So… about an hour ago my friend James asked me to take him to gym to train. He hasn’t lifted a barbell in 5 years and he’s 21 now. And he pulled a 505lb deadlift…
He wants to lose some weight and get into powerlifting.
He’s 370-380 and if I had to guess around 30-32% bf at 6 foot 1
I have no idea where I can help him start at. I told him about the 5/3/1 program and eating real food as a start but I’m kind lost how to guide him along lol
5/3/1 and real food would be a good start, and so would hooking up with like-minded powerlifters.
The “best” thing to do would be for him to aggressively lose fat, but I am of the opinion that any positive change will be beneficial to someone who has managed to get that heavy. If he changes nothing about his life other than becoming a person who trains regularly and with purpose, he will have taken a good step.
If he ever wants to be competitive as a powerlifter he will need to learn how to eat well and keep it up over time, or get ridiculously strong as a super heavyweight. And while your friend should be proud of possessing the strength he has, he should also keep in mind that a 505 deadlift is very strong…
…for a powerlifter who is over 200 pounds lighter than him. I’m not trying to bring him down by saying that, but it is easy for fat boys to walk into a commercial gym and walk out with a misguided notion that they are strong. Been there, done that.
But yes, barbells are good for both fat and skinny boys. No reason to put off training with them.