Ed Coan is one of the greatest powerlifters ever! Even though he only weighed about 130 pounds when he started training weights, he was already very strong with ability to deadlift over 400 pounds in his very first deadlift workout. Ed was able to make rapid progress as a beginner and was able to squat 500 pounds with less than a year of training, but this type of rapid progress didn’t last forever. He reached a point where he knew the key to success was not to keep on shooting for rapid gains, but to make small gains that would add up to large gains if he kept on repeating those small gains over a long period of time. That is exactly what he did until he became enormously strong.
In the last article (Rapid Gains and Training Plateaus) I pointed out that it is possible to gain strength at a very rapid rate. Of course this is dependent on applying a training method that will stimulate quick gains, and having a body that is highly responsive to training. Rapid gains are usually generated by a very aggressive form of high intensity based training. The only problem with this is that rapid gains are not sustainable, and when high intensity training is the only type of training that is used, a plateau often results. A more systematic method is needed where intensity is controlled and slower but more sustainable gains can be achieved.
Ed Coan is a good example of a lifter who started out with a very aggressive training plan in which he would max out twice per week on his lifts. As stated earlier, this form of training enabled him to squat 500 pounds in less than a year. Ed discusses this on the following video.
Many lifters never figure out what Ed figured out early in his career, which was that the training that was responsible for his initial progress was good for rapid gains, but it would have to be greatly altered in order to make sustainable progress. It also seemed to be clear to him that the progress would be much slower, which was ok with him as long as the progress was consistent over a long period of time.
In order to accomplish this, Ed constructed a fourteen week training cycle that consisted of weights and reps that he knew he could lift without ever missing. He would then start the cycle over again with an additional five and finish the cycle five pounds stronger than the previous cycle. In other words, Ed gained five pounds of strength every fourteen weeks.
You mean Ed Coan only gained five pounds of strength every fourteen weeks and it produced a champion? After making his initial rapid gains, yes, Ed only gained five pounds of strength every fourteen weeks. The cold hard truth is that most advanced lifters who have been training for several years don’t gain anything at all, they simply try to maintain what they have already gained. However, Ed did some simple math and figured he could repeat a fourteen week cycle about twenty times in five years. If he gained five pounds of strength over the course of each fourteen week cycle for twenty cycles, he would be 100 pounds stronger in about five years. Then he would do it for another five years, and another five years. Repeated little gains add up to big gains over time. Listen to Ed discuss this in an interview in the following videos:
I think we can all learn from Ed Coan. Train within your capacity, add little by little and never miss a training lift as this is what Ed Coan did. While it is true that Ed maxed out twice per week on his lifts when he first began lifting, he never maxed out when he began using a more systematic approach. This is why I recommend repeating reps as long as you can maintain the same rep pace, and stopping a set when your rep pace begins to slow down. Only repeat sets as long as a muscle group is at full strength. Never lift heavier than your ability to maintain a smooth nonstop lifting motion on your heavy single reps unless you are in a peaking phase. If you stay within the guidelines that were just stated, you can add to your weights little by little and never miss a lift while making consistent strength gains over time. Be disciplined, patient, precise, and systematic, and watch it work. Best of training to you.