Do you have any stats on how safe it is, particularly vis a vis back injuries? It seems like a bit of a high-risk wager - if you keep good form in EVERY exercise you do, you get stronger and improve your health, but if you screw up once, you damage your back in a very serious way.
Among elite competitive weightlifters: Injury rates for the subset of resident athletes at the USOTC were 3.3 injuries (most frequent were tendonitis and muscle strains) per 1000 weightlifting training hours. [2]
"[It's reported that] weightlifting (is) one of the safest sports with 0.0017 injuries per 100,000 hours of participation" [3]
I've been powerlifting for 6 years, was competitive for three of those years, and am friends with and know at least a hundred serious, amateur, competitive powerlifters and weightlifters. My anecdote, with that background in mind, is that I have only seen or heard of injuries happening when people IGNORE their body telling them to stop. So they either put too much weight on the bar, KNOW that it's too heavy for them, and then push through anyway, or they let their ego get in the way and are trying to show off and screw around (this is far more common than the first scenario).
The thing with free weights of any kind is that it's only as dangerous as you make it. YOU are in control of your form, you are in control of how much weight you use, you are in control of the bar path, and you can take it as slow as you want.
[1] Hamill 1994/ http://www.exrx.net/WeightTraining/Safety.html (lots of good info at that link)
[2] http://www.researchgate.net/profile/Andrew_Fry/publication/7...
[3]http://breakingmuscle.com/olympic-weightlifting/how-dangerou...
And I'd bet the injury rates outside of weightlifting are much lower. We don't fall and break a hip because our bones are too dense for that nonsense.
MUCH appreciated.
Given my other physical exercise hobbies are mostly martial arts related, I think I can live with those injury rates. :)
The key to strength is longevity. The guy who adds 2.5kg on the bar every session and hurts himself two months later won't end up as strong as the guy who adds 2.5/5kg every three weeks and sustains his progress for 5 years without injury. If you are of a population "at risk" (preexisting condition, etc.) you can set your mind at peace by finding a good coach.
To actually answer your questions, there are some stats here: http://www.exrx.net/WeightTraining/Safety.html
1. Join a Crossfit with good trainers. (Look up the reviews online for each box.) People hate on Crossfit all the time, but I can tell you from my experience they have helped me a ton with technique. I was already a very proficient lifter when I joined, but they were able to critique and fine tune stuff at an advanced level.
2. Get a private trainer that works specifically in powerlifting/olympic settings and explain to him exactly what you're going for.
3. Get involved on /r/powerlifting or /r/weightroom on Reddit. On these threads you can find all sorts of great resources and post videos of yourself for form critiques.
Monday: Squat, Bench Press, Barbell Row
Wed: Deadlift, Upper Press, Pullups
Friday: Squat, Inclined Bench Press, Cable Face Pulls (or another pulling exercise)
Do this for a month and don't worry about how heavy the weight is for a couple weeks, starting with just the barbell. Focus on form (YouTube!) and getting used to the motions.
Go slow. Don't push yourself until you feel comfortable. You can start with negatives or assisted pullups. Hitting a big compound movement (squat/deadlift), a push and a pull is a great rounded way to start lifting.
Find a good place where you work with the PT every visit.