Noob Powerlifter

Hey guys,
I’m starting to take up an interest in powerliftig. Could anyone point me to an article written on here(I tried search engine!) or a book or video or just have any overall good advice that’d be helpful!

Look up everything from Tate and Waterbury, and get ready for some pain.
It’s realy good pain though.

Read everything by Dave Tate (authors). Once you’ve read everything on here, go on elite fitness and check some of that stuff out. I think learning the Westside methods are a great way to start out until you get experienced enough to draw up your own plan.

Thanks for your responses!

PS: pain is good(if it is soreness from a good workout!)

Read every article by Jim Wendler and Dave Tate at EliteFts. Order their Beginner’s and Training Templates Manuals.

Are you a complete beginner in the powerlifts? If you are, no offense or anything, but everyone who suggests that you start out with Westside and to “read everything Dave Tate and Jim Wendler ever wrote” is dead wrong. Westside is a program designed for experienced powerlifters who have good grooves established in the actual powerlifts. If you don’t, then you have no business doing Westside. You’ll here people on here that think that Westside is the routine to end all routines. These people would probably have you doing chain-suspended goodmornings with bands for a max effort attempt before you even can do a squat with good form.

Get on a simplistic routine consisting of benches, squats, and deadlifts. Also try to get access to a hardcore gym where other, more experienced people can critique your form. I’d pick up a copy of the book “Starting Strength” since it has a very good beginner routine and the whole book is basically about coaching beginners in powerlifts.

However, if you’re very experienced in the lifts and have been lifting heavy for a long time, why not, go ahead and jump on the Westside bandwagon.

bulletproof,

I have to respectfully disagree with you there- at least on a few points. WS4SB was the first structured lifting program I ever used (I still lift following Westside principles mostly) and it worked great for me. I’m a collegiate athlete, not a powerlifter, but there is still a correlation. I totally agree that you should not jump into anything before mastering the basics, but I think the Westside template provides a great way to teach them. Of course, it wouldn’t be “true” Westside, but I think learning proper form for box squatting and using dynamic days are great for beginners.

I guess what I’m trying to say is, read everything the Westside guys say for BEGINNERS.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again:

The single best thing you can do is find a bunch of strong people to lift with.

It’s better if they are powerlifters, but not necessary. Any help we can give you online will be absolutely dwarfed by the help you can get working out with people who have already been there and done.

[quote]W.E.C wrote:
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again:

The single best thing you can do is find a bunch of strong people to lift with.

It’s better if they are powerlifters, but not necessary. Any help we can give you online will be absolutely dwarfed by the help you can get working out with people who have already been there and done.

[/quote]

Best advice you will get.