Trainee Profiles: Ahmad
Meet Ahmad (whose name isn’t actually Ahmad), a young professional in his early thirties. He recently completed his first training block, following the abridged program I detailed in a previous post titled “The Beginner’s Strength Block”. On the final day of training, he hit the following numbers at a bodyweight of 185 lb:
Deadlift: 330 lb. (~1.78x bodyweight)
Squat: 300 lb. (1.62x bodyweight)
Bench Press: 185 lb. (1x bodyweight)
Overhead Press: 120 lb. (~.65x bodyweight)
If you’ve followed the blog, you’ll notice that these numbers are pretty close to the novice strength standards I detailed here. In other words, while Ahmad’s numbers are impressive, they are easily attainable by most people that dedicate themselves to 4-6 months of regimented training.
To give you a better idea of what it takes to hit these benchmarks, I reached out to Ahmad, who kindly agreed to speak about his journey and share his experience with all of you. Below is my interview with him. Enjoy!
When did you begin training at the Strength Block? What were your goals at the time? What were your expectations?
I started in January of 2023 with the general goal of getting stronger and staying consistent and committed to strength training. I wasn’t expecting it to be easy, so I was really hoping that The Strength Block would help me figure out the right training program to keep me engaged without burning out or falling off track. In terms of numbers and quantifying strength - I didn’t have too much in mind, but thinking back, I definitely did not expect to reach the numbers that I did after a few months of training.
Did you have any prior lifting experience? If so, what were your numbers prior to joining?
I had tried lifting on and off at short bursts of a few months at a time, but was never really able to be consistent. For the numbers that I remember, prior to joining the Strength Block, these were my max weights:
Deadlift: 225 lb.
Squat: 170 lb. (I had to stop squatting because it would cause serious pain to my adductors),
Bench & Overhead Press: I never really took these lifts seriously enough to know what my numbers were (certainly not over 115 for bench).
Bodyweight: My body weight prior to starting was right around 170 lb.
What are your current numbers, including bodyweight? How difficult was it to reach those numbers?
Currently, I am at 180 lb. bodyweight (after having started a cutting cycle with Strength Block - I was at 185 a few weeks ago when I maxed out my lifts). For me, I was not too concerned with bodyweight. My primary goal was to get stronger and to build a solid base of muscle and strength.
My current one-rep max numbers are:
Deadlift: 330 lb.
Squat: 300 lb.
Bench Press: 185 lb.
Overhead Press: 120 lb.
In terms of difficulty, it felt like I barely did anything to get to these numbers, thanks to the programming and coaching guidance. Basically, the day I hit 330 lb. on the DL (and especially the 300 lb. squat) I was shocked. I really couldn’t believe how I went from not being able to squat more than 170 lb. without having excruciating pain to squatting 300 lb. and feeling like there was still a tiny bit more left in the tank.
Along the way, I just followed the path that The Strength Block laid out; I trusted the system and listened to my coach. We made small adjustments (mostly to my form) which solved my crisis of not being able to squat. Muaz kept a close watch on my video uploads to make sure my form was always solid and he would give me reminders and pointers to help me improve each time. The reason I say that it was not difficult to reach these numbers is because I never had to lift at max effort - it was always RPE 7-8, meaning that I always had 2-3 reps left in the tank.
How many days were you training each week and how long was each training session? What did the sessions consist of? Was the training difficult?
During my initial block, I was only training three days a week. Like I said earlier, staying consistent was pretty difficult for me throughout my attempts at lifting. So I was very happy to only have to do three days a week. Each session was about an hour and fifteen minutes to an hour and a half. I loved the initial strength training because it wasn’t too difficult per se. We were always training at RPE 7 or so, meaning that I was not exerting max effort at any point in time. I am honestly amazed thinking back to how I was able to progress so much in the amount that I can lift given that I never felt that I was working so hard.
Did you make any dietary changes during this period? If so, what were they and did you find them difficult to incorporate? Do you have any tips for folks that find it difficult to consume enough protein?
