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Barbell Beginner lifting program with tension skills

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Scholar

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I am a complete beginner to lifting and strength training. I can do the following for 5 reps @ 63 kg bodyweight(bw):
Deadlift--40 kg
Bench press-- 20 kg
Squat-- 30 kg
My long term and primary goal is to get strong. My short term goal is to have the following numbers:
Deadlift--2*bw
Bench press--1.5*bw
Back Squat--1.75*bw
I have access to my university gym for less than a year before I graduate.I came to know that learning body tension skills can improve weight lifting ability through some of the blog posts at Strongfirst. I am planning to combine the programs in naked warrior and PTTP :
Deadlift -- 5-3-2,5 days
OAPU-- GTG, 5 days
Once I can do 2 sets of 10 OAPU I will use the following :
Deadlift -- 5*5,only exercise on Monday
Bench press -- 5-3-2, Tuesday to saturday
Pull-ups -- fighter pull-ups program
Pistols -- GTG
Once I can do 2 sets of 10 pistols I may use 80/20 Powerlifting program or Simple Strength program of zerchers, bench press, and weighted pull-ups.

I am beginner and your suggestions will be very useful to me. I also want to know whether pistols will provide a good starting weight on the back squats. Thanks.
 
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Scholar, welcome to the community!
(Now down to business) If you want to squat heavy, you need to squat, period. If you're that focused on increasing your numbers, you need to be executing those lifts. Like I keep hearing around here "to press alot, you have to press alot". I honestly don't think you'll reach a 1.75xBW back squat by doing pistols alone. If anything I would make the lifts I want to improve (In your case Bench/Squat/Deadlift) my main priority and use OAPU and Pistols as assistance exercises. Hope that makes sense. Best of luck!

-WF
 
@Scholar A suggestion how to combine PTTP! and NW: do PTTP!, or NW. In other words, when I look at your goals, I suggest to do the PTTP!, finish your DL and BP goals, and then plan what to do next.
 
I would do Mon Wed Fri Barbell work and Tues Thurs sat for oap and pistols. I have done similar things with gymnastics and the load and volume change from day to day makes it easy for the body to progress.
 
@Whiskey_Fox thanks for the warm welcome. I feel it would be like jim wendlers 5/3/1 body weight version. Is it good for beginners?

@Pavel Macek thanks for the recommendation. I have learned here through articles that learning OAPU and other bodyweight exercises can help with iron domination. So, my idea is to learn body tension and breathing skills while adding the three powerlifts gradually in my routine. I think that way I will be stronger faster and progress to these numbers. As per your instruction, if I plan to finish my bp and dl goals pttp style, what do you suggest to learn body tension skills?
 
@Scholar Any modality can be used to learn proper tension skills - bodyweight, kettlebell, or a barbell.

PTTP! (and our SFL Barbell curriculum) covers many, many of those. Of course, SFB tension skills will improve your overall tension skills for other SFG and SFL skills, and vice versa.

My point is - instead of spreading yourself thin (too many exercises, too many "tools"), focus, and after you reach at least "not-so-weak-anymore" standards. and then think what to do next.

Also, follow the program to the letter - you haven't started yet, and you are already combining and modifying. Don't. Been there, done that, failed. And after I failed, a started to do what Pavel said in the first place.

Health and strength to you, keep us updated, and once again, welcome to StrongFirst!
 
@Pavel Macek thank you very very much. Copied sir! Will try to follow the pttp program strictly till I reach my dl and bp goals. What kind of progression you suggest with the weight for 5,3, and 2 reps.
 
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@Scholar Pavel just recently mentioned at Plan Strong that the step cycle is excellent for beginners, so that is what I would do.
 
My initial thought was that while having those goals is great, first and foremost on my mind would be learning to move well. If you do that, the weights will come when they come. This means I'd focus on very few movements. It seems like that's what the others are suggesting as well, so I'll join the chorus.

Do you have access to kettlebells or dumbbells? I'd use one to practice goblet squatting as part of your warmup for PTTP. Once that feels good, try a single bell front squat. Once that feels good, trying a double bell front squat. You'll understand how to create tension, you'll be developing a squat pattern (back squats will be different), and it will get you ready to deadlift without taking away from it.

You could also alternate your goblet squats with a pull-up ladder for three rounds, staying under the max number of pull-ups you can do. Lets say you can do six pull-ups. Something like 5-10 goblet squats, 2 pull-ups; 5-10 goblet squats, 3 pull-ups; 5-10 goblet squats, 4 pull-ups. Then you'd be practicing your squat pattern and pull-up in a way that won't tax you or take away from PTTP and getting your body organized and ready to lift before PTTP.

