nees, because they only ever saw me squatting$
>ow I get guys come and as/ me to review their form$ -hey want to /now what "rogram
IQm using, and are interested in what IQm going to lift that day$ -he =-Qs give me a wide
berth, because they /now IQm not going to follow their bosuball routine, and that I donQt
listen to them anyway$
In the early days, my first "osts inside the Strong9ifts 7ommunity were very naive$
Members gave me encouragement and advice to hel" allay my fears about starting S95!5$
Dhen I signed in and started a training log I got almost instant res"onses L S9 Members
giving advice, sharing their thoughts and "roviding encouragement when the training got
hard, or some other as"ect of life got in the way$ Dhen I decided to lose fat I "osted a few
questions and was immediately given sound advice L from a resource I trusted$ -he more
you listen to the advice and see yourself "rogress, the more you return to the site to learn
even more$
I donQt /now why I started the training log inside the Strong9ifts 7ommunity, I guess I
wanted somewhere other than a note"ad to write down my wor/outs$ ,ut itQs mor"hed into
something much more im"ortant$ I get encouragement, advice, humour, and much more
besides from the guys following my log$ I /now IQve "romised them many things, and I feel
as though I have to hold myself accountable to them$ It is im"ortant to /ee" a training log,
as itQs a com"lete record of your achievements, enables you to see how far youQve come
and /ee"s you honest$
I am a moderator inside the Strong9ifts 7ommunity, and I donQt want anyone thin/ing IQve
written this because I was "aid to do so$ -he fact is, IQm a moderator here and I wor/ for
free$ I do this because I got so much from this "rogram, and because I want to ensure the
community here remains as "ositive, hel"ful and free from ,S as it was when I first 5oined$
Dor/ing with Mehdi is good, because we get to hel" sha"e the direction of the site$ %eQs
incredibly ambitious for where he wants this "lace to go, and itQs only going to get bigger$
%e can be arrogant at times, but this is all bac/ed u" by results$ I have no "roblem with
"eo"le tal/ing the tal/ as long as they wal/ the wal/ too$
3ou have nothing to lose by trying Strong9ifts 5!5$ =ut down your ego and try lifting$ -his
is ama4ingly "owerful, and gives ridiculously good results for three short sessions a wee/$
S9 Member >eil a/a EnburgeF, &1, 9ondon IK$
128
=ow ironic that after Bust 6 wee&s on !/474 I was getting
the har" muscle loo& I@" been after for (6 years#.
My name is Don and I live in the Southeastern Inited States$ IQm &1 years old and wor/ in
Information -echnology$ IQm about HQ1W '40lbs$
I started lifting weights in high school \ "robably around 1H years old$ I wanted to get
bigger and stronger for wrestling and football$ I was a "retty s/inny /id and have always
had a bit of a com"le! about being too small$
I got almost all my wor/outs from maga4ines or 5ust came u" with them on my own$ I
would lift 4H days<wee/ for 1$5' hours usually$ I had tried 5ust every wor/out you can find
in "o"ular maga4ines but nothing wor/ed once I got to a certain "oint$ My best bench from
about 10 years ago, before Stronglifts, was &50lbs$ It was a full 6?M touchandgo "ress$
-he routine I was doing at this time was out of Muscle and .itness and was actually a
"ower lifting routine$
-he routines I used for years bored me for two reasons$ 1C I wasnQt getting results anymore
so that frustrated me$ 'C I was constantly sore and the '& days after a leg wor/out were
5ust brutal$ I would hit my legs so hard that I could barely wal/ for days afterwards$ ItQs hard
to live a normal life when youQre lim"ing around all the time and even harder to see the
"oint in it when I wasnQt getting any stronger or bigger$
* guy at wor/ told me about S95!5 and the ama4ing "rogress heQd made with the "rogram
over the course of 4 months$ So I thought IQd give it a try as I was getting bored with the
normal bodybuilding routines IQd been doing for the "ast 1& years$ IQm a rugby "layer but
vanity always /e"t me doing sets of (1' instead of training for strength and "ower$
I had "reviously done volume training and had great success with that$ Strong9ifts 5!5
loo/ed similar only with heavier weights$ IQve always been o"en to trying new routines, 5ust
had never really gotten hoo/ed on a "ure strength<"owerlifting "rogram before S95!5$
I could have started heavier on "retty much all the lifts but IQm glad I "ic/ed the weights I
did Bfollowed Strong9ifts 5!5 to the EtFC$ My form im"roved drastically \ this is im"ortant to
me because IQve in5ured myself in the "ast when Squatting and Deadlifting heavy$
6on:s Gains June ;44< Sep ;44< 'o" ;4@4 Gains so far)))
*ge &0y &0y &1y
,odyweight BH+1PC '10lb ''5lb '&5lb R'5lb
,ody fat 10$52 1'2 11$52
Deadlift 1(5lb &H5lb 550lb R&H5lb
Squat 1(5lb &&5lb 4#0lb R&05lb
,ench =ress 1(5lb '(0lb &(0lb R1#5lb
=ress (5lb 1)5lb '&0lb R145lb
%ow ironic that after 5ust & wee/s on Strong9ifts 5!5 I was getting the Ehard muscleF loo/
IQd been after for 1& yearsJ BI donQt /now how to e!"lain this \ basically, 5ust that loo/
129
where you can tell a dude is strong$ %is clothes fit different over his body$ -here are big
guys and then there are big, strong guys$ I feel li/e IQm getting the loo/ of the latter$C
IQve gained a""ro!imately '5 lbs$ I got serious about gaining weight and tried to follow the
Strong9ifts Diet as best I can BIQm a suc/er for carbs so IQve had several cheatsC$ I have
also cut fat a cou"le of times during the "ast year or IQd be closer to '50 right now$
-raining 4H times<wee/ for 1$5'R hours will never be in my "rogram again$ I have a &
year old son and wor/ too much for this to be feasible$ ,esides, IQm stronger and bigger
now that IQve ever been in my life and IQve been going to the gym & times<wee/ for no more
than 1$5 hours for the "ast year$
IQve "retty much done the same core grou" of e!ercises for one year and still loo/ forward
to going$ .or whatever reason I havenQt gotten bored with these routines yet$ -he other
day a "encillegged guy commented that if he did squats as much as I do heQd hate
coming to the gym$ I guess thatQs why he has s/inny legs$ I love to squat and love to
deadlift now$ 7hasing strength gains has become an obsession and IQm constantly in
com"etition with my "revious wor/out$ Setting tangible goals is something IQve been
wor/ing on in my life in general and this has 5ust carried over to the gym$ -he South
7arolina raw record total at '4' lbs is 1400 lbs L I "lan to brea/ this within the ne!t year$
I decided to retire from "laying rugby as of a few wee/s agoN however, when I was still
"laying I noticed that the e!tra strength hel"ed out tremendously$ %aving the e!tra
strength to brea/ that last tac/le, blow over a ruc/, or tac/le that heavier "layer on the
o""osing team was very handy$ I thin/ strength training is highly underrated in the rugby
community$
-he Squat and Deadlift have tremendous carry over to rugby so if youQre a rugby "layer
who want to "erform at a high level, there is no doubt you need to squat big and deadlift
big$ -raining heavy with this /ind of volume is not necessarily conducive to rugby, but it is
easily ada"table$ Inseason you bac/ off to ' days<wee/ and offseason you go &4 days$
IQve made this suggestion to at least ' other S9 members in my training log$
I thin/ Stronglifts is the best "lace to start for anyone that hasnQt done this ty"e of training
before$ Aven if you add 10 lbs<wee/ for u""er body and '0 lbs<wee/ for lower body
e!ercises, this "hase of your training allows you to "erfect your form and settle in to this
new "hiloso"hy$ I donQt see any reason for anyone to sto" S9 5V5 before reaching 1$5 !
body weight squats and at least close to a bodyweight bench "ress$ *fter S9 5V5, Madcow
Intermediate is the "erfect routine to follow u" with$ I made good gains with Madcow after
S9 5V5$ *fter Madcow, I would recommend S9 *dvanced$ I thin/ there are still solid gains
to be made on this "rogram and even after a yearQs worth of training and a "ower lifting
total of 1&00R IQm still on S9 *dvanced$ I "lan to move on to something a little more
ada"table after this cycle Bsuch as 5<&<1C, however$
Kee"ing a training log in the Strong9ifts 7ommunity is the best thing IQve ever done for
myself$ -he accountability you feel hel"s get you in the gym on those days you donQt want
to go, the silent com"etition with other S9 members hel"s you "ush that e!tra re" out, and
the e!"eriences of others is invaluable in "reventing yourself from ma/ing those same
mista/es$ -here are several members who have ins"ired me in their own logs and in my
log and itQs "robably not fair to only mention a few, but S9 Members *ty"ical, Mi/eD,
130
%olvoetn, MimSlade, and Ma/emcmillan have "rovided fantastic insight, lin/s, and have 5ust
been generally great su""ort over the "ast year$
I havenQt had to say much to the "eo"le IQve suggested S95!5 to$ Isually the conversation
goes something li/e this; athemU EI want to get bigger and stronger, what should I doGF
ameU E@o to stronglifts$com, read the boo/, and then let me /now if you have any
questions$F IQve had this conversation H times over the "ast year$ 5 "eo"le too/ the advice
and are still doing Strong 9ifts$ -he other decided to do %II- wor/outs so obviously didnQt
want to get stronger or bigger$
-han/s for all the info on the site, itQs been really hel"ful in diffusing the myths IQd believed
in for so many years$ IQve been raving about Strong9ifts 5!5 to several teammates and co
wor/ers and even have started my wife on itJ
S9 Member Don a/a EStrong4rugbyF, &1, S7, IS*$
131
I have gone from having "ifficulty climbing stairs to a
pain-free !quat of ((4&gI I also gaine" 34 &ilos,
going from J4&g to ())&g in about a year..
* little about me; &0 years old$ 1(#cm tall, 100/g$ IQm from >ew _ealand, but IQm currently
living in *sia, where I wor/ as an Anglish teacher$ Dhen I first found Strong9ifts 5!5, I was
)5/g, and could barely do a "ush u", let alone a "ullu"$
I+d always been tall and s/inny, but had started to develo" a little "ot belly$ Intil S95!5, I
had led a sedentary life, and have only my birdli/e a""etite to than/ for my not being fat$ I
"layed s"orts when I was young, but a serious /nee in5ury at age 11 "ut an end to that$
During =$A$ class, I ran into a "ole on the school tennis courts$ My left /nee too/ the full
im"act and fractured into & "ieces$ I underwent surgery and was left with a wire holding my
/nee together$ I was left with reduced /nee mobility, thigh atro"hy and a lot of "ain$
=hysiothera"y was boring, inefficient and "ainful$ I soon sto""ed the home e!ercises and
thera"y, and my sedentary life style began$ My /nee healed well enough to wal/ and run,
but before long IQd be in "ain$ I started to favor my right /nee to E"rotectF my left /nee,
which I thought of as wea/ and fragile$ In my early twenties I suffered multi"le sublu!ations
of both /nees$ -hese in5uries led to a diagnosis of trochlear dys"lasia and arthritis$
So there I was at age ''$ *rthritis, unstable /neeca"s, constant aches and "ains$ I started
to 5o/e about sho""ing for a mobility scooter, but I was only half 5o/ing$
,y age '( I was sic/ and tired of being s/inny and wea/$ I /new I had to ma/e a change
before my body fat got out of control$ I was also sure that I could do something to hel" my
/nees$ I signed u" at a gym, but I was too intimidated to use the weight room$ So I 5ust
used the machines in the circuit training room$
-hen I found S95!5, and started reading$ .ree weights, basic movements, strength over
aesthetics$ It made sense to me, but I was s/e"tical about squats$ *fter all, the squat is
"erformed by the /nees, rightG Surely it was a bad idea to use my beatu" /nees as a
hinge for a heavy e!erciseG
Strong9ifts corrected my flawed understanding of the squat$ I learned of the benefits of
free weight squats, the role of the hi"s and hamstrings in the squat, and the im"ortance of
sitting bac/$ I tried some with 5ust my bodyweight, using that technique, and it felt good,
with no "ain or discomfort$ I was encouraged and decided to start on Strong9ifts 5!5$
I did bodyweight squats for a few wee/s, along with my first ever deadlifts, "resses, and
rows$ -hen I started squatting with the bar, and it was hard$ My balance was terrible, the
rac/ "osition hurt my wrists and shoulders, and I was worried about my bac/ and my
/nees$ ,ut after 5ust a few sessions I was getting the hang of it$ I made sure to warm u"
well with hi" mobility e!ercises, and things gradually got better, and I started adding the
little "lates to the bar$
I was using a chea" neo"rene /nee su""ort$ ?ne day I forgot it, but when I squatted I
could barely tell the difference$ My /nee felt stronger and I could see a new muscularity
132
wor/ing as I moved$ -he muscles around my /nees had blown u" and now held my "atella
much more securely$ I felt more confident about my /nees, and the aches and "ains were
greatly diminished$
%owever, I soon saw a ma5or "roblem that needed addressing$ My right thigh was stronger
and (cm bigger than my left thigh$ It was bearing more of the load in the Squat, which I
/new would only ma/e the "roblem worse$ I deloaded and "aid e!tra attention to
symmetry in the squat movement, and su""lemented with unilateral e!ercises li/e lunges
and ste"u"s$
-hese efforts showed results$ 7om"are the left "hoto from .ebruary '00( with the right
one from May '00($ My in5ured left /nee is on the right in the "hotos Byou can see the scar
from my surgeryC$ My left /nee muscles are bigger and stronger$ I can no longer move my
"atella around in its soc/et$ -he si4e difference between the legs has reduced from ( to
4cm$
My /nee "ain has reduced$ My aches and "ains are now 5ust ordinary "ost wor/out
soreness$ * large "art of the im"rovement was "sychological$ My left /nee no longer feels
wea/, and I donQt "rotect it from daily loading or balancing anymore$ ?ver the years,
various doctors and "hysiothera"ists had "rescribed machinebased e!ercises, such as
leg e!tensions and leg "resses, but all they ever did was cause me a lot of "ain$ It wasnQt
until I started squatting that I saw any im"rovement in my /nee health$
My squats "rogressed slowly over the ne!t year, as I added weight conservatively, and
addressed a "ostural "roblem that was causing shoulder "ain$ I sometimes envy the guys
who have ta/en their squat to 1$5! bodyweight and beyond, quic/ly and smoothly, but
/ee"ing my /nees and shoulders ha""y was far more im"ortant to me than chasing
numbers$
I have gone from having difficulty climbing stairs to a "ainfree squat =6 of 115/g, &!5$ I
can do "ushu"s and "ullu"s Bnot very many, but more than I could two years agoC$ I have
learned good form on the basic e!ercises, and learned a lot about my training needs$ I
have radically changed my nutritional habits$ I now fill out my si4e large tshirts, instead of
drowning in them$ I have also gone from being too scared to ste" foot in a weight room, to
moderating a ra"idly growing community of lifters$
133
I also gained '5 /ilos, going from )5/g to 100/g in about a year$ -he biggest challenge for
me was increasing my calorie inta/e$ It wasn+t until I significantly increased my calorie
inta/e from around '000 to &5004000 that I started seeing any difference in my si4e and
weight$ I learned how easy it is to underestimate how much you eat and lie to yourself
about your habits$
I have no idea what my body fat "ercentage is, and I donQt care$ I would guess that it+s in
the high teens or low twenties$ I have a "ot belly and love handles, and at this moment I
D? >?- @I:A * S%]-$ P%aving visible ab4P has never a""eared on my list of goals, and
I+m a long way from being concerned about getting fat$ 7ontrary to what some s/inny boys
seem to thin/, Pnot having visible absP is not necessarily synonymous with PfatP or
overweight$ I+m sorry, but I thin/ that /ind of attitude is silly emo bullshit$
I+d had 100/g as my goal for a while$ My squat and other lifts could be higher$ -he reason
is that I+ve had "eriods where I+ve "rioriti4ed other things, such as my studies$ I ma/e no
a"ologies about that, because I have only ever lifted weights on my own terms, according
to my own needs, and in "ursuit of my own goals$ 9ifting is not my life, but it has become
an integral "art of it, and I can say with confidence that lifting has im"roved my quality of
life immeasurably$
Strong9ifts Member Michael a/a Pm5hP, &0, >_
134
I@m gla" I foun" !tronglifts 474. It@s "riven home
the importance of strict technique..
My name+s Simon, I+m from >orth 9ondon, IK and I+m an administrator for a Multi"le
Sclerosis charity$ IQm &1 years old, HQ&F and currently weigh '#'lbs$ I was always a big
strong athletic /id, at the age of 1H I was a slim '&(lbs$
I first started lifting at the age of 1#$ I didn+t have any clear goals or direction$ I was ')0lbs
and wanted to dro" a little e!cess fat and build muscle$ I didn+t follow any "articular
"rogram and my sessions were dominated by machines$ * few years later a wor/
colleague who was a bodybuilder commented on my frame si4e and encouraged me to
use free weights and im"rove my diet$ I listened to his advice, but only half of it$

My diet was high in "rotein but I still ate lots of 5un/ food and only wor/ed the mirror
muscles at the gym$ I did not squat and rarely deadlifted$ -he few deadlifts I "erformed
was with "oor technique$ My routine went as follows;
Monday; ,ench =ress, ,ench .lys, Incline =ress, Dumbbell 7urls, 7oncentration
7urls, >egative 7urls, %ammer 7urls, 6everse 7urls, Drist 7urls
Dednesday; 7hin u"s, ,arbell 6ow, 7able 6ow, 6everse .ly, ?ccasional Deadlifts
.riday; Standing ,ehind the >ec/ =ress, Standing ?verhead =ress, Shrugs,
S/ullcrushers, 7able -rice" A!tensions, 6o"e -rice" A!tensions

My re" range generally went as follows; 1!(, 1!H, 1!4 and 1!' for each e!ercise$ Dhy you
as/G Dell to be honest, I couldnQt tell you then and I canQt tell you now$ I didnQt really have
a clue what I was doing$ My genetics clouded my vision for training "ro"erly$ ,eing young
and ine!"erienced, it was easy for to me feel that my training was "erfect and it didn+t
need changing$ *fter all, I had 1#F guns, s/i slo"e tra"s and was /ing of the bench "ress at
the health club$ =roblem is, des"ite my si4e I did not feel strong outside of the gym, I
"layed other s"orts and didnQt feel li/e my gym strength had much carry over$ =oor form
and a "oor "rogram lead to many shoulder strains and in5uries$ Aventually, in5uries, a lac/
of motivation and life in general lead to missed training sessions and sto""ing altogether$
*fter & years without lifting weights I wanted a new challenge, something I always wanted
to do$ I too/ u" amateur bo!ing$ I bo!ed for & years learning the sweet science$ -he
training was hard, intense and was a true test of character$ I was training H times a wee/,
135
s"arring, road running and "erforming %II-$ Infortunately I could no longer dedicate
enough time to bo!ing when I started a new 5ob and relocated to another "art of 9ondon$
,o!ing, even at amateur level requires full time dedication, as they always say E3ou donQt
["layQ bo!ingF$ During my short time as a bo!er I didnQt use any weights, it was all "ress
u"s, bodyweight squats, bur"ees, star 5um"s, ab wor/, chins and di"s$
I wanted to /ee" active after bo!ing and felt it was time to re5oin a gym$ It was now H
years since IQd touched a barbell$ ,eing older and wiser I started to search for information
online regarding effective training "rogrammes$ -his is when I came across Stronglifts$ I
was s/e"tical at first, I didnQt thin/ it made sense to squat & times a wee/$ I also didnQt
understand how you could be at times benching, rowing and "ressing twice in a wee/$
-hen I thought, ,ice" curls, where are theyG *fter browsing the forum and reading the
training logs of Strong9ifts Members who were a similar si4e to me, I decided to start
Stronglifts in Mune '00#$
Simon:s Gains June ;44< June ;44< 'o" ;4@4 Gains so far
*ge &0y &1y &1y
,odyweight BH+&PC 'H5lb ')(lb '#'lb R')lb
Deadlift H5/g '05/g 'H0/g R1#5/g
Squat H0/g ''),5/g ''),5/gB]C R1H),5/g
,ench =ress H0/g 1'5/g 15',5/g R#',5/g
=ress &0/g (0/g 105/g R)5/g
6ows &0/g #5/g 150/g R1'0/g
>O? #y S0uats ave taken a sligt %ackseat !ile I concentrate on deadlifting.
My focus on Stronglifts 5!5 was to 5ust get stronger$ My goal was not "hysique based, but
I am ha""y with the "hysique that strength training has given me$ I loo/ and feel strong
and "owerful$ *s you can see from my stats IQm bigger and heavier than when I first
started$IQd li/e to "oint out that this is "urely down to diet$ I consumed a lot of calories to
get me through the intense wor/outs$ I donQt have a "roblem with "utting on a little round
the waist if it means IQm hitting my strength goals$

*t '#'lbs IQm more e!"losive and quic/er than when I was 'H4lbs$ I donQt "lay any other
s"orts at "resent, but the changes are a""arent when s"rinting for a bus, lifting aw/ward
heavy ob5ects around the house or carrying heavy sho""ing$ I have an all round muscular
build and I feel thereQs more of a balance or harmony between my lower and u""er body,
therefore ma/ing me feel stronger$ -his can only be attributed to Squats and Deadlifts
wor/ing the body as a unit$

-here are many archaic o"inions regarding weight lifting and bo!ing$ Many of these come
from res"ected coaches and e!"erienced fighters whoQs o"inions carry serious weight in
the bo!ing community$ So itQs no wonder why so many involved in bo!ing will say Eno
weightsF, Eweights will ma/e you bul/yF, Eweights will slow you downF$
Ideally, someone new to bo!ing needs to "ut s/ills and ring craft as their main "riority
closely followed by conditioning$ In my o"inion conditioning should involve strength
training$ Squatting, Deadlifting "lus the addition of cleans are essential for any s"ort that
136
requires strength and e!"losiveness$ Strength training is not bodybuilding, you will "ut on
some muscle but you will not bul/ u" to a "oint where you lose agility and athleticism$
.our months into Stronglifts I had an accident and bro/e my right hand$ -his was a severe
blow to my training$ I went H wee/s without training and 14 wee/s without Deadlifting$ *t
the time of in5ury my stats were; Squat 1)0/g, ,ench 11)$5/g, Deadlift 1#0/g 1!5$ Des"ite
the long brea/, my training had given me a strong foundation and I was able to Squat
150/g on my first night bac/ in the gym$ Dithin H wee/s I hit a =6 of 1('$5/g for a single$
In my o"inion I feel you hold on to your gains for longer with 5!5 and &!5 strength training$
IQve /e"t a log on Stronglifts$com since I started in Mune '00#$ In my o"inion itQs essential
to log your "rogress$ I advise all Members new or old to /ee" a log as it acts as a great
motivational tool$ -he log has also allowed me trac/ bac/ and see where I went wrong and
what I can do to avoid ma/ing the same mista/es$ -he Members of the S9 7ommunity
have been motivational, ins"iring and very hel"ful$ Many of the Members have "ointed me
in the right direction with technique and training advice$

My advice to anyone reading this is to try Stronglifts 5!5$ .ollow the "rogram as laid out,
be consistent, eat well and slee" well$ 3ou DI99 get strongerJ If you donQt, then youQre
doing something wrongJ -he beauty of Stronglifts 5!5 is its sim"licity$ -he "rogram is
basic and easy to follow$ It motivates you because each time you train youQre trying to lift
more weight than the "revious session$ Do not underestimate the im"ortance of setting
=6Qs every wor/out$ 3ouQll wish you could train li/e this forever$ -hose whoQve advanced
will tell you how much they miss being able to hit a new =6 every time they train$

Some who are s/e"tical may tell you that there are other "rograms that will add more
muscle in a quic/er time$ Stronglifts 5!5 is about building a solid foundation for your future
goals be it strength or "hysique$ DonQt believe meG try it for yourself$ I am not writing this to
sell the latest bogus fitness fad$ IQm writing this because I want you to have the same
success that IQve e!"erienced with good old fashioned basic 5!5 barbell trainingJ

My "rogress has been ra"id es"ecially on squats$ -his may be genetic, but the most
im"ortant factor is consistency$ Dithout consistency your training will come to nothing$
Alite lifters have great genetic "otential, but thatQs all it is, 5ust "otentialJ ItQs their
determination, drive and consistency which have allowed them to reach such high levels
strength and "ower$

