As a Starting Strength coach, a big part of my job is helping lifters through the transition from novice to intermediate. This is when the rapid gains slow down, and the simple structure of the novice linear progression isn’t enough to drive progress. There are some patterns in the mistakes people make during this phase. If you’re currently navigating that transition, these are some common pitfalls you should watch out for.
Clinging to Novice-Level Progress Expectations
What I See: Novices trainees are used to adding weight to the bar every session, and when this stops happening, they often panic or think something’s wrong with their training. This isn’t a failure—it’s a sign of PROGRESS, and you’ve become stronger. The problem is when lifters refuse to adjust and try to force more weight that isn’t there. I’ve seen guys try to microload their maximal 3 set of 5 squats each day of the week instead of introducing light days or an HLM structure.
The Fix: Intermediate training brings on slower, more methodical gains. You won’t add 5 lbs to your squat every session anymore, and that’s okay. Progress will come on a weekly basis instead of every session.
Underestimating Recovery Needs
What I See: As weights get heavier, the need for proper recovery becomes more and more important. Yet, many lifters don’t adjust and improve their sleep, nutrition, or what they are doing on rest days to accommodate the need for recovery. They grind through heavy lifts when their body isn’t fully recovered, and it shows in missed reps, achy joints, and early stalls.
Insight: Recovery is training. Lack of sleep, poor nutrition, and insufficient rest between sessions are often the reasons why your lifts stop progressing. The stronger you get, the more serious you have to be about recovery.
Not Eating Enough
What I See: As a novice, you can sometimes get away with bullshit nutrition. But once you’re in intermediate territory, not fueling your body and insisting on eating like a bird to “stay lean” will halt your progress. I often see lifters who fear gaining any fat, so they under-eat and end up tanking their strength gains. If you are training properly, you won’t get fat. Added muscle mass will track with any added fat gain.
The Fix: Nutrition is your X Factor. You can’t drive adaptation without fuel. You don’t need to stuff yourself with junk, but if you want to lift more, you’ll need to eat more—especially protein and carbs to support recovery and training intensity.
Overdoing Volume or Intensity
What I See: Some lifters, desperate to keep progressing, try to keep training like a novice with high frequency and heavy loads every session. Squatting three times a week at max intensity becomes too much, too soon. They get burned out, their lifts regress, and they don’t understand why they feel so beat up.
The Fix: As you transition, your body can’t handle the same volume at heavy weights. You need to alternate heavy and light days and eventually introduce a medium day to manage fatigue. Intermediate training requires more strategy with how you distribute volume and intensity.
Avoiding Volume Work
What I see: Some lifters think intensity is all that matters. They’re focused on hitting PRs every week and neglect the volume that helps drive adaptation in intermediate programming. Presses, in particular, tend to stall if volume is ignored. Lots of heavy volume drives presses.
The Fix: Volume is critical in intermediate training. 5 sets of 5 on your volume day will set you up for success when it’s time to push heavier weights on intensity day.
Program Hopping Out of Impatience
What I See: Progress slows down, and rather than adjusting within the framework of a good program, lifters start looking for something new. They bounce from one routine to another, hoping to regain that novice magic. This results in inconsistent training and little to no real progress.
The Fix: Stick with a structured program that balances volume and intensity, like and Upper Lower Split or Heavy-Light-Medium. Don’t get distracted by the allure of quick fixes. Intermediate training is about persistence, not rapid gains.
Letting Form Deteriorate
What I See: As the weights get heavier, many lifters allow their technique to slip. Maybe they’re rushing their sets, or they don’t realize their form is slowly deteriorating under heavier loads. This is especially common in the squat and deadlift, where small flaws lead to big problems over time.
The Fix: Good form is non-negotiable, especially when the weights get heavy. Keep getting your form checked, video your lifts, and focus on nailing your technique. Small tweaks can make all the difference in safely moving forward.
Ignoring Weaknesses by Avoiding Assistance Work
What I See: In the novice phase, the main lifts are enough to drive progress. But as lifters enter the intermediate stage, their weaknesses start to show. Lifters who refuse to add assistance exercises to address these weaknesses are left spinning their wheels.
The Fix: You can’t avoid weak points forever. Introducing assistance exercises like chin-ups, rows, close-grip bench presses and supplemental lifts to the squat and deadlift will help shore up these areas and make your main lifts stronger, while also spreading out the overall stress of your training. Intermediate lifters need these movements to keep progressing.
Overestimating Recovery Ability
What I See: Lifters often believe they can handle more than they really can. As the weights get heavier, the fatigue accumulates faster than they expect. I see this lead to overtraining, particularly in the squat and deadlift, where recovery demands are highest.
The Fix: Don’t push past your recovery ability. If you’re consistently feeling run down or hitting walls, it’s a sign that you need to adjust your volume or intensity. Rest is part of progress—don’t ignore it.
Failing to Recognize When You’ve Outgrown Novice Programming
What I See: Lifters often cling to novice programming for too long, thinking they can continue linear progress if they just try harder. When the weights stop moving, instead of transitioning to an intermediate program, they double down on the novice approach and end up frustrated.
Insight: When you can no longer add weight every session, it’s time to move on. You’ve outgrown novice programming, and that’s a good thing. Switching to an intermediate program is means you are getting stronger.
How Your Lifts Evolve During the Transition:
Squat: As a novice, squatting three times a week works. As an intermediate, it’s too much. You’ll need to add a light, and eventually medium days to manage fatigue, and the weekly progression slows.
Press/Bench Press: These lifts often stall first. You’ll need to alternate volume and intensity, moving from simple 3×5 to 5×5 volume days and heavy singles, doubles, and triples on intensity days.
Deadlift: The deadlift starts to get taxing fast, especially if you’re still trying to deadlift every session. You’ll need to alternate deadlift sessions with lighter movements like power cleans, rows, chin ups, and light deadlifts. A Heavy-Light-Medium approach with the heavy deadlift day landing on your light squat day is the best avenue.
Power Clean: Power cleans generally continue to work, but as you approach your limits, you may need to alternate them with deadlifts or other explosive movements to avoid overtraining.
The shift to intermediate training is where you separate the short-term lifters from the long-term ones. If you recognize these common mistakes early and adjust, you’ll keep making progress for years to come. Embrace the process—it’s not about fast gains anymore, but smart, consistent progress that’ll lead to serious strength.
