It's time for the wannabe powerlifters to wake up and see reality.

I just finished reading the newest article on StartingStrength.com written by none other than the trainer of champion powerlifters Marty Gallagher.

I like that man. What he writes always intrigues me, albeit not exactly in a positive way. I understand what he is saying, but I also see many noobs getting caught in a path that only ends one way – into the Kingdom Of FatsoLand and Weakling Islands.

This time the article of Gallagher was dedicated to a legendary American bench press record holder under the name of Mike MacDonald. The text is supposed to appeal to the members of the site who look up to those powerlifting legends and secretly dream of becoming just as good. Sorry. It’s not going to happen naturally even if you follow Gallagher’s official how-to steps. It takes more. Much more.

As expected, the article only talks about “training secrets” without mentioning steroids even a single time. I guess cambered bars and dumbbell bench presses are politically correct and received nicely by the deceived public. {Oh, wait! I just have to get my cambered bar and I will bench 2 times BW}

How do I know that MacDonald was not natural?

Here’s some flawless logic for you – he set untouchable world records and was obsessed with benching. If he loves it so much, why would he stay natural? If he can bench 635lbs naturally, why not roid up a bit and do 730lbs? Seriously? Why not?

Even to this day, a 635lbs bench press is ultra-impressive at any bodyweight. How could you possibly think that a human, even as talented and as hard working as MacDonald, can move this weight naturally? Seriously. Wake up.

Side note: I’ve trained in a professional powerlifting gym. I never saw a single natural powerlifter there bench press 315lbs. Before saying things like “what a weak gym”, keep in mind that the same place has produced 500lbs raw bench pressers.

As a result of disinformation, many ordinary guys are sucked into an imaginary bubble. You think that you can become a master if you follow the sick knowledge dropped by the underground iron gurus, but the reality is very different.

To this day, I have never heard a single guru tell the obvious truth. They would dance around it, mask it with superlatives and exaggerated claims while giving false hopes to the natty suckers who do not know any better.

I can assure you that even you follow Marty Gallagher’s routine to the letter, you won’t get the strength and mass presented by the retro-champions.

At the end of the article, Gallagher gives a hypothetical program for a “170lbs man with a 300lbs bench press”. Are you kidding me? I doubt there are more than 5-10 people on StartingStrength.com who can bench 300lbs regardless of bodyweight. Why didn’t he write a routine about the ectomorph sucker benching 180lbs at the skinny-fat bodyweight of 190lbs? That would be a lot more interesting to the pool of lifters there.

The only lifters that could get even close to a 300lbs bench press at 170lbs BW would be either genetic freaks like MacDonald, massive drug users or both. That’s the truth. I know there are people who can bench 2 times their bodyweight naturally, but those individuals are built for the lift (short arms + wide shoulders) and usually have 5-10 years of work behind them.

Ironically, the routine is supposed to add 25-30lbs to your bench press in 4 weeks plus 8-10lbs of bodyweight increase. Who the hell adds 30lbs to his bench in 4 weeks at an elite level? Also, how much muscle do you think you can gain as an advanced natty in a month? Zero pounds. 95% of those 8-10lbs gained in 4 weeks would be fat cells taking you straight to Fatsoland.

So, what’s missing here? Obviously, the drugs. Every lifter presented by Gallagher is/was a serious steroid user.

In conclusion

The training advice presented by gurus like Marty Gallagher can be useful. I personally like linear periodization. However, the gurus are not going to tell you the complete truth.

But if you stay in this game long enough, you will learn it all on your own.