The biggest change was increasing protein intake. I learned from Muaz that protein intake is one of the most important dietary aspects of strength training and muscle building (yes, it’s somewhat obvious, but the actual amount of protein that you need to consume can seem shockingly high). It was challenging for me to eat enough protein, but the Strength Block has an excellent blog post that includes tips on how to get 150 grams or so of protein per day.
A big key is finding a protein shake / powder that you like. For people new to protein shakes, I really appreciate Fairlife’s Core Power Elite protein shakes. I think they are by far the best tasting ones I have come across. I also like mixing espresso shots into my protein shakes because it cuts the bad taste with a nice strong coffee flavor.
How was training at the Strength Block different from training you had done previously?
The Strength Block is systematic, tailored, and seamless. The programming aspect is amazing and worth every penny - I never had to think “what should I do at the gym today?” - How much should I lift for each exercise? How many reps should I do? - Everything is there for you and adjusted each day by Muaz based on your previous day’s results. It’s perfect.
Muaz is really on top of the game. He is constantly checking in, commenting on videos I would upload for form checks, checking the “bar speed” to see if my RPE estimates are accurate, and then synthesizing everything to tailor the weekly lifting plan based on the previous week’s results. In other words - it’s not a “plug and play” one-size-fits-all approach - Muaz made key adjustments on a regular basis, and those adjustments helped ensure that I was never burned out or at risk of getting injured.
Another unique aspect is that Muaz truly understands my goals and works with me to achieve them. After my initial strength block, I mentioned to him that I want to cut a little bit of weight before getting back to the strength training. He’s created an excellent hypertrophy program that I have been using for the past few weeks. Again, it is a truly personalized experience and I never ever have to think about what I should be doing or need to be doing for any given workout - the programming is created and adjusted each week via the app we use.
How has strength training impacted you, both physically and mentally?
I’ve noticed the benefits of strength training from both a physical and mental perspective. Things that used to be heavy to lift or open are now easy to do. My posture has become better. I generally feel stronger and healthier.
I also appreciate the mental benefits. I was a full time student during my initial training, and I was engaged in a significant amount of time-consuming academic writing. I was also in the midst of studying for a very time-consuming and challenging exam. I’ve noticed that strength training has definitely helped with my ability to focus for long periods of time without getting tired. As a tutor to other students, I now always recommend that all students have some sort of strength training regime to help with their academic efforts as well as their physical health.
What advice would you give to someone who is just getting started with strength training?
Start with the Strength Block. Don’t overthink it or overcomplicate it. One problem with our times is that there are an unlimited number of options for everything that we do, including physical training. I was a person who would spend so much time researching the “best” type of training - the “best” lifts, the “best” x y z, that I didn’t have the time and energy to actually do something, anything on a consistent basis.
I never have to worry about this anymore because I know that I have an expert team in The Strength Block that is doing all of this research for me and synthesizing it in a bite-sized format that I can benefit from.
Once you get started and consistent, you will become hooked such that you won’t want to stop because you won’t want to lose all of the physical and mental benefits that you are experiencing.
What are your goals for the next few months of training?
I’ve switched to hypertrophy training with the goal of dropping a few pounds while building some muscle. I’ve really been enjoying it so far. Now that I have a base to build from, I am exploring more aspects of how to train with the specific goal of longevity in mind. Much of my ideas around longevity and the goals that I have stem from the work of Dr. Peter Attia, who recently published an excellent book on longevity. I appreciate that Muaz is well aware of and is engaging with the work of folks like Dr. Attia and other longevity experts, doctors, and strength trainers.
Is there anything else you would like to share with our readers?
I really am thrilled to be training with The Strength Block.
That wraps up my interview with Ahmad (whose name isn’t actually Ahmad, but who is actually strong). If you enjoyed hearing about his experience, stay tuned! In the next few weeks, I’ll be publishing a few more interviews that I’m conducting with other trainees who have likewise completed their initial strength block.
