Are you a beginner, intermediate or advanced?
These 3 categories make up the different classifications we can use to help us formulate what type of training the individual should follow to achieve progress.
But what/how exactly do you define each category?
Which answer did you pick?
Why did you choose it?
Do you define it by the amount of time you have been training?
Is it dependant on your strength level?
Do we judge it on our favourite lifts?
Things are not so black & white in deciding this.
When we consider individual differences such as genetics, lifestyle, training/sporting history, recovery and other factors it makes it very tough to put people in specific categories based on specific time periods or strength levels.
You may be more advanced in certain movements compared to others, you might be able to Deadlift a big weight but your bench press isn’t ‘strong’, or maybe you can’t do a pull up, so how does this affect your training level category?
As I said above, it’s not so black & white.
Some people may never make it out the beginner stage, a little harsh perhaps but true, they may have been training for a few years but never consistently, 3 days one week, 1 day the next, following a lacklustre program and just spin the wheels without much progress to show for it.
Many people make initial progress as a beginner with decent strength & muscle gains, over time progressing to the intermediate level, they continue with the same methods used as a beginner, then find their results begin to plateau because what worked at the start doesn’t work as effectively anymore.
What may be an advanced level for one person could actually be an intermediate level for the next even though they have similar strength levels.
Have you ever trained with someone who has been training for less time than you but can lift the same or maybe more than you?
Does this mean they are more advanced ?
Based off this situation alone, it would be unfair to say an individual falls into a specific training category based solely off the time they have been training, as I mentioned above there are numerous factors to consider which category you fall into.
So how can you decide which category you fall in to.
As a beginner here are some guidelines to look for:
This is going to be the fastest you make progress during your training career, enjoy it!
Can you add weight/reps on movements every week or two?
Week 1 – 3×6 @ 50kg
Week 2 – 3×6 @ 52.5kg
Week 3 – 3×6 @ 55kg
Etc…
If you can break your own personal records every 1-4 weeks, I would say you’re still at the beginner stage of training. Training doesn’t need to be super complicated, be consistent and try to add weight using a linear progression scheme, keeping the reps/sets the same just trying to add 2.5-5kg each workout, milk this for what it’s worth, as you get stronger this will slow down otherwise we would all be deadlifting 500kg within a few years of consistent training.
Using complicated methods of programming for someone at this level may actually reduce their rate of progression.
For example if we programmed following %’s based off a 1rep max, due to the rate of progress this 1RM will change rapidly for a beginner, which makes the % you’re basing your weight off inaccurate as the goal posts are constantly moving as you progress quickly.
This phase of training can typically last from anywhere between 3-12 months before things slow down and you progress to the intermediate level of training.
Intermediate
This is a stage that I think has the widest range of trainees, the majority of people will spend their time between here & the beginner stage.
At this level we need to be a little more intelligent in the programming we follow. Training volume is important across all levels but becomes more important as you progress due to gaining more strength & muscle which places a higher stress on the body each workout compared to the beginner stage.
Exercise selection should be more varied than at the beginner stage alongside a periodisation model that follows varied phases of training volume.
Both linear and undulating methods work well here (if you want to learn more about periodisation methods go here -> https://www.facebook.com/
Intermediates can still make progress fairly often, every 1-2 months you will be able to set new strength records.
Advanced
Here is where things need to get more complicated, there is a crossover between intermediate & advanced where some principles apply to both but will vary depending on how advanced you are.
It is also a level of training that most do not need to concern themselves with contrary to their own beliefs that they are advanced.
Training phases have to be managed to focus on specific goals. Volume & intensity become more important to ensure the trainee doesn’t do too much or too little.
Specific qualities need to be focused on at the expense of others due to the amount of volume/intensity required to make progress.
Want to build more muscle ? The majority of your training will need to be based around hypertrophy work, while max strength work goes on maintenance.
Want to improve your maximum strength? Your hypertrophy work will have to take a back seat.
Depending on where in the continuum you sit within the advanced level, exercise selection may need to be more varied to aid progress or it may need to be reduced to specific movements only because of the sheer amount of volume used, this rule probably stands for about 5% of trainees in the world. So I wouldn’t worry too much.
Advanced level trainees will do well to make strength progress every 3-6 months which may be adding as little as 2.5kg to a lift, at this level long gone are the days of adding 30-50kgs to your lifts every year.
If you are unsure of what training level you are at, try some of the recommend methods in this post and if you need any further help drop me a message.
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