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Powerlifting is incredibly healthy. For anyone interested, pick up a copy of Starting Strength. It's an amazing read. I've also really enjoyed StrongLifts 5x5 -

by donjh 10y ago

Powerlifting is incredibly healthy. For anyone interested, pick up a copy of Starting Strength. It's an amazing read. I've also really enjoyed StrongLifts 5x5 - it has a companion app that tells you exactly what you need to do, each workout.

camtarn 10y ago
Seconding the recommendation of Starting Strength. Fantastic book - lots of interesting writing on anatomy and leverage and why certain techniques are better. I also really liked the fact that most of the people in the photos are distinctly ordinary, rather than super-fit well-muscled models. And yep, beating your numbers is great motivation, and one that really appealed to my gamer self :)
- camtarn 10y ago
  Oh, one tip that I found pretty useful if, like me, you don't have a gym buddy. Grab your phone, prop it up against a wall or a bit of equipment, and video yourself from the side while you're lifting. I'd had a couple of people tell me that my squat form was poor and that I was going to injure myself, but I found it impossible to figure out what was going wrong as I had no feedback loop. Once I could see myself on video, I could try different techniques and see how they affected my form. Starting Strength has a lot of writing on how to recognise and train good form, so once you can see yourself it's not too hard to correct.
nate_robo 10y ago
"Incredibly healthy" is a stretch when it comes to power-lifting. In fact, while power-lifting helps to rapidly gain and develop muscle, it's extremely unhealthy to your joints and poses a high risk of injury. For those looking to get similar exercise and results to powerlifting, check out body-building. Emphasis on slow and controlled form and muscle gain (aesthetics). Some good sources: http://scoobysworkshop.com/ http://scoobysworkshop.com/ http://www.bodybuildingrevealed.com/ http://www.bodybuildingrevealed.com/ disclaimer - I've used SS with great results, however this is not a program for everyone, keeping in mind we are on a science/tech forum
- kelvin0 10y ago
  I've dabbled in both constantly (3 times a week) for the past 15 years. Although body building can sculpt a body, I never felt really as fit and as strong as I do with power lifting, with an equivalent physique. Something about isolating muscles seems to 'erode' athleticism power/strength. YMMV.
- lanius 10y ago
  >it's extremely unhealthy to your joints and poses a high risk of injury Do you have any sources for this?
- WalterSear 10y ago
  I'd wager it's unhealthy as a sport, but that health maintenance involves much more reasonable weight goals.
harveywi 10y ago
Powerlifting is amazing, and it is amazingly safe [1]. It is the perfect complement to a programming job, because you can bang out a massive workout in the morning and recover physically the rest of the day. Take "advantage" of your sedentary opportunity! Sports Injury Rates (Hamill 1994) Sport Injuries (per 100 hours) Soccer (school age) 6.20 UK Rugby 1.92 USA Basketball 0.03 UK Cross Country 0.37 Squash 0.10 US Football 0.10 Badminton 0.05 USA Gymnastics 0.044 USA Powerlifting 0.0027 USA Volleyball 0.0013 USA Tennis 0.001 Weight Training 0.0035 (85,733 hrs) Weightlifting 0.0017 (168,551 hrs) However, my one piece of advice from personal experience: Avoid doing switch-grip deadlifts (recipe for distal biceps tendon rupture [2]). Use hook grip instead. If you can't hold heavy weight, then modest training with Captains of Crush equipment will have immense benefit. Even just being able to rep a #2 gripper will be enough to take you beyond a 500lb deadlift. [1] http://www.exrx.net/WeightTraining/Safety.html http://www.exrx.net/WeightTraining/Safety.html [2] https://youtu.be/pZgxkE-2QAw https://youtu.be/pZgxkE-2QAw
- camtarn 10y ago
  Oh dear god, I couldn't watch past the first clip in that video. Agonising.
- Hydraulix989 10y ago
  Make sure you use the right lifting posture and don't overdo it with weight, or you can seriously and permanently mess up your back. When I was 16 years old, I somehow twisted my spine in my lower back in a way that it wasn't meant to be twisted doing 250 lbs max rep seated leg press, and ever since then, my lower back has been alternating between bouts of sharp pain and dull pain (but never subsiding) ever side for 10+ years now. Backpain (and the resultant osteoarthritis) is still a modern medical mystery too so the usual suggestions of exercise and stretching from my doctors are something I have been doing all along but have not actually worked.
  - ethbro 10y ago
    Have you talked to anyone about nerve cauterization and whether you might be a candidate? I had a family member who fairly severely injured her neck in an auto accident. Of all the solutions she tried, she swears by it as most cleanly fixing pain problems. And given that the nerves grow back in ~5 years, it's a nice balance between "not permanent" and "long enough to be worth it."
cheald 10y ago
I've been running StrongLifts for the last 3 months and love it. It gives me a plan and a daily goal, which is what I was missing from lifting. Now it's not just "go into the gym and lift some things", it's "go into the gym and do better than last time I was here", with a steady, achievable ramp-up. Starting workouts are around 45 minutes, and I'm up to about 75 minutes right now. 3x/week at 75 minutes isn't very much of my time, and each moment I'm there has a purpose, even if it's just resting for the next set. I started because I was tired of feeling crappy and wanted to lose some weight. I've dropped a lot of fat, put on a lot of muscle, sleep better than ever, and don't have all the sedentary "I feel bad" stuff anymore. A+ would recommend to anyone.