IQm glad I found Stronglifts$ I am stronger and more "owerful$ ItQs driven home the
im"ortance of strict technique$ In an age where everyone wants to get ri""ed EyesterdayF,
itQs refreshing to carry out a "rogram that encourages "atience in order to reach your
goals$ Aat well, train hard, get your rest, be "atient and consistent and you DI99 succeed
on Stronglifts 5!5J
IQll end this with a the biggest com"liment IQve received since starting on Stronglifts 5!5$$$
=&ma'ing !ork mate. 2ou are a good example of a man !o as a plan, sticks to it and is
consistent 3 and te ard !ork pays offN @ats off, tere are many !o could learn alot from
your experience over te last G5 monts or so= Martin ,rown, ,=7<D=7 =owerlifter
B1000/g total and ,ritish 7ham"ion Z 10'$(/g bodyweightC
S9 Member Simon a/a E9ittleSimon@eorgeF, &1, 9ondon IK$
137
!etting a new 5? "uring a wor&out has become one
of the most satisfying elements of my life lately..
My name is ,uc/ and IQm && years old$ IQm a Social Dor/er in 6otterdam, >etherlands$ I
started doing athletics when I was ) years and used to s"rint$ *t the age of 1(, I was
introduced to strength training$ * former ?lym"ic bobsledder trained me and a friend to do
Squats and =ower 7leans$ I found it a nice variation for the wor/outs on the trac/$
Dhen I was '0 I quit athletics due to my study, wor/ and internshi"$ I had not the energy
and motivation to do s"orts in the evening$ Strength training faded away with my decision
to quit athletics$ ,ut I /e"t going to wor/ on my bicycle and ate healthy$
-wo years after I quit athletics, I decided to enter the gym at age ''$ I had to have some
form of "hysical activity in my life whatsoever$ -he variable training times of lifting weights
fitted my life more than the fi!ed wor/outs of other s"orts$ I had no /nowledge about
training bac/ then so I 5ust did what the gym staff told me to do; bodybuilding schemes$
.or four years I trained with the usual & to 4 days a wee/ s"litschemes, with (1' re"s$
.unny thing was I became more "um"ed than strongJ *lso funny was that I had the best
"rogression with schemes that involved a lot of, what I now /now is called, com"ound
e!ercises$ %onestly I didnQt /now what com"ound e!ercises were at that time, I saw them
as isolation e!ercises$ Dhen I later read about full body e!ercises on the Stronglifts
website I learned that com"ound e!ercises are full body e!ercises$
Inli/e most gymvisitors the Squat was my favorite e!ercise$ It was motivating to see that
as a s/inny guy I outsquatted the big fellows$ I always li/ed the Squat over the leg
e!tensions$ ItQs more fun to do e!ercises where you move more than 100 /g$ ItQs u" to
mental focus, technique and brutal effort$ 7an you say the same for lateral raisesG
*fter a cou"le of years I lost interest in training because of an intense 5ob as a social
wor/er$ I had once again no energy to go to the gym in the evening$ In Se"tember '00# I
moved to another city and because of the distance between my home and wor/ I couldnQt
cycle anymore$ It was too far$ ,y e!cluding the cycling from my life, there was no "hysical
activity left$ I needed to wor/out, one way or the other$ -hatQs why I decided to train in the
gym again$ I love the gym, not only for the ty"e of s"ort, but also because of the fle!ibility
138
in training times$ IQm a busy man; fulltime 5ob, relationshi", household, social life$ .i!ed
wor/out times 5ust donQt do it for me$ -he chances are that I s/i" wor/outs that way$
I reentered a gym and started with a bodybuilding scheme from some dutch website$ *
two hours wor/out, two times a wee/$ I found it to be e!haustingJ *fter more than H0
minutes of training I usually lost my concentration, eager and energy$
-hatQs why I searched the internet for different ways of training$ I googled strength training
"rograms because I "referred com"ound e!ercises above isolation$ *nd so I came along
Stronglifts$ I had never seen such a com"lete website before$ *ll comes together in
MehdiQs boo/N logic, my e!"erience, sim"licity, and all the info you need$ 7ha"eau MehdiJ
%onestly I was s/e"tical about gaining muscle by [5ustQ & wor/outs a wee/ of one hour and
not training for the burn or "um"$ It was hard to let go off the myths IQve gathered through
my years of training in the gym$ ,ut the one thing I learned in life is to hold on to
something$ 3ou 5ust canQt say this "rogram isnQt going to wor/ after a cou"le of wee/s$ 3ou
have to believe it can wor/$ If you remain s/e"tic the selffulfilling "ro"hecy will /ill the
"rogram$ -hatQs what IQve done wrong in the "ast$ IQve switched almost more "rograms
than under"ants$ %ow are you going to measure and com"are results if you donQt give a
training "rogram a chanceG ,ecoming older and wiser certainly hel"ed me with this$
I started Stronglifts Manuary 4th '010$ I Switched to &V5 May '5th '010$ Since Mune '1st
'010 IQm on Strong9ifts Intermediate$
Buck:s Gains Jan ;4@4 Apr ;4@4 'o" ;4@4 Gains so far
*ge &&y &&y &&y
,odyweight B5+#PC )0,5/g )),5/g )(,5/g R(/g
Deadlift 100/g 1'(/g 1H4/g RH4/g
Squat )5/g 11(/g 140/g!) RH5/g
,ench =ress 50/g )0/g (4/g R&4/g
IQve gained )/g B1HlbsC of raw muscle within & months of Strong9ifts 5V5J -he la4y, the
disbelievers or the cynical ones among you may now surf to another website$ ,ut if you
do, ma/e sure you surf to a website where you can order steroids, because I canQt thin/ of
another way to gain )/g of muscles within & months naturally$ 3ouQre still reading$ @reatJ
IQm "leased and "resume youQre /een on building a muscular body in a healthy and honest
manner yourself$
Stronglifts ma/es me feel good$ *nd not only because of the gained /iloQs of muscle and
the im"roved mirror reflection, but Stronglifts ma/es me feel li/e a man$ * beast would be
an even better statement$ 9ifting weights of more than 100/g ma/es you growl li/e a
gri44ly$ If youQre a introvert "erson li/e me, itQs a funny e!"erience$ ,efore I started S95!5 I
was mostly /een on building a muscular body, but after three months of Stronglifts my
main goal is to become stronger and set new =6Qs as often as "ossible$ -he muscle will
come along and has not my s"ecific attention anymore$ Setting a new =6 during a wor/out
has become one of the most satisfying elements of my life lately$ *n e!am"le; recently I
set a new bench =6, )0/g B5V5C$ * wee/ earlier I wanted to beat the )0/g so badly$ I was
thin/ing about it a cou"le of times a day and saw myself bench that weight in my thoughts$
139
During the wor/out it was a real effort and very close$ Dith the last bit of energy left in my
body I /illed that bench beastJ -he celebrating grunt afterwards was as loud and clear as a
warriorQs would be$ IQm sure I couldnQt have made it without the mental "re"aration$
Stronglifts is all about focus, about mental "re"aration, and about setting goals$ -hereQs no
better confidence builderJ IQm already more focused on "ro5ects at my wor/, I have more
confidence in myself to give my best at "ro5ects$ *nd IQm sure IQll benefit from the s/ills IQm
develo"ing by strength training in other as"ects of my life li/e relationshi"s$
Stronglifts is sim"le$ I canQt thin/ of another training "rogram thatQs so sim"le$ ,odybuilding
"rograms often have more than ten isolation e!ercises "er wor/out, with all sorts of mind
da44ling shoc/ing "rinci"les, "yramid training, si!trainingdaysawee/s"litschemes, and
so on$ Stronglifts only has & basic e!ercises "er wor/out which you do for 5 sets of 5 re"s
with same weight$ 7an it be any easierG I donQt thin/ so$
,ut, donQt let me fool you by my statement$ ItQs the mental as"ect of this "rogram which is
challenging and I li/e that a lot$ =rogressive weight training demands mental focus$ -he
com"ound e!ercises of Stronglifts are %A*:3J 7oncentration is therefore everything,
because you have to "ut e!tra weight on the barbell every wor/out$ In addition, thereQs
"lenty of material on the Stronglifts website about form, motivation, mobility wor/ and diets
which you can study$ *nd learning new stuff is fun for the brain and /ee"s you shar"$
* more subtle feeling is "roduced by being one of the few man in my gym who are training
functional strength with fullbody wor/outs$ IQm getting my "ride out of it$ -here lies comfort
in the thought that IQve got a "reconceived "lan$ -his "lan has /e"t me on the trac/s when
some eyebrows in the gym were lifted when I wrote down notes in my training 5ournal, or
when I was doing some mobility wor/, or when I sto""ed at 5 re"s and my s"otter yelled at
me I could and should have done at least one more$ ,eside the minor [negativeQ reactions,
IQm getting res"ect from the other guys in the gym$ ?utsquatting the the 7a"tains of
I""er,ody or being as/ed to train together on the squats are e!am"les of being noticed$
>ot that my goal is to get in the s"otlights, but I use this "ositive feedbac/ to motivate
myself even more$
-he Stronglifts community is fantastic$ Avery question you have regarding the "rogram has
already been as/ed by S9 Members$ -hatQs a very cool as"ect of Stronglifts, it has a
res"ectable community which is willing to hel" each other out$ As"ecially nice was getting
to /now two guys whom are living nearby; Strong9ifts Members 9uco and =angram$ In my
gym thereQs no one on a full body "rogram$ ItQs fun to train together and sharing
enthusiasm regarding Stronglifts$ IQd li/e to than/ S9 Members 9uco and =angram for
daring to train together with me$ 9uco has been a good mentor$ %e gave me "lenty of
advice regarding my form$
IQd also li/e to than/ my girlfriend for her su""ort$ SheQs the one whoQs bringing all the eggs
and gallons of mil/ to our house without com"laining$ I may have lift thousands of "ounds
of iron, but IQm sure she have outlifted me with the groceries$ -han/s dear$
Starting a training log is one of best ways to /ee" trac/ of your "rogression$ 3ou canQt
remember the details of every wor/out$ ItQs 5ust too much Bbut vitalC information$ * log
motivates; you can see which achievements you made in a short time Bfollow Stronglifts
and you ama4e yourselfC$ It will also /ee" you on trac/ when you feel lethargic or during a
140
motivation crisis, because you have a "lan$ Dith a "lan youQre so much further than most
guys at the gym who are 5ust training by feeling$ *nd itQs fun to get motivating or instructive
re"lies from other members$ IQd li/e to than/ all the Strong9ifts Members for their
motivating comments in my training log, es"ecially %olvoetn, Maroon, -yrone and @uru for
their su""ort$
.ollow Strong9ifts 5V5 for at least & months with total dedication$ >ever miss a wor/out
and do everything as "rescribed$ DonQt worry about guys at the gym who tell you youQre
wor/ing out the wrong way$ DonQt let you be fooled by the ["um" mythQ$ DonQt get stressed
because you thin/ your u""er chest muscle is growing faster than the lower$ DonQt let
anything distract you from following Stronglifts$ Must wor/out as "lanned and measure your
results after & months$ 3ouQll be a gri44ly before you /now it$
I may sound li/e a "aid Mehdi disci"le because IQm lyric about his training "rogram, but
thatQs the "rice you have to "ay when you become a gri44ly bear after & months of S95!5$
I consider myself a wal/ing Stronglifts advertisement$
S9 Member ,uc/ a/a EOuiverF, &&, -he >etherlands$
141
I have foun" the most important part of training is setting
goals an" giving things a chance to wor&. .
My name is Mason %ansen and IQm from ?shawa 7anada$ I wor/ as a 7ommunication
lineman, as such I do a lot of "ole climbing, "ushing stuff and "ulling other stuff$ Dhen I
started lifting my lifestyle was mostly sedentary$ I watched a lot of -:, ate often, and didnQt
do much of anything$ I was around ''0 lbs at about &42 ,.$ -he fact that my 5ob is fairly
"hysical is the reason I wasnQt fatter when I started Strong9ifts 5!5$
I decided to start lifting soon after we had out second daughter$ Dith the obesity e"idemic
in >orth *merica I wanted my /ids to be the e!ce"tion not the norm$ Dith this in mind I
decided to start going to the gym so the /ids would have a "ositive role model$ -he first
few months at the gym were 5ust a mess of curls and machines$ I lost a little weight since I
was doing a tonne of cardio but I wasnQt en5oying myself$ 9oo/ing bac/ I really feel that my
time in the gym before Strong9ifts 5!5 was wasted$
I was s"ea/ing with a friend about his training "rogramme and he told me about S95!5, he
was e!"eriencing great results so I thought I would give it a try$ -hat being said I added a
lot of EstuffF in the beginning$ *s time went on I started to find that I wasnQt getting results
from the other stuff and I didnQt have the energy to waste time on them anymore$ ?nce I
started doing the "rogramme by the boo/ the stalls sto""ed and I really started to feel
satisfied with my training sessions$
-he changes to my "hysique were quite astonishing$ My weight moved around very little
but I went from &42 bf measured with cali"ers to '1$5$ =eo"le notice IQm slimmer around
the waist than I once was$ My shoulders and bac/ receive com"liments from my wife$
I feel a lot healthier now than before$ My heart no longer flutters when I get stressed$ My
relationshi" with my wife is better as I donQt get stressed as much$ My self confidence has
increased, I no longer feel the need to cross my arms over my gut while sitting$ My lifts
have gone u" dramatically, at the gym I do get loo/s and comments$ Dhen I "ut the fourth
"late on each side and squat to full de"th I turn heads$ I canQt wait until the fifth$
I started with 5ust the bar for everything e!ce"t ,ench where I had to use dumbbells due to
142
the "oorly equi""ed gym I was going to$ %ave you ever seen a gym with a squat rac/ but
no benchG 7ra4yJ *nyhow I changed gyms and here are my numbers$
Jay:s Gains June ;44< 6ec ;4@4 Gains so far)))
*ge && &5
,odyweight B5+10PC ''0lb ''0lb
,ody fat &42 '1,52 1',52
Daist 41F &),5F &,5F
,ice"s 11,5F 15,5F R4F
Deadlift #5lb 455lb R&H0lb
Squat 45lb 415lb R&)0lb
,ench =ress &0lb BdbsC '50lb
=ress 45lb 1H0lb R115lb

I have found the most im"ortant "art of training is setting goals and giving things a chance
to wor/$ * uns"ecific goal li/e get fit will never be achieved because there is no way to
quantify PfitP whereas squat 400 "ounds is very finite and "rogress can be gaged easily$
Dhen the goal is finally met you can feel satisfied for a few minutes while you ma/e your
ne!t goal$ My goals for '011 are Dead 500, Squat 450, ,ench &00 and =ress '00$
-he Strong9ifts community has hel"ed me reach my goals$ %aving a grou" of li/e minded
"eo"le to bounce ideas and questions off has hel"ed me through a lot of rough s"ots$ -he
com"etition between Members found on the Strong9ifts Strongest Man "age /ee"s me
loo/ing ahead and setting new goals$ My training log does /ee" me accountable, /ee"ing
it u"dated and not wanting to miss training sessions because "eo"le are watching hel"s$ I
find chec/ing the logs of Members with similar lifts and "rogrammes can give me ideas
that may get me "ast a tough "atch$
-o those that donQt thin/ StronglIfts 5!5 would wor/ for them I say why not try it anyhow$ H
months away from curling and machines isnQt going to /ill you$ @ive it an honest effort and
if after H months if you arenQt ha""y go bac/ to what you were doing$ I thin/ that after H
months most "eo"le would be loo/ing towards the ne!t "rogramme in the Strong9ifts
9adder of Strength "rogression rather than going bac/$
S9 Member Mason %anson a/a P55ay'000P, &5, ?shawa 7anada$
143
/ifting heavy weights teaches you to loo& insi"e
yourself an" test what you have..
Michael, &Hyo, ,risbane *ustraliaN =ublic Servant$
I was a "retty s/inny teen weighing about )&/g Bat 1(5cmC when I left school at 1Hyo to be
a news"a"er 5ournalist$ I did almost no e!ercise Ba"art from the odd indoor cric/et<touch
football teams which were more about how well you could drin/ not your "laying abilityC$ I
have always eaten fairly healthily BI+ve never had a real sweet tooth and usually coo/ed for
myselfC but loved big "ortions and was a "retty big drin/er$
I lived the good life after school, lots of drin/ing eating large meals, eating out for lunch
almost every day$ *s my metabolism started to slow in my late '0s and early &0s my
weight 5ust /e"t heading north$ *s it was incremental it wasn+t something I too/ a great
deal of notice of although I certainly new I wasn+t in s"ectacular sha"e$
Dhen I started to wor/ in @overnment at 'Hyo, I found a great little Italian restaurant near
wor/ and my wor/ colleagues and myself would gather there for lunch nearly every day$
9arge "lates of "asta and a cou"le of wines at lunch, followed by large "late of food and a
cou"le of beers for dinner$ I lived right in the heart of an entertainment "recinct and was
unencumbered by /ids and a mortgage so entertaining at my "lace meant a tri" to one of
the local cafes or "ubs for long sessions$
*fter my Bthen 4yoC son told me I had PboobsP I 5oined a gym in Mune '00( weighing in at
an embarrassing 10&$4/g$ I rec/on the =-s too/ a loo/ at me and listened to my life story
and thought Pthis guy ain+t gonna last the 5ourney and won+t be "aying for a =- so we+ll
give him the coo/ie cutter version and move onP one gym goer who is a friend of a friend
actually lost 0100 when I saw out my first month$ Dhen I first started at the gym, I "ut
down losing 10/g as my goal$ ,ut 10/g was 5ust a number, I had no idea how difficult it
would be to achieve, what I would loo/ li/e with 10/g off and was given very little
assistance by the =- in actually defining a goal$
I got the traditional P=- "rogramP, alternating weights and cardio days$ -he weights were
the chest "ress machine, the lat "ulldown, and the Smith machine for bench "ressing$
144
-he cardio was 15 mins on the treadmill, 15 mins on the crosstrainer<ste""er and 15 mins
on the bi/e$ *fter a month of that I was bored shitless and seeing very little change in
either fitness level or weight loss$ I really felt li/e I would en5oy weights training more than
cardio Bbut still believed I had to do cardio to lose weightC$
I went to my Ini library and too/ out PStrength -raining *natomyP and a "rogramming
boo/ Bcan+t recall the titleC$ Dith those I cobbled together a "rogram that consisted of
seven e!ercises done three times a wee/ with a re" scheme of &!H a squat Bor deadliftC,
a "ress, a bench "ress, "ull u"<row, trice" e!ercise, bice" e!ercise and an ab e!ercise$ I
didn+t do these very scientifically I didn+t have great form and I didn+t trac/ any details$
.or cardio I subbed in %II- on the row machines or crossfit style metcon wor/outs$ I also
added in a 5/m run every Sunday morning Brain, hail or shineC and followed that with about
5(/m of wal/ing$ *nd I started to count calories Bnot religiously, 5ust a "retty fair ideaC and
dro""ed all sugar from my diet Bi$e$ no coffee, green tea<blac/ tea with no added sugarC$
Must a general tidy u" of my diet$
I consistently lost weight until I hit )#$4/g in May '00#$ I had also gone from a si4e 4'
"ants to a si4e &4$ ,y this stage I was doing a deal of cardio at a high intensity$ I cut bac/
a bit of my cardio wor/ and increased my diet slightly as I thought I was too s/inny$ I held
between (0/g(&/g from Mune +0# through until March +10 by lifting Bwithout a "rogramC
and doing crossfitstyle metcon wor/$
*t the beginning of '010 I was loo/ing to im"rove my lifting both in quality and quantity$ I
was actually loo/ing for somewhere to buy Starting Strength as it is often quoted on
another forum I used to visit and came across Stronglifts$ *fter reading Mehdi+s boo/ I was
a convert$ I could "robably Squat (5/g and "ulled 1'0/g for &!H but I ditched the ego and
stri""ing right bac/ on all my lifts to ma/e sure I had a solid "latform of technique to wor/
with as I drove to new heights$
!ichael:s Gains !arch ;4@4 July ;4@4 Gains so far
*ge &H &H
,odyweight B1m(5C (&$5/g ((/g R4,5/g
Daist &4F &'F 'F
Deadlift 55/g 1H5/g R110/g
Squat &),5/g 1&(/g R100,5/g
,ench =ress '5/g H)/g R4'/g
Since the start of losing weight I now feel more confident$ I actually inquired about getting
a 5ob wor/ing on television Bit didn+t wor/ outC$ Dhen I was overweight I wouldn+t have had
anywhere near enough confidence to even give it a thought$
=eo"le were always commenting on my +weight loss+ but now "eo"le comment on how
much stronger I loo/$ My arms and shoulders loo/ much more defined and my quads now
overhang my /nee ca"s li/e a verandah$ I can+t recall ever going swimming with my son
during my fat days as it meant ta/ing my shirt off which was "retty embarrassing now its
a bloody cold day to ma/e me "ut a shirt on lolJ
145
,ut since starting Stronglifts 5!5 I feel stronger and with greater energy$ I am eating much
more food BI brea/ it down into si! mealsC although I do eat very clean and high "rotein
Blots of eggs, sardines, chic/en wingsC without "utting on any fat$ ,oth my sons are
embracing the healthy lifestyle and my youngest son+s B4yoC favourite "arty tric/ is to get
down and rattled off a half do4en "ush u"s$ My oldest son is always chec/ing his food Bnot
that he won+t eat a 7heese ,urger but he /nows its not "ro"er foodC$
9ifting heavy weights teaches you to loo/ inside yourself and test what you have$ 3ou
learn about being able to focus solely on the tas/ at hand$ It also ma/es you very aware of
your body$ -he S9 7ommunity often have senior members saying to new ones to remain
on Strong9ifts 5!5 for as long as "ossible as you aren+t aware of what is missing and this
is com"letely true$ *s you lift heavier you PhearP your body tell you about how it o"erates$
Dhen I started to get more educated about the relationshi" between weight loss, fat loss,
resistance training and cardio, I was a ty"ical Phave a laugh at the =-sP ty"e of gym goer$
,ut now I feel they more fall into two Band "ossibly across twoC categories 1$ under
educatedN and '$ doing things they thin/ will Ptric/P their customers into coming bac/ as
often as they can to e/e as much money out of them as "ossible$ =- customers, in the
main, "robably get what they want<deserve$
-he whole PmachineP thing in the gym does sh]t me to tears and I am sure there is a =-
version of 3ou -ube where =-s from all over the globe u"load footage them themselves
getting customers to do really ridiculous sh]t, "articularly on bosu balls and in Smith
Machines$ @iven some of the stuff I+ve seen, the =-s must be laughing to tears about
some of the stuff that "eo"le will do when they as/ them$
-o lose +weight+ it+s mainly about diet but if you are wanting to loo/ strong and healthy, then
cardio is the third choice in your armory behind diet and resistance training Band a "ro"er
"rogram C$ If you clean u" your diet and decide you aren+t about loo/ing strong but you
want to run a marathon, then more "ower to you, but the weight you lose will be as much
muscle as it will be fat$ 3ou will be lighter but you won+t necessarily loo/ any better$
Machines are rubbish$ -hey "rovide none of the intensity required to have any significant
im"act on your fatloss and are unhel"ful in building "ro"er strength and thus musclesi4e$
7rossfitstyle metcon wor/ can give you good results for weight loss but does not build
any strength nor any muscle$ 3ou really focus on endurance not "ure strength$
*s an e!am"le, so you could deadlift 1&5lbs ten but not be able to deadlift &00lbs times
but after underta/ing S95!5 and getting your deadlift to &00lbs, you+ll have no trouble
doing 1&5lbs ten times$ .rom my e!"erience, the carry over from "ure strength to
endurance is greater than the other way around$ I am underta/ing a 10/m run on three
wee/s notice des"ite it being twice as far as I+ve ever run before and not having done any
running at all since Manuary$ -he Stronglifts "rogram "rovides a solid foundation for your
@== due to the set of volume and intensity$
-he training log and S9 7ommunity are integral to the S95!5 "rogram$ .or the "rogram to
be successful, you need to 1$ be dedicated and consistent, and '$ record what you are
doing so that you can see your results$ -he training logs do that and you are aware that
you have members who are reading them and following your "rogress to /ee" you
accountable$
146
-he quality of moderating is first class with a refreshing lac/ of "ure PbroscienceP$ -he
Strong9ifts forums "rovide a healthy mi! of /nowledge from a researched "ers"ective but
also, im"ortantly, from Members who have done, or are going through, the same "rocess
as you are$ -hey have encountered the "roblems and have found wor/arounds to road
bloc/s$
If you are overweight and you are wishing to get healthy and loo/ good, then the
Stronglifts "rogram and the associated dietary advice is 5ust what you required$ -he S9
"rogram will enable to you target +fat loss+ rather than weight loss and "rovide you with the
incentive of getting better at something session after session$
Doing cardio to lose fat, or worse wasting your valuable time and hard earned money on
gym machines, and then moving on to building u" muscl is an inefficient way to getting
results$ 3ou can simultaneously lose fat, retain muscle and build strength by doing
Stronglifts$ Squatting three times a wee/ along with the other +big com"ound lifts+ "ress,
bench "ress and deadlift and the associated assistance e!ercises is all the e!ercise you
need accom"anied by a reformed diet to deliver fat loss and a better loo/ing, stronger and
healthier body$ ,y the time you have done 1' wee/s of the Stronglifts "rogram, you will
/now enough about your body to be able to deliver the e!act results you are loo/ing for
whether that is more muscle, +hawt ab4+, greater strength etc$

