At Bonvec Strength, we’re incredibly proud to be able to train complete beginners, national-level powerlifters and everyone else in between under the same roof. Not everyone follows the exact same workouts, does the same exercises or lifts the same weights, but they train similarly enough that our coaches can effectively train them at the same time. This has built a tight-knight, supportive community.
How do we do this? We use a level system and strength standards to determine what a lifter needs for their given level of experience.
I’ve posted at length about our strength standards on social media and how it’s benefited our community. However, I’ve heard a handful of coaches and lifters claim that strength standards are arbitrary and an unfair form of gatekeeping, preventing lifters from choosing certain exercises and pursuing certain training styles. Not surprisingly, I disagree.
On the contrary, I believe having clearly defined standards makes strength training MORE accessible to more people. In my 12-plus years of coaching, I’ve heard countless people say some form of “I’m not ready” when it comes to strength training. When their only impression of strength training is heavy barbell lifting, they may not understand that they can get started with simpler, less intimidating movements. By giving people a place to start that’s not so scary, we can set them up for a long, successful and enjoyable training career that they may not have ever had the courage to pursue otherwise.
Our Strength Standards
We have two forms of strength standards: one for each of our main lift variations (squat, bench press and deadlift) and one for the level of programming you follow in our group setting (beginner, intermediate and advanced). I’ll share our main lift strength standards because I believe they’re universal enough to be helpful to just about anyone who’s interested in becoming proficient in the big lifts.
As a coach, I learned the hard way that not everyone has to perform the barbell squat, bench press and deadlift in line with powerlifting competition standards. In fact, many people will never need to do these lifts to reach their personal goals. And when you factor in the skill, coordination and strength to do all those lifts well, it becomes clear that this is not “day 1” material.
To help our lifters develop the basic skills needed to eventually take on the big barbell lifts, we put them through some progressions with specific performance standards.
Squat
Step 1: Goblet Squat
Graduation: (Men) 100 lbs x 3 sets x 10 reps, (Women) 65 lbs x 3 sets x 10 reps
Note: All reps must be below parallel and can be done with or without a box or heel wedge/squat shoes
Step 2: Safety Bar Squat
Graduation: (Men) 1.5x bodyweight x 3 reps, (Women) 1x bodyweight x 3 reps
Note: All reps must be below parallel and can be done with or without a box or heel wedge/squat shoes
Step 3: Barbell Back Squat
Bench Press
Step 1: Dumbbell Floor Press
Graduation: 25 lbs/hand x 3 sets x 10 reps
Note: The barbell bench press has fewer prerequisites than the other big lifts, and most people pass this very quickly. We just need them to be strong enough to bench a 45-pound bar for sets of at least 5 reps.
Step 2: Barbell Bench Press
Deadlift
Step 1: Kettlebell Sumo Deadlift
Graduation: 44kg (97 lbs) x 3 sets x 10 reps
Step 2: Trap Bar Deadlift
Graduation: (Men) 2x bodyweight x 3 reps, (Women) 1.5x bodyweight x 3 reps
Step 3: Conventional or Sumo Deadlift
Note: Our coaches work with each lifter individually to determine which stance is best for them
So besides helping lifters learn proper technique, why have strength standards? Here are a few reasons why I believe our standards enhance the overall training experience at Bonvec Strength.
More Inclusive Community
As mentioned before, we train people of all experience levels and walks of life. Our gym is small (1,600 square feet) and our coaching staff consists of just two people. If we wanted to split our clientele into separate training sessions based on experience level, we’d never have enough room or hours in the day to get it all done. So out of necessity, we train everyone together. This has been THE secret sauce for building our positive training environment.
As the saying goes, a rising tide lifts all ships. While it may seem intimidating for a newer lifter to train alongside seasoned veterans who are putting up serious weight, it actually has the opposite effect: it makes the novices realize that they’re just as capable, as long as they consistently put in the work. Much of this is thanks to the welcoming attitudes and down-to-earth nature of our advanced lifters. Our best lifters are often our best ambassadors as well.
When our newbies see our top-level lifters doing amazing things and say, “Wow! I want to do that,” it’s easy for us to lay out the roadmap via our strength standards. We can point to our standards and explain once they’re able to do those things, they’ll be well on their way to levels of strength they could only imagine not too long ago.
Prevent Regression
Few things suck as bad for both the lifter and the coach as having to regress an exercise. It makes the lifter feel like a failure and can derail an entire training session by squashing the lifter’s confidence.
More times than I’d like to admit, I’ve had a lifter doing a barbell back squat when perhaps they weren’t ready. We chip away at technique, and despite all the coaching cues, tips and tricks in the book, it just looks bad and feels bad. In order to preserve a training effect, we have to switch to a different squat variation, such as a SSB squat or goblet squat. Even completely new lifters are smart enough to sense when you’re taking a step backward, even if the coach doesn’t call it a “regression” or something with a similar negative connotation.
Simply starting with more basic exercises and having clearly-defined standards for moving on to the next variation can prevent the embarrassment and frustration that comes with exercise regressions.
Develop Goal-Oriented Mindset
We know that people who take the time to set specific goals are more likely to achieve them. Whether in training, business or one’s personal life, having tangible goals keeps us focused and motivated. Our strength standards help lifters develop a goal-oriented mindset from their very first day with us.
Some may argue that dangling a carrot that a lifter didn’t ask for is disingenuous. They likely arrived at the gym with the goal of building muscle and getting stronger, not “testing into Level 2 programming.” True, but we can clearly explain how by developing all the movement skills and relative strength needed to get into Level 2, they’ll end up much closer to their goals.
We also make it clear that as you get stronger, you’ll need an increasingly-potent training stimulus to keep getting stronger. The programming gets more intense and more individualized as our lifters climb through the levels, so our lifters earn the opportunity to train harder as necessitated by their own progress.
I’ve also found that newer lifters often struggle to set specific goals. Their goals tend to be broad and unclear (e.g., look better, feel better). Our strength standards clarify their goals instantly because we can assure them that they will indeed look better and feel better once they’re strong enough to meet each new standard.
Low Risk and Small Wins
The hardest part about strength training is getting started for the first time. The start is what stops most people. The next thing that stops most people: getting hurt early on in the process.
To be clear, I am NOT saying that advanced barbell lifts are inherently dangerous. I’ve personally been doing them and coaching them week in and week out for over a decade, and I haven’t killed anybody yet. But I’ve coached many people who stopped exercising entirely shortly after they first started because of an injury. That first injury often leads to an unshakable fear of strength training and wanting to avoid the same pain and suffering again.
Beginners can make gains in strength and muscle mass with ridiculously light weights. Why not start with the minimum effective dose? If they can make progress with goblet squats, push-ups, kettlebell deadlifts and inverted rows, there’s no need to jump to heavy barbell lifts right away.
When you start lighter and simpler, you can stack up lots of small wins. A sense of gradual improvement will keep lifters motivated and coming back for more. Imagine how you’d feel if you got a little better each workout, versus having to backtrack and regress because you’re struggling with an exercise beyond your skill level. Or even worse, how you’d feel if you had to stop training entirely because of an injury.
Our strength standards allow a lifter’s introduction to strength training to be a low risk, high reward experience. It keeps them coming back for more. If consistency is king, then this approach works.
Set the Standard
As you can see, these strength standards are far from arbitrary. Lots of thought has gone into their development and we’ve ironed them out via trial and error with real everyday people.
If you’re a coach and/or run your own training facility, I highly encourage you to work with your staff to develop strength standards to use with your lifters.
