From Beginner to Intermediate

Bill Starr
How to Move to the Next Level

Currently, there’s a large supply of information to help you get started on a strength program:
books, videos and numerous articles in a wide range of fitness magazines. Some of them
provide very detailed outlines on how to put together a functional routine, even
recommending starting poundage, sets and reps to be used for the various exercises. Most,
although not all, also have instructions on how to use proper technique, along with sequence
photos.

Then of course there’s the army of personal trainers with more initials behind their names
than professors at Harvard who know absolutely everything about training a beginner, not to
mention having expertise on diet, aerobics, stretching, mental preparations and who will win
the next presidential election.

While resources like those are beneficial, many embark on their quest to get bigger and
stronger on their own. They pick up ideas from others at the gym and from what they read,
winging it and altering their programs fairly regularly until they find one that works for them.
It often turns out that those who put together their own programs fare as well as or even better
than those following a system laid out in a book or magazine or by a personal trainer.

The reason that happens is quite simple. If trainees use at least decent form, are consistent
with their training and put their full effort into the exercises, they’ll make progress at the
beginning. Perhaps the most important variable is consistency. I’ve noted in this space before
that a poorly designed program done consistently will produce greater results than a perfect
routine done sporadically. The key to success early on—or at any level for that matter—is
never missing X number of sessions in a given week. If one is missed, for whatever reason, it
must be made up during that week. Anyone following that basic rule will make gains.

Beginners make progress rather rapidly when they train regularly and with enthusiasm. That
encourages them to continue with the discipline. The work done in the weight room,
especially on the larger muscle groups, strengthens the muscles and, most important, the
attachments. When the tendons and ligaments are exercised in a steady, progressive manner,
they respond favorably and provide a solid base of strength for future work.

At the same time, invigorating workouts stimulate appetite, and beginners find that they’re
able to gain muscular bodyweight easily. As they put on weight, they get stronger, and the
stronger they get, the more muscle they gain. Once that happens, they’re hooked because few
things in life can equal the heady feeling of being able to get stronger and alter how you look
—all through your own volition and sweat. That can’t be bought or obtained through any
other means, and that makes it very special.

I can state unequivocally that strength training changed my life. When I came across my first
set of weights at Great Lakes Naval Training Center, I weighed 135. Two years later I’d
gained 50 pounds and was loving it. Like my contemporaries, I put together my own
beginning program. I had yet to see a fitness magazine or meet anyone with any experience in
the field, so I proceeded by using logic as best I could. I’d read the manual on Charles Atlas’
Dynamic Tension when I was 15 and used that as a sort of guide. I never did any of the free-
weight exercises he recommended, however, because there was no way I could afford the set
of weights he offered. I did try using some parts from my father’s Caterpillar bulldozer, but
all I got out of that were bruises and busted hands. I did learn that a bar holding weights
needed collars.

Although I had plenty of setbacks, usually from trying to do way too much too soon, I made
steady gains as long as I was consistent. While I was stationed in Iceland, I asked a friend
who was going stateside on leave to bring me back some fitness magazines. He brought me
three Strength & Healths, and I started building my routine around the three Olympic lifts. I
liked the idea of being able to use the strength I’d gained in an athletic way. I’d study the
photos of a lifter snatching. pressing, and clean and jerking and do my best to copy him.

When I was assigned to the medical unit at Sheppard Air Force Base in Wichita Falls, Texas,
I was elated to find that the YMCA had a well-stocked weight room and an Olympic bar.
Even though I didn’t know what I was doing, I entered meets, not only to participate but to
learn. I’d watch the other lifters do their attempts in the warmup area and on the platform and
try to mimic the ones with excellent technique.

Some may find that a tough way to learn a sports skill, but in fact it’s most beneficial because
I took nothing for granted. Any little form point I could pick up was special and stuck with
me. Gains continued to come. I was young, pumping plenty of testosterone, had the benefit of
lots and lots of good food, was full of enthusiasm and woke up every training day thinking
about my upcoming workout. When you’re full of youthful vigor, you fully believe that the
sky’s the limit, and for quite some time that was the case.

Then reality stepped in, and I hit a wall. I couldn’t get any of my lifts to move—not the
Olympic lifts or any of the basic strength movements, like front or back squats. I tried training
longer at each session, and that backfired. I reorganized my program. Things went from bad
to worse. I read everything I could lay my hands on, but none of the suggestions helped. I
decided to take a few days off and quickly discovered that was a very bad idea. I slipped back
even further.

I had arrived in the place every strength athlete enters sooner or later: the doldrums. I had no
one to turn to for advice. I couldn’t figure out how to move from beginner to intermediate. I
knew it could be done because I’d watched many lifters achieve success. Over the years I’ve
talked with a lot of fellow strength athletes who told me they encountered the identical
situation. In nearly every case the solution came from someone with experience.

