Introduction

[Altyrium]

Hey everybody, I thought I'd introduce myself, since I'm new to this forum, and powerlifting in general. My name is Alex, I've been weight training on and off for 2 or so years, without much of a goal in mind, or any tangeble results. For 2014 I've decided to challenge myself and see how strong I can get. I have just started doing Strong Lifts 5x5, since I heard good things about it. The program seems fairly simple and straightforward, so hopefully it gives me a good start. I live in a rural area that doesn't have any gym facilities, so I just workout in my basement. It's a bit of a hillbilly setup, but it works for now. I will probably have to modify it when my weights start getting heavier. I appreciate any and all adivce or comments given to a rookie in the strength training and power lifting field. Thanks!

 

Alex.

[Gymaholic]

Hey Alex, welcome to Gymnation ! 

[Pseudonym]

Hi Alex. Strong Lifts seems to be a popular choice among rookie powerlifters. You should start a journal to track your progress.

[kim.27]

Hey everyone im Kim ive been going to the gym for 11 months now i started purely to lose weight i have just hit the 40kgs mark so im pretty happy at this point i really want to get into powerlifting after having a go at my gyms 500lb club shild day i hadnt trained for it at all but gave it a go and loved it my squat was 100 kgs bench was only 60 and deadlift was 130 i had never tried bench or deadlift before so i was pretty happy. Any feed back on starting out would be muchly appreciated. 

[FellowshipOfTheRon]

kim.27 wrote:

Hey everyone im Kim ive been going to the gym for 11 months now i started purely to lose weight i have just hit the 40kgs mark so im pretty happy at this point i really want to get into powerlifting after having a go at my gyms 500lb club shild day i hadnt trained for it at all but gave it a go and loved it my squat was 100 kgs bench was only 60 and deadlift was 130 i had never tried bench or deadlift before so i was pretty happy. Any feed back on starting out would be muchly appreciated. 

[kim.27]

Ive been doing 5x5 train every 2nd day was wondering how the comps work like are you aloud to wear the fingerless gloves and do you have to wear a suit and are there comps only for beginners and what federation to go with so many questions i no haha i cant afford a couch the brah bros come to our day at the gym and gave some awsome pointers and feedback truely insperational they gave me the passion for powerlifting 

[teamfatboy]

Welcome to the both of you   

Stronglifts 5x5 is a great way to start... works better if you've got access to some guidance on your form, but it's a well-thought out plan, if you pay attention to it. 

@kim.27, here's answers to a couple of your questions:

yes, there are definitely comps for beginners - can't speak for anyone other than NZPF but the regions all run a couple of novice comps a year which are open to all comers; 

no, no gloves in a lifting comp;

no, in a novice comp you generally don't need a soft-suit (assuming you don't mean the specialised squat suits and stuff that equipped lifters wear).  It'd pay to check with the individual comp organiser but down here a plain t-shirt (no logos, no tank-tops or stringers, plain shorts, and a pair of chucks are about all you need - oh, and long socks are compulsory for deadlifts. 

Check out the Waikato-BoP Powerlifting Association here http://www.sportsground.co.nz/wbop/59739/1/ for a place to start - they'll likely be able to help with folks who wouldn't mind giving a few pointers - there are very few dedicated lifting coaches, and (purely my 2c worth) a lot of "personal trainers" aren't sufficiently skilled themselves to train others in the lifts effectively.

[kim.27]

In raw lifting are u aloud wrist wraps?

[reddog]

kim.27 wrote:

In raw lifting are u aloud wrist wraps?

[kim.27]

Awesome thanks alot i did 3 100kg squats yesterday wanted to try more but was worried my wrist couldnt handle it

[Skeletor]

Hi Kym. Have you seen the Gymnation max reps challenge ? I think you should give it a crack as you sound pretty boss strength wise .

[kim.27]

Na i havnt i have only just started training with out gloves and to be honest my deadlift is struggling im quite gutted. Im such an inpatient person and when i drop in weights or have a bad day at the gym i take it quite badly its fustrating im pretty hard on my self haha kinda a perfectionist it defenitly has its bad points!

[Skeletor]

Just bench and squats Kym. Max reps in 5 mins at 75% of your bodyweight.