Fast For a While, Slow for a long Time
If you want fast strength gains, what I am about to say in this article doesn’t sound good, it’s not popular, and a lot of people don’t want to hear it. I could tell you what most people want to hear, including myself. I would like to be told that there is a method of training that delivers fast strength gains forever, but it doesn’t exist. Training methods that deliver quick results do exist for beginners and intermediates. Quick results are also possible for those who finally figure out how to train correctly when they have been training incorrectly with ineffective methods in the past. However, anyone who trains for very long will reach a point where they will have to accept the idea of making slow gains on a consistent basis.
Is a strength gain of five pounds per month too slow? It will add up to a strength gain of sixty pounds by the end of the year, and it will add up to a 300 pound strength gain in five years. If you only gain half that fast, you will still be 150 pounds stronger for each lift in five years.
Slow is Insignificant in Scientific Research
Even scientific studies tend to classify slow gains as “insignificant” because slow gains always show little numbers instead of big numbers. Researches often want to see substantial numbers by the end of their study to validate their research and little numbers won’t do this for them. Unfortunately, a lot of studies only last twelve to eighteen weeks at the most, which won’t produce big strength gains for an advanced lifter. The result of this is that scientific studies that show significant results revolve around methods that work quickly for beginning and intermediate lifters, so that the researchers can present better evidence for supporting a valid conclusion by the end of a study. Unfortunately, what brings the fast strength gains in the beginning, doesn’t always work as a long term lifting strategy for building strength next year, or several years down the road.
I often advocate repeating the same workouts until they become easier. This will work if training thresholds (or precision points) are used. These are explained in the basics of PPT, and are explained in even more detail in the free books Training Thresholds, the Key to Consistent Strength Gains, and Strength Training Capacity. Repeating the same workout is completely unacceptable in the minds of the vast majority. Doing the same workouts again and again makes it seem like you are not making any progress, but if the workout is getting easier, then you are making progress. Instead of trying to break a record by doing more reps, more sets, or lifting a heavier weight, the emphasis should be on breaking records in terms of how easy it is to lift the same weight. Once this is accomplished, then add weight, but first focus on allowing the same weight and reps that you have been using in workouts to become easier, easier, easier.
Does it take time? Won’t progress be slow? Yes it does take time, and progress is often slow. You can try to speed up your progress by pushing harder and harder and harder. Even though it may speed up your progress for a short time, it will slow your progress down for a long time. Once your body is through with rapid gains, slow is the way to go because fast will never last.
Slow is the Fastest Way to Big Numbers
Richard Hawthorne is closing in on a deadlift that is five times his own bodyweight, but he explains in this video that in the long run, trying to gain fast will only slow you down, and going slow is the fastest way to big numbers. If you don’t want to watch the whole video, I recommend fast forwarding to 5:39 in the video to get to the bottom line of what he is saying. If your goal is long term strength gains, then you must think long term and the patience to build strength little by little. Best of training to you.