INTRODUCTION

Prior to my initial foray into the realm of serious resistance training, the closest encounter I had with physical exertion was during my two years as a full-time NSF in the Singapore Armed Forces. It has been more 5 years since I finished my two years as a full-time national serviceman though.

Fast forward to today – my life has taken a turn I never anticipated – a journey into the world of strength training. This was a journey sparked by a simple and innocent question which my youngest brother had posed to me on a fateful Saturday morning in early December 2022: “Do you want to go to the gym with me?“

I still remember how it was drizzling slightly and I was rather reluctant to accompany my brother to the gym. In retrospect, I’m so glad I felt somewhat adventurous and open-minded that day to the extent that I would agree to step outside my comfort zone. Perhaps the greatest factor in tipping the scale and convincing me to accompany my brother to the gym on that fateful Saturday morning was the realisation that I could achieve something similar to what he had done in terms of putting on muscle size/bulk. The reality was that his physique change was rather apparent over the few months that he had been going to the gym. Specifically, I noticed how his anterior deltoids had become more prominent. And I thought it looked great on him. I thought to myself: surely if I do what he does, I’m sure I could get something similar!

EVOLVING GOALS

When I took my first step into the gym, my goal was straightforward – to gain both muscle size and strength. Let’s talk about the goal of strength first. For the uninitiated, the standard 2.2-metre-long Olympic barbell weighs 20 kg, and a standard ‘plate’ is 20 kg. As such, a x-plate barbell would constitute the 20 kg barbell and x plates on each side of the barbell. As such, the 1/2/3/4 plate goal in the OHP, bench press, squat, and deadlift corresponds to 60 kg, 100 kg, 140 kg, and 180 kg respectively. This goal seemed (and of course, still seems) like a formidable challenge. Yet, multiple sources online claim it to be an achievable one for an average-weight male with no prior resistance training who has maintained a year of consistent training, proper nutrition, and ample recovery. Such milestones were concrete and defined. That’s the good thing about strength. The numbers are tangible and don’t lie. You can either lift it, or you can’t.

But with strength, I also had another captivating prospect – size. The idea of gaining size as a by-product of my strength training was enticing, because who wouldn’t want to look more jacked, right? I mentioned earlier how my youngest brother’s physique transformations were noticeable, and it was something I actively worked towards.

As much as some members of the fairer sex may not want to admit publicly, a muscular physique on the human body is something admirable by all. After all, is it not a testament to the person’s dedication, perseverance, and consistency? This is particularly so in an increasingly sedentary society where the prevalence of largely preventable metabolic diseases is rising, and even many individuals who are neither in the overweight or obese range for the BMI could be considered ‘skinny-fat’. It’s a shame that the limitations of BMI aren’t more widely known. Having even an acceptable ethnicity-adjusted BMI isn’t a carte blanche to just slack off and eat whatever one wants as long as one remains within the ‘acceptable range’. In fact, the vast majority of people who are in the ‘acceptable’ range stand to gain innumerable health benefits by starting a structured resistance-training programme with the purpose of gaining strength and functional muscle mass.

And just to clarify, I qualified the nouns “muscle mass” with “functional” for a reason. Gaining muscle mass isn’t just about the aesthetics (though this is admittedly the chief reason many guys go to the gym). There is a distinction (albeit a controversial and disputed one) between myofibrillar hypertrophy and sarcoplasmic hypertrophy, and the former is associated with substantial health benefits. Myofibrillar hypertrophy refers to the enlargement of the muscle fiber’s contractile components, i.e., the myofibrils. Unlike sarcoplasmic hypertrophy, which increases the muscle’s size mainly for aesthetic purposes, myofibrillar hypertrophy contributes significantly to the muscle’s functional capacity. Thus, while there is a place for aesthetics in the world of fitness, the focus on myofibrillar hypertrophy brings about a more holistic approach towards health and fitness. It emphasizes the role of functional muscle mass in enhancing our overall well-being, extending far beyond the confines of the gym.

