North Coast Miller
Level 9 Valued Member
Throwing in my best numbers by bodyweight for additional thought. At 5' 10" and 180 lbs I worked up to 400 on the squat, 300 bench (275 for 5 reps), 255 seated behind the neck press (for 5 reps), all at less than 7% bodyfat - 30" waist.
And I wasn't the strongest guy by weight by a long shot. IMHO you can tell when your diet is holding you back if you are all lean and your weights simply will not increase and stay that way (assuming you aren't burning out). Add calories for a week and your comfortable weights will go up with no extra conscious effort. Keep it up and your weight will go up following this, but strength seems to always improve first, then size increase locks it in.
There is a lot of space to get stronger before that happens for most folks, but the formula is pretty reliable - have a problem first, add food second, and if it fixes things it was the calories, increase bodyweight third. If it doesn't, it wasn't the problem and more weight probably won't help.
And I wasn't the strongest guy by weight by a long shot. IMHO you can tell when your diet is holding you back if you are all lean and your weights simply will not increase and stay that way (assuming you aren't burning out). Add calories for a week and your comfortable weights will go up with no extra conscious effort. Keep it up and your weight will go up following this, but strength seems to always improve first, then size increase locks it in.
There is a lot of space to get stronger before that happens for most folks, but the formula is pretty reliable - have a problem first, add food second, and if it fixes things it was the calories, increase bodyweight third. If it doesn't, it wasn't the problem and more weight probably won't help.