Fitness

Starting with functional training and later gravitating towards powerlifting and Olympic weightlifting disciplines, I have a diverse training background. I began systematic and "smart" training in August 2020. Therefore, as someone who started training late, I can explain why a "late" start in a fitness journey is not as late as it seems.

What Was Achieved in This Journey?

Fitness is one of the unique domains where you can visibly and significantly reap the benefits of your efforts. That’s one of the reasons it has such a big place in many people's lives. Naturally, these achievements often serve as the foundation for your continuity and motivation. The crucial question is: how do you define success? Is it how you look, how much weight you can lift for a single repetition, or how many repetitions you can perform with minimal rest? These are some common success criteria, but you don’t have to stick to just one. Frankly, I’ve set all the success criteria in fitness (which we can casually divide into performance and aesthetics), and the results are as follows:

From not being able to perform a single overhead squat with a 150 cm PVC pipe to achieving a 1RM (one-repetition maximum) 160 kg back squat.
From barely carrying a few shopping bags from the car to home to achieving a 1RM 170 kg deadlift.
From being unable to perform even one clean and jerk or snatch with an empty barbell to lifting 95 kg and 75 kg within 8 months, respectively.
Mastering and continuously refining the mechanics of key compound movements like squat, bench press, deadlift, clean and jerk, snatch, and overhead press.

These four key success criteria, which may seem more about learning movements, are definitely not. My relatively late start in fitness has provided me with lifelong gains in both performance and aesthetics (gains that may not always be present but can be regained when desired). Knowing where you started and where you’ve come is essential everywhere. This awareness, coupled with these achievements, assures me that more is always possible. Of course, some constraints exist, but without pushing our limits, we cannot know where they lie.

Some key inspirations in my fitness journey, from left to right in the first row: Naim Süleymanoğlu, Clarence Kennedy; in the second row: Lasha Talakhadze, Gabriel Sincraian.

Which Training Programs Did I Follow?

At the start of my fitness journey, I can't say I began with a program suitable for beginners. Like many, I started with CrossFit, but after realizing it wasn’t a very wise choice for a beginner, I switched to the Stronglifts 5x5 program after some research, and I’m glad I did. From that point onward, here are the training programs I have implemented and recommend:

The Stronglifts 5x5 program.
The 3x5 program with accessory exercises.
"3 Days Per Week" and "4 Days Per Week" Olympic weightlifting programs by Gabriel Sincraian.
Smolov Jr. Protocol for squat and bench press movements.
Programs I designed for myself combining powerlifting and Olympic weightlifting disciplines.

Seeing that I have a chronology of training programs that anyone can follow from start to finish and achieve results beyond the expectations of a sedentary person has been eye-opening for me.

What's Next?

Next, I have some numerical goals. Achieving these goals will require high effort and lots of time, but the goals are different from typical 1RM weight targets. Now, I aim for each movement’s 1RM record to be easily achievable on any training day. With the little experience I have, I believe this approach is the healthiest and least injury-prone for the long term. It also allows you to think of the fitness journey as a lifelong commitment rather than a short-term pursuit of 3, 6, 9, or 12 months.