Strength cycle takeaways and then some.
My strength cycle finally ends today (yay!) and more than being elated with the newly-gained PRs, I'm more excited to compile the data collected throughout the gruelling 6-week process.
A caveat: I didn't take any before-and-after photos or lifting videos. Therefore, unfortunately, there won't be any proof of progress taking place or PRs being hit. However, If you know me personally, you'll know that I won't claim to have achieved something unless I really have.
Besides, this entire process wasn't at all motivated by a need for outside validation. I was simply so sick and tired of getting knee injuries every now and then, and after having added less than 10kg to my average PRs in the past year, I started doing my research on how to fix my muscular imbalances and gain more strength overall. Apparently, going through a strength cycle is the answer.
Anyway, let's get to the data, shall we?
1. Total weight gained: 3kgs
After having lost quite a bit of weight in 2020-2021, the last thing I wanted was to gain some of the weight back -- even if the weight is going straight to my butt and quads instead of my belly.
I remember feeling weirdly pleased when someone gushed about how much weight I lost at last year's Christmas party. In truth, I had just injured my knee again in November and had not been able to do any barbell movements, hence the weight (muscle) loss.
Welp, nobody's gonna gush about how skinny I've gotten, but at least I've grown stronger and that's all that matters.
2. Total booty gainz: 7.5cms
I have an inverted triangle body shape with highly noticeable traps and an almost unnoticeable butt. Going into the strength cycle, I was somewhat pleased that I would be doing back squats four times a week and zero trap-growing movements.
It actually took me three weeks of going through the strength cycle before I could see an increase in my butt's circumference, which was from 87cm to 90cm. From week 3 to week 6, the circumference had grown again from 90cm to 94.5cm. My quads have grown too, but I made the mistake of not measuring them before starting the cycle, therefore, I don't know how much bigger they've gotten.
From my observation, I only started noticing gains once the percentage had hit 85-90%. This means that if you're doing 100 bodyweight or empty barbell squats daily with the hope of growing a Dani Speegle-butt, good luck. You'd actually need to add challenging weight and volume in order for your body composition to change.
3. Total PRs: 5 🥳
Front squat: +8.5kg (1RM @ 82.5kg to 3RM @ 86kg; estimated new 1RM: 91kg)
Back squat: +15.5kg (1RM @ 97.5kg to 2RM @ 110kg; estimated new 1RM: 113kg)
Bench press: +5kg (1RM @ 50kg to 55kg)
Strict shoulder press: +2.5kg (1RM @ 40kg to 42.5kg)
Hang power clean : +5kg (2RM @ 55kg to 60kg; in a complex)
Total kgs of PR gained: 36.5kgs
Whee! Let's hope this will also translate into my Olympic lifts. Maybe I'll retest my deadlift again soon.
4. Total lower back, hip and knee pains: a big fat ZERO!
Probably the icing on this 6-week cycle cake is that I stopped feeling lower back and hip soreness after doing squats, deadlifts and other hinging workouts!
I used to complain so much about having to do back-to-back squat or deadlift-heavy workouts, but after going through the strength cycle, I realised that the problem isn't that the workouts were dangerous. It's just that I have to make sure that my form and movement patterns are correct and that the muscles surrounding the problem areas (aka my knees) are strong enough for the load I want to work with.
I guess the same concept applies to women fearing a prolapse from weight-bearing exercises. Avoiding weight-bearing workouts isn't the solution. Instead, the best solution is to work to strengthen the core and practice proper form for those weight-bearing workouts.
Major takeaway from the strength cycle
The first two weeks of the strength cycle had been really intimidating. It didn't help that I was doing it alone in a new gym where I didn't have a spotter or a training partner. In fact, the only person who could push me was me. Nobody else knew what my program was. I could've just bailed halfway if I wanted and nobody's going to give me shit for it.
Luckily, I'm very much a fan of structure and experimenting on things to see if they work. My program, which was adapted from the Russian Squat Program, seemed simple enough to follow; and honestly I had nothing to lose and everything to gain. So, I did it. And it worked!
Takeaway 1: Trust the process
It's nerve-wracking to attempt a new percentage at a higher volume than usual every single week. For instance, I was used to only doing a maximum of 2-3 reps of my 80%, whereas the strength program often demanded 2 sets of 6 reps of up to 90% of my 1RM.
I feared hurting myself on most days, but I also know that this program has had so much success for so many people. Therefore, if I were to execute it properly (with proper form and correct movement patterns), I should be able to reap similar rewards too -- and I did!
Takeaway 2: Don’t be afraid of the big weights
I asked Joyce, the gym owner where I train and a champion strongwoman competitor, how she managed to get so strong. Besides the obvious answers of genetics, talent and hard work, she said that it’s important to not get intimidated by bigger weights. Once a weight no longer feels challenging, it’s time to add more. That’s the only way to get stronger and get one's desired body composition.
When I first started weight training at the end of 2020, the ‘big’ number I had in my head was 50kg for power clean. I thought that once I hit that milestone number, I’ll stop trying to clean heavier weights. But then, having hit 60kg on my power clean less than 6 months into CrossFit, I thought, why not see if I could lift more? Never mind that I’m a lot older and that my best potential lifts are probably behind me.
There is safety and functionality in strength. Plus, it boosts confidence like no other!
Takeaway 3: The ultimate prize is the journey
I got people asking me what's the point of training if I wasn’t going to compete in any sort of competition. As someone who perennially sucks at competitions, I feel lucky that I don’t need outside validation, recognition or rewards to get me motivated to be better.
To me, the ultimate prize is the journey and the things you learn about yourself throughout the journey. Besides, having gained more than 30kgs of cumulative PRs in 6 weeks is an accomplishment that nobody else can take away from me.
Best of all, the feeling of triumph after successfully doing things I’ve never thought I could do before is indescribable. Achieving something you didn’t think you could achieve is extremely self-empowering. I’ll do it all over again even if nobody’s cheering.
