Beginners are blessed with rapid strength increases. Numerous studies, using inexperienced men, women, and children as subjects, report strength gains of 50 percent or more after twelve to twenty weeks of training. As the beginner accumulates experiences, though, the advancement slows, World weight lifting champions, the most experienced strength trained athletes struggle for a two- percent increase over a year.

What causes this disproportion?

The answer depends on strength training's predominant physical adaptation. The beginner's body adapts to training stress primarily by teaching more existing muscle to take part in the action.

Neural adaptations are rapid and impressive, projecting the inexperienced athlete on an upward spiral of strength gains. But the pool of potential neural adaptations is soon exhausted. After several months, the beginner gains strength at a rate closer to the experienced lifters. All the muscle fibers that a lift could recruit were brought in long before, so additional strength increases require building more muscle; as experienced strength trainers will attest, this is a slow process. A final factor is that experienced athletes operate closer to their genetic limits, much less adaptation is possible.

Judging the beginner's gains against the experienced strength athlete's is like comparing apples and oranges, neural adaptations versus more muscles. The experienced strength trainer's increases come slowly, but any successful athlete will tell you that the extra work was worth it, that additional strength is often what separates victory from defeat.