After creating my strength ability calculator it became obvious that it could be used for far more purposes than simply gauging strength in individual exercises. My hypothesis is that a body conditioned at any level from intermediate (3) through elite (5) will create an impressive physique assuming that all the exercises are at a similar level. If, for instance, the bench press level far exceeds the squat then the person will be top-heavy; a similar level in every exercise infers total body development at a consistent level.
I have now adjusted my training goals to test my hypothesis: when I achieve advanced (4) in every exercise, by losing body fat and improving my technique, I will be satisfied and have reached a high level of physical development. At the moment my abilities range from advanced in the clean and press to novice-intermediate in the squat, with all the other exercises (bench press, power clean and deadlift) rated intermediate-advanced. Lots of improvement needed in the squat while the rest of the exercises can be increased gradually.
My aim is to strip down my body fat until I reach a body mass of 90 kg. After this, my specific exercise targets are:
| Exercise | Mass lifted /kg |
|---|---|
| Clean and press | 77 |
| Bench press | 122 |
| Power clean | 114 |
| Deadlift | 192 |
| Squat | 167 |
Hopefully I will achieve these goals within the next few years and create myself a body that I can be happy with. If the hypothesis proves correct then I might write some further articles: it simplifies things greatly if you concentrate on improving these core exercises while using isolation to assess the details of each muscle.

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