What Intermediate Lifters Can Learn From Beginners

[atypical1]

Being an "intermediate" at anything is tough. Whether it's at work, at play, or at the gym the term "intermediate" refers to a huge population and one that is really varied. Take riding a motorcycle at a track as an example. The beginner group is full of people still learning how to ride at the track. This might be their first track day and they have some amount of apprehension. The advanced group are all super fast and very confident in their abilities. The intermediate group covers everything in between. It covers people who simply don't want the label of "beginner" all the way to riders who should really be in the advanced group. But this group gets largely ignored when it comes to instruction.

I view the intermediate level lifter in the same boat. We're strong enough and have been lifting long enough to not really be considered beginners but we really still have a lot to learn about what works, what doesn't work, and why it works (or doesn't). There's also a plethora of programs out there to tempt the intermediate level lifter. It seems like everyone has a program named after them these days and they are all solid programs. Whether it's 5/3/1, Pavel, Westside, Madcow, or SL intermediate they are all good and they can all produce results.

But what do intermediates do? We treat every program as an 8 week shot and then move onto the next one. The problem with that approach is that we don't give each program enough time to really run its course. These aren't necessarily 8 week programs and can be carried out much longer. The other big problem is that you're going to be a constant beginner at that rate. Huh? What do you mean by that? Well, every time you try something new you're a beginner. Whether it's riding a motorcycle on a new track, learning a foreign language, taking on a new role at work, or starting a new training program it's all the same. There's a learning curve to everything and when you're new at something you're a beginner.

So, that leads me to the topic at hand. What can intermediate level lifters learn from beginners? A couple of things really. First is to pick something and stick with it for a while. We give this advice all the time but we never stick with it. I'm as guilty as the next person so I understand it. We read about someone having great success with something and we simply chase the gains that they have made. The bottom line is that there is a lot of great material out there but it can get really confusing if you let it. I read a couple of boards and it seems like there is always some "new " information out there. But sometimes we just need to file that away as "nice to know". Perhaps these are small changes that we can make to our existing workouts or perhaps we just need to save them for later. If something works, don't change it. Second, remember the basics. We tend to get caught up around tempo, sets and rep quantity, and splits. But we shouldn't even be thinking about that stuff at our level. It's simply not as important to our success as being consistent is. It's OK to add exercises or take them away but we should be cognizant about why we are doing that. Think like a coach (think strength coach and not personal trainer...) and be logical.

Happy lifting and get strong!

james

[holvoetn]

Hear hear !
I quite agree with you, James ...

[LiftingNerd]

I think the switching is an attempt to get away from the grind. It's hard for people to go hard day in and day out just for the chance that your lifts go up 5 lbs in 2-3 months time. Sometimes you just need to take a step back, look at your goals, and remind yourself why you're doing it.

[mpetry]

I think you're right on james (for me at least). I need to find something I can stick with for a long while (but maybe by something, I just mean working the basic lifts hard and heavy; that might be good enough at my level). At this point, I don't think I can handle another round of korte; 8x5 is pretty brutal. I'm considering getting back on stronglifts 5x5 (or SS) since I'm not sure I milked that for all it was worth. I would tweak it to include more DLs (weak point), but I think it could work for me.

I'm also considering a heavy singles routine with lifting everyday. Regardless of what I choose, if I make gains, I'll be happy to stick with it for several months or more.

LN is right though; part of the reason I wouldn't like to do back to back korte is the grind of hitting 8x5, 8x6, 8x5 in the big lifts every workout. Too brutal, even more mentally than physically.

[mjh]

great post James. I'm still totally a beginner, and I actually don't look forward to having to abandon the simplicity and regularity of noob programs. Though of course there's a lot of fun to be had with periodisation and exploring more advanced techniques and exercises, it's also really cool being able to bash away at the basics.

Long live the noob!

[Sam277]

Nice post james.

[sgtrock]

This post is an example of why I love this forum.

[wrenchhands]

Damn 5 pounds in 2-3 months?

When that happens, I'm gonna start getting n00b gains at curls and other vanity exercises.

[sjl]

What it looks like from here--me being a real noob to this:

I see that if I get through the beginner's program, then, it will be like graduating. And I'll be free to go out and find myself-- just kidding.
I suppose I'd have start over with a new type program, but, hopefully, they have a graduation, too.
Else, it will be determining new goals all over. But, also, graduating from beginner's could be party-time to do what's fun in workouts for a while, while finding one's self. Huh?

[guru]

Great post indeed James.

Reminds me of Mehdi's advice while I was being trained by him. When I asked him about which program I should next hop on, he suggested a couple. However, he emphasized that you keep repeating the cycle for around an year to get good gains.

[dylanamus]

Good post, James. I seem to have the opposite problem whereby I stick to something long after I should have moved onto something else haha This just highlights the importance of chosing your next program only after a great deal of thought and research, so that sticking to it remains relevant and logical throughout its course.

[seadog]

I think there may be another lesson as well. As we proceed through the late beginner stage into intermediate the daily volume increase just to do sufficient warm ups becomes daunting. I think trainees begin to do too much daily volume which limits the amount of focus they can have on several exercises and starts to impact frequency; the I am just too tired to face it syndrome. We begin to question goals and even lose sight of why we embarked on this road in the first place. The lesson we need to remind ourselves was that simplicity was a key early in this journey. While there are many competing views simplicity may still hold the key for intermediates. I was looking at Dan John's 40 day program to finally hurdle two time BW in the DL. It allows me to work on DL, the Press, Pullups, plus a dynamic move and abs daily using frequency to provide volume. It is simple two working sets of 5 reps for each strength exercise; pull ups, the dynamic move and abs are done for 20 to 50 reps. I am using this merely as an example: it is simple and effective based on the reviews; It is not too daunting, in fact so far it is easy but it enables the use of large weights. It passes the four pillars of a successful program, intensity, volume, frequency, and progression and enables me to attack my weak areas DL and Press. I think I will use it for 40 days and then return to SL to see what impact the return would have. Thoughts?

[Dada]

Great thread. I like the idea of running a program back to back or extending the cycle for as long as it works. And then just making small tweaks to 1 or 2 exercises that may be stalling rather than jumping on a totally new program every 8 weeks. Only time I've run into an issue with that not working out so well was with trying to run a periodized peaking powerlifting cycle back to back.

[Jiggy]

Nice topic. I think you're right that it's tough to be an intermediate. The jump from beginner to intermediate is relatively easy compared to the jump from intermediate to advanced. I read somehwere that to get 85% 'good' at something is fairly easy, but making up that last 15% is a killer. This is true of many things, be it computer programming, painting, or guitar playing (which I'm struggling to jump to break out of the intermdiate zone at the minute!). The depth and breadth of knowledge you need to fine tune your skills to an advanced level is immense, not to mention the dedication and hard work.

I think another thing that intermediates can learn from beginners is to keep an open mind and approach everything with fresh eyes. It's too easy to think 'Oh, I've got my squat/deadlift/BP form sorted', where a few tweaks or a review from a pro could provide some advancement.

[Vlad]

Great advice! Thanks for posting it.