Best Powerlifting Program: Finding the Routine For You

Have you been wanting to take your workout to the next level?

Are you a beginner looking to break into the world of powerlifting?

Or maybe you’re an intermediate or advanced lifter, looking for the right powerlifting program to increase your rep max?

No matter where you are in your weightlifting journey, there is a powerlifting program that is best for you. While bodybuilding was popular back in the Golden Era, powerlifting has found its place in the industry.

While men far outweigh women in the sport, numbers are growing year after year. As it becomes more popular, some are moving away from weightlifting and bodybuilding towards powerlifting.

Today, we will discuss what you need to know to find the best powerlifting program for you. You’ll learn:

• Things to consider before you start a powerlifting program
• Creating a solid foundation through strength and diet
• What to look for when trying to find the best powerlifting program for you
• Some great free powerlifting programs for all levels
• Tips for creating your own program

Things to Consider Before you Start a Powerlifting Program

The ultimate goal of a powerlifting program is to improve your overall total. As you improve and build strength, you must challenge your body more and more. This means heavier reps and more volume in your reps and sets. 

What else does this mean? For many, longer recovery periods. This is why powerlifting programs have lifters spending most of their time with submaximal load lifts. 

The more time they spend maximizing their lifts, the longer their body will take to recover. 

However, long recovery periods over days or weeks aren’t a good thing when powerlifting. If you aren’t training your body consistently, you can lose strength and power. Neither of these are good things to happen when working a powerlifting program. 

Once you commit to powerlifting, you need to understand that this is a long-term commitment. If you can’t commit, then you may be better off just focusing on weightlifting or bodybuilding. 

Much like choosing the best deadlift program, choosing the best powerlifting program means incorporating other exercises as well. You need to build a solid foundation of strength, stability, and power so you can continue to increase your 1RM. 

Isn’t that the whole goal of working a powerlifting program? To improve your maximum rep weight. In order to do that, you need to spend most of your time doing other exercises and spreading out your power lifts. 

Luckily, the deadlift, bench press, and squat all have different variations you can incorporate into your program. Switching up the exercises, reps and sets, and the weight load will all work towards your ultimate goal.

But first, you need to have a solid foundation before you can even consider what the best powerlifting program would be.

Beginning your Powerlifting Journey

If you are brand new to the gym, then you aren’t ready to start powerlifting yet. You need to work on each major muscle group to build strength first. Then, focus on the big three exercises that are included in powerlifting competitions:

• Deadlift 
• Bench press
• Squat

Depending on your build and dedication, it can take some time to get to this point. If you need help with creating your foundation, check out our Choosing the Best Deadlift Program article. Here you’ll find great exercises to get you started. If you need more variety, we have an entire library of different workout routines to try.

Powerlifters exhibit great strength in almost every muscle in their body. That’s the only way they can lift such massive amounts of weight. Without a solid foundation to begin with, it almost guarantees you’ll injure yourself.

The Real Risk of Injury

Powerlifting is a heavy duty sport, and if you aren’t careful, you’ll end up injured. Also consider that the longer you powerlift, the more likely you are to get injured. 

Consider this study of 104 Swedish sub elite powerlifters made up of 51 men and 53 women. Seventy percent were injured at the time of the study and 87% had been injured within the previous 12 months.

The most common areas of injury were:

• Lumbopelvic region (lower spine and pelvis)
• Shoulder
• Hip 

For most in this study, injuries happened during training but did not stop them from training completely. However, they had to change training schedules and/or exercise routines to accommodate.

Keep this study from the Journal of Strength and Conditioning in mind too. They analyzed 28 young trained men to see if a higher frequency or volume was better to increase strength. 

They found that both lean muscle mass and strength improved at lower frequency with greater intensity and volume. Those who lifted just three times per week had equal benefits to those who trained six times.

A Powerlifting Diet

When it comes to powerlifting, some have the perception that you can just eat whatever’s in sight. While it’s true, powerlifters need to consume huge amounts of calories, it’s not a reason to eat just anything.

We’ve all heard the saying “food is fuel.” And that’s especially true for people who are serious about their fitness. Even more so if you plan to compete in competitions.

