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.

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

[2] https://youtu.be/pZgxkE-2QAw

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.

In my opinion weight lifting shouldn t be done until 18yo unless you re a professional athlete. Chances are you will get injured sooner or later since your body is not fully developped for it. Also gaining muscular mass at a young age can cause metabolism issues later (after 30), gaining weight easier and such. Studies show it might also stunt your growth in height. Practicing sports only till about 18 then slowly moving towards weight lifting will ensure a fit&healthy body, those big biceps all kids want will come up later in life, no need to speed that up.

At the time, I was on that trajectory -- trying to get recruited for college-level track and field. All of the other state-caliber athletes (my competition) were intensely weight training.

What messed me up wasn't the fact that I was weight lifting (I still have remnants of my high school athletic physique now even as an engineer who sits and codes for 10+ hours a day), but rather, overtraining and incompetent coaching.

> Also gaining muscular mass at a young age can cause metabolism issues later (after 30), gaining weight easier and such.

I've always heard the opposite. Do you have a source for this?

Not really, but have seen plenty of real-life examples.

Main point is you can NOT gain muscular mass at that age unless you take supplements or start eating protein foods like crazy! Both will mess up with your metabolism, do you agree? I m not saying going to the gym for exercising is bad per se, just early mass gain.

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."

iyengar yoga is great for me. I started with exercises at level 0 with a competent instructor (15+ years) ...

Oh dear god, I couldn't watch past the first clip in that video. Agonising.

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 :)

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.

"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://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

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.

>it's extremely unhealthy to your joints and poses a high risk of injury

Do you have any sources for this?

I'd wager it's unhealthy as a sport, but that health maintenance involves much more reasonable weight goals.

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.

As a competitive powerlifter (and certified personal trainer) I should caution that there is an important difference between general strength training using the squat/bench/deadlift and the actual sport of powerlifting. Powerlifting involves not only doing competitions, but also training specifically for them using maximal weights, which considerably increases the risk of injury with no training benefit other than temporary competition readiness (peaking).

Unfortunately, sexy as it sounds, liberally calling strength training "powerlifting" drives too many newcomers into an ego-lifting mindset, attempting maximal singles for no good reason, or soon hopping on some extreme Russian peaking program they found after Starting Strength.

Learning the powerlifts and training for strength is great for anyone, but unless they actually plan to step on a platform and risk their skeletal integrity for white lights in the near future, I strongly recommend that people keep strictly to weights they can safely lift for 5+ reps per set, and only track the calculated (rather than tested) 1RM.

I had a lot of fun when I was lifting (I followed Starting Strength for about four months), but when my lifting partner stopped, so did I.

I've been doing pushups/plank/jumping lunge squats/plank/pushups for a while now, which is nice, but I'm certainly not getting anything near the amount of exercise I'd like to.

So my reasons for not exercising now are two:

1. I don't want to take the time to lift. By the time I stopped lifting, I was taking at least 90 minutes in the gym; probably two hours including changing and showering.

2. I don't have a partner. This helps both for motivation (Steve is waiting for me; I should get going) and for safety/form checks (keep your knees out at the bottom of the squat).

I had the same issue when I moved. My solution was to buy a cheap bench, a set of adjustable dumbbells, and a doorframe pullup bar. You can accomplish most of the same things as SS by doing the dumbbell equivalents of the exercises. Legs are the main issue, but you can do Goblet Squats, Bulgarian Splits, and Reverse Lunges. They're not quite as good as the barbell versions, but you don't need a spotter, and you're doing it at home. You put on workout clothes when you wake up, spend 25 minutes working out, shower, and go to work. It takes away all of the friction. I wound up actually working out 3x as often and spending less total time at it.

Do you see results like many have seen from SS? I've read that dumbbell workouts aren't necessarily as effective as barbells but I like the convenience of doing it from home. I've got a set of 50lb Powerblocks, an exercise ball I use as a bench, and a power tower (https://amzn.com/B0098MAYNY), but I'm ineffective at it as I don't have a good plan, so I've fallen back to mostly jogging. Would you mind sharing your routine?