On the topic of gain and loss of mass/size of muscle, I have increasingly not liked using the generic term ‘weight loss’. Weight loss can happen in a myriad of scenarios, and can be due to losing predominantly fat mass, losing predominantly muscle and fat mass, losing predominantly ‘water weight’, and even losing predominantly muscle mass. When most people say they want to ‘lose weight’, what they usually mean is that they want to lose fat, while minimising any muscle tissue loss (or perhaps even maintain or even facilitate muscle hypertrophy during the weight loss period).

The biggest mistake I made in hindsight when undergoing that aggressive fat loss journey was that I did so without paying serious attention to my daily protein intake and without doing any sort of structured resistance training whatsoever. This is because research has established that both adequate protein intake and an appropriate amount of resistance training helps preserve muscle mass.

So, that was exactly what I started off with when I began this structured 23-week-long strength-training journey on 26 December 2022. Compared to my June 2022 self, the December 2022 self was still skinny-fat – just with a lower body fat percentage. Sure, my BMI was finally very comfortably in the ‘acceptable’ range after that drastic cutting phase that I engaged in over the course of a few months, but in retrospect I was a sack of bones with barely any muscle. So what if one’s body fat is relatively low if one doesn’t have the accompanying amount of muscle mass? Such a physique just makes one look skinny and weak.

SURPRISING MILESTONES DURING THE 23 WEEKS

I was taken aback when I achieved the first of the 1/2/3/4 plate milestones within just 3.5 months of training – the 1-plate OHP. Traditionally, this is considered the toughest of the four goals to achieve due to the unforgiving nature of the overhead press. Imagine lifting 60 kg overhead – it’s no easy feat! However, this has become my favourite compound movement, and the joy I experienced upon achieving this goal on 13 April 2023 is indescribable. I remember shouting a resounding “Yes!” in the gym that day – April 13, 2023, a day that will forever remain etched in my memory.

	Before	After	Change	Remarks
Age	25 years (26 Dec 2022)	25 years (4 Jun 2023)	+23 weeks	–
Height	173 cm	173 cm	–	–
Weight	63 kg	74 kg	+11 kg
Bench Press	45.0 kg x 10 [e1RM 60 kg]	78.5 kg x 7 [e1RM 94.2 kg]	e1RM +34.2 kg	The ‘e1RM 94.2 kg’ PR set was done close-grip.
Overhead Press	22.5 kg x 5 [e1RM 25.3 kg]	54 kg x 6 [e1RM 62.7 kg]	e1RM +37.4 kg	13/4/23: Actual 1RM 60 kg (i.e. 1-plate OHP) 18/4/23: Actual 1RM 62 kg
Squat	35 kg x 26 [e1RM 56 kg]	105.25 kg x 6 [e1RM 122 kg]	e1RM + 66 kg	e1RM increased from 56kg to 122kg
Deadlift	45 kg x 14 [e1RM 66 kg]	150 kg x 1 [1RM 150 kg]	e1RM + 84 kg	6/4/23: Actual 1RM 140 kg (i.e. 3-plate deadlift) 27/5/23: Actual 1RM 150 kg

 

CONSISTENCY, NUTRITION, AND RECOVERY

Adherence to the training program, a diligent focus on nutrition, and prioritizing recovery have been the cornerstone of my success. My journey was marked by consistent training, bulking up my nutrition, and ensuring optimal recovery – even if I could not always achieve the recommended seven hours of sleep.

CONCLUSION

Looking back at my 23-week journey with Phrak’s variant of the GreySkull Linear Progression program, I see a transformation that has been as much about physical changes as it has been about personal growth. My goals have evolved from just gaining strength and size to a broader perspective – healthy aging and longevity. With this evolved perspective, I recently embarked on a new journey with Jim Wendler’s 5/3/1 program for beginners, which includes my self-initiated structured running training to complement my strength training. This holistic approach considers not only raw strength but also cardiopulmonary fitness, encompassing aerobic capacity and endurance.

Stay tuned as I continue my journey towards becoming the best version of myself, maintaining a balanced focus on strength, endurance, and overall health. Remember, life is about constant growth and improvement, and my journey is just one example of how that can manifest.