S9 Member Michael a/a PStaroffloridaP, &Hyo, *ustralia$
Success story "osted on the Strong9ifts .aceboo/ .an =age$$$$
Do this "rogram it is coolJ
-he other day I had a strange e!"erience$ It was a cou"le of days after the "ost abt
com"liments$ I wor/ away B9ondonC from home BManchesterC alot and I stay in hotels
anyway the hotel I was staying in had a good gym ie it had a squat rac/J -here were &
big cha"s around the squat rac/ doing "artial squats Bgoing down abt &WC they were
s"otting each other with abt 1'0/g of weight$ *fter they had finished I was ne!t onN now
IQm not a big cha" myself 5QH (0/g
I was squatting 5V5 1'0/g atg w<o a s"otter and I swear it was as if the whole gym
sto""ed and loo/ed at meN the cha"s who had been doing "artials loo/ed visibly
embarrassed$
I started about H months ago on the "rogram and itQs the best thing I have ever doneJ I
am &# years old and have trained on and off since I was a teen but I have never done
anything with the consistency I a""lied to this L I "ut this down to this "rogram wor/s
and gets results and is sim"leJ
*hamar 6ifat, &#, 9ondon IK$
147
%hen you hear, $a", you@re really strong. that
is what ma&es it all worthwhile..
Simon, &H, '00lbs, 5Q11W$ .orensic 7om"uting *nalyst from the IK$
?ver the years I had lifted weights on and off$ @enerally this had involved machines and
very often without any "articular focus$ 9eg wor/ was none e!istent and the nearest I got
to free weights were the dumbbells at the gym$ I decided to give u" my gym membershi"
and bought some free weights to use in my garage at home$ I had been following a rough
s"lit ty"e "rogram and had read u" on the [squats and mil/Q "rogram$ %aving s"ent some
time on this, I was seeing results, but again I always seemed to lac/ a s"ecific focus$ I
reali4ed this was mainly due to not setting goals to wor/ towards$
7arrying out some more research on the internet, I soon became more aware of the squat
and deadlift and the benefits of both$ Dhile searching for articles on form, I came across
Stronglifts$ I 5oined the 7ommunity on ) Manuary '00( and made my first "ost a wee/ later
after a good bit of reading$ My first re"ly was from Mehdi L the site was still relatively newJ
-hese were my initial goals; :!anting to lose te fat and tone up P o and get stronger.
@oping as an initial goal to get over G77kg in my s0uatting, GJ7 for deads !it %enc and
press !eigts getting up to a respecta%le amount as !ell.;
*nd I wrote; :Love te site, it)s nice and simple !itout all te extra unnecessary %ells and
!istles oter sites ave P pretty muc like te programme itself I guess P simple,
effective and straigt to te pointN;
Simon:s Gains Jan ;44G 'o" ;4@4 Gains so far
*ge &4y &Hy
,odyweight B5+11FC #0/g #0/g
Deadlift H0/g '00/g R140/g
Squat 50/g 1)0/g R1'0/g
,ench =ress &5/g 100/g RH5/g
148
In reality though, it is anything but sim"le$ It is not 5ust about lifting the bar, but "rogressive
loading, the correct food and good quality rest$ It is also about consistency$ -here is so
much information on the whole site and the way it is all "ut together a""ealed to me then
as it continues to do so now$ I "rogressed well with Stronglifts$ I bought a "ower rac/ and
eventually and olym"ic bar and weights$ I started Strong9ifts 5!5 on ) Man 0($
9ife gets in the way sometimes and for one reason or another my lifting too/ a bac/ seat$ I
lost a lot of weight L fat and muscle through this but Stronglifts was always there to return
to and get me bac/ u" to s"eed$ %aving had a 4 month or so brea/, by Muly '00# my
deadlift was u" to 1('/g B400lbsC$
Since then I had an unsuccessful run at 5<&<1 L again my "ersonal life got in the way
somewhat L but I missed squatting & times a wee/ as well$ I returned to lifting in the new
year with Strong9ifts &!5 to get my numbers u" again before focusing on my squat$ My
main goal remains a '')/g B500lbC deadlift and a 1(0/g B400lbC squat$ Secondary goals
are ,ench 11'$5/g B'50lbsC and =ress #0/g B'00lbsC, maybe more, weQll see$
-he whole community at Stronglifts is what ma/es it wor/ for me$ Kee"ing a training log,
commenting in other logs, threads and com"etitions /ee"s you motivated$ I have what I
would class as some good friends at Stronglifts$ IQve never met and "robably am unli/ely to
meet most of them, but thatQs not the "oint$
9i/e most things, "eo"le always /now best$ Stronglifts 5!5 wor/s$ I canQt "ut it any sim"ler
than that$ IQm from the chubby side of lifting, if you are too and you want this to wor/, my
advice is; use the Strong9ifts Diet and donQt go mad on starchy carbs, follow Stronglifts
5!5 consistently, wor/ hard with "rogressive loading and get a good ( hours slee" each
night$ It can be challenging though and I+m far from good all the time$
9ac/ of slee" is my bugbear L but thatQs the "erils of a H year old sonJ ,ut when you hear,
EDad, youQre really strongF that is what ma/es it all worthwhile$ My son doesnQt care for
washboard abs and to be honest neither do I$ I feel stronger than I did, I feel better inside
and I feel within myself I loo/ better$ IQm not massive, I+m not cut, but I feel strong$ -hatQs
really down to com"ound lifts and Stronglifts 5!5$
S9 Member Simon a/a EMouseF, &), IK$
149
I<" never trie" pushing myself as har" as !/ 474 calle" for,
but I wante" to see how far I coul" go with it..
&)yrs old, H+0W, '00lbs and I have no idea what my body fat is$ I+m from Sas/atchewan,
7anada and I wor/ at a satellite trac/ing station$ It+s mostly a des/ 5ob so I don+t do a lot of
"hysical activity outside of my weight training$
I got suc/ered into a 1yr membershi" at '4hr .itness bac/ in 1##5 and was given a
machine routine to follow$ >o advice on diet, "rogression, /ee"ing a logboo/, nada$ I
wor/ed hard to get results but ultimately got s/inny and wea/er not bigger and stronger$ I
started my current 5ob in the beginning of 1##( and I didn+t do lifting of any /ind until
Dec$'004 when I decided that I was out of sha"e and this was not going to continue$
I "rinted out a bodybuilding$com wor/out log titled P-hree day Dor/out for Mass$P It called
for 1 set of 1& different Bhalf isolation<half com"oundC e!ercises but didn+t give guidelines
on form, "rogression, deloading and so on$ 9oo/ing bac/, it was "oorly thought out but it
was better than what I was doing before, nothing$ My "rintouts go to mid?ct '005$
I hurt both shoulders Brotator cuff in5ury li/ely from using the "ec dec/ and benching with
im"ro"er formC and sto""ed lifting again until Man$'00#$ I was very gunshy about re
in5uring my shoulders$ I, ignorantly, started using the same bodybuilding tem"late but cut
out the e!ercises that I felt caused the shoulder im"ingement$ So, I was doing things li/e
dumbbell squats, leg curls, leg e!tensions, calf raises, chinu"s and cable rows$
I slowly changed the routine and started crossing out the stu"ider isolation e!ercises and
added ' more sets to what I was doing, as well as changing the order of the e!ercises
from wor/out to wor/out$ ,y March '00#, I started following a &day full body routine off -
nation$ 4 com"ound e!ercises Be!$ bench, rows, "ress, squats and deadliftsC, ' single 5oint
e!ercises Bcurls, trice" e!tensions, calf raisesC, e!ercise variation every few wor/outs and
so on$ So I felt it was a better "rogram than the bb$com one I had been using$
I had been doing this routine for around a year and wasn+t seeing gains$ My numbers were
"lateaued and my love handles<belly were getting bigger which I found alarming$ I was
loo/ing for barbell s"ecific routines and Strong9ifts$com came u"$ * reassessment of what
I was eating by reading the articles here on nutrition and calorie counting for a cou"le of
150
wee/s gave me a sla" u"side of my head$ My diet as it turns out was too low in "rotein
and too high in carbohydrates$ I read and followed the Strong9ifts Diet, drastically
increased my "rotein inta/e,started eating more fruits and veggies as well as reducing my
refined carbohydrate inta/e$
I was a little bit worried about hurting myself with Strong9ifts 5!5 Bright /nee was badly
twisted while s/iing 5yrs "reviously and the aforementioned bad shouldersC but decided to
give it a try anyway$ I+d never tried "ushing myself as hard as linear "rogression called for
but wanted to see how far I could go with it$ I bought a chea" &00lb ?ly weight set,
un5un/afied a room in my basement, set u" a cou"le of saw horses and started lifting S9
5V5 on .eb$''<10$
,olf:s Gains 5e();;H@4 Jul)/H@4 Gains so far)))
*ge &)y &)y
%eight H+0P H+0P
Daist &)P &5,5P 1,5P
,odyweight 1#)lbs '00lbs R&lbs
Deadlift B]C 150lbs &'0lbs R1)0lbs
Squat B]]C 1'0lbs ''5lbs R#5lbs
I+m ha""y with the results$ My older brother has commented offhandedly about my PbigP
arms$ I 5ust chuc/le and sha/e my head$ Strengthwise, my niece gets a /ic/ out of me
carrying her around li/e a sac/ of "otatoes and easily "ressing her overhead$
My shoulders are much better than they were when I hurt them$ I thin/ a combination of
more overhead "ress wor/ and broomstic/ stretches hel"ed rehab them$ I haven+t been
conscientious about mobility wor/ on my /nees but I don+t have any ma5or /nee issues
from doing the lifts so no worries there$ I did get some tendonitis in my right hi" fle!ors and
a sore lower bac/ from losing good form on my squats but it+s healed$ I+ve been more
diligent with /ee"ing my /nees from going forward and /ee"ing a tight bac/ when coming
u" out of the hole$
=eo"le don+t li/e to get out of their comfort 4one so starting something li/e barbell training
is daunting and dangerous to them$ -hat is a "ity because strength is so readily a""licable
to everyday life$ %ell, o"ening a can of anything Bno cheating with hot water under the ta"
5</C effortlessly after someone else struggles with it$ =lacing a bo! on a high shelf in the
closet, carrying grocery bags to<from the car, etc$ -here is a bit of selfimage too$ I won+t
deny it, I do chec/ myself out sometimes in mirrors I wal/ "ast$
9ifting weights and eating healthy can im"rove one+s quality of life and body com"osition
better than boring cardio or a bodybuilding style of wor/out$ 9ift heavy using com"ound
movements and do it consistently, eat lots of "rotein<veggies<fruit and try to get a decent
night+s slee"$
S9 Member 6olf a/a EMoving-argetF, &), Sas/atchewan 7anada$
151
If you can impose your will over a col" heavy lump
of iron an" it<s accomplice gravity then you
can overcome all sorts of problems..
My first name is 6ichard but I "refer to use my middle name Mames or Mim$ I+m a
3or/shireman and wor/ in the IK 7riminal Mustice System, these days behind a des/$
I "layed the usual s"orts at school, cric/et and then rugby, although I+ve never been
bothered about football, too clumsy I su""ose$ I had a run in with a cou"le of lads late at
night getting off a bus who randomly "ic/ed a fight with me$ I wasn+t doing very well
defending myself when I was hel"ed out by a local bodybuilder who ran across the road
and saw off the two lads$ I decided to start lifting weights so I+d stand a better chance in
situations li/e that$
I started lifting at home in the basement of my "arents house using an old weight set
belonging to my father$ ,y the time I was 1) in 1#(# I began training three times a wee/,
Monday, Dednesday and .riday$ I weighed 1' stone B1H(lbsC and wore '( inch waist
5eans which seems very s/inny these days$
My first years of training were sim"le, I only had basic equi"ment, a barbell, bench and a
"air of flimsy squat stands$ I used sim"le linear "rogression on the Squat, ,ench =ress
and Deadlift, following a routine very similar to S95!5 adding a little weight each time until
you stall$ I had the usual success with linear "rogression Beven though I didn+t /now to call
it that thenC that you can e!"ect$ ,y 1# years old I weighed 14 stone B1#HlbsC and was
determined to deadlift 500lbs$
I started "owerlifting and hit the PmagicP numbers of 400lbs Squat, &00lbs ,ench and
500lbs Deadlift, and then got stuc/ at those weights for a cou"le of years$ Aventually I+ve
made it to elite numbers in all the big lifts and some more obscure lifts$ *t one "oint I could
"ress a "air of 150lb dumbbells for & re"s and a "air of 100lb dumbbells for '0 re"s$
*t my biggest I weighed '55lbs and too/ a si4e 54 in suit 5ac/ets and had a 40 inch waist$ I
could Deadlift over H00lbs, Squat in the high 500lbs area, and ,ench over 450lbs$ ?nce in
152
a benchonly show I benched &15lbs for 15 re"s$
-he biggest mista/e I ever made was when I started training at a bodybuilding gym and
began lifting with a grou" of bodybuilders$ ?ver a "eriod of months they "ersuaded me to
abandon my traditional training routine and start following a multi"le body"art s"lit ty"e
routine$ .or about & years I com"letely stalled, my lifts stayed more or less static and my
bodyweight stayed the same$ Dorse still I didn+t even loo/ li/e a bodybuilder$
My second mista/e was to sto" measuring my "erformance, I sto""ed /ee"ing a training
diary and began to focus on the body "arts I was training$ I actually began to care about
the difference between an incline bench "ress and a dumbbell fly$
-hen I moved gyms again and met an old "owerlifter, a man in his H0s who was still
benching &00lbs, and squatting and deadlifting 405lbs$ -his old guy was following a
routine used by 6eg =ar/, this routine was a full body wor/out three times a wee/, again
com"ound lifts using 5!5 li/e Strong9ifts 5!5$ %e told me to worry about my numbers and
the body would follow$ %e as/ed me if I+d ever seen a man how could squat 405 who
loo/ed wea/$ It made "erfect sense$ I decided to quit the body"art ty"e training and 5ust go
bac/ to "owerlifting, this was "erha"s in '000$
I found Strong9ifts$com one winter night in '00( by googling PdeadliftP and saw an article
written by Mehdi about correct deadlift form$ I+d been stalled on the deadlift for some time
and found the article very interesting$ It was one of the most straight forward "ieces on the
lift I+d seen, so I had a loo/ around the site at the other information$ -he mission of S9 was
a real change from all the "oorly written, badly researched and fran/ly misleading stuff I
tended to see on the internet$ -his no ,S a""roach was very welcome$
I+ve not tested my ma!es for a while as I+m more concerned with staying in5ury free these
days although I am still going for increased weights$ I too/ several months recently to fi!
my bench after hurting my shoulder$ *fter months of slowly tin/ering with weights and form
I 5ust got bac/ to benching that magic four "lates last Mune '010$ I+m now aiming to "ush
"ast 405lbs again$ 7urrent stats; &(y, 5+#W, 1H stones B''4lbsC, &H inch trousers$
?ne other goal I+m chasing is a seated "ress behind the nec/ with &15lbs$ I+ve come close
in '010 but I thin/ with some hard wor/ I can get there$ I failed with H00lbs on the Squat
recently and in5ured a rib, which set me bac/ a little, so I+ve been trying a new a""roach
with Squats$ My goal is still H00lbs but I+m more interested in getting more re"s with a
lighter weight than an all out ma! lift$
-hese days I can+t imagine not being a weightlifter in some ca"acity$ *nyone who /nows
me thin/s of me as PstrongP before they consider any other quality I might have, it+s sim"ly
become who I am$ My lifetime long battle with the iron has forged a /ind of mental strength
though that is as useful as the "hysical "ower$ If you can im"ose your will over a cold
heavy lum" of iron and it+s accom"lice gravity then you can overcome all sorts of
"roblems$ *ll it ta/es to ma/e me ha""y now is the love of a good woman, a belly full of
beer and "ies and a half ton of iron$
My wife has been training longer than me Babout '& years nowC she was a natural
bodybuilder for many years$ She started training after being told she was too s/inny for the
first years of her life$ ?nce she started training she was bitten by the bug and it became
153
one of the central interests of her life$ -hese days she+s doing olym"ic lifting after deciding
to learn the clean and 5er/ in '00# to re"lace her 7: wor/$ She 5ust fell in love with the
challenge$
I+ve en5oyed /ee"ing a training log at Strong9ifts as "eo"le seem to en5oy my ranting and
also it+s nice to have someone care what you+ve actually lifted and understand what that
means$ Dhen I tell a non lifting friend I+ve benched 400lbs it doesn+t really mean anything
to them, they don+t understand the effort involved Band aren+t really interested anywayC$
%ere there are "eo"le I may never meet and they actually want me to get that big lift, 5ust
li/e I want them to im"rove and get as strong as "ossible$ I+ve been lifting for over '0
years and love all the strength s"orts I li/e S9$com as it encourages "eo"le to reach their
goals and give them the tools that will hel" get there$ If I can hel" my s"ort in some small
way by "osting the odd bit of advice here and there it ma/es me ha""y$ I+m &( and don+t
have much time for the usual carry on on internet forums, the Strong9ifts 7ommunity is
"olite and everyone seems to really want to hel" the other S9 members reach their goals$
*lso we all have similar goals, we all want to im"rove and be stronger$
I wish I+d had access to Strong9ifts$com when I first "ic/ed u" a barbell '0 years ago$
Strong9ifts 5!5 is "robably the best, most accessible "rogram available for that I+ve seen$
-o anyone who says these methods don+t wor/, I 5ust say to you they do$ *ll my early
"rogress can be attributed to the same methods that you+ll find on Strong9ifts and all my
later "rogress grew out of those methods$
I+ve been very luc/y over the years to train with some incredibly strong men including
some "rofessional strongmen and com"etitive bodybuiders$ -he one thing they have in
common is that both grou"s go into the gym to "rogress in some way, and a in a way they
can measure$ *lso when you actually watch them train they actually use very similar
methods, big com"ound lifts with increasing measured effort$
.inally I+d 5ust li/e to add that in the time I+ve been a member, which is now almost three
years, since Manuary '00(, it+s been good to see the number of Strong9ifts Members
who+ve increased their lifts$ S9 was mainly full of beginners when I 5oined but now there
are quite a few elite lifters here$ -he system obviously wor/s$
S9 Member Mim a/a PMim SladeP, &(, 3or/shire IK$
154
I once thought that I was Bust too ol" to "o these things.
+ow that I can "o that I feel much younger, an" I
"on<t consi"er myself ol" anymore..
I am &# years old now and being a scientist, until one and a half years ago, the hardest
e!ercise I had ever done during the "revious '0 years of my life was stri/ing /eys on a
com"uter /eyboard all day long$
%owever, in my early teens, I was quite active$ I trained as a s"rinter and was com"etitive
in my home country BSoviet Inion at that timeC$ I won lots of regional com"etitions B?K,
also lost a lot them, should be added for com"letenessC and once got to a final at a
national level$ I was also quite strong; 10 muscle u"s and a single one arm "ull u" with my
right hand$ I was "articularly very "roud of my one arm "ull u" because I was able to
totally humiliate my bodybuilding buddies by doing that Bthey would try and 5ust hang on
the bar not being able even to bend their armC$
Dhen I decided to study seriously at a university BI was 1) at that timeC, I quit s"ort and
never did anything "hysically related seriously in the following '0 years$ I was quite athletic
for some time$ ,ut '0 years of doing nothing undid everything$ I became fat and wee/$ I
still had a selfimage of being athletic, but that was 5ust an illusion$
I came to a "oint when I was not able to do a single "ro"er "ush u" and doing "ullu"s
was totally unthin/able for me$ I develo"ed "ain basically everywhere B/nees, shoulders,
elbows, lower bac/, *chilles tendonC$ I tried to avoid doing anything involving "hysical
activity, bit it 5ust did not wor/$ -he "ains I had did not become better, but they were
getting worse and worse actually$
So about & years ago, I started thin/ing about how to get rid of the "ain$ I found a boo/
about soft tissue wor/ and trigger "oint massage hel"ed a lot in getting rid of the "ain in
my 5oints$ ,ut it did not wor/ 1002 and whenever I would do something PstrenuousP, the
"ain would return again$ -he author recommended to combine soft tissue wor/ with
e!ercises in order to get rid of the "ain "ermanently$ So I started searching what to do$
I searched the web and found many sites with loads of contradicting information$ I found
Mehdi+s Strong9ifts$com very hel"ful because it had very nice descri"tions of how to do the
various e!ercises$ ,ut I did not start doing Mehdi+s Strong9ifts 5!5 "rogram right away
because I had Plots of reasonsP to believe that this was not a "ro"er way to train$ -his was
of course based on the information I got from a huge number of other internet sites that
advertised bodybuilding style training$
155
,ut I /e"t an eye on Strong9ifts$com because it had a nice 7ommunity where Members
"osted their training logs and I could see for my self if this training method wor/ed or not$
@radually I was more and more inclined to try the Strong9ifts 5!5 "rogram sim"ly because
many "eo"le were getting great results$ I was "articularly im"ressed by a 5& year old guy,
7has B"age 1(&C, who was basically in the same boat as me before starting to train, but in
5ust one year of training was ca"able of lifting weights I could only dream about at that
time$ *nd I am actually 1) years younger than 7has$ My only concern was that I had "ain
in the /nees and shoulders$ *nd how can you squat and "ress li/e that & times a wee/G
-his was really a big concern for me$
,ut I had to ta/e a lea" of faith and I never regretted$ I 5oined the S9 7ommunity in
Manuary '00# and started to train as laid out in the Mehdi+s boo/, starting with the em"ty
bar everywhere, e!ce"t for the deadlift$ My bodyweight was about 100 /g BI am 1#0cm tallC
with about 1('02 bodyfat$ Squatting & times "er wee/ did not ma/e my /nees worse$ I
still had to do a lot of soft tissue wor/, but over time my /nees were getting slowly better$
In about two months, it was too hard for me to follow the "rogram and I was about to
deviate from it BI actually deviated for a few wee/sC$ ,ut at that time, Mehdi launched his
coaching "rogram and I 5oined it$
Mehdi "ut me bac/ on the S9 "rogram and changed my diet$ I started to follow the S9
Diet, and my training became much better right away$ I was getting stronger and losing fat
at the same time$ Mehdi also im"roved my lifting technique substantially$ I trained under
Mehdi+s su"ervision for 4 months, and I en5oyed these months quite a lot$ -raining with
Mehdi taught me the real secret of getting stronger; consistency$ -hat was sim"ly because
he "ut so much energy into analysis of my training that I would feel very embarrassed if I
did not show u" for the ne!t wor/out$
*fter about H months of doing S95!5, Mehdi and I decided it was time to switch to an
intermediate training "rogram$ I trained using the Strong9ifts Intermediate "rogram for
another H months, and then I did ' cycles of the Strong9ifts *dvanced "rogram$
3lad:s Gains Jan ;44< July ;4@4 Gains so far)))
*ge &)y &#y
,odyweight BH+&C 100/g 100/g
Deadlift H0/g '01/g R141/g
Squat '0/g 1H',5/g R14',5/g
,ench '0/g 100/g R(0/g
=ress '0/g )5,5/g R55,5/g
I once thought that I was 5ust too old to do the above things$ >ow that I can do that I feel
much younger than before, and I don+t consider myself old anymore$ My bodyweight is the
same as when I started, but you can see on the "ics that I lost fat and gained muscle$
I am basically free now of any chronic "ain, and I can do a lot things which I could not do
before; "ush u"s, "ull u"s, 5um"ing with my son from 1 meter height when we "lay without
ris/ing any in5ury Bmy & year old son li/es to 5um" a lotC, running when I wish, lifting heavy
ob5ects$ >o need for a warm u" before doing this$ Must a cou"le of years ago, trying to do
any of those things could lead to an immediate in5ury$
156
I would really recommend the Strong9ifts 5!5 "rogram to any individual who wants to get
bac/ in sha"e, lose fat and gain muscle and get stronger at the same time$ ?ne can "ut a
lot of science into why this "rogram is su""osed to wor/, but the most im"ortant thing is
that this "rogram also wor/s great in reality Bnot 5ust in theoryC, and it+s a very sim"le
"rogram as well, which ma/es it quite easy to stic/ to and follow$
S9 Member :ladislav a/a E:ladF, &#, Denmar/$
' quic/ success stories "osted on the Strong9ifts .aceboo/ .an =age$$$$
EMental Strength S Strong9ifts; I am so than/ful for Strong9ifts because It has hel"ed
me through the toughest financial and emotional crisis I+ve had in years$ Day after day, I
loo/ed for wor/ and couldn+t get a callbac/$ My savings was being de"leted and there
seemed no way out$ -he mental disci"line of going to the gym when I+d rather curl u" in
bed and feel sorry for myself was "riceless$
6efusing to eat 5un/ food, staying "ositive, .?67I>@ myself to hit the weights when I
felt li/e giving u" has made me a much stronger "erson =hysically and mentally$ I+ve
landed a good "aying 5ob with wonderful su"ervisors and cowor/ers, and great benefits
was my "aydayJ
KI7KA6; My new 5ob almost didn+t manifest because I was going to s/i" the interview
because I was so discouraged$$$$Strong9ifts hel"ed my mental strength to give it one
more shot, and guess whatG I nailed the interview, and got the 5ob and am en5oying
lifeJJJ -%*>KS MA%DI 3?I -%A M*>JJJF
Ken 9ucas, *urora, 7olorado$
EKen, your "ost could have been written by me$ I in5ured my bac/ last year, was off
wor/, had s"inal surgery in >ovember 0#$ %ad a whole host of "ain "roblems still to this
day$ 7ould not lift regular for some time, but when I was able to resume on a steady
basis, it did wonders for my mental outloo/$ 7ould not find a 5ob for the longest time,
afterall, who wants to hire a guy 4) years old with a history of bac/ "roblems$ 6ecently
was hired into a career "osition and life is now loo/ing good$ 9ifting and the su""ort
networ/ with /ee"ing a log has /e"t me focused and determined to never give u" in life$
My log is yochim5&1, if you care to see some more of what I have been through$
7ongrats to you in your successJF
David 3ochim, 4), 9eavenworth, Kansas$
157
!trength training effects more than your bo"y, it also
transforms your attitu"e an" outloo&..
My name is Meff, I am 40 years old and live in Denver, 7olorado, IS*$ I am selfem"loyed
as an insurance bro/er$
I started running to train for s"orts in middle and high school, and continued throughout
college$ I graduated high school at 1( weighing 1&' lbs at 5+ #$5P and then college at '1
about 150 lbs$ I have an ectomor"h build, with light bone structure BI can gri" my thumb
and middle finger around my o""osite wristC$
.rom my mid twenties to mid thirties I sto""ed running$ I was so focused on wor/, then
family, that I became one dimensional and sto""ed e!ercising$ In my late thirties, I got
bac/ into running to stay in sha"e and ward off weight gain, and wor/ed u" to '5&0 miles
a wee/$ Dith running and then training for a marathon, I became lean$ I weighed 15(lbs$
-hen I decided that I needed to get strong again$ In my teens and early twenties, I used to
lift weights to train for s"orts$ I returned to resistance training around .ebruary '00($ My
wor/out routine came from an old P@old+s @ym boo/P which I+ve had since the eightiesJ I
wor/ed out with a four day s"litN alternating between legs, bac/, bice"s, then chest,
shoulders, trice"s$ *fter each wor/out, I ran from &0H0 minutes$ I now reali4e that this
was a body builder routine1$ I did all the ty"ical stuffN leg "ress, leg e!tensions, leg curls,
"reacher curls and other machines$ -he only thing I did with a barbell was bench "ress$ I
did this basic routine until the end of '00( with no real results$
In '00#, I switched gyms and hired two different PtrainersP$ I did more machines and
e!ercises li/e squats while standing on a ,osu ball with light dumbells on the theory that
this would strengthen my Pcore$P I feel that this was 5ust a rehash of the club+s flavor of the
day in wor/out theory$ I also did Bgas"C smith machine Squats and lunges, and smith
machine seated overhead "ress$ My strength did not increase, I gained no muscle si4e,
and I did not receive any advice about diet$ I also did way too much cardio which wor/ed
at cross "ur"oses to my goal of getting bigger and stronger$
I was frustrated by my lac/ of muscle and si4e gains after a year and a half of wor/ing out
on machines and running$ I had little to show for my effort other than being defined$ I
thought I had Pbad geneticsP since I+ve always been small boned and thin$ Dhile running I
weighed15(lbs$ *fter resistance training for almost 1( months, I got u" to about 1H0lbs$
I started doing research on the internet, and came across Strong9ifts$com around the
beginning of ?ctober '00#$ -he success stories were motivating but I was s/e"tical
whether they were real and not "ure hy"erbole$ .ran/ly, you read a lot of useless stuff in
fitness maga4ines, and on other websites$
I wasn+t sure I+d be able to stic/ to the S95!5 routine doing the same e!ercises for a long
"eriod of time$ I had been told that it was necessary to Pconfuse musclesP by changing
routines every (1' wee/s$ I was also worried that I+d become bored doing the same
e!ercises$ *nd I was concerned about Squats because "rior trainers and gymgoers told
me Squats can hurt your /nees1$
I li/ed that Mehdi didn+t try to sell me a su"er secret "atented wor/out "rogram only
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available for 10 "ayments of 0^, some magical su""lements to ma/e me huge in '
months, or require "urchases of s"ecial equi"ment for large outlays of cash$ I also was
attracted to the fact that S95!5 was a sim"le "rogram that would ta/e me through many
months of "rogress without steroids and s"ending hundreds of dollars a month on
su""lements$ -he best "art was that Mehdi gave his S95!5 "rogram for freeJ >othing was
secret, and his website gave you everything you needed to /now to do his "rogram$
Mehdi made it easy$ *ll you needed was Punder one roof,P the website$ Mehdi "erformed
the hard wor/ of distilling a large and confusing body of information into a form that anyone
could assimilate and learn at their own "ace$ I found myself s"ending hours reading the
boo/, and blog "osts about e!ercise form and nutrition, and logs of S9 Members which
described their struggles, thoughts about S95!5 and e!ercise "hiloso"hy, and motivations$
Dhat got me on board to try the Strong9ifts 5!5 "rogram was that if it didn+t wor/ Pas
advertisedP I could always sto" whenever I chose$ I wasn+t loc/ed in$ I also /new that the
bodybuilder routines and machines weren+t wor/ing for me, and I was willing to try
something different$ -he metric I would measure the "rogram by were the results$ If I didn+t
get results then I would sto" and try something else$ So, I gave myself a deadline of &
months, and then I would reassess whether Stronglifts 5!5 was effective$
I decided to sto" running and focus on weight and muscle mass gains with the com"ound
e!ercises and by im"roving my diet$ I started Stronglifts 5!5 on ?ctober '), '00#$ I had a
base of strength from my resistance training on machines between .ebruary '00( and
?ctober '00#, but really was a runner$ I had not done Squats since college Babout '0
years ago, and with what I now /now was terrible formC and had never done deadlifts or
?verhead =ressesJ
Jeff:s Gains Oct ;44< 6ec ;4@4 Gains so far)))
*ge &#y 41y
,odyweight B5+#$5FC 1H0lbs 1()lb R')lb
Deadlift 1&5lb &40lb R'05lb
Squat 115lb &15lb R'00lb
,ench 115lb ''0lb R105lb
=ress (5lb 150lb RH5lb
I have gained ') "ounds in ( months$ I am not fat, I can still see my abs, and don+t have a
gut$ I+ve gotten bigger, and stronger than I have ever been in my life$ My chest and
shoulders have grown$ My medium si4ed shirts stretch across my chest and bac/,
whereas before Stronglifts 5!5 they were loose$
-he biggest change in my "hysique is that I+ve grown a butt and big thighs$ Dhile running
5 days a wee/, I had a flat butt and s/inny legs$ My "ants have gone from &0 inch waist
while running to a si4e &4 inch waist sim"ly because my legs no longer fit into the smaller
si4es$ My si4e &4&H inch cotton bo!er shorts stretch around my thighsJ .inally, my arms
have also become larger$
* trainer at my first gym switched last month to my new gym$ %e hadn+t seen me in 1)
months$ I wal/ed u" and said P%i, I remember you$P %e said, PDow, I barely recogni4ed
you$ 3ou+ve gotten so much biggerJP My re"ly was, P3u", ') "ounds$P It gives me added
159
confidence$ I have a feeling of accom"lishment every time I grab the bar and "ush or "ull
more weight than the last time$ -he weight room is Pmy s"ort$P It+s my hobby, and it is
addicting$ I+ve always felt small$ I don+t any more1$
Mehdi made observations about his e!"eriences with e!ercise, the com"ound lifts, and
e!ercise+s im"act on his own life$ A!ercise effects more than your body, it also transforms
your attitude and your outloo/$ I /now it may sound "ollyannaish but I believe it is true$
Must loo/ u" the definition of my member name inside the Strong9ifts 7ommunity
P=anglossianJP
I regret not finding S95!5 when I was in my teens$ I wish I had these strength and si4e
results bac/ in high school and college$ I graduated high school at 1( weighing 1&' lbs Bat
my current height of 5+ #$5PC and then college at '1 about 150 lbs$ I feel I would have had
more success in s"orts with greater strength, and more confidence with the si4e gains that
Strong9ifts 5!5 gave me$
-he most im"ortant thing is to define your goal$ -he "rogram you choose needs to align
with the results you need to meet your goal$ If your goal is strength increases and weight
gain, then you need a different a""roach from the "erson loo/ing to solely lose weight$ -o
lose fat and weight, long distance running "lus dieting wor/s but does nothing for strength,
and "robably reduced my overall strengthJ In fact if you+re loo/ing to lose weight, diet is
even more im"ortant than e!ercise, although e!ercise /ee"s you on the right "athJ
%owever, if your goal is to run a marathon then long distance running is the "rogram to
reach that goal$ I was always a long distance runner$ ?ne of my life goals was to run a
marathon, which I did$ I still run now, but less$ *lso, as "er my training log, I feel I+ve lost
some s"eed due to running while my legs are still recovering from Squats and Deadlifts$ I
am totally fine with losing some running "rowess, I li/e the si4e and strength much more$ It
is a tradeoff that I am willing to ma/e to achieve my si4e and strength goals$
I started doing S95!5 in ?ctober '00#, but started my training log in May, '010 when I hit
')5lbs for 5!5 on Squats$ I was worried that I wouldn+t succeed so I didn+t want to go
"ublic until I had something significant to re"ort$ I now regret that decision$ I should have
started the training log earlier$ I+ve been ama4ed at how hel"ful other S9 members have
been in the two months I+ve logged$ %olvoetn has really hel"ed me a lot$ %e has been
generous with his time, and suggestions in his "osts$ I reali4e that I+m not alone in wor/ing