I'm happy with the results, but this is an 80/20 thing. I'm going for minimum time and money, and maximum adherence to the routine. This means do it at home, 30 sec-1 min rest between sets or superset, 8-10 reps per set since I'm not going for pure strength. I'd consider getting a small bench. They're under $50 for a small unobtrusive one on Amazon. I do 3x a week alternating routines:

A) Goblet Squats 3x8-10, Dumbbell Bench Press 3x8-10, Dumbbell Rows 3x8-10 each arm, Situps, 3 sets

B) Dumbbell Reverse Lunge 3x8-10, Dumbbell Press 3x8-10, Dumbbell Bicep Curls 3x8-10, Hanging Leg Raise, 3 Sets.

At 50 lbs, the Goblet Squat won't do much, so I would substitute something like a Bulgarian Split Squat. You'll be upgrading your powerblocks in no time...

>You can accomplish most of the same things as SS by doing the dumbbell equivalents of the exercises.

"Most"

With 50lbs dumbbells?

After 1 year of starting strength 50lbs dumbells won't be enough.

After never working out before and eating at a calorie deficit I was able to lift these weights after a year of SS.

165 Bench 300 Deadlift 105 OHP 200 Squat 150 Rows

"Most" isn't accurate. 80/20 isn't accurate because you are simply not getting the results SS would give you.

I've got a pair of adjustable dumbbells which go up to 85 pounds, and that's enough for me (315 bench 495 deadlift 195 OHP 385 squat 255 rows). I just do higher reps for the exercises which are hard to overload on. Get creative with the exercises (split squats instead of back squats), go to failure, and the training effect should be similar.

I'm curious how you got to a 495 lbs deadlift with two 85 lbs dumbbells?

I should clarify I didn't get a 495 lbs deadlift with only dumbbells. I'm simply stating I can get a good workout with them. I do glute-ham raises and high rep stiff-legged dumbbell deadlifts, and while my deadlift hasn't really gone up since I've mostly stopped doing them, it hasn't gone down either.

This seems smart, I should probably look into something similar. I wanted to add weights as well, but didn't want to invest in a full-on power rack just yet.

Just invest in a power-rack or half-rack, and you will be capable of doing heavy barbell squat (and also heavy bench press) in total security

No argument on that, but the expense of a good power rack and barbell set, and the space required is far higher than a small bench and a set of adjustable dumbbells. My version costs less than $200 and takes up about 3 sq ft and can be tucked behind or under other furniture when not in use. It's an 80/20 thing.

It (a) shouldn't take more than 60 minutes MAX for a workout and (b) shouldn't require a partner to check your form.

That's one of the big logistical reasons I prefer powerlifting over bodybuilding...it's simple & quick because of its high intensity. If you're doing it right, it shouldn't take you very long...unless you're waiting on equipment or something.

When you're starting out and learning the form, sure, a partner to check your form is invaluable. But after that, I never felt the need...my body knew when something wasn't quite right.

Starting strength has you do six to eight sets for each exercise^1. And it recommends "[taking] enough time between sets so that you don’t feel any fatigue from the previous set before you start the next one. For guys squatting 185 pounds in their work sets, this is five minutes between sets."^2. If you're doing six sets, and each takes you, say, a minute, and you're waiting a few minutes between sets, that easily adds up to more than 20 minutes per exercise. Also, if working with a partner (which you do dismiss), you're going to have to alternate. Alternating doesn't quite double your time, since you have your rest period while switching weights and doing the set, but it does increase it.

> When you're starting out and learning the form, sure, a partner to check your form is invaluable. But after that, I never felt the need...my body knew when something wasn't quite right.

