Join the party with PR Friday and post your training PR’s or updates to comments.

Somebody asked me how I was able to have so much success on a linear progression (I used Starting Strength) since I worked up to 465x5x3 a couple years ago. On the first day I started at 325x5x3 and eight weeks later was at 445x5x3. I made a five pound jumps each workout; 24 workouts times 5 pound increments equals 120 lbs. of added weight on the work sets at the end of the two months. I had some set backs and eventually worked up to the 465 realm. I’d eventually work up to an easy 500×3.

AC had similar success. I remember meeting him when he weighed about 180 pounds. We were into CrossFit and were excited when he squatted 385, pressed 185, and deadlifted 435. His linear progression worked up into the 450s before I (intelligently) convinced him to shift the programming (to prevent getting beat down like I did). We put him on the S&C Program that I wrote, and he pushed his squat to 435ish, press to 205, and deadlift to 500. To date, he has squatted a comically easy 534 (barely missing 551 on a mechanical mistake), has benched a paused 380, and deadlifted 569. All raw, of course.

When I met Chris he was pulling about 440×5 and didn’t hesitate to tell me he wanted to deadlift 600×5. At the time it was a fucking tall order, yet he was steadfast in his goal (last week he pulled 600×4). He was squatting in the low 400s when he became my training partner. The first time Chris squatted 600 was at his first powerlifting meet on the third attempt (he deadlifted 633 in this meet). Recently he squatted 644 and deadlifted 661 in competition (raw).



The general trend here is that none of us were very special a couple years ago. People ask me all the time about AC’s “freaky genetics”. The dude isn’t a genetic freak; genetic freaks walk in the gym and squat five plates within five minutes. Chris and I certainly aren’t genetic freaks either. The three of us share the following qualities: 1) we had years of accumulated lifting, 2) we all were completely committed to getting stronger, 3) we did all of the little things right like having consistent technique and recovering/eating well, 4) we used a typical linear progression and later a properly tweaked Texas Method, and — most importantly — 5) we trained our fucking asses off.

I don’t think it’s fair to look at any of us as genetic freaks. That makes it seem like we didn’t earn anything, and that’s bullshit. AC has spent hundreds of hours in a gym, by himself, waiting to squat. Chris has sacrificed his schedule, even being late to school or work, to train. And all of us have had to develop the most sadistic, violent, and out-of-control mental hurricane to attack our hardest sets. I’ve seen Chris strain so hard that his soul died when he missed a 650 lbs. deadlift. I watched AC barbarically press 235 for a triple and completely rage out afterwards with his fists clenched as if he’d just severed the head of a mortal enemy. My heart rate has been 205+ bpm right after squatting a 5×5 that drained my adrenal and neuro-endocrine system so bad that it almost made me emotionally uncontrollable.

The only freakish thing about the guys from 70’s Big is that we cinch our belt, gnash our teeth, bark to the heavens, and fucking own the barbell every single time we train. We rarely miss lifts, we are never flat, and we always attack the bar. Not really all that special.

What’s your excuse?