out, even though I have no training "artner and don+t sociali4e much at the gym$ I loo/
forward to going online and "osting my training results, and reading about other S9
Member+s concerns and ideas$ It hel"s /ee" me motivated$
-he only PdownsideP is that Strong9ifts 5V5 ta/es fortitude, disci"line, and "atience$ It
requires faith, and adherence to the routine as described$ I+d recommend that you try it for
& months$ 6eally commit to the Strong9ifts "rogram for & monthsN both the e!ercise *>D
the diet$ Sto" running for the & months$ *fter that you can 5udge the results for yourself$ It
wor/ed for meJ ?nce I started ma/ing strength and si4e gains I wanted to continue$
S9 Member Meff a/a P=anglossianP, 40, Denver, 7olorado$
160
/ifting taught me to push through har" moments. 9ou
can not avoi" "ifficult circumstances in life but
you can change the way you han"le them..
%i, my name is >ico, also /nown as S9 Member P%olvoetnP or 5ust P%P+$ I am a 4'year old
male of 1(0cm<5+11P$ I live in the same country as Mehdi, ,elgium$ My family consist of a
lovely wife, a son of 1' and two ste"hdaughters of ') and &0$ -he youngest daughter also
has a son now so that ma/es me actually a grandfather$ >ot bad at 4', uh G
I have done com"etition bas/etball from ) to 14 and volleyball from 14 to &1, so I am not
what you ty"ically would call a couch "otato$ *t age &1 I sto""ed s"orting since there was
too much demand from wor/ combined with the fact I was "laying in a team which was at
national level, resulting in sometimes games ta/ing the better "art of a Saturday or Sunday
only because of trans"ortation and having to wait for the reserve team doing their game
Bmain team and reserve team always travelled togetherC$ So I went bac/ to school for '
times ' years on Saturdays to get some additional degrees$
Aarly '00( I decided things were not "rogressing to my li/ing as far as my "hysical
condition and a""earance was concerned$ I mean, I was growing a serious belly and was
already tired from going u" 1 flight of stairsJ I started dieting and going for long wal/s with
our dog Bover 1hrC$ -hat already resulted in a dro" of ,D from ((/g to (0$5/g over 4
months$ -he consequence of this was that all my costume "ants had to be ta/en in '
si4es, my wife was >?- "leased about that at allJ -hough you can imagine I was$
%aving done a lot of s"ort earlier but not having the time nor commitment anymore to
engage in a team activity, I wanted to do something I could do on my own$ I am a "ro5ect
manager for an I- consulting firm which means I go from "ro5ect to "ro5ect with various
clients, sometimes multi"le "ro5ects running at the same time$ In "ractice this means I
frequently have to get u" very early B05h00C to avoid traffic 5ams when going for ,russels
or *ntwer"$ ?n such days I am usually only home after 1(h00$ -hat schedule does not
161
leave too much time for a team activity /nowing there are also other things to be done at
home$ >o disres"ect to those en5oying it but I already figured out a long time ago running
or cycling were not my thing$ It+s too boring to my li/ing$
*round *"ril '00( I started going to the gym but not /nowing better, I did the usual cardio
stuff Btreadmill and bicycle for 45 minutes, then some machine stuff for arms, chest, bac/
and legsC$ -he days I was unable to go to the gym, I did ,D e!ercises at home$
I was getting a bit stronger over the ne!t months BI could leg "ress 150/g for ( re"s by
Se"tember '00(C but was wondering why those other guys were lifting free weights in the
corner of the gym$ I mean, not all of them loo/ed that much stronger then me yet I did not
see them doing the same stuff I was doing$ .rom a logical "oint of view I figured free
weights should be more beneficial than using machines, yet I did not /now e!actly why at
that "oint in time$ ?n the other hand it did not ma/e sense to me why so many "eo"le
where occu"ying the cardio machines and so little using the free weight area$
-he =- at the gym told me it was still too early for me when I as/ed him about free
weights$ %e did add some side and front delt raises to my "rogram but that was the most
he wanted to give in$ So I decided to search for myself and thatQs how I ran into Stronglifts$
I googled EStrength training barbellF and seem to recall Stronglifts$com was "retty high on
the list Btoday it is b1C$
-he "rogram was logical, sim"le and straightforward$ -he reviews were good, the
Strong9ifts 7ommunity was very su""ortive and unli/e some other "laces I have seen$ I
started on ?ct 10th '00( with the Stronglifts 5!5 "rogram and was immediately sold$
'ico:s Gains Oct ;44G June ;44< 'o" ;4@4 Gains so far)))
*ge 40y 41y 4'y
,odyweight B5+11FC (&/g ()/g #'/g R#/g
,ody fat ')2 '',52 1)2 102
Deadlift 40/g 1)0/g ''0/g R1(0/g
Squat 40/g 155/g 1(0/g R140/g
.loor =ress &0/g )5/g 105/g R)5/g
*s you can imagine end of '00# I was bac/ at the same weight of early '00(, I even
added some weight, but with a huge difference$ * lot less fat around the belly Bthere is still
some but I am not focusing on getting rid of thatC, more muscle around shoulders and bac/
and a lot stronger$ I can see it, I can feel it, others see it as well$
=eo"le I haven+t seen in quite some time have commented on this so I /now it shows$ -he
funny thing is that I have never been this heavy in my life and nobody believes me when I
am being as/ed how much I weigh$ *s long as my "ants still fit, I am "lanning to continue
on this road getting heavier and stronger$
I dare to say starting lifting has changed my way of thin/ing in a "ositive way$ ?ne of the
things it definitely did was ma/e me aware about eating the right things and ta/e care of
myself$ >ot that I wasnQt doing that already in the "ast but I am so much more aware now
and it "ayed off$ ?n the diet "art my wife made a comment early on why I suddenly had
seen +the light+$ It made me feel good since it indicated to me she was also seeing why I
162
was doing this$
Dhat lifting also thought me was to be consistent and "ush through hard moments$ 3ou
can not avoid difficult circumstances in life but you can change the way you handle them$
-his even transfers into real life$ Dhereas before I could easily acce"t someone saying
some things could not be done, I will now loo/ a lot more for alternatives, find ways to
ma/e it ha""en$
Andurance wise things also have im"roved for the better$ I did do some cardio early in the
"rogram Bmainly rowing after the lifting sessionC but soon sto""ed doing that because of
time issues$ >ot doing cardio did not cause that much illeffects$ * flight of stairs is now
ta/en ' ste"s at a time without leaving me "anting$
My wife mentioned some time ago I was getting a real :sha"e$ I can tell you, that
comment really made my dayJ She is still in doubt about me lifting that frequently but I
guess it is her uncertainty acting u" since she is quite a bit older than I am$ She is always
in fear that I will run off with someone younger but from my side there is absolutely no
reason for her to be afraid of that ha""ening$ It does indicate though that she thin/s my
+mar/et value+ is increasing$
.or other 40year old guys in a similar situation I can highly recommend Strong9ifts 5!5$
-he /ey is to be very consistent about lifting and to "ut in the wor/$ Do the "rogram as
scheduled, don+t change anything$ -here will be hard times, there might even be in5uries
and other setbac/s but this also ha""ens in real life$ 3ou need to learn how to deal with it
and to carry on$
S"ea/ing of in5uries, mid .ebruary '010, while starting a set
of 5!1#0/g deadlifts, I "ulled a muscle in my lower bac/$ I
waited some days and then started Starr+s rehab "rotocol
using deadlifts to ma/e the muscle wor/ and allow it to heal$
?n day & I was deadlifting )0/g with e!tremely bad form Ba
bad combination when your bac/ is already fatigued from all
the "revious wor/C and I busted a disc between 95<S1$ I have
the M6Is to "rove it$ I had nerve "roblems$ *s in sciatic "ain
/ee"ing me from wor/ for almost & wee/s$ * "ain shooting
from the buttoc/ down to the /nee ma/ing it im"ossible to use
that leg$ Same "ain which resulted in me being unable to
slee" without aid of "ain /illers for 5 to H wee/s$
*fter ' months I restarted with weights, less than 502 for some of the lifts$ I used the
Strong9ifts Intermediate scheme since it allowed to /ee" the intensity of the weight more
or less constant over the wee/$ I did however increase the weight from wee/ to wee/
based on my feeling$ 9oo/ing bac/, it was not really a slow ram"$
?ne "oint which had changed was that I was a lot more cautious about form$ As"ecially
deadlifting gave me a lot of mental an!iety in the beginning$ ,ut I had to "ush through
these hard moments, I had to wor/ my way bac/ u" because I wanted it$ -his went on until
end of May '010 when I was almost at my "revious strength levels again$ I was able to
advance even further, something which has been confirmed since all of my =6s of '00#
have been im"roved since$ Dith the e!ce"tion of some occasional nagging feeling, I have
163
to say there is no "ain anymore$
Stats Before inJury 'o" ;4@4
Deadlift '10/g ''0/g
Squat 1)0/g 1(0/g
.loor =ress #0/g 105/g
-he Strong9ifts 7ommunity has been very su""ortive when things got rough$ I got good
"ointers on technique from various Members B"lease forgive me for not listing your names
but I am afraid I will forget some and that would not be fair$ 3ou /now who you areC$ It was
also very rewarding to "ost about a good wor/out and get the congratulations from others$
It sort of /e"t me going, an incentive to ma/e sure I would do my best the ne!t session$
Somewhere in '00# I was as/ed by Mehdi if I was willing to "artici"ate more as a
Strong9ifts Moderator$ I was doing a similar thing on another board, so I had some
e!"erience already, and I was glad to acce"t to hel" the Stronglifts 7ommunity$ Dor/ing
with Mehdi ma/es you see an angle which is not always shown in his blogs or on the
forum$ %e is very humoristic and can acce"t some 5o/ing around within the mod team but
he can come bac/ down to business in a sna"$ %e is a guy with a very defined set of
"rinci"les and he can be very hardheaded about it Bwhich can wor/ both "ositive as
negativeC, though he is the first one to admit if something needs to be changed in order to
im"rove certain things$ In my "rofessional career I have not encountered that much
"ersons of his age showing the same level of "rofessionalism$
-han/s again Mehdi for the S95!5 "rogram and the "lace you offer where we can share
our e!"eriences, raise our concerns, as/ our questions$ I have said it various times, IQll say
it again; this community is for a large "art reason of the success of the Stronglifts "rogramJ
Strong9ifts Member >ico a/a P%olvoetnP, 4', ,elgium$
164
I regret all the waste" time, an" that I "i"n<t come across
!/474 sooner. It woul" have been time better spent--
far more satisfying, an" far better results..
I first found Stronglifts via google$ I was &# years old and s"ending most of my day on a
chair in front of a com"uter doing database design and system security wor/$ I have fond
memories of '0 years earlier in life doing grueling but en5oyable wrestling training$ -hese
were bodyweight and wrestlingonly sessionsN we didn+t do weight training then$
In the decades that followed my teens and very early '0s, fitness for me was going to a
ty"ical fitness center and doing a random amount of machine weights with treadmill or
elli"tical wor/ until I randomly decided I was done$ My aim was to /ee" myself healthy and
reasonably fit$ -hese wor/outs felt unsatisfying, though I didn+t /now why$ I didn+t thin/
about it much, really, so it wasn+t a "roblem I ever thought about finding a solution for$
In retros"ect, I thin/ the dissatisfaction was "artially mas/ed by being ha""y I managed to
find the time to do something, rather than s/i" yet another gym session$ Some wee/s I
made it to the gym & times$ Most wee/s were less than that, and sometimes I+d go wee/s
without setting foot in the gym$ I seemed to find it easier to s/i" the older I got$ -here was
only modest "rogress in fitness, and not much "rogress to s"ea/ of with strength$
-his dissatisfaction came to a head when I was &#$ I remember going to the gym fairly
consistently for awhile, but now I didn+t feel I was even holding constant on strength$ I was
beginning to go bac/wards, es"ecially on leg e!ercises$ ?ne e!ercise I would do
frequently the leg "ress was becoming difficult to do because my /nees were
beginning to bother me$ -his dissatisfaction then became alarm and anger$ I was only &#$
-he idea of having bad /nees and giving u" on maintaining even the modest level of
strength I had was unacce"table to me$ .or the first time, it hit me that what I was doing
was not wor/ing, and I needed to do something about it$
Dhile stewing on this midwor/out, I ha""ened to notice someone doing squats in the one
"ower cage my gym had$ I watched this guy for awhile$ I don+t thin/ he was doing anything
s"ecial sets with 1(5 on the bar Bor something close at the time, I could not have told
165
you how much weight was loaded on a barbell from a glanceC$ I thought bac/ to vague
memories from my youth of some /ids tal/ing about how free weights were PbetterP,
though it was never e!"lained why$ I+d always dismissed free weights$ Deight is weight$
*nd the machines seemed easier to learn and safer to do$
I was ready to try anything, as the ineffectiveness of what I was doing was undeniable$ I
came home and began googling anything related to PsquatP I could thin/ of$ I don+t recall
the e!act search terms, but I fortunately ended u" on the Mehdi+s website$ *t first, I didn+t
even reali4e there was a Strong9ifts 5!5 "rogram$ I was s"ending all my time reading
articles about "ro"er form$ -he language was direct, clear and nononsense$ >one of my
usual internet Pthis is bullshitP detectors were going off$
So the ne!t day, I tried doing some squats with 5ust the barbell in the gym$ It felt greatJ
?ver the ne!t two wee/s, I added in overhead "ress, deadlifts and bench$ Aven with little
to no weight on the bar, I felt li/e my body was wor/ing in a way it had not wor/ed in years$
*s someone who trusts his own gut feel, things felt right$ >ot only was my body wor/ing,
but these lifts weren+t boring$ I never reali4ed how utterly bored I was with the machine
training$ .ocusing on balance and technique felt so much more alive, more com"lete$ -his
was the PbetterP of free weights, I reali4ed$ *nd even from the few sets I had done at this
"oint, I felt this could lead somewhere with strength$ I+d also learned from the S9 site how
to do all these e!ercises safely, from benching to squatting$ I no longer had safety as an
e!cuse in my mind for not bothering with barbells$
I then discovered the Stronglifts 5!5 ,oo/ and "rogram$ I read that several times$ @iven
how my e!"erimentation with barbell lifts already felt, S95!5 made com"lete sense$ It
seemed the right amount of wor/ done in a structured way$ -he idea of /nowing e!actly
what I was going to do before I was even in the gym was new to me$ *ctually, I /new not
only what I was going to do the ne!t time in the gym, but for the ne!t wee/ or three$ I /new
I could measure "rogress and evaluate the "rogram by seeing the weight increase$ *ny
question I could thin/ of was answered in the ,oo/$ I decided to start it immediately$
aul:s Gains Aug ;44G 6ec ;44G 6ec ;44< Oct ;4@4 Gains))
*ge &#y &#y 40y 41y
,odyweight BH+&FC '40lb 'H0lb ')0lb
Deadlift 100lb '#5lb 550lb H55lb R550lb
Squat 100lb ')5lb 500lb 545lb R445lb
,ench #0lb ''5lb &15lb &H5lb R')5lb
.rom *ugust +0( to December of +0(, I didn+t miss a single S9 session$ I loved seeing the
weight go u" on the bar$ I loved wor/ing on form, figuring out new things on every single
session, slowly but surely going from terrible to decent form$ ?ne thing I remember from
the ,oo/; Mehdi said that it+s unusual for someone new to the "rogram to miss sessions$
-he motivation to see the weight go u" on the bar "rovides a "owerful incentive$ -his was
absolutely true in my case$ *t that time, the only way I could get to the gym to do this was
to get u" at 5$&0am, get a session in, get bac/ to ma/e brea/fast for the family, then get
into wor/$ I was traveling more then, and I went out of my way to find gyms on the road
where I could get in a bytheboo/ S9 session$
My weight has continued to cree" u" since I started Strong9ifts 5!5$ -he vast ma5ority of
166
that weight must be muscle and boneN I certainly have less fat on my stomach than when I
started$ I never cared much about body weight I wasn+t trying to lose body fat$ I+ve worn
the same si4es for 10R years$ I+ve had the same leather motorcycle 5ac/et for 15 years$ It
used to be snug in the stomach and loose in the shoulders and arms$ >ow, it was snug in
the shoulders and arms, and loose around the middle$ My clothes seemed to fit better$
My /nees no longer hurt, at all$ -hey felt solid again$ In fact, when I hear "eo"le insist that
squatting is bad for the /nees, I cannot even be bothered to res"ond to them anymore$
Study the anatomyN try squatting "ro"erly$ Squatting .I^AD my /nees, com"letely$
I could bound u" 4 flights of stairs and not be winded, where every cowor/er was suc/ing
air for the ne!t & minutes$ My "osture was better$ I was slee"ing betterN I was wa/ing u"
without an alarm cloc/$ My concentration for my wor/ was im"roved$ *t ris/ of too much
information, I was also much more regular$ B%ey, as someone "assing the 40 year mar/,
this stuff starts to matter as it is often an indicator of overall health$C
'00# was the year I was learning, slowly but surely, how to read myself and set my own
"rogram to ma/e further "rogress$ -his would not have been "ossible *- *99 bac/ when I
first started Strong9ifts 5!5 in '00($ It was really over a year of solid effort before I first
began some modest attem"ts to change things u" and figure out what wor/ed best for me$
In retros"ect, what I thin/ is most "eculiar about all this is in *>3 other area of life, if I was
setting out to do something, I am very li/ely to read u" and study about whatever I was
going to do$ .or whatever reason, I never too/ a thoughtful and considered a""roach to
training, until I discovered Stronglifts 5!5$ It was random stuff I slung together, based on
random comments and broscience tidbits I had "ic/ed u" over the years$ I regret all the
wasted time, and that I didn+t come across Strong9ifts 5!5 sooner$ It would have been time
better s"ent far more satisfying, and far better results$ I wonder what /ind of "rogress I
could have made if I was training this was in my '0s, rather than into my 40s$
I discovered a number of fantastic resources and numerous other websites$ %owever, I
always found myself on the S9 site the most, because it had the best overall forum tone as
well as being largely free of ego or other absurd hy"e, dogma or trash tal/$
In the nearly ' years that have "assed since I+ve first started Strong9ifts 5!5, I+ve had the
o""ortunity to see several "eo"le I /now "ersonally around my age try S95!5 as a result
of my "ositive e!"erience$ *ll of them, without e!ce"tion, have had the same or even
better results$ I+m nothing s"ecialN I 5ust decided to ta/e this training stuff seriously$
.ollow the "rogram, thin/ about it, and above all wor/ hard$ I+d never done barbell wor/
before, even as a /id when wrestling$ If I can do it starting at nearly 40, so can any other
40R year old$
S9 Member =aul a/a PMuddyP 41, ,er/eley, 7*
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2y 4(4lb $ea"lift woul" not have been possible ha"
I not starte" !trong/ifts because I woul" not
have learne" about how simplicity is goo"..
I+m Mames @rant from San Diego, 7alifornia, IS*$ I+m 4' and I+ve got an office 5ob which
means a lot of sitting$ I+ve always been active and first started lifting weights when I was
about 15 bac/ in high school$ ,ut I never did an actual "rogram$ I s"ent a lot of time doing
random lifts and following what I read in the latest maga4ines but nothing really ever made
that much of a difference$
.ast forward several years to a guy who+s in his mid &0+s, has a 4' inch waist at ''5, and
who is big but not necessarily muscular$ -his is all from eating whatever I wanted to eat
and not really having a good "lan Bor any "lanC when I hit the gym$ I mean I would go into
the gym but I didn+t have a "lan on how to advance$ ?f course I couldn+t figure out what I
was doing wrong because nothing I was reading told me to /ee" it sim"le and "rogress on
a regular basis$
Dell, I decided to ma/e a change to my life and correct my body com"osition$ I went on a
really strict eating "lan and ended u" over '0lbs lighter but really s/inny$ In the meantime I
was learning more about strength training and became interested in squatting$ See, squats
were something I always avoided because of all of the horror stories and because I didn+t
/now how to do them correctly$ .ast forward to today and I+ve got a 4'5lbs squat, a 515
deadlift, a &15 bench, and a '&5 ?%=$
,ut let+s bac/ u" a bit$ Dhen I first wanted to lose weight I tried u""ing my cardio but that
got me nowhere$ I was reading about this diet that included 5ust meat and veggies and
thought I might as well give it a try$ It wor/ed and it wor/ed well$ I managed to lose a
cou"le of inches the very first month$ I continued on this diet and did some really sim"le
circuit ty"e training Bdeads, squats, bench, etcC to get my heart rate going$ I li/ed the
results of losing fat but I wanted to get stronger too$ I had already been doing some
reading about sim"le strength training and sim"le "rogression and the weight loss really
boosted my desire to get strong$ I+m not totally sure what drove that desire 5ust that I
suddenly felt this urge to get stronger$
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Dell, I literally stumbled u"on Strong9Ifts$com and really li/ed the sim"licity of it and the no
nonsense a""roach that Mehdi "rovided$ Dhat really attracted me to Strong9ifts was that
it was sim"le and easy to follow$ It s"elled out what to do, how often to do it, and how to
get better$ -here were also "lenty of ti"s on how to im"rove mobility, how to "erform the
lifts, and what to do if you stalled$ Mehdi wasn+t trying to sell anything or "ush his ways on
anyone and I totally res"ected that$
My only concerns revolved around my age and being able to do the lifts that often while
adding weight on continually$ ,ut I was getting nowhere with what I was doing for strength
and I had already made one big change so why not change the way that I lifted weightsG
.or squats I started with 1&5 as I had been training on and off for so long and wor/ed my
way u" to &15$ I did suffer quite a bit of "ain in my hi" fle!ors and I attribute that to a
combination of sim"ly not being accustomed to all of that wor/ and a lac/ of mobility$ It
too/ me a long, long time to really get to the "oint of not having mobility issues$ Dhen I
say long time I mean over two years really$ My bench went u" but slowly as did my rows$
My deadlift really im"roved though as I get better at squatting$ It too/ a while for my form
to get to where it needed to be there too and that was due to a lac/ of mobility$ I got to
where I could deadlift &15 or so for 5 re"s with good form doing S9 though$
James: Gains Jan ;44< 'o" ;44< 'o" ;4@4 Gains so far)))
*ge 40 41 4'
,odyweight BH+'FC '00lb '05lb '&0lb R &0 lbs
Deadlift 1&5lb 4)5lb 515lb R &(0 lbs
Squat 1&5lb &50lb 4'5lb R'#0 lbs
,ench '&5 &15lb &15lb R(0 lbs
=ress 145 '15lb '&5lb R)0 lbs
So today I+m H+'P BI haven+t gotten shorterC, 4' years old, and ''5$ My waist went u" two
inches to &) inches but my other measurements are also above where they were when I
had a 4' inch waist so my chest loo/s that much bigger as do my glutes$ IQve received
comments about "eo"le donQt recogni4e me anymore after not seeing me for a while$ I
constantly get as/ed if I am a "ersonal trainer or an athlete$ ItQs been 1) years since
"eo"le have made those ty"es of comments to me$
My wife and family love the new me and love that IQm ta/ing much better care of myself$ I
feel much more confident than I ever did and am much more willing to do things li/e tal/ to
total strangers$ -hereQs a certain amount of confidence that you get as you get older but
when you combine getting stronger along with getting older and it really boosts your
confidence$
>one of these lifts would have been "ossible had I not started Strong9ifts because I would
not have learned about how sim"licity is good$ I would not have learned about how
im"ortant consistency is or how im"ortant it is to really hit the main lifts$ -here is so much
PnoiseP in other "laces that it becomes quite hard to focus on the im"ortant stuff and forget
about the stuff that+s there to get in your way$ It+s also hel"ed me tremendously with my
mobility$ Must today I was at the "ar/ with my son on my shoulders and I went into a full
squat to "ic/ u" a tennis ball and I could easily 5ust sit there in that "osition$ -here+s no
169
way I could have done that three years ago and it is something that I+m quite than/ful for$
I should disclose that IQm a moderator on the Strong9ifts 7ommunity$ ,ut IQm a moderator
because I believe so much in the "rogram and in the community that Mehdi created$ -his
"rogram really wor/s and it really sets the stage for the mindset that you need to get
stronger than the average "erson$ Mehdi might be a bit hardheaded and stubborn but he
really nailed this "rogram and the need for consistency and sim"licity$
So if you+re mid to late &0+s or early 40+s and thin/ that you can+t get anywhere I+m here to
tell you that you can$ Aven if you have e!"erience in the gym already the Strong9ifts 5!5
"rogram can really hel" you$ I would start "retty light and really wor/ on your mobility$ -he
odds are that you+re tight even if you don+t thin/ that you are$ 6ead u" on the mobility drills
and do them daily$ -hen do the "rogram as written for as long as you can$ It+s "ossible
that you will stall earlier than others who are younger will but that+s ?K as it+s still a great
way of getting you stronger$
Ma/e sure you start a training log as I have found those to be very motivational and really
hel" to "ush me in the gym even when I don+t feel li/e it$ Knowing that you+re going to have
to write it down is quite ins"irational$ It+s also really handy to have something to refer bac/
to after some "eriod of time$
Mames @rant a/a Eaty"ical1F, 4', San Diego IS*$
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It<s not what I imagine" myself "oing at this age, but I can<t
argue with the results. The mental an" physical benefits
from !trong/ifts 474 are truly life-changing..
My name is Keith$ I+m 4', a gra"hic artist living in :ancouver, 7anada$ I+m H+1W and holding
at around 1#5lb$ I+m quite the ectomor"h, and weight 5ust falls off me if I don+t /ee" u" my
calorie inta/e$
I was a vegetarian for 1) years, from 1#(# until '00H, due to a mi! of idealism and health
concerns$ I was shoc/ed at the difference in the environmental im"act between "roducing
a /ilo of meat and "roducing a /ilo of vegetable "rotein$ -he questionable ethics of the
meat industry were Band areC hard to ignore$ %earing what I wanted to hear in news
re"orts about the hormones, additives and Pbad fatP in meat I concluded that cutting out
meat from my diet was 5ustifiable from both moral and health stand"oints$ I never felt
unhealthy on a vegetarian diet, although I was always hungry due to an active lifestyle,
and sugar was li/e heroin$ Aven with a lot of eating, I stayed s/innyN 150lb was normal,
with highscores of 155 for a few days at a time now and then$
In university I thought I+d try to increase my u""er body muscles since my legs were
getting strong from mountain bi/ing$ I got u" enough courage to go loo/ at the school+s
brand new >autilus centre$ Dhen I as/ed for a tour and introduction to the "rogram, the
trainer grabbed a cli"board and said, =Okay, !ell, !e.re not going to see a lot of progress
%ecause of your %ody type=$ -hat misconce"tion about my body and what I could
"otentially achieve with strength training stayed with me until I started getting "rogress
with S95!5, about 1# years later$ I didn+t sign u" for >autilus Bof courseC and wasted time
on unfocused weight machines once or twice a wee/, not /nowing what to do or how to do
it$ -hat lasted about two months$
I s"ent a lot of time at a des/ and nursing my wife bac/ from terrible in5uries Bshe was hit
by a car in Man ##C$ My lifestyle was both stressful and sedentary for too long$ 9ac/ of
aerobic fitness and a flabby midsection told me I needed to get bac/ into strenuous
e!ercise$ It was my Plast chanceP to attac/ this longstanding issue before turning 40 in
Se"tember '00)$ @oals were unclear$ I 5ust wanted to be able to do re"eated sets of "ush
171
u"s, chinu"s and a single di"$ I had my "er"etual, vague notion of Pwanting a bigger
u""er bodyP$
.rom 1##0 until my wife+s accident in 1###, my activities included footbag, mountain
bi/ing, inline s/ating, roc/ climbing, hi/ing, and windsurfing$ Most of these activities
altered, sto""ed or were reduced due to life changes Bcareer changes, moving, marriage,
returning to school in 1##(, etcC$ *fter my wife+s accident, I had no time for e!ercise for
years$ I started "laying badminton once or twice a wee/ in '00' but it wasn+t enough to get
fit$ I had always wanted to get a bigger u""er body, and eventually began to loo/ into
weightlifting$
I had a chinu" bar in my house in Ma"an bac/ in #&#5 to hel" with my roc/climbing$ I
installed one in my :ancouver house in '00' but it didn+t get used much$ I decided to start
bodyweight training B"ushu"s, "ullu"s, assisted di"s, etcC at home in March '00)$ It was
a good sweat and my numbers increased, but I didn+t /now anything about re"s, sets,
"rograms or eating to grow muscle so my gains were limited$ I was still the same weight
and had no "lan on how to get significantly stronger or bigger$
Dith my 40th birthday looming, I 5oined the local community center and began to dabble
on the weight machines$ 9i/e most "eo"le who 5oin a gym, I was intimidated by starting
into the free weights and ?lym"ic bars$ I didn+t /now what to do or how to do it$ ,ut the
machines were easy to understand, so I 5ust did sets of 10 re"s on machines that wor/ed
"arts I wanted to be stronger$ ?f course, when I saw someone doing something PcoolP or
interesting, I+d try that for a while$ I was clearly loo/ing for answers, but I didn+t /now how
to as/ the right questions$
Some time in the summer of '00) I saw S95!5 mentioned on a blog and read a few "ages
of Mehdi+s "osts$ I didn+t start the "rogram, nor was I interested in 5oining the Stronglifts
7ommunity, but I learned about the need to have a "rogram and to eat "ro"erly$ I thought I
should get a PbaseP of strength before moving to barbells, or something$ I /e"t going with
the weight machines and increased my eating$ I started gaining a bit of weight$
I must have learned something from Mehdi, because I started /ee"ing trac/ of my
wor/outs$ %ere+s a sam"le wor/out from Manuary &, '00(; :ertical ,ench =ress Machine,
9eg A!tensions, ,ice" 7urls, ?verhead =ress Machine, Seated 9eg =ress machine, ,ent
over 7able =ulldowns$ Dhat the hell was I doingGJ
I was wasting time, but I was in the right frame of mind when I found Strong9ifts 5!5 in my
boo/mar/s again later that month$ ,y then, Mehdi had his boo/ available$ I thin/ I loo/ed
around at some training logs and saw the other Strong9ifts Members increasing their
weights each wee/$ I figured that if I started light I wouldn+t get into trouble right away and
could sto" if it got PheavyP$ I decided to give it a shot and commit to the "rogram$ I figured
I+d try until the summer came and then maybe "ic/ u" some outdoor activities$ -his is
:ancouver, after allN we move inside when it rains and outside for the other two days$
*t first I was worried about "otentially in5uring something, es"ecially my bac/, due to my
age B40C and my body ty"e Blong, thin torsoC$ I thought that heavy ?lym"icstyle lifts were
for young athletes with coaches$ I+d had some weird bac/ "ain in the "ast from "oor
"osture and moving furniture and was scared of going through my old age with a terrible
bac/ in5ury, cruising down the sidewal/ in a scooter$ S95!5 5ust seemed Ptoo muchP
somehow$ I didn+t /now anything about barbell e!ercises and it seemed li/e a foreign
172
language$ ,ut li/e learning any language, once you get started, your understanding
increases quic/ly$$
Eeith: Gains Jan ;@D ;44G July ;4@4 Gains so far)))
*ge 40 4'
,odyweight BH+1FC 1)&lb 1#5lb
Deadlift 1&5lb &)0lb
Squat ((lb &H5lb
,ench ((lb ''5lb
I started out thin/ing I+d sto" when it got heavy$ >ow I can+t sto" because it+s heavy$ -wo
"lates ,ench, I+m still high from that$ I started with heavier weights than recommended due
to an honest, newbie mista/eN I didn+t /now you were su""osed to include the weight of
the bar in the total$ I thought lifting '0/g meant adding two 10/g "lates to the bar$ I
wouldn+t do that again, although I don+t remember struggling$ It was /ind of embarrassing
to be starting off so light in a busy gym, but as any Stronglifter /nows, the weights increase
quic/ly$
I "ea/ed at '0Hlb in March '010$ If you+d told me when I started S95!5 that I+d weigh over
'00lb and Squat &H5lb, I+d have wondered whom you thought you were tal/ing to$ It has
honestly been one of the biggest achievements of my life$ It is weird to be a""roaching 4&
and to be in the best sha"e ever$ I+ve never been stronger or bigger, but I still have the
same old &&P waist$ I+m very, very ha""y about this$ I+m 40 "ounds heavier than when I
was a vegetarian, yet somehow I have managed to stay a moral, conscientious, healthy
"erson$ Imagine thatJ -he only thing it has cost me is more food, a gym membershi", and
new "ants to fit over my squat butt$
I was a vegetarian when I was in Italy, @reece and the Middle Aast in '00405$ I had no
"roblem with others eating meat around me, but I started to feel that I was missing out on
onceinalifetime culinary e!"eriences$ ,efore returning to Italy in Se"tember '00H, I
decided to start eating meat again$ 9ife is a onetime thing, and after 1) years of saying
PnoP, it was time to start saying PyesP to interesting things while I had the chance$ I reali4ed
that I+d stuc/ to my beliefs Bin the face of sometimes very strong resistanceC and made my
"oint$
I loved what I ate as a vegetarian, and I ate a lot, but nothing has had the same effect on
173
my growth as returning to a meatcentered diet$ I wouldn+t say P1002 noP to being a
vegetarian on S95!5, but I+d say you better @?M*D and "erha"s should not e!"ect the
same /ind of strength gains as if you were eating meat$
Since starting to eat meat again I haven+t regretted it for a moment$ -here are still difficult
issues regarding sourcing, animal welfare, chemicals and additives, etc$ but I live in a
region where there are o"tions available to address these issues$ In the meantime I have
sam"led some of the world+s best food, including things that I would have missed if I+d
stayed vegetarian$ I ate a shee"+s head Beye, brain, tongue and chee/C in -unisia and it