I've heard a lot of stories about people who thought they knew they were doing the right thing, but badly injured themselves. I mean, I hope you're right, but I doubt I am. Also there's spotting for bench press (people die from benching without spotters or doing so in a cage), and if, for example, you go down for a squat and realize you've got too much weight, helping the weight go down less uncontrollably. Perhaps I could be more comfortable with benching alone if I did so in a cage, but I've never seen anyone else do that. Perhaps I could be more comfortable squatting alone if I got comfortable dropping the weight off my back. But right now I'm not -- so having a partner is helpful.

And finally, I'm also including changing before/after and showering in the two-hour time, since that's something I have to account for in my schedule. Being able to leave the gym 60 minutes after I got there would be pretty nice, actually. Even a little bit more -- 75 minutes -- would be great.

Perhaps I could try it again, having one personal training session a month to ensure my form's ok.

[1] This is from what I recall. Squats were the most -- a set with only the bar, three or four warmup sets, then three working sets. Deadlifts had only one working set, and everything but squats had only three warmup sets. I could be wrong, but not by much.

[2] http://www.muscleandfitness.com/workouts/workout-routines/4-...

Starting strength is terrible. I think the most popular programs (5x5, starting strength) are popular because good marketing and not necessary because they are actually good.

Both SS and 5x5 are just insane (in the bad way). They make you squat almost for every workout and I think that is terrible as it a) doesn't let enough time for the body to recover, b) for folks that body form is not ideal for squatting, c) overpowers your lower body, and you end up with a T-Rex type of body form.

I was very lucky to have few friends to introduce me to proper lifting 15 years ago in college. Usual bro-split, 3 times a week is much better and balanced in the long run.

a) You recover by eating and sleeping. b) Anyone can squat. How do you think people use the toilet. c) It works the body in precisely the way our physiology is.

This. If you start with a 'usual bro-split' where you work out each 'muscle-group' once a week, you won't see anything like the progress you'll see on SS or SL5x5 if you're a complete beginner.

Even at an advanced beginner/intermediate stage it's still better to work each 'muscle-group' twice a week.

Can you elaborate on this "usual bro split"?

> (a) shouldn't take more than 60 minutes MAX for a workout

60 minute workout, 30 minute to travel to the gym, change, shower after, change back into normal clothes.

> (b) shouldn't require a partner to check your form

You do to learn

That's what got my hooked as well, except I started training for the Marine Corps, and now I just continue that same mentality and routine for strength goals. I literally can't exercise to lose/gain weight or physical appearance and maintain motivation 365 days a year to workout. Once you start focusing on strength and stop focusing on weight and appearance, the latter attributes come naturally.

Any suggestions on how to get started with powerlifting ? Tons of resources out there to choose from but I have no clue. Programs like P90X etc.

It's not specifically a powerlifting program, but it includes all the powerlifting moves, and I started with it: http://stronglifts.com/5x5/

If you're a beginner the difference really isn't going to matter.

It's good because, as opposed to Starting Strength, the material is all free online, it's all one web page with instructional videos, and the guy has mobile apps you can use for free.

Seconding SL 5x5. It starts you light to work on form, and ramps you gently but steadily. I'm lifting weights with good form now that I didn't think I was capable of 3 months ago.

I also really recommend Alan Thrall's form videos on Youtube. Incredibly instructive and thorough.

As others have mentioned here, Mark Rippetoe is my authority. He might not be perfect, but he's thorough and I trust him.

Starting Strength is excellent, but if you'd rather wet your feet first with some video, check out the series he did with Brett McKay of Art of Manliness:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLIasrSrFGdSNbeOT8Agw...

first rule: find a good pt who can teach you the correct form for every single exercise. That is the most important thing. People think that powerlifting is about "moving the heaviest weight possible"... it is not. It is about "moving the heaviest weight possible without failing at doing it with the _perfect_ execution form".

Another vote for 5 x 5. The app is a little in-app spammy, but the free features more than make up for it. There are even linked youtube videos for each exercise.