I know now that it was inevitable that I would eventually plateau. It had to happen, not just to
me but to everyone who ever started on any type of strength-training routine. Otherwise, there
would be hundreds of people overhead-pressing 500 pounds and cleaning 600. But it was very
frustrating, and for a full year I made very little progress.

While nearly all coaches with some background in training can teach beginners how to get
started, very few can help them graduate to the next level. I believe the transition from
beginner to intermediate is more difficult than moving from intermediate to advanced. Those
who have been training diligently at the intermediate level for some time understand how
their body responds to certain exercises and workloads. They’ve also spent time perfecting
technique, so they are able to move into a higher strength level more readily. Usually it’s just
a matter of gradually increasing the total volume and intensity.

Moving up to the intermediate level requires lifters to pay close attention to the subtleties, and
most beginners don’t know what those might be. I learned what I was doing incorrectly once I
began training under the coaching eye of Sid Henry. After I enrolled at Southern Methodist
University, I went to the downtown Dallas YMCA to see if I could lift with him and the rest
of the Olympic team. I was more than welcome.

I quickly found out two glaring faults in my training. First, I was doing far too many
exercises. I was under the impression that if I wanted to get out of my rut, I had to increase
my load. That was, in fact, true, but I was spreading out my energy doing a lot of movements
for my smaller groups.

That changed once I joined the group training with Sid, more out of necessity than
philosophy. The weightlifting area was in a cramped space overlooking a squash court. There
was room only for a lifting platform and squat rack. As a result, everyone did exactly the
same program. We would do three exercises per session: jerks or overhead presses, pulls, full
cleans, full snatches, power cleans or power snatches, then front or back squat. That was it. So
in one stroke, all my extra work was eliminated. That enabled me to concentrate all my
energy into primary movements. It was a major change, and my lifts began to move upward
right away.

My other shortcoming had to do with form. Since I’d never had anyone coach me on
technique, it was little more than adequate, except for my clean. That was a natural move for
me, and the only adjustment I ever made for it was that I learned how to pull longer. When it
came to form, Sid was an absolute perfectionist. When you trained with Sid, you did exactly
what he instructed you to do or you left. If a rep wasn’t performed precisely, it didn’t count,
and you redid that set. That forced us to pay very close attention to the small form points on
every set and was a valuable skill to use in contests.

No one was permitted to jump to a higher poundage if the previous set was done in a sloppy
manner, even if it was completed. Again, that forced us to focus on what we were doing.
Another positive side effect was that it moved the workload upward gradually, which is how
it should be. That way the weaker muscle groups get time to catch up.

Another bonus was that my workouts at the Dallas Y were 20 to 30 minutes shorter than those
I had been doing. That had a direct influence on recovery, and recovery is one of the keys to
advancing to a higher strength level. The systematic approach to training helped me break out
of my stagnation and move into the intermediate category within a few months. I’ve used the
concepts I picked up from Sid ever since and have helped countless beginners break through
that barrier of distress. Most who come face-to-face with an overall plateau start looking for
complicated solutions to the problem, but the changes are quite basic.

So if you should find yourself in the same position, unable to elevate your level of strength
from beginner to intermediate, here are some suggestions. First, get rid of the extras you’ve
picked up over the months—perhaps even years. When I’m asked to evaluate a program, I
quickly notice that the athlete is doing too many exercises. It’s an easy trap to fall into; I know
because it happened to me. You read an article on strengthening some bodypart and think, “I
could use that.” A few months later another piece on back or shoulder strength strikes your
fancy, and you add a few exercises for those bodyparts and so on, until your program begins
to look like an index for a training manual.

Go back to the fundamentals and eliminate the frills. Limit the number of exercises in a
workout to three primary and no more than one auxiliary. That’s not counting the warmup
movements for the abs and lumbars. Put 100 percent of your effort into those primary lifts,
and they’ll begin to move upward. Your sessions will be shorter, and that saved energy will
be useful for your next workout.

Those primary exercises should center on strengthening the core lower back, hips and legs,
with additional attention given to the large groups of the back and shoulder girdle. Leave the
smaller groups alone for the most part. When you attack the larger groups, the smaller ones
always are involved, and that’s sufficient at this level of training.

Another fault I find in programs people send me is that the set-and-rep formula is all over the
place. When you’re attempting to break through to the next level, use the tried-and-true
strength standard of four to six sets of four to six reps. Regular readers know that I prefer five
sets of five because 1) it’s easier to do the calculating when determining workload with that
formula, and 2) it’s easier in general when you’re working with a large group of athletes.

Of course, some exercises need to be done in lower reps—front squats and jerks, for example.
Lower reps are better because the bar always tends to slip out of the solid position on the front
deltoids during those movements. When it slips away from that ideal rack, form is adversely
affected. That’s why it’s smarter to lower the reps to threes or sometimes twos and do more
sets to get the work in.