was fantastic$ I still eat vegetarian sometimes because I li/e it$ I+m very ha""y with my
decisions to both sto" and restart eating meat$
I can+t say my family has been e!actly su""ortive, but I don+t live near them so it hasn+t
affected me$ My father is com"etitive and can+t stand my weightlifting Bhe dismisses it on
the "re5udice that it requires no intellectC$ %e weighs 1H5 and says things li/e Pwell, 5ust
don+t in5ure yourselfP and Pwhen are you going to sto"GP %e+s a good guy and he+s ha""y
for me, but he has never said PcongratulationsP about any of my =6s, and I+ve made him
watch the videos$ I hadn+t seen my sister in 10 years and when she saw me she said, P3ou
loo/ e!actly the sameP$ My mother+s first comment was of regret, saying Poh, if only you+d
done this 15 years agoJP ?ther Bmore im"artialC "eo"le have said, Pwhoa, you loo/
different,P P%oly cra", I+m going to have to remember to e!"ect a very different "erson
when you wal/ in the roomP and Pwell, it seems you have undergone a ma5or
transformationP$ ,ut the best is my wife, who bites my chest and says Pmmm1 Mama
li/eJP
My new strength shows u" in some sur"rising ways in daily life$ My badminton bac/hand
sends the birdie out "ast the o""onents+ baseline a lot more often$ My tennis serve has
doubled in s"eed$ -he confidence is something I didn+t really e!"ect$ I move with a lot
more ease, less tension, and 5ust feel comfortable in my own s/in in a way that is new to
me$ In recent family "hotos there is a big difference between the others and meN I loo/
substantial, grounded and solid in a way that "leases me very much$
-hat imaginary bac/ in5ury that I was so afraid of when I started out didn+t ha""en$ Dell, I
did do some heavy ,,6 with "oor lower bac/ form in my second or third month, and "aid
the "rice, but that healed in two wee/s and hasn+t come bac/$ *nd I did get a com"ression
"inch in my u""er right bac/ after a year and three months of squats but that was because
I was rac/ing the bar unevenly Bone hoo/ at a timeC$ *nd I did get some hamstring trouble
when going for my 5V5 =6 in March this year, but that+s because I ignored the "ain in the
fourth set and went for the fifth$ Avery in5ury that has ha""ened has been because of
something I did wrong and could have "revented with "ro"er form and concentration$
My training log inside the Strong9ifts community has been /ey, no, more than that;
essential$ I was a bit reluctant to start one at first, not being sure of myself and being a bit
shy about commenting on others+ logs when I didn+t /now much about lifting$ ,ut suddenly
members I didn+t /now, from all around the world, were dro""ing su""ortive comments,
questions and observations in my log$ It+s li/e any online community, but when you see
"eo"le 5ust li/e you getting stronger, going through setbac/s, struggling and achieving new
=6s as you do the same, it+s a very bonding and encouraging e!"erience$
I was su""osed to meet u" with S9 Member Mouse in *ugust '00# for a beer when I was
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traveling in the IK$ I had to cancel because of family commitments, and to this day I feel
worse about it than if I+d touched the bar while s"otting someone on a new ,ench =6$
Dho is this Mouse guyG I don+t /now, 5ust someone online$ ,ut he+s been there every time
I+ve made a "ost in my log, offering su""ort and encouragement and "ushing me on to my
ne!t =6$ -he S9 community is a crucial "art of S95!5$ I+ve seen some "eo"le dro" out
because they never got into the community, never "artici"ated by as/ing questions and
encouraging others$ Aventually S9 members sto""ed going to chec/ on their logs, and
soon they sto""ed "osting$ Sim"le$
-he growth of Stronglifts since '00) has been astounding, but I+ve never felt it affected the
sim"le truths of the "rogram$ =eo"le still trac/ their "rogress and that of the ten or so other
members they follow, some 5unior, some senior and some around the same level$ -here
are some names I recogni4e from the earliest days on S95!5 and lots I+ve never heard of$
Averyone is going through the same "rogram and it is startling to reali4e that I+m getting to
be one of the senior members, es"ecially com"ared to the recently5oined 40 yearold guy
who wants to start S95!5 but is worried about hurting his bac/$
Strong9ifts has given me focus and information that I have found to be too difficult to get
elsewhere$ It was the right thing at the right time for me, and I can+t believe how good I feel
on this "rogram$ It+s not what I imagined myself doing at this age, but I can+t argue with the
results$ -he combination of mental and "hysical benefits from this "rogram are truly life
changing, and I don+t /now what /ind of than/s is really a""ro"riate for that, other than to
tell others that Mehdi+s "rogram "ays off in real results$ My hat is off to you, Mehdi$ 3ou
have created something very "ositive and unique$
I want to add a quic/ bit about my wife in here, since she has been doing S95!5 for almost
two years now$ In Manuary 1### a s"eeding car hit her while we were wal/ing home$ %er
recovery has been difficult, "ainful continues still$ She fought hard to get well enough to
leave her wheelchair, to quit her crutches, and to eventually wal/ without her cane, and
once she got on Stronglifts and started squatting, she has never loo/ed bac/$
She has built strength, balance and confidence in ways that ama4e her doctors$ She has
reduced or eliminated all her medications, has beaten de"ression and is shedding
unwanted fat$ -he stronger she gets, the less "ain she feels$ She can tell her own story
some time, but I wanted Mehdi and the other Strong9ifts members to /now how dee"ly
transforming S95!5 can be$
Aither start the "rogram or don+t$ Dhen you really want to ma/e a change, the "rogram will
be here, changing bodies and changing lives$ 9oo/ around at any training log with &0
"ages inside the Strong9ifts 7ommunity$ 9oo/ at "age 1, then loo/ at "age &0$ If you don+t
see results that you would li/e to have for yourself, then S95!5 is not for you$ * huge "art
of life is 5ust showing u" and doing what is e!"ected of you$ Moin S95!5, show u", do the
wor/, and when your log is &0 "ages long you+ll wonder why you didn+t start sooner$
Strong9ifts Member Keith a/a PKI,P, 4', ,7, 7anada$
175
I remember my "ays prior to strength training an" can@t
help but marvel about the simple yet powerful
approach !trong/ifts has provi"e" me..
%i, IQm @uru from India$ IQm 4' years old, 1H0cm B5Q&WC tall with 5#/g ,D$ I have always
been a fit "erson, not overweight, slightly underweight Bnot s/innyC but never really strong$
In Mune '00( my H yr old son hurt his fingers in a doorframe and started crying$ Since wife
was busy coo/ing, I ran to him, sat down Bsquatting, itQs natural for us IndiansC and held
him close, comforting him$ Dhen I tried to get u" holding him, I found that I couldnQt$ My
legs buc/led$ I had to ta/e su""ort of the wall to get u", and heQs real s/inny, only about 1'
/gs at most$ I was stunned and that was my wa/eu" call$ I decided better late than never
and 5oined a gym$ I was almost 41 yr old that time$
-he gym did a "hysical assessment, somehow decided that I was quite strong and "ut me
on to a & day s"lit ,, routine$ Since I didnQt /now much about lifting at that time, I 5ust went
along$ & months "assed, but there was no real im"rovement and I started doubting my
own decision$ -hen I suddenly develo"ed a wea/ness in my left arm$ *fter waiting for a
cou"le of wee/s, I went to a doctor who said it was a minor shoulder in5ury S "rescribed
com"lete rest$ *fter about a monthQs rest, I was ready again to hit the gym$
In the meantime I had been reading articles on the internet about lifting S came across
Strong9ifts 5!5$ Initially I was a bit ta/en bac/ by the conce"t of squatting & times a wee/
and wor/ing your full body every time$ %owever, I read the "osts in the S9 7ommunity S
some of the training logs of Stronglifts Members L the "rogress some of the guys had
made was ama4ing$ >ow the decision was crystal clear L If I had to gain strength I needed
to get on Stronglifts 5!5$ -hat was end >ovember '00($
Initially it did feel funny L starting with em"ty bar on the Squats S Deadlifts$ ?n the "resses
I even started lower, concerned about my shoulder$ >ever squatted below "arallel with
weights before, never did a barbell "ress before$
Guru: Gains 'o" ;44G 6ec ;44< Gains so far)))
*ge 41 4'
,odyweight B5+&FC 54,5/g 5#/g R&,5/g
Deadlift &5/g 1'5/g R#0/g
Squat '0/g 100/g R(0/g
,ench &0/g H5/g R&5/g
=ress 10/g 45/g R&5/g
Since then IQve come a long way$ .or the first time in my life I crossed 55 /g ,D$ I have
continued with strength training thereafter$ It is li/e an addiction getting stronger$ -he lift
figures s"ea/ for themselves$ -he ?%= may seem smallish, but itQs over 0$)5,D S fran/ly
I would never have thought that I could lift 45/g overhead$ *nd I never had any issue with
my shoulder again$ I do feel that my lifts are a bit low where the shoulder muscles are
involved L bench, "ress L but no "ain$
176
I can now get u" from squatting "osition with both my sons sitting on my shoulders$ ItQs
very easy$ I do not have a "hysical 5ob, but recently when we went on a vacation, I had to
carry my younger son u" S down a tre/ Babout a /m u"hill S & /m downhillC since he got
tired$ It was quite manageable$
*t wor/, I ins"ired two of my colleagues to start wor/ing out$ I didnQt tal/ them into it, I 5ust
tal/ed almost everyday about how good it felt to wor/ out$
In March '00# I enrolled for MehdiQs coaching "rogram for ' months$ -he first thing that
im"ressed me was the amount of information he as/ed from me$ 7urrent lifts, last 5
wor/outs, body measurements, "ictures, diet S the ob5ectives$ %e sure has a very
systematic a""roach to the coaching$
,est thing that ha""ened during this was that I got my technique nearly "erfected for squat
S bench, and it was reassuring to /now from Mehdi himself that my deadlift technique was
already quite good$ Aarlier I had develo"ed a tendency to deload at the first signs of
failure$ %owever, Mehdi im"ressed u"on me that when the weight gets to your ma!, slight
com"romises are to be acce"ted S tried to im"rove u"on$ %e made me increase the
weight every time I got all the re"s$ 6eally hel"ed move my bench S "ress u"$
@etting "rotein is not an issue in India, e!ce"t that whey is e!"ensive and being a
vegetarian I have to resort to whey$ *nother thing is non availability of cottage cheese$
%owever, eggs are available, and so is mil/$ Dorst difficulty that I faced is that itQs almost
im"ossible to get chal/ here$ 9uc/ily my brother is in IK S I as/ed him to bring some when
he came on a vacation$
I cannot em"hasi4e enough the contribution of the Strong9ifts community S the S9
Members in the im"rovement in my strength$ I found so many friends in this community$
More are in the ma/ing$ Most of this is due to my training log, which I started right in the
beginning$ ItQs a great source of motivation L not only my own log, but othersQ as well$ I can
recall quite a few occasions when I was feeling down S then I went through someoneQs
training log and felt my attitude com"letely changed$ My wife is not antilifting, but does not
share my interest or enthusiasm about it L meaning, I canQt discuss my gym time with her
nor share my small trium"hs$ So the only "lace to share them is inside the S9 community$
If youQre in a doubt that it is too late to gain strength, there are am"le e!am"les to the
contrary$ I am 5ust one of them$ Aven today when I squat with 100/g across my bac/, I
remember my days "rior to strength training and canQt hel" but marvel about the sim"le yet
"owerful a""roach Strong9ifts S "articularly its community has "rovided me$
Must get in the gym and start with an em"ty bar, even if it seems ridiculous$ 7oncentrate on
"erfecting your technique B-he S9 community is awesome in this regard L "ost your
videos S youQll get so many constructive commentsC$ Increase weight "er wor/out till you
fail$ In short L follow the "rogram to the letter$ Dhen you canQt "rogress anymore, switch to
&V5 first and then o"t for an intermediate routine li/e Madcow$
Strong9ifts Member @urunath a/a E@uruF, 4', Mumbai, India$
177
It wor&s for s&inny &i"s loo&ing to grow big an" it wor&s for
mi""le age" guys nee"ing to get stronger an" healthier..
* little about myself; 44y old, H+1P, ''5lbs$ Se"tember '00) I got on the scale and loo/ed
down at &0)lbs$ I was fat, and couldn+t get u" a flight of stairs without getting winded$ My
5oints hurt and my 4' waist "ants were tight$ I was miserable and decided I had enough$
*t my wife+s insistence we 5oined a gym and started wor/ing out$ I changed my diet to >?
fast food or "remade "rocessed foods$ I started eating brea/fast, which I used to s/i"$ I
ate lowcarb with lots of veggies and meats, fish and dairy with a few berries and nuts$ >ot
e!actly *t/ins, but my own diet of no sugar, no bread, no "otatoes, etc$$$but a lot more
variety than a lot of lowcarbers with lots of cardio and machines$
I could barely do '0min on the treadmill and lift fairly low weights on the machines$ -here
were a few machines I couldn+t even fit on$ My gym offered a circuit room with a similar
setu" to a P7urves$P I s"ent a lot of time in building basic fitness while dro""ing "ounds$
Dhen I got to about 'H0lbs I reali4ed I wanted more from my wor/outs and needed to get
to the free weights and wor/ a "lan with some goals rather than 5ust messing around with
the machines I li/ed$ I did a lot of web surfing and followed a fairly common & day a wee/
body se"aration "rogram for a cou"le of months$
I discovered Strong9ifts 5!5 while surfing for information on squats$ I started squats on the
Smith machine on advice from another gym buddy, but shortly reali4ed I should be doing
full squats in a "ower rac/$ My squat and dead lift form suc/ed$ My lowerbac/ was one of
my wea/ "oints$ Aven though I came a long ways with my weight loss and I thought I had
some fitness, I was basically starting from scratch on Strong9ifts 5!5$
*fter 1 year and & months hard wor/ including H months on Strong9ifts 5!5 I feel greatJ I
feel a hec/ofalot better at 44 than I did at &4$ Dhen I started S95!5 I was '&)lbs, but
without near as much muscle$ >ow I+m at 1)$H2 ,. ''5lbs and I+m wearing &4 5eans$ My
5ourney started well before Strong9ifts 5!5 over &00lbs in the fall of '00)$ I thin/ I crested
close to &15lbs but started dieting and wor/ing out at &0)lbs$ So I+m not far from a 100lb
weight loss Bthat+s almost a Su"erModel$C
178
Dhen I got married about 1' years ago I was about '15lbs and wore si4e &( "ants$ I+m
now bac/ down to ''5lbs and can wear &4 comfortably$ ?/, here+s the cool "artN my
original wedding ring does not fit$ It+s too big$ It falls off my finger$ It+s actually fallen off &
times lately and I was luc/y to find it$ -hat says a lot about how my body has changed$ It+s
cool to thin/ that I was lighter then but fatter than I am now$ I am no longer worried about
the scale$ It+s all about body fat and measurements from here on out$
It+s been over two years since a found Strong9ifts 5!5 and I+m still following the "rogram
and still getting stronger$ I can now Squat '(5lbs 5!5 and I started with the bar$ It+s not
always been smooth and there have been a lot of challenges but if you can ta/e anything
from my e!"erience it would be "ersistence$ My issues were not my age so much but my
years of inactivity, being over weight, sitting at a com"uter all day, etc1 I+m not the 1(
year old s/inny /id loo/ing to get stronger, I+m the 4', now 44 middle aged family man
wor/ing to regain control of my life and cure myself of years of sitting at a des/ and
inactivity$ It wor/s for s/inny /ids loo/ing to grow big and it wor/s for middle aged guys
needing to get stronger and healthier$
I believe it too/ me a year to get to Enormal$F * year to get to decent core strength and
mobility levels that would actually allow me to move forward with strength gains$ It too/ me
a while to 5ust get PhealthyP enough to lift$ If you+re really struggling and it doesn+t seem li/e
you+re are ma/ing any headway reali4e that if you /ee" at it, eventually you+ll start adding
weight and moving forward$ Aven when you+re stuc/ and it seems all your doing is de
loading, if your /ee" at it, it will wor/ itself out eventually$
I had a lot of wee/s of ' wor/outs or only did Squats once rather than & times$ I never
gave u" on the "rogram$ I didnQt change it$ I didnQt add anything or substitute anything$ I
5ust struggled$ Several times I+ve let myself stic/ at a certain weight far too long rather than
"ushing through$ -he thing is you really gotta add weight$ Aven if you 5ust grab those little
'$5+s that+s still an increase$ 9oading u" the bar and watching other "eo"le in the gym can
seem a daunting tas/$ -a/e your time$ @o at your own "ace but /ee" loading the bar$
9isten to your body and do what you have to do but /ee" "ushing through$
Strong9ifts and its S9 7ommunity is one of the best things that+s ever ha""ened to me$
6eading through the forum I+ve found a lot of other li/e minded Members that I could learn
from and contribute to$ -han/s guys$
I thin/ what is difficult for "eo"le to gras" is the sim"licity of Strong9ifts 5!5$ Dor/out *,
wor/out ,, 5ust & e!ercises, reallyG 6eally, and it 5ust ta/es a short amount of time to
com"lete$ @ranted, as you get to heavier weight you will need more time between sets, but
that+s it$ >o machines, no s"lit routines, no leg day, 5ust barbell com"ound e!ercises that
use all your muscles all the time$
.ollow the "rogram and /ee" it sim"le$
S9 Member Scott a/a E7leaveF, 44, -ennessee IS*$
179
!trong/ifts too& my abilities to heights that I never woul"
have "reame" possible. I still have a har" time believing
I can loa" up 4(4lbs onto my bac& an" squat.
I am >orman from @unter -e!as$ I am the Director of Information -echnology for a
financial services com"any$ I do a lot of sitting at wor/$ Sedentary life style for '0R years
was my biggest mista/e$ It almost cost me my life$
In my youth I "layed baseball for two years, soccer for eight years, and rugby for ' years$
Das also an avid bicyclist and a lifeguard, did a lot of swimming$ Deight was in the low
'00Qs$ -hen after college I let myself go$ Ouit e!ercising$ ?ver the course of about the ne!t
'0 years I ballooned u" to over &50 "ounds$ %ad no real concern to do anything about it$ *
few attem"ts at weight loss with no success$
Mune &rd '00( changed all that$ -hat is the day I had a heart attac/$ Averything has
changed and will never be the same$ My Dr$ told me to lose weight by any way that I
could$ -he only diet I had any success with was the *t/ins Diet so that is what I went with$
.or e!ercise I chose wal/ing$ I wal/ed a lot$ 1R hours a day 5 to ) days a wee/$ I also
com"leted si! wee/s of cardiac rehab which involved treadmill, dumbbells, and recumbent
cycle$ Dumbbells started at ) "ounds$ I was u" to 10 "ounds at the com"letion of rehab$
,y December of 0(Q I had my weight down in the '#0Qs$ Dinter "ut a dam"er on things as I
wal/ outside and it was getting 5ust too cold$ @ained some weight over the winter, but once
s"ring came around I started wal/ing again$ Deight came bac/ down, I was fluctuating
between '#' and &05 "ounds$ I decided I needed to add more than 5ust wal/ing to my
routine$ * friend at wor/ got me into weightlifting$
I started out lifting a different body "art every day of the wee/$ =ic/ a machine that was
available lift failure, add more weight lift to failure$ 6e"eat for H sets or so$ Dould try to get
in 5 e!ercises$ >o real "lan in "lace$ I was ma/ing some decent gains, but with method to
my madness not really sure how I was "rogressing$ I remember though struggling to
bench ''5 "ounds for H re"s$ I also remember attem"ting to squat in a smith machine$ I
could not fit in the machine$ Did not li/e trying to squat in it at all$ In fact there were a lot of
machines I could not fit into$ * "ress machine I would ma! out at 1'0 "ounds$
I discovered Strong9ifts 5!5 by doing a search on the internet$ I was loo/ing for something
sim"le to follow$ I was not really interested in getting strong or gaining muscle$ My main
concern at that time was still weight loss$ I read Mehdi+s boo/ and /new immediately this
180
was I wanted to do$ I donQt thin/ anything could be laid out any easier$ I did not have to
/now any data about what my (02 of 1 re" ma! or how many times can I lift ^ amount of
weight ( times, but not # times$ Start with an em"ty bar and go from there$ I started my
first wor/out with an em"ty bar$ HQ4F &05 "ounds of me with an em"ty bar, for sets$ I am
sure that was quite a site$ I did bum" u" the weight a little more aggressively after that$
'orman:s Gains August ;44< 6ecem(er ;4@4 Gains so far)))
*ge 4& 44
,odyweight BH+4PC &05lb &'0lb R15lb
,lood =ressure 402 &52 52
Deadlift #5lb 501lb R40Hlb
Squat 45lb 515lb R4)0lb
,ench =ress 45lb &15lb R')0lb
-his is before<during for me$ I am still on Strong9ifts 5!5$ Started at age 4&, body fat was
"robably around 402$ >ot a ha""y time in my life I really did not want to /now what it was$
-oday age 44, same height, weight is now around &'0 "ounds$ 3es, even at over &00
"ounds I have managed to "ut on weight$ -his is not easy to deal with mentally, but I
loo/ed at my bac/ the other day, for the first time in a very long time$ 9oo/s li/e I have
added a lot of muscle to my bac/ and shoulders, hard to tell through all the hair though, lol$
&52 body fat going with the >avy measurement$ I am still not ha""y with my body fat, but
now I feel li/e I am on the right "ath to do something about it$ My clothes are fitting good
again$ .orearms, calves, and shoulders are now "retty close to being fat free and I can
see fat subsiding from other areas
Squats 5!5 4)0 "ounds 515 "ound 1 re" ma!$ Deadlift &!5 445 "ounds, 500 "ound one
re" ma!$ ,ench "ress 5!5 '50 "ounds &15 "ound 1 re" ma!$ I still have a ways to go on
Strong9ifts 5!5 these numbers are all going to go u"$ I get a loo/ of loo/s$ >ot because of
my loo/s, but because of what I can lift$ %ave a bar loaded to ''5 "ounds sitting on
ground and someone wal/s by and as/s if it is deadlift day$ >o, it is time for rows$ I get
most comments about squats and that I squat very low$
I 5ust com"leted my first "owerlifting meet$ It was both humbling and e!citing, I can not wait
to do another one$ I "ut u" a 451lb squat, ')5lb bench "ress, and 501lb dead lift for a
1'')lb total$ I am very "leased with this for my first meet$ It is a lot harder to lift in front of
an audience with "eo"le 5udging you than at the gym$ I have "layed many s"orts in my life,
but this is the first time I have individually "erformed in a com"etition$ Averyone there was
very friendly$ -here was "lenty of "eo"le cheering me on and offering advice$ -he best
com"liment I got was during deadlift, with a guy yelling E"ut some weight on the barF, there
was EonlyF 501lbs on the bar, but it was easy$ I too/ first "lace for Masters 6aw S%D
division$ It is very rewarding$ I also learned a lot in mista/es that I made, that will ma/e my
ne!t com"etition even better$ I highly recommend anyone lifting to go com"ete$
9ifting heavy weights does not increase blood "ressureN it has decreased blood "ressure
for me, even being obese$ My blood "ressure while I was sedentary was always 140Qs L
150Qs < #0Qs L 100Qs$ ?ver time my blood "ressure has been dro""ing as I e!ercise more
and burn more calories$ * lot of wal/ing for a year then diving into Strong9ifts has allowed
me to lower my blood "ressure to acce"table levels$ Dhile I was on blood "ressure
181
medication for awhile I have been off of blood "ressure medication for over a year now$ *t
my last chec/u" my blood "ressure was 1'5<)0 and in Mune my triglyceride to hdl ratio
was less than '$ -his is without any medication$
*t the time of my heart attac/ my triglyceride to %D9 ratio was more than &<1$ %D9 was
only in the &0Qs and triglycerides in the high 100Qs$ 9D9 and triglycerides can be controlled
with food$ -riglycerides, for me, are directly tied it sugar$ Dhen I do not eat sugar they go
down, when I do eat sugar they go u"$ 9D9 is tric/ier, but it seems it follows triglycerides$
*s of late I have started eating more carbs<sugar and they are going u"$ %D9 on the other
hand is very hard to control with dietN even drugs have a hard time with %D9$ -hat leaves
actual body weight and e!ercise$ *s I have been e!ercising more and lately lifting very
heavy my %D9 is going u", almost '0 "oints higher since my heart attac/$ I got to cut bac/
on the carbs and sugar$ Sure, li/e anyone else, I want bigger muscles$ ,ut, I can wait on
those to /ee" my vitals in chec/, and I am not done with linear "rogression yet$
I was EfortunateF with my heart attac/ in that it was a minor one$ I did have angio"lastyN
they run a tube into your femoral artery loo/ around with a video camera$ -hey find
bloc/age and inflate a balloon to aide in fi!ing the bloc/age$ Mine was not e!treme enough
to require a stint$ * stint would have slowed down my recovery and /e"t me on medication
longer$ My Dr$ encourages me to lift weights$ My heart can handle it fine$ I have never had
any heart issues lifting weights$ I did not rush into lifting weights after my heart attac/$
?ther than the )10lbs dumbbells I lifted during cardio rehab, I waiting a year before lifting
weights$ If you have had a heart attac/, consult with a Dr$ before doing any form of
e!ercise, let alone weight lifting$ *s long as your Dr$ a""roves I say lift heavy$
I felt good enough that I 5oined a soccer league and "layed an entire season of outdoor
soccer$ I had a lot of fun$ * remembrance of my youth, that really made my year$ -ruth be
told I was a fairly strong individual before ever weight lifting$ ,ut, what S9 5!5 let me see
about myself, to be able to ta/e my abilities to heights that I never would have dreamed
"ossible$ I still have a hard time believing I can load u" 515lb onto my bac/ and squat$
I have never belonged to another community better than Strong9ifts+$ Averyone is very
hel"ful and encouraging$ It is nice to be able to return the favor$ Kee"ing a training log
inside the Strong9ifts 7ommunity ma/es all the difference$ 3ou can go bac/ and read what
you have done$ Aven better other Members comment and cheer you on$ :ery "owerful
motivationJ
I went from heart attac/ Mune '00( to squatting 5!5 Z 4)0 "ounds in 5ust over ' years$ 1
year after starting Stronglifts 5!5$ -here is no "rogram out there that could have "ossibly
got me further along than Stronglifts 5!5 did$
S9 Member >orman a/a E-he.inalSO9F, 44, @unter -e!as IS*$
182
2y a"vice for any 4)K yHo is to Bump in the pool, the water<s
fine. I<m much stronger than I<ve ever been in my life..
7has Maloney a/a E,uffaloF, >ew 3or/ IS*$ Selfem"loyed$ I started lifting on machines
as that was the only equi"ment available$ >o "articular goal in mind other than to Pdo
somethingP$ Dith "redictable results$$$ a lot of Ps"un wheelsP and wasted efforts$
9ong term /nee issues stemming from a torn *79 suffered while "laying indoor soccer in
the early 1#(0+s$ Due to any number of issues the in5ury was not adequately addressed for
more than a year$ *fter suffering through numerous, minor traumas, I finally found an
ortho"od who correctly diagnosed the issue and had me underta/e a""ro"riate "hysical
thera"y and had me fitted for a brace$ 6econstructive surgery was "ut off for as long as
"ossible as the state of *79 re"air was changing ra"idly and the doc+s o"inion was that
ma5or advances in the field were coming, waiting would be advisable as the outcomes
would be better$ * few Psco"esP later do to cartilage tears and it was decided to go ahead
with the *79 reconstruction B1###C$
=rior to the reconstruction I went thru at least three different bracing systems and always
had issues with stability regardless of the amount of Pmachine trainingP I engaged in$
S/iing was out as was soccer, any racquet s"orts were always touch and go$ -he surgery
was a %I@A success, though I was a bad rehab "atient trying to do too much too soon
and ended u" with wic/ed "atellar tendonitis in both /nees$
I found Strong9ifts 5!5 though an economist+s blog H months "rior to 5oining the S9
7ommunity$ I read and reread everything Mehdi had "osted and it seemed to ma/e a
great deal of sense$ It certainly beat the hell out of what I had been doing "reviously$
I had no concerns in underta/ing the "rogram as I had gotten through the worst of my
/nee issues$ I had been told to stay away from leg machines once I was through with =-
so I was already doing a lot of single leg ,D wor/$ I never tal/ed with my doc about S95!5
or Squats$ ,ut I+m more than confident he+d be ?K with the a""roach as he+s the team doc
for the ,uffalo ,ills B>.9 *merican .ootballC$
183
I started 5!5 because I wanted to get stronger all over and "ut on some weight$ *ny
benefits for my /nee were secondary$ I started with the em"ty bar as I had never used free
weights$ My "rogress with S95!5 was far beyond anything I had e!"erienced on my own
or thru rehab on any number of levels "hysically, mentally, at home and at wor/$
Chas: Gains 4?H;44G @;H;44< Gains So far)))
*ge 5& 55
,odyweight Bat H+&PC 1)5lbs '00lbs R'5lbs
Deadlift #0lbs 405lbs R&15lbs
Squat 45lbs '(5lbs R'40lbs
,ench =ress 45lbs '10lbs R1H5lbs
I+ve never had my bodyfat measured but I haven+t changed belt si4es$ I+m denser, solid as
it were$ Shirt collars and bo!er short legs are a bit tight, suit coats are definitely tighter in
the shoulders$ .riends have definitely noticed the changes whether at the gym, on the
court or out casually and I really li/e the way I feel$ *nd certainly, I+m much stronger than
I+ve ever been in my life$
I stalled early on the Squat and got a little frea/ed out$ I found a "owerlifting coach in the
area and went to her for a cou"le of sessions to nail down form and 5ust tal/ through some
technical things that I wasn+t able wor/ thru on my own$ Squatting has never been an issue
with my /nees or hi"s once I nailed down the mechanics of a "ro"er Squat$ My /nees feel
fine and are no longer a"t to swell after long encounters on the Squash court$ *nd by the
way, I haven+t lost any foot s"eed$ -hat was something that the coach stressed$$$ how,
even with the e!tra weight, I might be quic/er off the mar/ due to all the leg and PcoreP
wor/$ My mechanics of movement are much im"roved on the court lunging and
recovering$
-he Strong9ifts community has been huge source of encouragement, accountability and
information$ S9 Members have /e"t me going when I+ve gotten down on myself, offered
thera"y advice when I suffered a groin in5ury Bnon S9 related by the wayC, ac/nowledged
my attainment of "ersonal goals, hel"ed me set realistic goals, gave me "artners to
com"ete with Balbeit electronicallyC$ Dho are they; %olvoetn, /ib, danmarmu, rere, m5h,
mac/anno$ adamr, aty"ical1, mouse, bobu, myscat, baugm5/, grounds/ee"erwillie, guru,
vlad, Mehdi and others whose logs I+ve lur/ed and or commented on over all these years$
My advice for any 50R y<o out there is to 5um" in the "ool, the water+s fine$ =ut the ego
aside and start with the em"ty bar, "ay attention to mechanics, foam roll and get a
masseuse$ Don+t be afraid of the deload, "lan time off as well$ S9 is a 5ourney, not a
destination$$$en5oy your time under the bar$ Do not e!"ect overnight results$If you have
/nee issues, ma/e sure you have chec/ed with your doc that you+re good to go for any
general "hysical activity and Squat "ast "arallel$
-he beauty of the S95!5 "rogram is that you don+t have to recreate the wheel, Mehdi+s
done all the "rogramming for you$ ?nce you "ut in the hours and that means a year or
two, you can loo/ for alterations to Strong9ifts 5!5, but until then 5ust follow the "rogram$
S9 Member 7has a/a E,uffaloF, 55, >ew 3or/ IS*$
184
I won the +9 !tate $ea"lifting 1hampionship in the
2asters G)-GL, ?aw Amateur "ivision..
I+m a self em"loyed veterinarian with a daily commute of 55 miles each way "lus I own and
o"erate a &H head horse farm with 5ust my wife and I o"erating it$ I don+t have a lot of time
leftover but I need to stay healthy and strong to continue what I+m doing$ Infortunately I
li/e to eat and not healthy foods e!clusively$ 3ou young guys who want to gain weight 5ust
get married$ I gained 50 "ounds in a year and have been trying to lose it ever since$
In the "ast I+ve tried cardiovascular and got bored$ .rom ?ct 0) thru *"r 0( I was doing
su"er slow weightlifting but its not very rewarding to do e!ercises when failure is the
end"oint of each set and I had not seen much results$ * local trainer had an article in the
"a"er saying to lose weight you needed to add muscle and if you weren+t squatting your
were wasting your time$ So I googled squatting and found Mehdi+s site$
I was e!cited about Strong9ifts 5!5 because of it+s sim"licity and the fact it used squats
which was what I was loo/ing for$ ?ne of my reasons to start the "rogram was to find a
way to /ee" a healthy weight without giving u" the foods I li/e$ My only concern was
whether or not I would stic/ with it$ -he first ' wee/s I read thru Strong9ifts 5!5 and
followed the "rogram e!actly as described$
Bo(:s Gains ;44G ;44< ;4@4 Gains))
*ge H'y H&y H4y
,odyweight B5+11FC 1#Hlb 1(5lb 1(0lb 1Hlb
Daist &(F &4F &4F 4F
,lood =ressure 1&H<(# 11)<)H 105<)5
Deadlift #0lb &&5lb 410lb R&'0lb
Squat 45lb &10lb &45lb R&00lb
,ench 45lb 1H5lb 1)5lb R1'5lb
*ll in all this has been a great e!"erience and I+m not "lanning on giving it u" any time
soon$ My s"are tire is finally gone$ Strong9ifts 5!5 hel"ed me become more aware of my
body and to change my eating habits$ I don+t necessarily eat healthier food, 5ust smaller
"ortions$ >ow that my weight is down it seems it+s going to be easier to maintain my new
185
body with weightlifting$ I+m now actually needing to force myself to eat a little more 5ust to
/ee" from losing more weight$
I feel better "hysically and thin/ I loo/ better$ I wouldn+t feel self conscious in a bathing
suit$ Ouite a few of my clients have remar/ed about how good I loo/$ My wife isn+t big on
the whole e!ercise thing but I thin/ she agrees I+m in better sha"e than I was & years ago$
Since I+ve started Stronglifts 5!5 I+ve seen a dramatic increase in strength and density of
muscle$ I feel better and have more energy than I have in years$ >o 5oint and leg "ain, and
instead of going u" stairs slowly I tend to run u"$ In the morning there+s no stiffness at all
when I get out of bed$
In my case the most im"ortant thing in getting my blood "ressure down was to get my
weight down$ -he only time I had "roblems was when I was adding in %II- and I got
myself into a overtrained situation$ My blood "ressure and resting heart rate went u"
dramatically$ *bout &4 wee/s after sto""ing the cardio everything came bac/ to normal$
Deightlifting alone hasn+t caused it to go u"$
I stayed with 5!5 until Muly '010 and then I+ve dro""ed down to &!5$ In deference to my
age and ability to recover I switched to a schedule of two days rest between sessions
some time ago$ *lthough I consider myself still on the "rogram I+ve twea/ed it a little the
last few months$ Dhen I increase my =6 on squats and deadlift by '0b I ta/e a wee/ off
