Powerlifting for 1 1/2 months

[jdspinna]

Hey Everybody I'm fairly new here. I have been lifting all my life but, really seriously the last year and few months. I finally decided that I wanted to focus on powerlifting and developing my strength as much as possible and like many I chose the Westside barbell program as my template. So here I'll post my personal best lifts and my goals for this year. I'll updated weekly as my lifts improve. Let me know what you guys think, are these realistic goals? Do my lifts suck now for my bodyweight?

Weight 205lbs
Height 5'9"
bf 12-15%

Bench 325lbs Goal 400lbs by Jan 1 2006
Squat 495lbs Goal 595lbs
Deadlift 425lbs Goal 515lbs

[power65]

Good Luck!!! I think your lifts are great for a person starting out in this sport. You look way ahead of the game. I think your goals are a little high if you are training drug-free considering you only have about 6 months left to reach those goals. But say that, it is important to set goals that you can reach, but that push you to the limit at the same time. Make sense??? I think you could easily put 30 pounds on your bench, 50 pounds ons squat, and 40 pounds on your deadlift in the next 6 months. Keep us posted to how you're doing.

[jdspinna]

Thanks for the encouragement! I guess since I've never focused on strength alone and I wasn't sure where to set the goals for my lifts. I'm waiting for my maxes to start moving up a little slower soon. For instance I went from benching 275 to 325 in a little over a month doing single set full body workouts three days a week. Hurt my shoulder moving up that fast though. Since I started Westside workouts my squat has gone way up. I couldn't do 405 when I started and I'm on my 6th week and pushed 495. I also did 465lbs off of the box squat. Are those increases typical when starting a powerlifting regimen? It's like my body is responding as if I just started lifting weights for the first time. Has to be the squats and deads!