Occasionally, it’s a good idea to handle lower reps on all of the primary exercises in the
routine: triples, doubles and singles. They activate the attachments more than even slightly
higher reps and are beneficial for beginners just as they are for intermediate or advanced
strength athletes. For the most part, though, stick with five times five.

Another very necessary step in the process is improving your technique. I was most fortunate
to have Sid Henry teach me, and I fully understand that it might not be an easy task to
accomplish. If you’re truly serious about elevating your level of strength, however, you’ll find
a way. Ask around. Find out if there’s a knowledgeable coach in your area. You might be
surprised to find that there is. Then seek him out. Every capable coach I know of is more than
ready to help a fellow strength aficionado. That’s because in all likelihood someone assisted
him when he needed advice.

If there’s a college or university nearby, inquire about its strength program. At Hopkins there
were usually a dozen nonathletes and several nonstudents training with me. A few fathers
brought their sons for one-time visits to have me check their technique. A great many
workshops and clinics are held throughout the country and are most helpful to those who need
critical eyes to observe their technique. You can track them down on the Internet. Or do what
I did. Go to weightlifting meets and watch the form of the top lifters. Plenty of videos are also
available. It may not be easy to find someone to critique your technique, but at least make an
effort.

In the same vein, find out where the strongest men train in your area. In some instances their
gym may be a good distance away, but again it will be worth the drive every week or so to
work out with that group. Training with athletes who are stronger than you is always helpful.
It raises your expectations and brings home the fact that if others can lift a certain poundage,
you can too, over time. Plus, the energy generated from training with highly motivated
strength athletes flows into everyone in the weight room. I’ve discovered through the years
that for a wide variety of reasons some of the very best technical coaches are not necessarily
that strong. Usually they’re just too busy with their occupations or family to train hard enough
to be national caliber. Yet they know the sport and can lend much useful advice to anyone
seeking it.

Besides having too many exercises in a workout, many beginners are guilty of training more
often than they should. They get caught in the split system, which puts them in the gym four
times a week. That system does have its place, but only for already intermediate or advanced
strength athletes—and then only for a short period during the year. Three days a week is
sufficient. You need the off days for recovery, and if you fully apply yourself to the three
workouts, you’ll make gains.

A few other tips. Keep an accurate record of every workout: weights used on all the sets,
number of sets and reps done, plus anything else that you might think of that has an influence
on your training, such as bodyweight, weather, biorhythms, if you know how to figure them,
diet, supplements, how much rest you get and so on. Recording the numbers is absolutely
critical because without them you have no way of knowing just how much total work you’re
doing. You may think you can recall what you did last week or two weeks ago, but you won’t.
I had some very intelligent athletes at Hopkins, and none were able to do so unless they kept a
training book.

Once you feel that things are moving in the right direction again, you must keep an eye on
your workload. It has to go up gradually. The numbers will reveal which bodyparts are
receiving the most attention and which ones aren’t. That will enable you to bring weaker areas
up to par and may be the single most important step in gaining strength on a consistent basis.
Your training log will give you a picture of exactly what you’re doing without any guesswork,
and from that you can make adjustments in your routine. Without it, you’re shooting in the
dark.

Finally, nutrition and rest. The more wholesome your diet, the easier it will be for you to gain
strength and size. Avoid junk foods, foods with empty calories, colas, foods high in saturated
fats and sugar. That way you won’t have to spend precious energy burning off the unwanted
bodyweight. Build your meals around protein foods, and drink a protein shake right after you
complete your workout. That, too, helps recovery.

Keep in mind that you don’t have to gain bodyweight in order to get stronger. Those who
compete in sports that require weight divisions, such as Olympic and powerlifting and
wrestling, have to increase their strength while remaining within a fixed weight limit. As I
made steady progress under Sid’s tutelage, I stayed in the 181-pound class. If the sport of
your choice is one where being heavier is an advantage, however, like football, hockey,
lacrosse and basketball, by all means try to pack on more muscle. Adding bodyweight is
actually the easiest way to get stronger. You can do it by drinking several protein milk shakes
a day—and be sure to have one at bedtime. That’s one of the keys to gaining functional
bodyweight.
For many who want to get stronger and perhaps bigger, getting a sufficient amount of rest is
the most critical variable of all. It always was for me. Simply going to bed half an hour earlier
than usual the night before a workout can spell the difference between having a successful
session and a crummy one.

So if you’re struggling to move up to the intermediate level, condense your program, hone
your technique, train hard and consistently, keep accurate records, eat right, and make sure
you arrive at the gym fully rested and ready for the task ahead.

Editor’s note: Bill Starr was a strength and conditioning coach at Johns Hopkins University
from 1989 to 2000. He’s the author of The Strongest Shall Survive—Strength Training for
Football, which is available for $20 plus shipping from Home Gym Warehouse. Call (800)
447-0008, or visit www.Home-Gym.com.