Training is not practice, it's not lifting, and it's neither casual nor easy. Having defined what training is not, defining what it is becomes a little easier. Training is a purposeful and meaningful pursuit of a skill that is currently beyond your abilities.
This is what makes training difficult; you're striving to achieve something you cannot currently do. Imagine yourself deadlifting 500 pounds. For reps. It's possible if you really want it. I promise it will not be easy.
Mastery of a skill has been said to take 10,000 hours of meaningful practice. Meaningful and purposeful practice with a plan that leads to success. That is the definition of training.
So you've decided to begin training. Maybe this was a conscious decision (you were tired of being low man/woman on the totem pole) or maybe you fell into it accidentally (you started casually but became gradually more infatuated with it) but here you are. You've started for better or for worse and you're all in, full steam ahead captain I'm headed for the top. Let me stop you there and give you a view of what to expect for the next three years.
The beginning is the easiest part. Your technique, your form and your conceptual understanding will be weak at best but this is a good thing because your potential for improvement is tremendous. Your potential to shit the bed is also at an all time high, so choose carefully how to proceed. Getting started is the one place where I would say it is absolutely critical to have someone to help you. Get a coach, a mentor, or hijack a friend to show you some basics. You'll progress more quickly, more safely, and spend less time fixing broken habits later if you do it right the first time. Everything will be new to you and you'll have to think hard before each attempt. You may feel a little overwhelmed with how much there is to learn but you'll make quick and dramatic progress that will make it easy to keep hammering away at the little things. This is the honeymoon phase and it's everyone's favorite phase of training. Can't stop won't stop, the hype is out of control.
After the beginning comes the middle. This may be 6 months to two years after the beginning. Everyone is different and I'll not put a hard timeline on your progress. Progress is progress and I don't care how long it takes. You know how you'll know when you get to the middle? You'll start to fail. Often, and with gusto. This is the point you'll be hitting the wall of your beginner's 1) strength 2) technique or 3) conceptual understanding. Basically, either you're too weak, your technique is off, or you don't understand what you're doing like you thought you did. This is where you have the opportunity to define yourself as an athlete and as a person. This is where most people will bail.
Here's an example:
I trained with powerlifters and strongmen for most of my training career. I love these guys for their brute fuck it attitudes toward training. Weightlifters can sometimes be divas about training, but the powerlifters and strongmen (at least those that I trained with) gave no shits about your feelings. It worked for me, though it was a special environment. At this particular gym one of the strongest squatters had a goal of a 600 pound squat. He busted ass for two years; two and three hour sessions four days a week, gained somewhere between 40 and 50 pounds, and gathered a group of bad ass dudes and ladies around himself to train with. He did exactly what he needed to do. The last max out day he was set to attempt 600 he fell just short and only managed 590. That fucker was 10 pounds away from his goal. That's 1.7% away from what he wanted. HE WAS 98.3% OF THE WAY THERE. And he walked away. He said he wanted to "work on his fitness and lose some weight". I've rarely been so disappointed, but it didn't mean enough to him to keep going. He didn't have the drive to finish the goal he set for himself. Don't be that guy. Say what you mean, and mean what you say then follow through and hold yourself accountable.
This is another important time to have someone there to guide you through the process. These speed bumps will be happening more and more often through the rest of your lifting career so figure out a way to deal with them now. Trust your coach, break down your technique, work your weaknesses and keep busting ass. You'll hit another PR streak soon enough. Then you'll stall again, and the process will repeat itself. Don't worry you're in good company and anyone who's trained for a significant length of time has been where you are.
So now you're still training. You've progressed passed the middle but you're far from the end. It's somewhere around you're second or third year and you're hammering away as best you can to reach that next level, always that next level. By this point you've made it through your first plateau's and "why do I do this to myself" existential crises. You have the tools you need to continue improving and hopefully you've settled yourself into a gym with an atmosphere that is fun for you and supports your goals. You're still refining you're technique, it's not quite subconscious yet, but you look like you know what you're doing and you're clothes don't fit anymore because your hips, legs and shoulders have finally grown out of the jean jackets and slim fit pants you wore in high school. If you've trained 10 hours a week every week no weeks off up to now you'll have hit just over 450 hours of practice, and chances are you'll look around at the people around you and still feel like a rank beginner. If not the pond you're swimming in is too small my friend. If so take a minute to appreciate that you've done something that many others are unwilling to do. You began something with no expectation that you would be where you are today. There is still much to learn but take solace knowing that you are on the right track.
What can you expect for your first three years of training?
1) The beginning is the easiest part. Progress is quick, small changes yield big results and you're on track to be the strongest in the gym.
2) You'll need a coach in the beginning. Someone needs to be there to show you what to do and correct you when you're wrong. Do it early or risk wasting time later in your career fixing the basics while your friends numbers keep flying.
3) You will stall. It's ok and it's normal. Talk to your coach, talk to your friends, take this time to fix yourself and support the people you train with. You're a family and it's not always about your PR's.
4) Most people are not mentally determined or committed enough to stick through the plateau's. If you set a goal without knowing what it will take to get there you better evaluate how much that goal means to you.
5) Once you make it through the first major hurdles of your career you'll come to the other side with an understanding of what "grit" really means. I can't describe it, it can't be taught, but you'll know it when you see it.
6) By the end of those three years you'll have amassed just over 450 hours of practice, assuming you trained 10 hours a week every week with no weeks off. You may not be a master yet so don't make assumptions, but you've attained a level that most never attempt.
I write this on the eve of my 4th year of training.
Yours in strength,
Nate
Olympic weightlifting level charts from Catalyst Athletics:
Weightlifting Ratios From firstpull.net:
