Basic Starting Plan?

[chrisd]

Always good advice but often ignored, in my own case until sore and raw.

If you'd been using sets of five, this wouldn't happen. I understand that machines are becoming increasingly popular and online assistance is available.

[Larrynjr]

I am a novice also and had to search the forums to find this part. At the end of the chapter in SS on how to squat, Mark tells you how to determine what weight you should be starting at. This is applicable for all lifts. Look for the paragraph that starts "The general plan is to do a couple more sets of five reps with an empty bar..."

Go to Chapter 8 and he outlines a M,W,F training plan for novices.

watch the technique videos on this site and start reading the chapters on the lifts for clarity.

[SMC-Maine]

Still waiting for my book to come, but in the mean time there are lots of good SS videos on youtube as well as the info on this site. Download the app for your phone also.

[SJB]

If you'd been using sets of five, this wouldn't happen. I understand that machines are becoming increasingly popular and online assistance is available.

99, 100, change hands.

[Greg Ruhl]

I did a few things with barbells and 2x10 bench press reps last Sunday and it hit me really hard 3-4 days later.

Re-read the Barbell Prescription, specifically the parts that talk about volume and higher reps being bad for older novices.

[George Christiansen]

I get that you don't want to do nothing while you finish the book, but what are we talking? A week tops to read it if you are a really slow reader?

Read during the the 4.5 hours you'd have trained this week you can easily do this.

You really only need to read the form sections and the programming sections to start though, which is maybe 2/3 of the book.

[Ansleigh Williams]

I think its not enough to just rely on the book itself specially if your already into weightlifting because you'll never know if your already prepared to do such act without the physical help of an expert or coach. I know for a fact that the book itself can give you enough insights and ways on how to start training but you must also know your health status first.

[Alexander Dargatz]

I did not see a "do this to start out" in the book. I expect to take many days to read through the entire book and I don't want to do nothing until then. Even noting which part of the book has the plan would be useful.

Quoting The Barbell Prescription from memory: "This is not a cookbook. Read everything before you do anything."

[Christopher Anderson]

Quoting The Barbell Prescription from memory: "This is not a cookbook. Read everything before you do anything."

Sounds an awful lot like my wife when I'm putting something together that involves written instructions.

[Mark Steele]

I think its not enough to just rely on the book itself specially if your already into weightlifting because you'll never know if your already prepared to do such act without the physical help of an expert or coach. I know for a fact that the book itself can give you enough insights and ways on how to start training but you must also know your health status first.

I think, aside from asymptomatic and unknown underlying medical issues, we should assume grown men and woman know themselves well enough to know whether or not they can squat an empty bar for a few sets and work their way up a little bit until bar speed slows, and then do two more sets of five.

We're not sending untrained and unprepared people out to climb Everest here, they're doing a few sets of squats.