Eating the right foods can make or break your max rep, quite literally. If you eat empty calorie foods that lack nutrients, you can reduce your bone density. While your muscles lift the weight, having brittle bones can lead to serious injury under heavy loads.

Eating the Right Way

With that said, what’s the best way to eat to fuel your powerlifting goals and dreams? 

Prioritizing protein in your diet is key for building your muscle mass and strength. Protein will also help rebuild your muscles during recovery, helping with the full cycle of muscle building. 

The amount of protein you will need varies, depending on:

• Your current build
• Your muscle building goals
• How often you exercise and how taxing your workout is
• How many calories you are taking in

You also need to load up on carbohydrates to help. You won’t need as much intake of carbs as you do protein, but they are important to help replenish glycogen. It depletes your body of this important energy source as you work out.

Eating slow-digesting carbs before a workout will help keep energy level throughout your workout. Finishing your workout with a protein shake will help your body repair and recover faster.

Also, don’t forget about eating fats. You’ll need a moderate amount of fat in your diet to help: 

• Maintain hormone levels
• Encourage cell growth
• Absorb nutrients
• Create energy

Not all fats are created equal and there are some you’ll want to avoid. Make sure you check out this info on how much fat you should eat and the best ways to get your fat intake.

What Should I Eat During my Powerlifting Program?

Powerlifters have to take in lots of calories to sustain their bodies while working their program. This can mean upwards of 4,000 plus calories each day. For many, eating every few hours is the only way to get in enough daily calories.

When it comes to making good food choices, stick with:

• Whole grains
• Fresh fruits and vegetables
• Nuts
• Seeds
• Beans/legumes

Avoid processed foods and unhealthy fats as much as possible. This doesn’t mean you can’t treat yourself from time to time. But you need to make healthy choices to build solid muscle and maintain your strength through your workouts.

Supplementing for Maximum Results

While eating protein-rich foods is the most important way to get your daily requirements, it’s not the only way. Supplementing with protein powder is very common for powerlifters and bodybuilders.

Our own protein blend, Vintage Brawn™, is made with no fillers or preservatives. It only contains the ingredients you need to build and repair your muscles and strength.

Creatine is another product that’s often supplemented in the gym. Our bodies make a small amount of creatine naturally, but they can’t keep up with powerlifters. Using our Classic Creatine can help pick up where your body leaves off to build strength and stamina.

What to Look for in a Powerlifting Program

Even the best powerlifting programs are not one size fits all. What works for you may not work for someone else. Here are some tips to look for when you’re searching to find the right program.

1. Variety

As mentioned earlier, a powerlifting program isn’t going to be just the Big Three exercises. To really increase your rep max and build amazing strength, your muscles need variety.

That variety could include different deadlifts, squats, and bench presses to stimulate the muscles differently. They might also include other exercises:

• Lat pulldowns
• Chin-ups
• Pull-ups
• Rows (cable, dumbbell, barbell, seated)

Be sure that whatever program you decide is best, it includes a variety of exercises. This will get your muscles fatigued properly and prepared for the heavier lifts.

2. Submaximal Loads

Anyone who is more experienced than a beginner will know what their rep max is. When it comes to finding the best powerlifting program, yours should include submaximal loads.

This means you’ll do some sets and reps at less than your maximum abilities. Some reps will be lifted at anywhere from 50 to 90 percent of your ability. Simply take your 1RM and multiply it by the percentage to figure out how much you should lift each set.

These sets will help condition your muscles. Once you’ve worked through your sets, you’ll usually finish with one rep at your 1RM. The max out single will replicate how you would lift in a competition.

3. Rest Periods

Another thing to consider when determining the best program for you is the amount of rest time included. Unlike other forms of weightlifting, powerlifters tend to have extended rest times.

The heavier the load, the more time you need to rest between sets. Most bodybuilding and weightlifting programs include a rest period of a minute or less. With powerlifting, the rest period can be as much as two to five minutes between sets.

These rest periods are crucial to help with muscle hypertrophy and adaptation. When lifting, you’re stressing your body to the point where the muscle fibers tear under pressure. 

This is another reason most programs only include heavy lifts once or twice a week. This allows your muscles the time needed to recover, grow, and get stronger.