and automatically deload by '02$ I+ll "robably continue that until I can no longer regularly
"roduce new =rs$ 9ast summer I won the >3 Sate Deadlifting 7ham"ionshi" in the
Masters H0H4,6aw *mateur division$
,oth the results and the "ositive reinforcement from comments from Strong9ifts Members
on my training log inside the Strong9ifts 7ommunity /e"t me going$ -he log /e"t me
honest, gave me reinforcement and allowed me to loo/ bac/ and see where things went
wrong and right$ *lthough I try to /ee" a "hysical log it /ee"s getting mis"laced or I forget
to u"date it$ I "robably wouldn+t have succeeded without the online training log inside the
Strong9ifts 7ommunity$
?ver all I+m e!tremely ha""y with what Strong9ifts 5!5 has done for me$ *lthough I+m still
limited for time since I+m not retired I seem to want to find time to lift and loo/ forward to
every session$ I recommend S9 5!5 to anyone my age even with no history of weight
training$ I had little e!"erience and I thin/ it was critical for me to follow the "rogram
e!actly as the boo/ describes it$ ?ver com"licating things is "robably a big mista/e$
*ge shouldn+t be a reason to not start S9$ Starting at my age you are unli/ely to be Mr
*merica but you can+t hel" getting stronger and that+s never a bad thing$ -he big thing now
in nursing homes is to get the residents to do resistance e!ercises so why not start before
we go into a nursing homeG Maybe you can "revent or at least delay the need for a
nursing home by being "roactive with our health$
?n to year & and 1 year closer to MedicareJ
S9 Member ,ob a/a E,obuF, H4yrs, >ew 3or/, IS*
186
Getting my $ea"lift from (64lbs to 4L4lbs is
the best thing I ever "i" for my confi"ence. That,
an" gaining :4lbs in Bust over two years..
In the summer of '00), I remember going to the gym for the first time$ I was wea/ and
weighed a s/inny 140 lbs$$$ to be honest I really didn+t li/e my life$ It was that bad$ I "layed
a lot of lacrosse, and I was decent, but wasn+t getting any better$ I had some friends, but
not many$ I had absolutely no confidence, I couldn+t really tal/ to "eo"le, I was afraid$ I
was quiet and got "ic/ed on quite a bit that first year of high school$
I got "issed off and was really hitting the weights hard for H to ( months doing bodybuilding
routines Bstuff out of maga4ines, no real structure to my wor/outsC$ -hat got me absolutely
nowhere$ I gained 10lbs, that+s it$ I was 14 years old, 5Q10F, 150lbs$ >o Squatting or
DeadliftingJ I did a lot of curls and cra" li/e that, but I was even wea/ at that too$
In the early summer of '00( I came across Stronglifts$ .rom then on, this website has had
a "rofound im"act on many areas of my life$ It wasn+t so easy at the start though; my form
suc/ed, I stalled a lot, but I slowly got stronger and "ut on weight$ .or the start of school
that year in Se"tember of '00( I thin/ I weighed 1)0 lbs, so I "ut on about '0lbs in a
cou"le months after starting Stronglift+s 5!5$ I reali4ed that maybe there was something to
this$ Dhen I focused on 5ust gaining strength, muscle started buildingJ
-hen I was at the gym one day in the summer when I saw a guy moving some big weight
around and as/ed if he was a "owerlifter$ %e said yes, so I as/ed him a few questions,
and said that I thought it would be cool to com"ete one day$ * few wee/s later I met
another strong guy at the gym who as/ed me why I was training$ -hat really made me
thin/$ I was currently on the "rovincial team for lacrosse Bstrength training hugely im"roved
my gameJC, I was good, but I didnQt really li/e lacrosse anymore$ I li/ed "ushing weight$ So
when he as/ed me that question I re"lied that I wanted to com"ete in "owerlifting one day$
.ast forward to Se"tember '010, I weigh a "retty ri""ed ''0lbs, 1) years old, HQ0F, and
"eo"le comment all the time on my si4e and strength$ I also Squatted a raw 501lbs,
,enched ')5lbs and Deadlifted 51&lbs in com"etition$ IQm currently aiming to win the
187
7anadian >ational =owerlifting 7ham"ionshi"s in the 110/g class in *"ril '011$
Jake:s Gains Summer ;44G Octo(er ;4@4 Gains so far)))
*ge 15y 1)y
%eight 5+10P H+0P
,odyweight 150lbs ''5lbs R)5lbs
Deadlift 1&5lbs 545lbs R410lbs
Squat 1&5lbs 501lbs R&HHlbs
,ench =ress 1'5lbs &05lbs R1(0lbs
-o sum it u"; itQs been long and hard to get to the "oint IQm at now, but a whole lot of fun$ I
started out as a wea/ and insecure boy who 5ust wanted to "ut on muscle and gain
confidence$ I did bodybuilding routines that did nothing for me$ Dhen I stumbled across
Stronglifts, I didnQt thin/ it would do anything for me$ ,ut I read every article on the site,
and built u" enough trust in Mehdi to try out his "rogram$
.ast forward two years after starting Stronglift 5!5 and I+m a com"etitive "owerlifter
weighing nearly (5lbs more than when I started$ I don+t consider myself strong or bigN
however at ''5lbs and H+, I+m larger than most of my "eers at 1) years old$ In 5ust over two
years I brought my Squat from 1&5 lbs to 501lbs, bench from 150 lbs to &05lbs, and
Deadlift from 1&5 lbs to 545lbs$ I also strict =ress ''5lbs$
*lmost more im"ortantly, I+m confident and no longer have "roblems tal/ing to "eo"le, or
sociali4ing$ Don+t get me wrong I+m not the most social guy around, that ta/es time, but I+m
far better than before$ I also never get "ic/ed on because$$$ well, I thin/ most "eo"le /now
better not to anymore$ I swear getting my Deadlift u" to 545lbbs is the best thing I ever did
for my confidence$ -hat, and gaining (5 lbs in 5ust over two years$
Starting to strength train suc/s, I /now$ 3ou wal/ in there without much /nowledge on
technique, youQre intimidated by the weights$ ,ut when you do something enough, you
start to en5oy it$ -he results become addicting, you start en5oying your time in the gym, and
you become smarter with your training$ ,efore you /now it, youQre building slabs of
muscles onto your body and you start to feel more confident$
3ou might feel at some "oint that youQre better off 5ust going to the gym to isolate your
muscles, and wor/ on the socalled Ebeach musclesF Bchest, bice"s, absC but IQll tell you
this; if you build u" solid legs, a solid bac/ and shoulders Bthe im"ortant stuffC, youQll "ut on
muscle a lot faster$ 3ou need a good base to wor/ with, /now what I meanG
Inderstand that itQs not a quic/ "rocessJ Averyone wants to hear EH wee/s to a better
body$F @uess whatG It doesnQt wor/ guys$ I s"ent years getting to the "oint IQm at now and I
donQt yet consider myself strong or big$ Kee" wor/ing hard and youQll get where you want$
S9 Member Ma/e a/a EMa/eMcMillanF, 1), ,7 7anada$
188
I am a long, long way from when I was (3Glb this time
last year. I can@t actually believe I was that light..
I am Scottish and study marine engineering in @lasgow, I am an engineering 7adet in the
merchant navy$ I got a set of free weights for 7hristmas when I was about 1H, messed
around with it for a few months but didn+t eat "ro"erly or follow a "rogram and didn+t really
see much gains so I gave it u" and let my weights gather dust in the shed$
Dhen I turned 1( in march '00# I went for a medical e!am 5ust before going to sea, the
usual eye test, urine test etc$ -he doctor told me I was # stone B1'HlbC but he didn+t say
anything about it, that I should gain weight or anything so I didn+t care$
-hen my "arents started commenting on how s/inny I loo/ed$ -his "ut me in a really bad
mood a lot of the time$ -hen girls started saying the same, and so did my friend+s "arents$
So I thought f]c/ it I+m going to "ut weight on and start lifting$
-here wasn+t much of a gym while I was at sea and barely /new body weight e!ercises so
I "ut it off until I came bac/$ I reached 10$5 stone B14)lbsC around December '00# and
basically "lateaued$ I couldnQt "ac/ on any more weight and was getting frustrated$
I" until this "oint I had been doing a 45 day bodybuilding s"lit, and although I used a
barbell I was doing isolation e!ercises such as bice" curls, forearm curls, shoulder flies,
"ec flies, dumbbell raises, calf raises, barely ever squatted, etc$ I trained alone in my flat$ I
increased the weight by 5lbs every H wee/s or so$ I didnQt eat "ro"erly even though I
thought I did$ I ate "orridge oats in the morning, a sandwich for lunch and a "i44a for
dinner and a "rotein sha/e after wor/outs$
*t the start of March '010 I met an old mate who was into lifting Bin one year he went from
10 stone and s/inny to 14 stone and lean and muscularC and he told me about Stronglifts
5V5 and @?M*D$ Dithin ' wee/s I got u" to 11 stone$ ,ench =ress went from H0/g to
)5/g and Deadlift from (0/g to 100/g$ In *"ril '010 I reached 11$5 stone B1H0$5lbsC and I
was so ha""y to have made that much "rogress$ I set myself the target of getting to 1'
stone before Mune '010$
189
Eurt:s Gains
!arch ;44<
=pre*training>
!arch ;4@4
=(( routines>
June ;4@4
=? months SL/0/>
Gains so far)))
*ge 1(y 1#y 1#y
%eight 5Q#$5W 5Q#$5W 5Q#$5W
,odyweight 1'Hlbs 145lbs 1H5$5lbs &#,5lbs
Deadlift < (0/g 115/g
Squat '5/g H0/g 105/g R(0/g
,ench =ress '5/g H0/g (5/g RH0/g
I feel better$ I feel stronger, bigger, much more confident, brave,and ha""ier$ It seems
stu"id now but when I was still "retty s/inny I hated going into su""lement sho"s to buy
big tubs of whey "rotein, I thought they would see me with it and laugh$ I used to hide the
tubs of whey "rotein in my house in case my friends seen it and thought + you wor/ outG,
reallyG+$ >ow they don+t even have to as/, they can see it$
@uys at college who have been at the gym awhile now tal/ to me about weightlifting$
=eo"le I havenQt seen in months say I loo/ different$ Mostly I get commented on my bac/
or nec/ being thic/er than/s to Squats and Deadlifts$ My 5eans also no longer fit, the
denim around my thighs and waist tightens when I wal/ than/s to Squats$ I am a long,
long way from when I was 1'Hlb this time last year$ I canQt actually believe I was that light$
My girlfriend didn+t want me to get bigger than 1' stone, she isn+t really into the big
muscular loo/$ Since I reached my target weight of 1' stone she is ha""y for me to
continue as long as I am ha""y, but I don+t want to be massive$ I thin/ 1(01(5 would be
my ideal weight, she+s fine with that now$ In fact, some of her male friends have as/ed my
advice on bul/ing u" since they saw my results$
I love the S9 7ommunity and how su""ortive and li/eminded everybody is$ 3ou can tal/
to guys with similar goals and motivate each other$ I should than/ S9 Member KlimmilKSO
here, he hel"ed me a lot when I needed a question answered or 5ust somebody to tal/
about lifting with$ So than/s for all your hel" so far, even if I havenQt s"o/en to you, IQve
"robably been reading your stories and it ma/es all the difference to /now IQm not alone$
If you are considering Strong9ifts 5V5 but are unsure of the benefits, trust me$ 7om"ound
lifts are far su"erior to isolation e!ercises because L more muscles used, less muscle
imbalance, increased functional everyday strength, effective mass gainer, safer,
strengthens 5oints$ -his "rogramme has been "roven to wor/ by myself and many others$
Moin the Stronglifts 7ommunity and ma/e a training log L other S9 Members can give you
feedbac/ and you can trac/ your own strength "rogress$ See what wor/s and see what
needs im"rovement by reading your own log$
I ho"e my story has ins"ired some "eo"le and "roven that it can be doneJ -han/ you
Mehdi, for the great "rogramme and friendly environment$ -han/s to the rest of the
Stronglifts 7ommunity, for all their su""ort$
S9 Member Kurt a/a E.romhellF, 1#, Scotland$
190
After following !tronglifts 474 I<m bigger than pretty
much all of my frien"s who go the gym.
I+m Scott$ I+m 1( years old, and studying Information -echnology full time at college in
=erth, Destern *ustralia$ ,efore starting Stronglifts 5!5 I was e!tremely s/inny although at
the time I 5ust acce"ted my "hysique$ I thought you were either born big or you weren+t$
During this time I was unha""y with my a""earance and had a lac/ of confidence in
everyday life due to this, I lac/ed confidence tal/ing to "eo"le, rarely tal/ed to women and
would never a""roach girls$ I had no real interest in s"ort, having never really "layed much
besides a few years of Soccer as a child$
-owards the end of high school many of my friends 5oined the gym, and u"on seeing their
results I decided if they could achieve such things so could IJ ,efore I discovered S95!5 I
was one of those /ids in the gym that didn+t have a clue what they were doing$ My routine
consisted sim"ly of different variations of bice" curls in the ho"e that I would get big from
"erforming such e!ercises$ I did that because that+s what I saw most "eo"le doing<tal/ing
about; big guns T bice" curlsJ My routine never had a consistent layout li/e Stronglifts 5V5$
I was training hard but wasn+t seeing the results I ho"ed for, I had no gains at all$
I stumbled u"on Mehdi[s website while surfing in order to find a new wor/out routine$ I
read some success stories and training logs from Strong9ifts Members$ *fter reading
MehdiQs boo/ I decided S95!5 was the routine for me$ It seemed to be so sim"le yet
effectiveJ *ll of my queries were answered within the boo/, and those questions which I
did have were "rom"tly answered by Members inside the Strong9ifts 7ommunity$
Scott:s Gains 5e(ruary ;4@4 July ;4@4 Gains so far)))
*ge 1)y 1(y
,odyweight BH+1FC H5/g (0/g R15/g
*rms 11$5P 14P R'$5P
Deadlift &5/g #0/g R55/g
Squat '5/g (0/g R55/g
,ench =ress '5/g )0/g R45/g
191
-oday I feel more confident in every day life and a lot more disci"lined, not 5ust in the gym
but in my studies and all other as"ects of my life$ =rior to training when I was s/inny I was
too embarrassed and shy to tal/ to "eo"le, es"ecially women$ -oday I find I+m a lot better
at this, I+m having a lot more conversations and have a beautiful girlfriend too$ ,efore I
found concentrating at college hard but after a tough gym session in the morning I feel a
lot better and therefore are able to focus more and e!cel at my studiesJ
=eo"le often comment Ewow you+ve bul/ed u"JF or Ehave you started wor/ing out, you loo/
a lot differentF Balthough it+s winter so it+s not as noticeable but I+m loo/ing forward to
summerC$ *fter following Stronglifts 5V5 and @?M*D I+m bigger than "retty much all of my
friends who go the gym$ It was not until they as/ed what I was doing as my si4e began to
ra"idly increase that they found out com"ound lifts and mil/ were far more effective$
Dhen "utting on the 15K@ via c @?M*D Badded '9 of full cream mil/ a day to my dietC I
trained harder than I ever had before in order to minimi4e fat gains I was successful at
this as the si4e of my waist did not change *- *99 Bstill &'F as when i startedC$ So a
decent amount of the 15/g I gained was muscle$ I gained roughly HK@ in the first month
with c @?M*D and had minimal fat gains$
*t first I found the form of the e!ercises to be my biggest concern L as in5uring myself
would be the last thing I wanted to do$ *lthough after "osting form chec/ videos in the S9
7ommunity I was able to "erfect my technique$ .rom then on the weight I was lifting
continued to increase1 I did in5ure myself a cou"le of times this was due to "oor deadlift
form$ Dhen your starting out all you want to do is lift more and more and more$
I would recommend you start light and "erfect your form before you stac/ on the "lates
this is essential$ If you use bad form li/e I initially did you will not see the gains you are
ho"ing for and run the ris/ of severely in5uring yourself$ During one "oint of my training I
was not ha""y with my Squat form Bnot going dee" enoughC so I reduced the weight and
concentrated on hitting "arallel$ I don+t regret doing this as now I lift more than I was then
and with much better form tooJ
I thin/ everybody that underta/es S95^5 should /ee" a training log it+s a great tool in
order to trac/ your "rogress, as well as motivate you when you loo/ bac/ at how much
stronger you have become over the last wee/ < month < year$ -he Stronglifts 7ommunity
hel"ed me to reach my goals by "roviding answers to my questions when I was starting
out, motivation loo/ing at other Members logs and eventually motivation when Members
were commenting on my before<after "rogress "ictures and the lifts in my 5^5 log$
,efore you question the effectiveness of S95^5 and @?M*D I highly recommend you give
it a go, I believe I+m living "roof that the routine is solid and guaranteed to give you the
results you want, whether that be to /ee" fit, lose weight or get big Bli/e meC$ *lthough
remember; the routine is only one "art on the 5ourney to your goals lots of rest and a
clean diet is essential if you wish to see the gains you desire$ 9ift big, eat big, rest big and
you+ll get ,I@$
S9 Member Scott a/a Esd0)0)W, 1(, =erth, *ustralia$
192
?eg 5ar& wasn@t B!ing anyone.
*bout 1 year and ) months ago Bin that "icC, I weighed around 1#0lbs at HQ&F$ -his was
after dieting down from '40 "ounds of all fat$ ,ac/ then, I didnQt /now much about lifting
and dieting for ma!imum results$ I was eating low calories, low fat, 45 days a wee/ cardio,
5 day s"lit$ *nd I thought I was muscular$
Intil one day in the summer of 0( one of my friends Bwho was "retty big and strongC found
out I was giving lifting advice, and he told me I am the last "erson to be giving that advice
because I was so s/inny$ 7onfused, I reali4ed I was scrawny and decided to bul/ u"$ I
/new about Strong9ifts, and I trusted it, but I didnQt follow S95!5 due to bodybuilder *DD$
I used all sorts of weird wor/outs that I tried to base off of Strong9ifts 5V5$ I used the )
main e!ercises, but with things li/e =ush day, "ull day, legs day, hy"ertro"hy re" ranges
B5) re"sC$ I also tried doing everything &! a wee/$ It didnQt ta/e long for my lower bac/ to
go cra4y in "ain$ I dro""ed Deadlifts for a while and did .ront Squats as my lower body
e!ercise$ I did a lot of different routines, always switching it u", never giving a routine even
a whole & months$ ,ig mista/e, if I could go bac/ in time, I would not reinvent the wheel$
>evertheless, I bul/ed u" some good mass$ *fter all, other than beginner gains, I did
control the volume and used only big com"ounds$ I shot u" bac/ to '40 in ) months or so$
I sto""ed eating a lot so my weight wouldnQt go higher, as I "ut on a little bit too much fat$
.rom there, it was hell$ I got stuc/ doing the bodybuilding stuff I wasnQt ready for$ I inflated
a 9I--9A, and got sha"elier, but I got wea/er, in A:A63-%I>@1I was stuc/ in this cycle
for months1 ,ad training, not enough food1 -hen I got the stomach flu, and I dro""ed to
''5$ -hat was the last straw$
*bout 5 months ago, I decided it was time to actually do something li/e Stronglifts 5V5 and
eat big to gain bac/ my weight and then some, the way it was meant to be done$ I finally
began A*-I>@ 40005000 calories a day$ IQm drin/ing more mil/ lately, H cu"s a day on
training days, '& on off days$
193
It was mentally tough, but I stuc/ to it$ Man, I am glad I smartened u" early on BI am still
1#C$ *nyway, it S-I99 wasnQt Strong9ifts 5V5 so I "lateaued$ -hen I 5ust did the damn
routine itself$ It was a good decision$
-he results so farG It is li/e my second e!"erience of beginner gains$
My strength is increasing "rogressively
My muscles are thic/ening u"
I finally have side and rear delts
-ra"s are loo/ing good
7hest and arms bigger and harder
My abdominals are big
*nd I love my Estrongman gutF
I learned how to use my "osterior chain in Squats and Deadlifts$ =osture is fi!ing itself$ I
am stretching more often to "revent my lower bac/ rounding$ I am counting calories to
su""ort my "rogress as needed$
I am '40lbs again, but leaner since the last time I was '40lbs$ I believe I am HQ4F now too$
?verall current goal is to be '40lbs at a leaner weight$ Dith some "ro"er effort and
"lanning I ho"e to reach this goal within a year or '$
5V5 wor/s, com"ounds wor/, isos are not even close to being as im"ortant, a base
strength is im"ortant and "erfect for relatively wea/ lifters to gain strength and mass$
Ma/ing a weird routine based off this will "robably yield better results than what most
e!"erts in the gym are doing$ ,ut following a "roven routine focused on linear "rogression
is tough to beat$
I was really underestimating Strong9ifts 5!5$ Must because it says build u" you base
strength doesnQt mean youQll get strong but not big$ ,y the time the weights are too heavy
for adding weight every wor/out, if you ate enough, youQll be significantly bigger B6eg =ar/
wasnQt ,Sing anyoneC and most "robably more than satisfied with it$ I love the results so
far and canQt wait to see how strong and big I get before advancing from S9$
S9 Member EKillerdudeF, 1#, 9os *ngeles, IS*$
194
In 6 months I went from a guy who ha" to "rag
himself into the gym every "ay to a guy
loo&ing to compete in 5owerlifting.
My name+s Dei, I+m currently residing in ?ttawa, ?ntario$ I am 1), and attending my last
year of high school$ I am of *sian origin, as can "robably be determined by my first name$
Many "eo"le thin/ that *sians are all genetically s/inny, and use this as an e!cuse$
%owever I gained all following about half a @?M*D$ -he ability to gain weight at a novice
stage is limited only by the dedication of the trainee$
I used to be an avid bas/etball "layer since the age of ( and started to really get into lifting
in the summer of '00#$ * small reason was to "erform better at bas/etball, as I was
always a s/inny<scrawny /id being "ushed around$ %owever the main reason was self
esteem, I really got sic/ of always being called the s/inny /id, or being made fun of
whenever I loaded a barbell because it was not as much$ ?ne day I ma!ed out the calf
machine, and when some /id in the change room overheard me saying I ma!ed out the
machine, he said something along the lines of EDhich machine, the 4ero machineGF It was
comments li/e that which were said frequently that at first brought me down, however I
eventually decided to channel it into training energy$
Infortunately I started out with a bodybuilding "rogram I got from a guy I met at the gym
who was quite big Bwhich influenced his advice a lotC$ It was basically chest every day, with
alternating shoulders and bac/ every other day$ I trained li/e that for around 4 months, and
made e!tremely little gains$ My bench went u" only went u" '0 "ounds over that time, and
that was the lift I had gained the most on$ I also "lateaud on "ractically every lift, and for
the last ' months I did the same weight for each e!ercise$
I then started tal/ing to my friend, who had "reviously been my "ersonal trainer$ %e
actually too/ the time to sit down with me and discuss training, and he made me reali4e
that it was the big com"ound movements that were /ey to strength gaining$ %e ended u"
giving me a decent "ush<"ull<legs routine, however there was no log or "lanning to it, I
would 5ust end u" going to the gym and "utting on whatever I felt li/e, which would usually
be the same weight as a "revious wor/out$
.ortunately I was doing some online reading regarding squat form and by chance came
u"on the S9 website$ I read the "rogram and it sounded really good, what was great was
that the idea of E"rogressive loadingF is very sim"le and really clic/ed$ I doubted that only
&! a wee/ wor/outs would wor/, though$ %owever I lur/ed the forum a bit and came u"on
a lot of "eo"le, such as S9 Member Mi/eD B"age '00C, that had made great "rogress
using it, and decided it was definitely worth a shot$
I gave S95!5 a shot for about & wee/s, and actually made good gains with it$ My 56M
Squat had already gone u" &0lbs, I was on the verge on brea/ing my year ( month old
bench "lateau, and my deadlift 56M was u" 50lbs$ Infortunately due to my school hours
and commute home, I found that I was often not finishing S95!5 wor/outs$ I ended u"
following one of MehdiQs suggestions in the eboo/, which was dro""ing some assistance
e!ercises and going from 5!5 to &!5 to /ee" wor/outs shorter$ It wor/ed out well for me, I
was ma/ing good linear "rogression and finishing all my wor/outs$
195
Wei: sGains !arch GD ;4@4 June ;<D ;4@4 Gains so far)))
*ge 1)y 1)y
%eight 5+#P 5+10P R1F
,odyweight 150lbs 1H5lbs R15lbs
,odyfat 1'2 1&2 R12
Deadlift ''5lbs 45'lbs R'')lbs
Squat '05lbs &'0lbs R115lbs
,ench =ress 1&5lbs 1(5lbs R50lbs
.ocused weight training has become a "assion for me, I love everything about it and in the
s"an of & months I went from a guy who had to drag himself into the gym every day to a
guy loo/ing to com"ete in =owerlifting in the near future$ -he gym became an esca"e for
me, and whenever I had "roblems or was "issed off, I could cran/ out a heavy wor/out
and feel better immediately$ I used to have low selfesteem, however now I find it easier to
acce"t who I am and be more o"en with even random "eo"le, which has really hel"ed me
ma/e new friends$ It hel"ed that "eo"le at my gym are very liberal with com"liments, not
necessarily on my si4e but on how much IQm lifting, even if it isnQt even close to what a lot
of them are lifting$ -hough I got into weightlifting for carry over to bas/etball, I find that I
love weightlifting more right now, and only "lay bas/etball as a s"are time hobby$
Deightlifting has carried over to everything else in my life though, and I find everything
else in life a lot easier than a set of heavy bac/ squats$
Strong9ifts has hel"ed a lot by giving me a "lace to write a log, something I believe to be
the most crucial "arts of training$ * log allows someone to loo/ bac/ u"on "ast training,
es"ecially during times of lac/ing motivation, to really see that "rogress has indeed
ha""ened, as well as seeing what has wor/ed and what hasenQt, so they can re"licate
success$ Aven though I do not follow the S9 tem"late, I still /ee" a log here to /ee" my
own "rogress, as well as to receive feedbac/ from other "eo"le$ I would most definitely
recommend a log to someone else, for all of the above reasons$ -hey are, in my o"inion, a
necessary "art of someoneQs training$
I was s/e"tical when I first read about the Strong9ifts 5!5 "rogram, because &! a wee/
with 5 e!ercises a wor/out does not seem to be s"ecific enough$ %owever me and "eo"le
li/e me have achieved big results with S9 or similar "rograms$ It wor/s, all you have to do
is "ut aside any doubts and try it for yourself$ -here is no cost to trying a "rogram, and the
least you can do after reading my story is to give it a shot yourself for & months$ If you find
your not ma/ing "rogress BMost li/ely do to E3>D-=F symdromeC then you can dro" it and
go bac/ to whatever "rogram you were "reviously doing$
S9 Member Dei a/a PD3SP, 1), ?ntario, 7anada$
196
I "on<t train for the compliments ... but they are nice.
I+m Scott ?+>eill from *berdeen, Scotland$ I+m 1# and 5ust finished my 'nd year studying
=hiloso"hy at *berdeen uni$ I have an awesome girlfriend called .iona, great friends, as
well as a very su""ortive family$
.or the "ast 4 years I have "racticed "ar/our since a friend showed me a video$ -hrough
this I develo"ed an interest in strength and conditioning$ I got a "ullu" bar, an abwheel
and dumbbells$ I wor/ed u" to a set of '0 dead hang "ullu"s, could do & or 4 "istols and
was able to hold the front lever for &H seconds$ I also ran s"rints and did circuit training
involving bur"ees$ ,y Mune '00# I had tried a variety of s"orts loo/ing for one that would
have a carryover to =ar/our but none really held my attention$
I was browsing the net and saw "eo"le discussing weights$ I" until this "oint I was an
advocate of bodyweight only training because I believed weights would ma/e you big,
slow, and infle!ible$ -his belief came from a lot of lies being "osted on various forums as
well as things "eo"le said$ ,ut after reading an article about why athletes can benefit from
weights I reconsidered my views$ I went on a cra4ed search of the internet learning as
much as I could and saw "eo"le tal/ing about Strong9ifts on multi"le sites$
*fter finding several strength training "rograms and com"aring them I decided to go with
Strong9ifts 5!5$ DhyG Dell for a few reasons;
1$ -he site was easy to navigate$
'$ It e!"lained D%3 it did things$
&$ -he information was in a easy to understand format$
4$ %ad lots of success stories which motivated me to try it$
5$ It straight away said you need to bust your a]] to get results$
I was a little worried that I was going to lose all the body weight strength s/ills I had
develo"ed but decided I would give it a shot and see how I felt after a month$ *fter all, I
wouldn+t lose much strength in the month if it didn+t wor/$
So I decided to give Strong9ifts 5!5 a shot in Se"tember '00#$ I 5oined my uni gym,
started with 5ust the bar to get a feel for technique, and went for a month before the gym
closed$ -he iron bug had got me and it would be & months till I got to satisfy it$ -he new
gym too/ ages to o"en so I searched for one that was accessible and not e!"ensive$ I
didn+t find any that filled my criteria$
197
& months later and it+s 7hristmas time$ .iona I told you she was awesome and my fol/s
got me 1H5/g of weights, a '0/g ?lym"ic ,arbell, and s"otter catchers$ I was a very, very
ha""y guy$ -his is the best "resent I+ve ever had$ It has had such a "ositive effect on my
life$ I also got a bench but there were "roblems delivering it which meant it too/ until late
March '010 before I got it$
I thought I was strong but was humbled on 7hristmas day$ *s I had my month of
e!"erience I wanted to test my ma!es on everything$ >ot the most sensible thing to do
when I hadn+t touched a barbell in & months but I was curious$
*fter & months I changed from 5!5 to &!5$ .or the second & months I was doing =ar/our
almost every Saturday$ In Mune '010 I dro""ed to ' strength wor/outs a wee/ and added
conditioning L s"rints, circuit training & days a wee/$
Scott:s Gains !arch ;4@4 July ;4@4 Gains so far)))
*ge 1#y 1#y
,odyweight BH+'FC )'/g ))/g R5/g
Deadlift 110/g 1(5/g R)5/g
Squat 55/g 110/g R55/g
,ench =ress < #0/g R#0/g
?verhead =ress 45/g )5/g R&0/g
I managed to "ull 1(5/g in H months$ I did this by thin/ing, no, K>?DI>@ that I could it
with 1002 certainty$ -his is one of the most im"ortant things I develo"ed though lifting;
ridiculous selfbelief$ If I want something I DI99 achieve it$ >ever doubt yourself$
-he dedication that consistently hitting the weights builds as well as the will"ower needed
to finish heavy sets has carried over into my everyday life$ I feel way more confident in
everything I do$ Dhen you /now you+re throwing around weights heavier than the average
"erson you start to feel li/e a su"er hero$ Kinda hard to be daunted by anything when you
have this feeling$ -he feeling of "ower you get when you brea/ a =6 is unbeatable$ *t
these "oints I feel li/e a warrior and /now I can do anything I want$
I got multi"le com"liments since I started lifting$ -he other day when I was training "ar/our
multi"le "eo"le said I was + too strong+$ -his ma/es me feel great because these guys can
do some cra4y things$ .iona has a to"less "ic of me which her brother saw$ %e said :Scott
as a%s of steel, e looks like a !restler;. I don+t train for the com"liments but they are
nice ;C I can carry<move things around easily that other "eo"le struggle with$ It+s also good
fun that when "laying s"orts with my mates, I can cheat and easily "ic/ them u" now$
?ne "roblem is clothes$ ?/, you got me, so I /inda love it$ I+ve ri""ed ' "airs of 5eans cos
my legs and ass have grown$ I have went u" a shirt si4e from medium to large$ -o"s that
used to be baggy are now fitted$ I+ve had to throw out a lot of clothes$
*nd of course .iona loves it I+m stronger, fitter, and gained muscle$ ?nly "roblem is she
/ee"s trying to sna" "hotos of me now when she isn+t grabbing my bum$ ?/, once again
it+s not really a "roblem$
198
Dith regards to =ar/our my added strength has launched me to new levels, I+m now doing
things that "eo"le suggest 5o/ingly when we are out$ I was hanging from a bar and
someone suggested a e!"losive "ullu" to the higher bar$ I did it and he told me EDow, I
was only 5o/ingF $ Develo"ing my ma!imal strength has hel"ed my e!"losive "ower$ I have
a much high vertical, and a larger broad 5um" L largest within the grou" of "eo"le I train
with$ I can re" strict muscleu"s had to /i" before$ My front lever has gone u" without
training it Balmost 10 seconds nowC$ =istols are easy now, I could get 1015 fresh$ I also
/noc/ed out 1' strict deadhang "ullu"s the other day after a intense session Bset my
deadlift =6C$ 7ould easily get more if fresh$
,asically the strength I+ve got from lifting has had awesome carryover to ,D strength$ .or
me I thin/ it+s im"ortant to /ee" several bodyweight e!ercises in use as they seem to fine
tune my strength and ma/e it su"er a""licable to =ar/our$ I now recommend the addition
of heavy com"ounds to everyone I train with$ Dhen they as/ what I mean I give a brief
e!"lanation and "oint them to Stronglifts$ If however they say that lifting will ma/e them
bul/y, slow, or unfle!ible I sla" them and give them such a long s"iel that they will never
again as/ that question in case they receive another equally long tal/$
*lthough I don+t "ost a lot I do chec/ the Strong9ifts 7ommunity fairly often and everyone
has hel"ed me "ush myself$ 6eading about everyone on there wor/ing to ma/e it ha""en
is seriously motivational$ -han/s everyone$ It+s good tal/ing about training with "eo"le who
actually train$ S9 Members share the same mindset and have had similar e!"eriences$
:ery few of my friends in real life get +it+$ I can tal/ about training with .iona which is
great, she /nows a lot about strength and fitness now ;C but not in the same way as with
"eo"le who train$
.or someone who doesn+t train my "ost might come off as elitist or me bragging but S9
Members who have been through this and /now how great it feels /now that I+m 5ust
another guy who is "leased with what he has achieved$ Stic/ with the S95^5 "rogram for
at least 4 months$ -his will give you a chance to learn the movements and e!"erience
some awesome strength gains$ If you still don+t want to do the "rogram then at least use a
"rogram that focuses on the basic com"ound lifts Squat, deadlift, ?%=, ,ench$
7onsistency is more im"ortant than anything else$ -here is no quic/ fi!, you have to do the
wor/ to get stronger$ If you wor/ hard the results will come$
*fter having such a great fun lifting I+m "lanning on entering a "owerlifting com"etition at
the end of the year$ *fter I see how I stand against the other guys in my weight class I will
then be going and training li/e mad till I deem myself ready to enter and win$
Mehdi than/s for ma/ing such an easy to follow "rogram, writing the articles, and /ee"ing
the site u"$
S9 Member Scott ?+>eill a/a PScott?>P, 1#, *berdeen, Scotland$
199
I foun" something to "efine myself with, something I
can<t say I ha" in any meaningful way before..
My name+s Mi/e, I+m 1#, I live in >3 and I have a retail 5ob Bli/e most 5obs "eo"le get while
going to schoolC$ I started training when I was 14, doing "ull u"s on a bar my dad had set
u"$ I became obsessive with them and did too much "robably, wor/ing u" to around 100 a
day B5 every & minutes for an hour, strict restC, some days 140$ It+s amusing to thin/ bac/
at that because my training now reflects the same need for e!cess, but I+ll get to that$

