Hey guys, just wanted to chime in with my experience with Starting Strength.
I'm 27, about 5'10, with a very small frame. I'd lifted regularly for about a decade doing stupid isolation routines and never saw much progress. I never weighed more than 125lbs.
I discovered starting strength about a year ago and did the program for about a year. I also paired it with the GOMAD diet (drink a Gallon of Milk a Day) to get extra calories. The results:
Beginning body weight: 125lbs
Squat: 95lbs
Press: 65lbs
Bench: 135lbs
Deadlift: 135lbs
1 year later:
Bodyweight 190
Squat 225lbs
Press: 105lbs
Bench: 180lbs
Deadlift: 250lbs
My lifts didn't improve as much as I would have liked due to various BJJ injuries (broken toes, sprained elbow, strained ribs, the list goes on), but still are a huge improvement from where I started.
Some of the weight gain was fat, and I developed a decent sized belly. I had a consult with Johnny Pain from strengthvillain.com and modified my diet to cut the fat I gained while still building muscle. 3 months later I had lost the belly and kept most of my strength. Would have kept more if not for more bjj injuries.
Current stats:
Bodyweight: 155lbs (with a near six pack)
Squat: 170lbs
Press: 100lbs:
Bench: 160lbs
Deadlift: 200lbs
TL/DR:
I gained 65lbs of bodyweight over a year doing starting strength and GOMAD. I've cut the fat and kept most of the strength. Final conclusion is that I gained 30 pounds of muscle in a little over a year (probably more, but I'm sure I lost some during the fat cut.
I'm 27, about 5'10, with a very small frame. I'd lifted regularly for about a decade doing stupid isolation routines and never saw much progress. I never weighed more than 125lbs.
I discovered starting strength about a year ago and did the program for about a year. I also paired it with the GOMAD diet (drink a Gallon of Milk a Day) to get extra calories. The results:
Beginning body weight: 125lbs
Squat: 95lbs
Press: 65lbs
Bench: 135lbs
Deadlift: 135lbs
1 year later:
Bodyweight 190
Squat 225lbs
Press: 105lbs
Bench: 180lbs
Deadlift: 250lbs
My lifts didn't improve as much as I would have liked due to various BJJ injuries (broken toes, sprained elbow, strained ribs, the list goes on), but still are a huge improvement from where I started.
Some of the weight gain was fat, and I developed a decent sized belly. I had a consult with Johnny Pain from strengthvillain.com and modified my diet to cut the fat I gained while still building muscle. 3 months later I had lost the belly and kept most of my strength. Would have kept more if not for more bjj injuries.
Current stats:
Bodyweight: 155lbs (with a near six pack)
Squat: 170lbs
Press: 100lbs:
Bench: 160lbs
Deadlift: 200lbs
TL/DR:
I gained 65lbs of bodyweight over a year doing starting strength and GOMAD. I've cut the fat and kept most of the strength. Final conclusion is that I gained 30 pounds of muscle in a little over a year (probably more, but I'm sure I lost some during the fat cut.