Let the focus be on learning to move, and be patient with the numbers. I started deadlifting last week. I hadn't done a deadlift in a year before last Wednesday and worked up to 225 lbs for five. Last night I worked up to 315 for five. I did it, but it was my limit with good form. I don't want to lift at my limit, especially in the beginning, and wrote in my journal, "Patience!"
 
@JamesO thanks. These are some impressive dl numbers. And the warm routine also looks nice and non-taxing. But I can only do one pull up:( and I don't have access to KBS in my gym.
 
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You're welcome. Where are you located? Does your gym have dumbbells or gymnastics rings? Do you have the means to spend $20 on a #3 band?

You can do goblet squats with a dumbbell, and you can do assisted pull-ups with a band, or "Australian pull-ups" (they have so many names it's hard to keep track -- after a while the names of these things start to sound like jazz tunes) on gymnastics rings, or by putting a barbell in the rack and pulling your chest up to it. Pavel's the man for this kind of stuff though, to be honest. I'm just chiming in. You should see the athletes in his gym move.
 
@JamesO I am from India. I don't have rings. I will do goblet squats as warmups and hope that it won't tax my progress on pttp. I will try pull ups programs in future. Right now, I will only do pttp strictly and some stretching.

BTW, what's the difference between goblet squat with one KB and front squat with one KB?
 
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@JamesO
BTW, what's the difference between goblet squat with one KB and front squat with one KB?
The goblet squat has many advantages for those working on hip and ankle mobility to achieve a full squat. (This may not be a problem for you if you can comfortably use the non-westernized toilets)

In the goblet squat the Kettlebells is help in two hands by the outside of the Kettlebell handles. This allows the weight to be held out in front if need be as a counterbalance during decent into the squat. At the bottom of the squat the elbows can be placed on top of the knees for leverage to work on straightening the spine, or inside the knees to work on pushing the knees out to make space to decend further. (More on the goblet squat)

In a front squat the Kettlebell is held by one hand in the rack position.
 
Follow either Kettlebell: Simple & Sinister or Power To The People! Choose depending on whether you wish to start with a kettlebell or a barbell. S&S gets my vote but either is a fine choice.

Do one program and only one program, follow it strictly, and enjoy your results. Build a foundation of strength on a couple of basic lifts and the rest will come in good time.

-S-
 
@Scholar, my illustrious lifting career, such as it is, started when I asked on a running newsgroup about a program for lifting weights without getting bigger. PTTP was recommended to me and the rest, as they say, is history.

There is a wonderful Bruce Lee quote, and I think it may even be in PTTP, to the effect of "Don't fear the person who practices 10 different kicks 1,000 times each, fear the person who practices one kick 10,000 times." If you learn the barbell deadlift and the one-armed overhead press from PTTP, you will have all you need to be strong for a lifetime. Of course, we here can help you expand on that repertoire, but PTTP is really all one needs for most purposes in life outside of competitive weight lifting in some form, IMO.

-S-
 
Thanks again. I know it might be naive to ask, I want to know does one retain strength for a lift while they practice another lift e.g. Right now one is practicing dl & bp and after reaching certain standard weight benchmark, she or he moves on to achieve certain benchmarks on squat and OHP. Will she or he able to retain those Benchmarks on dl & bp? Can the same be said for OAPU, pistols, and pull-ups? And if the answer is affirmative, for how much time?
 
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@Scholar,

I recently finished graduate school and weigh about 170 pounds. I recently achieved a 2*BW deadlift, 1.76*BW squat, and 1.25*BW bench. So I feel I am similar to you in some ways. I would like to echo the advice of others on this forum. Stick to a very simple program specific to you goals. While pistols and OAPU are awesome, if you have a limited time to reach these goals you would be best served focusing on those lifts.

I would also second @JamesO to focus on moving well. Instead of focusing only on pushing the weights heavier and heavier, make sure you do the lifts with proper form. Practice practice. That's not to say do not follow a program with a progression plan like recommended to you here (you have gotten excellent program recommendations). I'm just saying don't sacrifice quality practice for the sake of a few more pounds.

As to retaining the strength, I have found when practicing according to the principles set forth by Pavel and the blog and this forum, one can usually retain a good portion (but not all). And what you lost can be usually be regained quickly. When training for my lifts, I focused on owning the movement at a particular weight. Nearly 4 months later (and not training with a barbell) I can still easily hit 75%-85% of my maxes.
 
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