* big thing for me was actually in gym class$$$I never was good or cared much about
s"orts but any feats of strength there were I was eager to "erform$ .or years I couldn+t
climb a foot u" the ro"e, not even with my legs,and this "issed me off$ *nd anyone who
could do it had a certain esteem about them, because it wasn+t easy$ *fter following the
obsessive "ull u" regimen, in (th grade we did the ro"e test again$ >ot only was I the only
"erson who climbed it in my class, but I did it was 5ust my arms, with ease$ -he clear
relation between wor/ and results got in my head and never left$

So I used anything I hadN which sadly was my sister+s 10lb e4 curl bar that had around
(5lbs of weigh on them$ I curled BduhC, I overhead "ressed Band I guess I cleaned it tooC,
and I squatted u" on my toes Bbut went all the way down at least, hahaC$ I dabbled with
wrestling and /ic/bo!ing, but it was always a relief to come bac/ to the weights$

I finally got a bench and squat stands when I was around 1H, and got ro"ed into a lot of
,,ing stuff$ Dro" sets, forced re"s, higher volume, whatever$ Made my arms big, but it
was unfulfilling$ -he ro"eclimb feeling 5ust wasn+t there, and a lot of times I felt I was
dragging into the gym to 5ust Pget wor/ doneP and not be PfatP or something$