by donjh 10y ago

camtarn 10y ago

Seconding the recommendation of Starting Strength. Fantastic book - lots of interesting writing on anatomy and leverage and why certain techniques are better. I also really liked the fact that most of the people in the photos are distinctly ordinary, rather than super-fit well-muscled models. And yep, beating your numbers is great motivation, and one that really appealed to my gamer self :)

camtarn 10y ago
Oh, one tip that I found pretty useful if, like me, you don't have a gym buddy. Grab your phone, prop it up against a wall or a bit of equipment, and video yourself from the side while you're lifting. I'd had a couple of people tell me that my squat form was poor and that I was going to injure myself, but I found it impossible to figure out what was going wrong as I had no feedback loop. Once I could see myself on video, I could try different techniques and see how they affected my form. Starting Strength has a lot of writing on how to recognise and train good form, so once you can see yourself it's not too hard to correct.

nate_robo 10y ago

"Incredibly healthy" is a stretch when it comes to power-lifting. In fact, while power-lifting helps to rapidly gain and develop muscle, it's extremely unhealthy to your joints and poses a high risk of injury. For those looking to get similar exercise and results to powerlifting, check out body-building. Emphasis on slow and controlled form and muscle gain (aesthetics). Some good sources: http://scoobysworkshop.com/ http://scoobysworkshop.com/ http://www.bodybuildingrevealed.com/ http://www.bodybuildingrevealed.com/ disclaimer - I've used SS with great results, however this is not a program for everyone, keeping in mind we are on a science/tech forum

kelvin0 10y ago
I've dabbled in both constantly (3 times a week) for the past 15 years. Although body building can sculpt a body, I never felt really as fit and as strong as I do with power lifting, with an equivalent physique. Something about isolating muscles seems to 'erode' athleticism power/strength. YMMV.
lanius 10y ago
>it's extremely unhealthy to your joints and poses a high risk of injury Do you have any sources for this?
WalterSear 10y ago
I'd wager it's unhealthy as a sport, but that health maintenance involves much more reasonable weight goals.

harveywi 10y ago

Powerlifting is amazing, and it is amazingly safe [1]. It is the perfect complement to a programming job, because you can bang out a massive workout in the morning and recover physically the rest of the day. Take "advantage" of your sedentary opportunity! Sports Injury Rates (Hamill 1994) Sport Injuries (per 100 hours) Soccer (school age) 6.20 UK Rugby 1.92 USA Basketball 0.03 UK Cross Country 0.37 Squash 0.10 US Football 0.10 Badminton 0.05 USA Gymnastics 0.044 USA Powerlifting 0.0027 USA Volleyball 0.0013 USA Tennis 0.001 Weight Training 0.0035 (85,733 hrs) Weightlifting 0.0017 (168,551 hrs) However, my one piece of advice from personal experience: Avoid doing switch-grip deadlifts (recipe for distal biceps tendon rupture [2]). Use hook grip instead. If you can't hold heavy weight, then modest training with Captains of Crush equipment will have immense benefit. Even just being able to rep a #2 gripper will be enough to take you beyond a 500lb deadlift. [1] http://www.exrx.net/WeightTraining/Safety.html http://www.exrx.net/WeightTraining/Safety.html [2] https://youtu.be/pZgxkE-2QAw https://youtu.be/pZgxkE-2QAw

camtarn 10y ago
Oh dear god, I couldn't watch past the first clip in that video. Agonising.
Hydraulix989 10y ago
Make sure you use the right lifting posture and don't overdo it with weight, or you can seriously and permanently mess up your back. When I was 16 years old, I somehow twisted my spine in my lower back in a way that it wasn't meant to be twisted doing 250 lbs max rep seated leg press, and ever since then, my lower back has been alternating between bouts of sharp pain and dull pain (but never subsiding) ever side for 10+ years now. Backpain (and the resultant osteoarthritis) is still a modern medical mystery too so the usual suggestions of exercise and stretching from my doctors are something I have been doing all along but have not actually worked.
- ethbro 10y ago
  Have you talked to anyone about nerve cauterization and whether you might be a candidate? I had a family member who fairly severely injured her neck in an auto accident. Of all the solutions she tried, she swears by it as most cleanly fixing pain problems. And given that the nerves grow back in ~5 years, it's a nice balance between "not permanent" and "long enough to be worth it."

cheald 10y ago

I've been running StrongLifts for the last 3 months and love it. It gives me a plan and a daily goal, which is what I was missing from lifting. Now it's not just "go into the gym and lift some things", it's "go into the gym and do better than last time I was here", with a steady, achievable ramp-up. Starting workouts are around 45 minutes, and I'm up to about 75 minutes right now. 3x/week at 75 minutes isn't very much of my time, and each moment I'm there has a purpose, even if it's just resting for the next set. I started because I was tired of feeling crappy and wanted to lose some weight. I've dropped a lot of fat, put on a lot of muscle, sleep better than ever, and don't have all the sedentary "I feel bad" stuff anymore. A+ would recommend to anyone.