If you want to gain muscle mass (and who doesn’t when powerlifting?) make sure the program has ample rest time. Both during your time in the gym and also in between sessions.

Finding the Best Powerlifting Program

The internet allows you to find pretty much anything these days. However, with an overload of information on virtually every topic, how do you choose?

Here are some of the best powerlifting programs we could find to help you build mass and strength.

The Novice Powerlifting Program

If you’re just getting started with powerlifting, the Ripped Body Novice Powerlifting Program might be a good choice.

It’s a free program that offers:

• A three or four-day program guide
• How to choose your initial lifting weight
• How to progress to a heavier weight safely

Try it out to see how you like it. As we always advise, make sure you have perfect form and/or a trainer to work with. At the very least, have a spotter to help keep you from getting injured as you progress.

10-Week Progressive Powerlifting Program

This program works best for intermediate powerlifters who have been lifting for at least six months. This one is also free (don’t you love free stuff from the internet?) and can help you gain serious strength.

It offers a daily breakdown of exercises you use broken down by muscle group. It’s up to you to determine how many times you workout each week. If you aren’t that experienced, start with two to three times each week.

Advanced powerlifters can work out as much as six times each week, especially if it’s close to a competition. If you’re that advanced though, this program probably isn’t for you. The next program would be more your speed.

12-Week Powerlifting Program

This 12-week program by Marc Keys is great for anyone who has been lifting for more than a year. Marc has been training elite athletes for over a decade and also took part in raw powerlifting comps. 

If you’re serious about busting through a plateau and making serious gains, check out this program.

What’s Right for Me?

Ultimately, what’s right for you might not be right for someone else. If you still aren’t sure if you’ve found the best powerlifting program for you, check out this article.

Powerlifting to Win has put together an in-depth review of 25 different programs for all skill levels. You’re bound to find one that will help you crush your goals.

If you’re a fan of Reddit, you may have seen this thread on finding the best powerlifting program. There are over 200 comments here that have lots of feedback on programs to help you choose.

Lift Vault also has aggregated powerlifting programs, including spreadsheets and pdf versions. The website breaks them down by:

• Experience level
• Number of weeks
• Program goal
• Exercise frequency

With all of these resources available, you’re bound to find something that suits your needs.

Tips for Creating your own Powerlifting Program

If you’ve looked through the resources and still haven’t found a program that’s right for you, consider making your own.

Here are some tips for you to use if you decide to go this route.

Find a Trainer

One of the best things you can do for yourself if find an experienced trainer to work with. Look for someone who has experience as a lifter or who has coached powerlifters before.

The more experience the better, when creating your own powerlifting program. They can help

• Tailor a program that’s specific to you and your goals
• Include diet advice
• Adapt your plan as your skills improve
• Help you perfect your form to prevent injuries

Keep Track of Your Progress

If you have a trainer, they may already do this for you. However, if you’re going it alone, it’s a good idea to keep track of your progress.

Map out your lifts, loads, and rest time before you hit the gym. Then, keep a log of what you could lift each day. As you progress in lifts, you’ll be able to see where you improved and what gains you’ve made.

If you suffer with a sticking point in your range of motion, document that too. This may be where you need a trainer or trusted mentor to help you get past your plateau.

Never Lift Alone

Some people are loners in the gym, and it’s fine if you are too. However, you shouldn’t lift solo, especially when increasing your weight.

It’s just plain dangerous to do this. The heavier the weight, the more prone you are to injuries. 

Whether it’s just a friend there to watch your form or another lifter, always make sure someone else is paying attention.

Final Thoughts

There are a lot of factors that go into finding the best powerlifting program that’s right for you. Consider how long the program is, the types of lifts and exercises involved, and the load mixes.

If you want to make your own program, consider working with an experienced trainer to help you out. This might be the best way you can progress in your lifts and it will help safeguard you from injury.

If you need a supplement stack that’s perfect for powerlifters, look no further than our Size and Strength Stack. It’s got three products that will help you every step of the way. A pre-workout to get you started, intra-workout to keep you pumped throughout, and testosterone booster for sustained energy.

Do you have a powerlifting program that you follow or have you in the past? What worked for you when increasing your rep max in powerlifting? Let us know about your powerlifting journey in the comments below.