Aventually I got on a "rogram that I thin/ was some form of S9 Intermediate, it consisted of
the squat, bench and row &! a wee/$ -he strength gains were addictive$ My squat hovered
a little over the '00 mar/, my bench around 1H5, and I thin/ my row wasn+t even 1&5$

*fter this there was a lull where I got into the /ic/bo!ing and such, but when I finally got
out of it and also sto""ed wrestling BI was around 1)C I went bac/ to the weights loo/ing for
something else$ I /new this was the only thing I li/ed$
I found Stronglifts through my sister actually, downloaded the boo/, read it, and went at it$ I
wasn+t concerned about the Squat volume or sets across, in fact I had wished the "rogram
200
I had done before was li/e that$ I li/e doing more rather than less$
!ike:s Gains
6ec ;44G
=Start SL/0/>
!ay ;44<
=-nd SL/0/>
July ;4@4
=Current>
Gains
*ge 1)y 1(y 1#y
,odyweight B5+(FC 150lb 1H5lb 1H5lb R15lb
Deadlift '00lb 405lb 450lb R'50lb
Squat '00lb ')5lbs &H5lb R1H5lb
,ench =ress 1H5lb '05lb '&5lb R)0lb
I com"eted in a "owerlifting meet on on Mune 1&th '010 in >ew Mersey , where I hit a &50
squat, ''5 bench Bmissed '40 on a technicalityC and a 450 deadlift in the 1H5lbs weight
class$ I 5ust squatted &H5 in training and "lan to hit 405 in my ne!t meet in >ovember$
I was always a s/inny so my waist was always &0&' inches$ I gained about 15lbs "urely
by accident, and now hover comfortably around 1H5, but my body com" is changing still$
,.2 loo/s around 102 or less w< visible abs$
*ll I can say is after finding Stronglifts, which I feel was the lynch"in to my whole entry into
this, I feel great$ Strong, feeling aware of where I can "ush my limits$ I feel as if I found
something to define myself with, something I can+t say I had in any meaningful way before$
Dhat do "eo"le sayG I+ve always had the su""ort of friends<family, ma/ing me believe this
was a Pgood thingP I was doing$ =eo"le mostly com"liment my strength, because being a
light weight guy you don+t e!actly cast a shadow over everyone with your mass, haha$ If I
had eaten more I+d be "retty damn big right now, but I never had a big a""etite and I had
my eye on "owerlifting for awhile so I /e"t my weight similar$ I+m leaner and dense as hell,
and the most useful guy most "laces I go when things need to be moved around Bwor/ing
with mostly women<girls highlights this, hahaC$
I also feel li/e my character is stronger, and that I can deal with "eo"le more easily
because of a greater sense of self worth$ *s for loo/s, "retty much any clothing loo/s good
on me, aside from the dress shirts that are too damn small for my nec/$ -he loo/s thing
201
never made me much more confident, it was 5ust something I feel li/e I didn+t worry about
anymore$ -he accom"lishment of getting stronger carried over much more to my
confidence out in the world$

-he Strong9Ifts 7ommunity thing was huge, connecting with li/e minded "eo"le Beven
"owerliftersC was big for me, and getting more encouragement was great$ -his business of
strength can get a bit lonely, es"ecially in a commercial gym where nearly >? ?>A is
doing what you+re doing, so it hel"s$
Seeing the strong "eo"le and other "owerliftersinthema/ing hereN 5a/emcmillan, muddy,
Mim Slade, aty"ical, strong4rugby, wellhairedbeast, among many others who always give
su""ort /ee"s me hungry to do better$ Sorry to not name all but to anyone "osting in my
training log, it means a lot to me so than/ you$

.or any /id loo/ing at S9 or heavy com"ound lift wor/ in general, and feels a bit
s/e"tical$$$don+t be$ -his is the basis for becoming a big, strong, useful human being$ 3ou
won+t overtrain from the wor/$ 6emember how I said I lli/ed e!cessG >ot only did I squat &
times a wee/ and deadlifted, benched, and "ressed heavy, but I "ut *99 of them in the se
wor/out &! a wee/ for a good & months before I started burning out$ 3es, I went against
the "rogram and didn+t alternate the lifts, and I still saw great "rogress, though halfway
through the "rogram I began doing it as written$ If you+re smart about it and actually do it
as written, you+ll "robably do better, and not have the overuse in5uries I accrued$

So the ta/eaway; get stronger, lift heavy, use barbells, be 7?>SIS-A>-, and wor/ very
hard$ It wouldn+t hurt if you found a reason to do so that ins"ires you, either$ ?ne ought to
en5oy the "rocess of becoming strong and useful$

-o everyone who read this and 5ust started lifting, good luc/J *im high but /ee" your head
down and wor/, and you+ll be seriously wrec/ing it if you give it time$

S9 Member Mi/e a/a EMi/eDF, 1#, >3 IS*$
202
2y !quat, $ea"lift an" total were all provincial
recor"s in the sub Bunior category.
My name is Myles, and I go by 6ugger inside the S9 7ommunity$ I+m '0 years old, I live in
,ritish 7olumbia, 7anada, and am currently a student$
*s my user name might suggest, I am a rugby "layer, although I haven+t "layed
com"etitively in about a year$ Dhen I began the Strong9ifts 5!5 "rogram in >ovember
'00), it was because I wanted to develo" the "hysical tools I needed to e!cel at rugby, I
wanted to get bigger and stronger so I could /ic/ ass on the field$ I had lifted weights for a
while, but s"ent most of my time on machines, and never had a real "rogram$

I stumbled u"on Strong9ifts$com in *ugust '00), while doing research towards develo"ing
an a""ro"riate strength training "rogram, and absolutely loved it$ It was "ut together in a
way that was easy to understand, clearly wasn+t trying to scam me, and contained a wealth
of information 5ust below the surface in the form of daily blog "ostings$
Dhat I li/ed was that everything Mehdi was saying, and everything about the "rogram,
corres"onded with a lot of the other information I was researching inde"endently$ *fter
reading through the main blog "osts, everything started ma/ing a lot of sense to me, so I
decided to commit to the S95!5 "rogram and see what would ha""en$
Dhen I started lifting, I had a dis"ro"ortionately strong lower body, which I attribute to
good leverages, good genetics, and lots and lots hill s"rints over the years$
!yles: Gains 'o"em(er ;44F !arch ;44G 'o"em(er ;44G
*ge 1)y 1)y 1(y
,odyweight BH+0FC 15#lbs 1))lbs 1(0lbs
Squat 1(5 ')5 4&4,5lbs
Deadlift ''5 &05 50Hlbs
,ench =ress 105 145 '0&$5lbs
?n >ovember '&, '00(, at the ,7=* '00( .all 7lassic, I com"eted for the first time$ My
203
squat, deadlift, and total were all ,7 "rovincial records in the sub 5unior category$
Squat 1#),5/g
Deadlift '&0/g
,ench =ress #',5/g
-otal; 115'lbs at 1)4lbs bodyweight
-he difference in my body after my first si! months was night and day$ I went from a s/inny
/id with a bit of a gut, to loo/ing li/e an adult male in good "hysical condition$ In a
relatively short "eriod of time I had acquired a broad bac/ and shoulder, a wide chest, tree
trun/ legs, an ass, and a little bit of female attention$
-he whole "rocess of transforming myself "hysically changed me mentally as well, I
became generally more confident and outgoing, and began to see the value of "utting
consistent effort towards a goal$
My athletic "erformance also increased greatly, I had gained around '0lbs, a lot of which
was muscle, but my s"eed had actually increased$ ?n the rugby field, whenever I went
into a tac/le or hit a ruc/, I could actually feel "eo"le move as they absorbed my
momentum, instead of 5ust bouncing off of them$
In the entire first season of rugby I "layed after strength training, I didn+t sustain a single
in5ury which "revented me from "racticing or "laying, in contrast to being an in5ury "rone
wrec/ in "revious years$ I always had issues with my lower bac/ and /nees, but after
getting my deadlift and squat strong, they went away com"letely$
*fter gaining '0lbs and more than doubling my strength I feel li/e a com"etitor instead of
5ust a recreational athlete, I+ve develo"ed a "assion for "hysical fitness, and loo/ forward
to a lifetime of s"orts and training$
-hroughout this whole "rocess I received a tremendous amount of su""ort from the
Stronglifts 7ommunity, having /e"t a training log almost as long as I had been lifting$
Kee"ing a log is an absolute necessity for anyone serious about training, and doing so on
the S9 forum allows you to interact with other Member who have similar goals, and may
have encountered some of the same challenges you are facing$ 7om"eting with others
online, and "osting your best lifts in the =6 thread is also a great way to stay motivated$
-o anyone who is considering starting Stronglifts 5!5, who has never strength trained with
a "ro"er "rogram before, who is maybe hung u" on some of the details, I have one thing
to say; 5ust frigging do it$ S95!5 is not the "erfect "rogram, because there is no "erfect
"rogram$ %owever, the ,AS- "rogram will always be the one that gets you in gym, that
you can follow with consistency$
Must do it, it+s only three hours a wee/, which I+m sure you can ma/e room for$ 7ommit to
following the "rogram for three months, then ma/e u" your mind$ If you aren+t convinced
that training com"ound movements with heavy barbells is the way to go, you can always
do something else$
,est of luc/ with your training,
Strong9ifts Member Myles a/a P6uggerP, '0, ,7, 7anada$
204
2y son was selecte" for county rugby trials G months after
being reBecte". I put this "own to !/474. Than& you..
I would li/e to start this off by saying a massive than/ you to Mehdi and the Strong9ifts
7ommunity who have hel"ed enormously$ I am writing this to tell you the success my son
has had on the Stronglifts 5!5 system$ My son is an ambitious rugby "layer and has
"layed in Angland since he was # years old$ %e was always blessed with the things that
you canQt teach L courage, aggression and a strong com"etitive s"irit$
%e continued to increase his s/ills and was selected for 7ounty trials at age 1'<1&$ -he
trials came as a bit of shoc/, the selectors were not interested in the "laying ability but
rather the athletic "erformance of the /ids$ My son was not selected$ *t this "oint, I as/ed
him if he wanted to ta/e rugby very seriously and train li/e a "rofessional and use this set
bac/ as a motivator to build a body that was so athletic that no selector could deny him, he
said he did and we both committed to doing so from that day forth$
De "urchased a 50/g ,arbell set and bench BStandard not ?lym"icC and began doing
everything wrongJ ,odybuilder ty"e s"lit routine with no linear "rogression, no consistency
or real "lan$ So as you would e!"ect the results were negligible$
I then decided to research how successful athletes Bnot 5ust rugby "layersC "re"ared and
trained for their s"ort and in "articular s"eed and agility$ -he one thing that came u" time
and again was to get stronger$ -his then lead me on to sites such as Stronglifts$com *fter
reading all the information and all the blogs<forum "osts Band I do mean *99C on
Strong9ifts$com I decided that S95!5 was the way to go and we "urchased a "ower rac/
and 50/g more weight "lates off ebay$
%e started Strong9ifts 5!5 in the rugby off season in *"ril '00( and we both couldnQt be
ha""ier with the results$ %e started with 5ust the bar Bstandard H foot bar, weighs around
205
(/g, although we count it as 5/gC on all lifts, we re"laced ,, rows for "ower cleans Bonly
change to the system we madeC$
Gains April ;44G Sep ;4@4 Gains so 5ar)))
*ge 1&y 15y
%eight 5+4F 5+10F RHF
,odyweight 5',H/g (5,)/g R&&,1/g
,odyfat 142 1'2 '2
Deadlift (/g 140/g R1&'/g
Squat (/g 150/g R14'/g
,ench =ress (/g #0/g R('/g
=ress (/g H',5/g R54,5/g
=ower 7leans (/g (0/g R)'/g
=ullu"s 0 1H re"s
-raining L Due to the amount of rugby he "lays, it was difficult to get & Strong9ifts 5!5
sessions in a wee/N sometimes this was done once or twice a wee/$ During the off season
the "rogram was followed religiously along with & sessions a wee/ of hill s"rints, "rowler
sled wor/ and tractor tyre fli""ing, s"eed wor/ etc for strength cardio$
Diet L -his has generally been an average teenager diet i$e "retty cra""yJ De have toyed
with whey su""lements in "eriods but have 5ust tried to gradually increase the amount of
calories consumed and "rotein "er day$ -his is the only area where my son has not been
consistent$ -his changed this year when he made a conscious effort to consume 5000
calories a day using @?M*D$ %e has now done this for & months with im"ressive results$
So, the results Ba"art from the significant weight and strength gainsC are that he was
invited after being seen "laying to another county trial where he was selected H months
after being re5ected$ I "ut this down to strong lifts, than/ you$
In the Anglish rugby youth set u" B*ge 1& L 1)C there are rugby academies lin/ed to
=remiershi" clubs called A=D@s BAlite =layer Develo"ment @rou"sC$ 1 year after starting
Strong9ifts 5!5 my son "layed for a team against the A=D@ and although the team lost,
he im"ressed in the game and was invited to 5oin the A=D@$ %e continues to love rugby
and still wants to "lay "rofessionally Bbut understands the li/ely hood of this ha""eningC
but also now loves weight training with a "assion$
*s a father, it is sometimes difficult to hear dissenting voices from family, friends other
rugby "eo"le, who all seem to have an o"inion on my sonQs develo"ment$ -he usual views
are often e!"ressed weight training will stunt his growth, he shouldnQt be lifting that much
weight at his age, its dangerous blah blah blahJ %e has >A:A6 once in5ured himself doing
Strong9ifts 5!5 BI su"ervise every one of his training sessionsC and only "ositive things
have come from it$ %e has however, bro/en his wrist, collar bone, 5th metatarsal and torn
his ac 5oint "laying rugby$ 3ou do the mathJ
-he amount of rugby training and games B7lub, school, 7ounty and A=D@ -eamsC he now
"lays ma/es it very hard to do and recover from weight training$ %is current schedule is
the following$
206
Monday L School rugby training
-uesday L *M L squat, chest, "owerclean B5!5 lower re" "ower sessionC =M
A=D@ rugby -raining
Dednesday L 7ounty -raining
-hursday L School rugby training
.riday L Stronglifts L *99 9I.-S Bstill trying to add '$5/gC
Saturday L School Match or day off
Sunday L 7lub match
-he things we have learnt $
6ead *99 the information Mehdi has "rovided and follow itJ
,e consistent
-rac/ your "rogress
*ll ways try to beat your "revious lift, this /ee"s you motivated$
-here is no such thing as a [%ard gainerQ L eat moreJ
Ignore what other "eo"le are doing and believe in the system$
7hase your dreams, they might 5ust come true$
Aven if my son doesnQt achieve his ultimate goal of being a "rofessional rugby "layer, he
has learnt so much on his 5ourney so far that will ho"efully benefit him in adult life$ 6ugby
and weight training are very similar in that they teach you self disci"line and control and
that you should be humble and not have an inflated ego because if you do, someone or
something will /ic/ you in the ass$
If you have a son who is serious about his s"ort, I would highly recommend Stronglifts 5!5,
it is a safe and effective system which will enhance your athletic abilities, which in turn will
im"rove your game$ -he system starts with low weight, which allows for the technique of
the e!ercise to be "racticed and develo"ed$ Dhen my son first started, the thought of him
squatting anywhere near 100/g was a scary thought but now he squats 150/g and he is in
com"lete control of the weight and I have no issue with it because of the way he has
"rogressed$
-he myth that is still "er"etuated today is that weight training will stunt a young "ersonQs
growth$ -he truth is that this is totally unfounded$ I did my own research before allowing
my son to start and the evidence and now our e!"erience shows this not to be the case$
Deight training has no im"act on a childQs growth "lates and you are more li/ely to
damage them "laying s"orts such as soccer, rugby *merican football etc$ * sim"le
Internet search li/e I did will show that this IS 5ust a mythJJ If you follow the Strong9ifts 5!5
"rogram as my son did, you will add substantial muscle to your frame and develo" an
athletic "hysique$ -his "hysique will greatly im"rove your strength, s"eed and "ower in the
s"orting arena, who doesnQt want thatG
3ou only get out what you "ut in and consistent hard wor/ will "ay off$ -han/s again
Due the age of my son, I have requested that we remain anonymous$ I am however more
than ha""y to discuss any of what you have read here inside the Strong9ifts 7ommunity$
* "roud father
S9 Member Ewarrior###F, Angland$
207
,esources
A,T 3
208
#o+ to !aster TechniBue on the SBuatD BenchD
6eadliftD ress and Bar(ell ,o+)
htt";<<stronglifts$com<howtomasterthesquat<
htt";<<stronglifts$com<howtomasterthebench"ress<
htt";<<stronglifts$com<howtomasterthedeadlift<
htt";<<stronglifts$com<howtomastertheoverhead"ress<
htt";<<stronglifts$com<howtomasterthebarbellrow<
StrongLifts Training rograms
htt";<<stronglifts$com<stronglifts5!5<
htt";<<stronglifts$com<strongliftsintermediate<
htt";<<stronglifts$com<strongliftsadvanced<
htt";<<stronglifts$com<strongliftsladderofstrength<
StrongLifts on 5ace(ookD T+itter and &outu(e
=lease 5oin me on all the different Strong9ifts social media "rofiles to gain access to more
strength and muscle building strategies, ti"s and videos$
htt";<<faceboo/$com<stronglifts<
htt";<<twitter$com<stronglifts<
htt";<<www$youtube$com<user<stronglifts<
StrongLifts latinum Coaching rograms
htt";<<stronglifts$com<"latinumcoaching< Bif availableC
Comments and 5eed(ack
mehdi at stronglifts dot com
209
#o+ Often #a"e &ou Started a 'e+
Training rogram Only to 5all Off The Wagon
Weeks Later And Gi"e 1p%
If you ever identified with the above headline, then what I+m about to tell you will be of
enormous benefit to you and your body$ >a"oleon %ill said in his bestseller Tink F 4ro!
,ic that "ersistence was /ey to success$ -ruth is, the best training "rogram is the one
you actually stic/ to$ -he secret is thus to ma/e Strong9ifts 5!5 "art of your lifestyle$ *nd
one of the easiest ways to accom"lish this is to surround yourself with guys who /ee" you
motivated, hold you accountable and with whom you can com"ete$
De call this a mastermind grou", and it is the most essential "art of becoming successful
Band staying that wayC according to >a"oleon %ill$ -he challenge is that strength training
tends to be a lonely underta/ing$ =ersonal e!am"le; most of my friends do not lift weights,
those who do are into bodybuilding stuff, and the handful who actually Squat aren+t as
serious about it as I am$ -his is why I+ve trained mostly alone during the "ast ) years;
most guys are sim"ly holding me bac/$ Maybe that+s been your e!"erience too$
-his is the e!act same reason why my most accom"lished Strong9ifts Members claim that
the Strong9ifts 7ommunity has been absolutely crucial for their success$ %ec/, some have
gone as far as calling it :integral to 5x5;$ %ere are 5ust some of the benefits they en5oy;
,ecei"e Support) 3ou can as/ questions to over '0,000 Members from over 1()
countries who have been in your "osition and achieved your goal, '4 hours a day, )
days a wee/$ Ouestions about your training, review of your technique videos, ti"s to
im"rove your diet, everything is "ossible$ Members who have been where you are
can "oint out "otential ha4ards, facilitate good decisionma/ing, validate your good
ideas, suggest way to im"rove them, and "rom"t you to action$
$ncrease Accounta(ility) 3ou can /ee" a training log visible to other Strong9ifts
Members$ -hey can subscribe to your log to follow your u"dates, encourage you
and give in"ut based on what they see you doing and not doing$ *ll of this boosts
your accountability because if you don+t u"date, your virtual training "artners will
as/ where you+ve been$ -his is very im"ortant if you train alone$
Skyrocket &our !oti"ation) -his comes & way$ ?ne you have Members following
your log, encouraging you to wor/ through "lateaus or challenging moments in life,
and congratulating you every time you hit a milestone li/e a =6$ -wo, loo/ing bac/
at your own training log and seeing how far you+ve come will boost your motivation
because success breeds success$ -hree, you can com"ete against other Members,
for e!am"le for the Strong9ifts Strongest Man title$
Gain $nspiration) -he number 1 thing that holds guys bac/ is time and time again
themselves L what they believe they can and cannot accom"lish$ Inside the S9
7ommunity you can connect with thousands of Members from similar bac/grounds,
bodyty"es, ages, height, genetics, race$ 3ou can read over 'H00 training logs of
guys who have transformed their body and life even though they had ElimitationsF$
*nd e!amining their transformation will give you a sla" over your head$
210
Most im"ortant is that you will finally belong to a grou" of trusted guys who share your
"assion for strength training and gaining as fast as "ossible in both strength and muscle$ It
suc/s to wor/ in a vacuum$ 3ou need to air out your ideas in a "lace where you feel safe,
and where you can receive honest in"ut from guys who you can res"ect$ 3ou will never
get this /ind of usable in"ut from a bunch of drin/ing friends$ %ere you can interact with
guys who bring years of e!"erience and savvy and "rolevel s/ills to the table$
-his grou" might not be for you$ I do not have any "atience for bullies, wiseguys, trolls,
crabs and other bullshitters that are so common on other online communities$ I+m a hard
core success 5un/ie, and I li/e to be surrounded by guys who do not theori4e but who get
things done$ -hat+s why the most active section inside the Strong9ifts 7ommunity is the
training log category; 'H00 training logs, almost 1)0,000 "osts, of guys getting it done$ If
you+re a guy who li/es to theori4e, but who doesn+t wal/ the wal/, you won+t fit here$
-he Strong9ifts 7ommunity is for guys who are serious about accom"lishing their goal,
guys who want to get no ,$S$ answers to their questions from Members who have been
where you are, who have overcome the challenges you+re dealing with at this very
moment, and who are where you would li/e to be$ It is >?- a "lain vanilla forum$ De also
do >?- have any of those meatheads and armchair s"ecialists$ *nd it is certainly >?- a
"lace where you+ll get flamed for as/ing the Eobvious questionF$
.ran/ly, the Strong9ifts 7ommunity is unli/e anything you+ve seen before$ Dhy do you
thin/ it+s the biggest strength training community in the world counting more than '0,000
Members from 1() countriesG *nd /ee" in mind many of these Members have been with
me for two, three even four years BI only started in '00) or I+d have older MembersC, and
their continued "rogress as documented in their training logs has been sim"ly ama4ing$
Several Strong9ifts Members are Squatting 400lbs and even 500lbs, Deadlifting 500lbs,
,enching &00lbs, and their training logs are there for you to follow and e!amin$
De+re successful and I+d li/e to 5oin us$ *ctually, I strongly believe that you have to 5oin us
if you+re serious about achieving your goals$ If you are a guy who li/es mature and civili4ed
discussions, bac/ed u" with in the trenches e!"erience from thousands of Members, and
free of all the bullies and meatheads then this will quic/ly become your new home$
,eady to Go%
Click #ere to Join 1s
I ho"e to hear from you soon,
Stay strong,
211