[alvah]

Long time lurker, finally registered to answer this. What's your definition of "strong"? I've been weight training once a week since March, following Doug McGuff's "Body By Science" method, and I have doubled my weights in 4 of the "big 5" in the last 3 months. While I'm led to believe McGuff's methods will never make anyone look absolutely massive, I disagree with your premise that you have to train more than once a week to be strong or look strong. Incidentally, McGuff mentions in his book that the optimal gap between workouts is 8 days.

[nosequel]

No offense meant for something working for you. If it works for you, keep doing it.

I've competed now in three separate strength sports (powerlifting, strongman, olympic lifting). There isn't a single person on any competitive circuit that only lifts weights once every 8 days. You might be getting strong for you. You started in March, so you are on the ultra-beginner slope that means you can basically do any training in existence and make gains. That will steadily slow.

Regarding a definition of "strong", there are many, but the one most people in the strength industry agree on is:

  * 2.5x bodyweight dead lift  
  * 2x bodyweight full squat  
  * 1.5x bodyweight bench  
  * 1x bodyweight standing strict overhead press

So a 180lb person who is "strong" will have a 450lb DL, 360lb squat, 270 lb bench, and 180lb OHP.

No offense to the one person you read, but hundreds of years of strength athletes are on the side of lifting weights multiple times per week.

[alvah]

As usual, people say "no offense" when they are about to offend me :)

I have actually read more than one "person". McGuff actually has some credibility, and cites many scholarly articles in his book. However his method is not aimed at competitive weightlifters, which suits me as I don't have hours to spend at the gym every week, or a desire to get huge. I do expect to be stronger than approximately 99% of my peers by the end of the year though, which in my book is a bit better than "strong for me".

[nosequel]

> However his method is not aimed at competitive weightlifters

Yes, but you said a workout every 8 days was optimum. I'm saying that's completely bad information. You don't have to compete to learn from people who compete.

You wouldn't learn an optimal golf swing from someone who only plays mini-golf at an arcade would you? No, you'd look at the true greats in the game.

Here are just a few people to read instead of McGuff, all of who have some actual strength credentials.

  * Wendler  
  * Coan  
  * Rippetoe  
  * Dan John  
  * Pavel  
  * Abadjiev  
  * Kilgore

[wallace_f]

Hey nosequel, can you recommend me succinct reading or ideally a great training program to follow for strength building with calisthenics? In my situation with my lifestyle of travel at the moment, access to gyms can be expensive and infrequent, and I like the athleticism and balance involved in calisthenics anyways.

[wallace_f]

Good post.

How much do people consider body shape when looking at those numbers?

[nosequel]

Body shape is hugely influential. Limb length compared to torso length, back width, arm length compared to leg length all will have huge influences. These were general guidelines kind of thrown around over the years, but it is expected that for each person on of those will be easier than the rest to achieve. Most really good deadlifters are not necessarily good squatters, and vice versa.

[wallace_f]

You are correct. In fact, you can get really strong training once a week. Fact is, this guy's training methods are basically kind of appoaching an optimization for bulking (building the most muscle mass possible) combined with laziness (only training once a week).

The big criticisms of this kind of training would be:

1.) athleticism (he recommends machines, but free weights and calisthenics--replacing lat pulls with pull ups, muscle ups, etc is much better for athleticism)

2.) strength (he recommends machines, no momentum in movements, long recovery periods... this is basically how bodybuilders train to build the most muscle, but power lifters and athletes will optimize for maximum power, which includes momentum in their movements, and more endurance in their muscles)

3.) cardio/weight loss (you will burn more calories and build better cardio with higher volume, repitions)

4.) Injury (machines, low reps, high weights, all increase risk of injury)