All natural strength...

[SAD]

As proof for you guys out there that think the only way to get big and strong is with gear, I wanted to tell you about a training partner that we just added to the barbell club that I'm starting.

This guy is a lifetime all-natural lifter. He is 25 years old, has been doing crossfit and olympic lifting for 3 years, with NO WEIGHT TRAINING PRIOR TO THAT. He has been lifting with me for just about 2 months now, purely with the goal of competing in powerlifting (although it was VERY difficult to convince him to stop crossfitting in between powerlifting sessions).

Here are his numbers. Keep in mind, he is lifetime all natural.

5'8"
189lbs

Sq - 550ish (smoked 525 recently after a BUNCH of heavy sets. Max may be closer to 585.)
B - 350ish (smoked 325 recently after a BUNCH of heavy sets.)
Dl - 600 (probably right at his 1RM, although I feel with the adrenaline come meet day, he'll easily pull closer to 650)

I'm going to assume this guy will easily be able to cut to 181, although these numbers will be top 25 nationally even at 198. Either way, he is massively strong, and getting stronger every session.


Still think you need gear to reach your goals?

 

[PillarofBalance]

Where do these guys come from? Like one of the guys I train with... He's this 5'5" little mexican dude but pulls 600 for doubles... I'm not sure if he's on or not though but he cut his pulls short a week ago because his low back was really tight (dbol?).

That's a nice addition though SAD... As if the other guy you're with wasn't a complete ****ing beast...

 

[SAD]

Unfortunately that "other" guy has been VERY hit or miss in the last 3 months. He's got a lot going on with two jobs and a serious girlfriend who has 3 kids, but if he thinks he'll be able to stay ahead of me and ranked in the top 25 without actually lifting, he's very mistaken. It's sad, really, that a guy with that much talent is going to succumb to the rigors of real life and let it get in the way of 6 hours worth of training per week. There is a reason why there are a million strong mofos out there, but only a few that have been setting records for decades. It takes, dedication, determination, diligence, desire, and a bunch of other "d" words in order to succeed in any strength sport (other sports too, but you get the point).

He's not even competing with our barbell team on April 27th because he is "doing something with Barbara". Wow. Really? And he just told me yesterday that he's going to break 2000 at the Raw Dawg Nationals in August. Ummmmmm, not without training you're not. Sorry for the rant, I'm a little bitter.

 

[PillarofBalance]

That really sucks to hear... Ton of potential he has. Women and booze. The downfall of man :violin:

 

[SAD]

That really sucks to hear... Ton of potential he has. Women and booze. The downfall of man :violin:

Sound like Yoda you do. Truth, you speak.

 

[BrotherIron]

It's possible to get strong without cycling. Just look at 4G.

I'm not natty (never claimed to be) but I don't cycle anymore. Haven't in 5+ years and I still make progress each and every year. It can be done if you're willing to eat A LOT, train correctly & hard, and put in the time.

 

[porky little keg]

Sure, you can get strong, clean.

I squatted a grand in the gym before touching even a pro hormone or sarm.

But that took me 10 years to build up to.

There are all sorts of crazy strong guys out there who come in, show all sorts of potential, then quit when it gets hard.
The reason why top guys are top guys is because they stick it out and put in the work. All the potential in the world doesn't add up to poo if you squander it.

On the flip side. I used to lift with a top AAPF ( and legitimately clean) 181/165-er. On vegetables and beef he squatted upper 800s in a meet and well over 900 in the gym. He had good genes and worked his ass off for a decade.

 

[SAD]

Sure, you can get strong, clean.

I squatted a grand in the gym before touching even a pro hormone or sarm.

But that took me 10 years to build up to.

There are all sorts of crazy strong guys out there who come in, show all sorts of potential, then quit when it gets hard.
The reason why top guys are top guys is because they stick it out and put in the work. All the potential in the world doesn't add up to poo if you squander it.

On the flip side. I used to lift with a top AAPF ( and legitimately clean) 181/165-er. On vegetables and beef he squatted upper 800s in a meet and well over 900 in the gym. He had good genes and worked his ass off for a decade.

I should have mentioned that this guy is all natural and lifts completely raw, not even knee wraps. Not taking anything away from the guy you're talking about PLK, because squatting that much is freaky at that weight, even if it were a 20-ply squat suit.

 

[IronInsanity]

Still think you need gear to reach your goals?

Great Genetics + Hard Work > Gear + Hard Work

 

[Mini Forklift Ⓥ]

Good stuff, I like reading threads like this. Yes, for sure I believe that there are some high goals that can be achieved by natural means and your friend's a good example of this.

Hope he keeps up the good work and trains smart, which I'm sure he will.

 

[porky little keg]

I should have mentioned that this guy is all natural and lifts completely raw, not even knee wraps. Not taking anything away from the guy you're talking about PLK, because squatting that much is freaky at that weight, even if it were a 20-ply squat suit.

That IS impressive for sure, sorry if it sounded like I was trying to take anything away from him.... I should have posted my buddies raw numbers to keep it apples to apples..... but comparing the two isn't the point.
I was just agreeing with you that you DON'T need gear to get strong..... good post.

 

[prime]

Yes there are very gifted individuals out there for what ever reasons are built to lift big weights even naturally. I think we have all met someone with a base build that could go far in the sports but for whatever reason they didn't have a spark to make a career out of it.