When I decided to be as strong as I can be I needed to find away to get there. I did some research and found a good beginner's program in Stronglifts 5x5. It is a linear progression that adds weight each workout and for a beginner it is one of the best ways to go to build a base to go on. It is based on a tried and true method that has been around since the 1950's and used by some of the great powerlifting bodybuilders like Reg Park and Arnold Schwarzenegger. The program is meant to run 12 weeks and then change but I ran it for about 20 weeks and made great gains. Some good background on 5x5 is in this article A Look at the Classic 5X5 Program Body Re-composition
After that I needed an intermediate program and went to the Texas Method. An article by Mark Rippetoe kind of sealed my choice and I did some research. I found a spread sheet to help me along and had a read of other articles like Texas Method-Pt 2 by Justin at 70'sbig.com. I worked the program for about 13 weeks right up to my first competition and made some good progress. I increased my lifts and made a good showing for myself. The Texas Method Part 1 book has really good info on how to use and modify the program for targeted gains.
I have moved on to a different program but I am considering a program based on The Texas Method Advanced in the future. I can imagine that in the future I will use a number of plans in my quest to get into the record books.
