Powerlifting has been on the radar for quite some time. If you’re looking or a powerlifting program you might find yourself overwhelmed with all the available advice on training, nutrition, and resting.
Although it is a sport that requires much power and technique, it should be easier than regular bodybuilding as many people don’t go through a “cutting” phase and are much more able to focus on strength gains.
Start Nutrition
Powerlifting is based on the right nutrition. Although other sports might find nutrition important, powerlifters eat a considerable amount of calories each day.
When you eat 4-5.000 calories each y you need to make sure those calories are as clean as possible, with no junk food.
Healthy food sources include meats, dairy products, eggs, vegetables, and fruits. You also need to drink plenty of water throughout the day to sustain growth.
Eating 6 to 8 times per day is not that uncommon in powerlifting. Many studies show that the total number of calories at the end of each day is what matters so you can set your own eating times according to your schedule.
Make sure you include plenty of carbohydrates in your diet, especially after training. You may also want to take the right supplements to cover for the days in which you can’t take all the nutrients you need for regular foods.
Multivitamins, protein powders or amino acids are just a few supplements powerlifters take to fuel growth and strength gain.
Sleeping will take you far
Sleeping is one of the biggest performance indicators for powerlifters. If you don’t sleep enough you won’t have your strength to its maximum potential when you train.
You may also want to know that losing sleep might cause other types of problems such as lack of concentration. This is why it is important to stick to a sleeping routine.
So how much should you sleep? Depending on your targets you should sleep at least 8 hours each night.
Although most people sleep around 7 hours, you will have to give your body the chance to recover.
Since you’ll be lifting heavy weights you may also want to combine an afternoon nap with intense workouts.
If your schedule doesn’t allow for this, you will need to sleep as much as you can during night time.
Powerlifting program For Beginners
Unlike bodybuilding, powerlifting involves maximum weights and going for low repetitions. This will ensure you will get all that is needed for growth.
So you want to focus your training efforts and plan ahead. Ideally, you would go for programs of at least 4-6 weeks before changing the routines.
Since powerlifting is based around three main exercises which involve squats, deadlifts and bench press it makes sense to organize your training into a push-pull-legs method.
This means on push days you`ll perform all your pushing exercises like bench press, shoulder press, and triceps exercises.
On pull days you’ll train your back with deadlifts and biceps. These muscles involve pulling exercises and can work together for the best results.
On leg days you`ll perform squats and other exercises with maximum weights. You`ll also focus on increasing strength over time.
Week 1
So in the first week of training, you will be performing exercises with 60% of your maximum weights. Ideally, you want to stay at 3 exercises of 8 repetitions.
This means you won`t have too many exercises to perform so you`ll be able to concentrate on execution.
On Week 2 and Week 3 you will progress to 70 and 80% of your maximum weights. Since you`ll be adding weights you lower your repetitions. You`ll now be performing at 6 and 5 repetitions for each exercise.
On Week 4 and Week 5 you will be approaching your maximum strength level. You`ll also be lowering your repetitions up to only 2 for each set.
On Week 6 you should be at your maximum point. This is the week to break personal records, to set new standards and to take your performances to the next level. You want to perform a single repetition to gain the maximum benefits.
On each day you can 3-4 exercises either as a variation or for smaller muscles. For example, on the push day, you can add biceps exercises or other chest exercises like an incline press.
You can also train smaller muscles such as the shoulder with the same number of repetitions.
In the end, you need to remember to track your progress and a good way to do so by noting your weights and repetitions each week.
You may also want to keep track of daily calories. Water intake is also important so you’ll need to keep an eye on how much you drink each day. Throughout the program, you should focus on compound movements.
These movements involve all the major muscle groups and the will be the foundation of your strength gains. Also, check out the best workouts for women.
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