What is powerlifting?
Powerlifting is a strength sport built around three lifts: the squat, bench press and deadlift. In competition, your best successful attempt at each is added together to make your total.
But you don’t have to enter a competition to enjoy training like a powerlifter. You might just be training for max strength, getting better at using a barbell and chasing a few new PRs.
This guide assumes you already have some experience training with weights. It’s about making your training more specific to powerlifting, not teaching you how to set foot in a gym for the first time. If you’re completely new to lifting, start with my strength-training beginner’s guide instead.
How do you start powerlifting training?
You don’t need to know everything to begin, as long as you have these basics down:
- Practise the three lifts regularly. Getting stronger includes getting better at performing the lifts you’re trying to improve, practising them like you would any other skill.
- Do targeted training beyond the competition lifts. Variations and accessories can develop muscle, reinforce positions and give you more productive training without constantly going heavy on the big 3.
- Choose weights for progress, not ego. Most sessions should be heavy enough to challenge you, not completely destroy you. Strength isn’t built in a single session. It’s built over months and years of consistent effort.
- Follow a set structure across several weeks. We can’t know if a certain strategy or program is working for you unless we follow it for a sufficient period of time. Follow the same routine for at least 4 weeks, track your progress and then make an informed, educated guess at what could be improved.
- Pick a schedule you can actually keep. Two, three or four well-planned days all work better than a four-day plan you do half of sometimes.
That’s the framework. How it plays out in a real program depends on what you like and what seems to be working best for you.
How many days per week should you train for powerlifting?
Powerlifting 1.0 comes in 2-day, 3-day and 4-day versions. They’re designed around getting the most important training into the number of days you have. The two-day plan isn’t merely the first two days of the four-day plan.
- Two days: concentrates the priorities into fewer, slightly longer sessions. A good choice if you can only reliably get to the gym two days per week.
- Three days: spreads the work a little further, with room for more competition-lift practice, variations and supporting exercises.
- Four days: distributes the work over more sessions, making individual workouts slightly shorter and giving you more opportunities for exercises that will develop your technique as well as more hypertrophy-focused work.
Don’t pick four days just because it’s more. Pick the number you can complete consistently. The two- or three-day program done every week is better than only doing some of the four-day program each week. They are optimised for that number of days per week and you can change programs later if you have more or less time.
What does a beginner powerlifting program look like?
Here’s Week 2 from the actual three-day Powerlifting 1.0 program. This is a snapshot of one week, not the entire block. The exercises and target RPEs below come from the spreadsheet; your weights will depend on your own strength. There is also guidance on how to swap any of the exercises if you need to without disrupting the design of the program. RPE describes how many reps you could have managed beyond your prescribed set. At RPE 6, you would have roughly four more reps in reserve, and at RPE 7, roughly three.
Day 1: squat and competition bench
- High-bar squat: 1 × 3 at RPE 6, 1 × 3 at RPE 7, then 3 × 5 at RPE 6.
- Competition bench press: the same top-set and back-off structure.
- Cable row: 3 × 12–14 at RPE 9–10.
- Cable overhead triceps extension: 3 × 12–14 at RPE 9–10.
This day puts your most specific work first, then finishes with upper-back and triceps work. The main lifts use heavier top sets (with fewer reps), followed by lighter back-off sets for more practice. I’ll explain why later.
Day 2: deadlift and a bench variation
- Conventional deadlift: 1 × 3 at RPE 6, 1 × 3 at RPE 7, then 3 × 5 at RPE 6.
- Long-pause bench press: the same top-set and back-off structure.
- Lat pulldown: 4 × 6–8 at RPE 8.
- Cable biceps curl: 3 × 12–14 at RPE 9–10.
Long-pause bench is the variation I most consistently see support bench performance with my clients. It forces you to control the critical bottom position, making the lift more efficient and consistent, especially if you plan to compete.
Day 3: variations and supporting work
- Paused squat, Romanian deadlift and Larsen press: each 3 × 6 at RPE 7.
- Leg extension and seated hamstring curl: each 3 × 12–14 at RPE 9–10.
- Single-arm dumbbell row: 4 × 6–8 at RPE 8.
- Barbell skull crushers: 3 × 15–20 at RPE 10.
Day 3 has plenty of work without repeating another full day of competition lifts. Paused squats and Larsen presses play a similar role to long-pause bench in refining your technique and providing extra, varied practice for those lifts. RDLs and the rest of the exercises are focused on building general strength and hypertrophy.
This isn’t a magic list of exercises, but rather a list that ticks the required boxes in a structure that has worked with many athletes.
How do you choose weights and keep progressing in powerlifting?
Putting the right weight on the bar for the intended outcome is a central principle for making progress in powerlifting.
How hard should the main lifts be?
For most of your training, you want weights that are challenging enough to drive progress without turning every workout into a max-out session.
That’s where RPE (rating of perceived exertion) comes in. In this context, it describes how many more good reps you think you could have done:
- RPE 6: about four reps left.
- RPE 7: about three reps left.
- RPE 8: about two reps left.
- RPE 9: about one rep left.
- RPE 10: no more reps left with the intended technique.
These are estimates, and your best guess is good enough to be useful. You will get more accurate with practice.
The powerlifting big three don’t need to be taken to failure to produce a useful training stimulus. We are trying to do productive work here, not just work.
Why use top sets and back-off sets?
Top sets add a unique strategic benefit to normal “straight-sets” where all the reps and RPEs are the same.
A top set is usually a heavier set performed before lighter back-off sets. The top set gives you practice with a heavier weight and fewer reps as well as a high peak-strength stimulus; the back-off work lets you get more practice and volume without having to perform every set at that heavier load.
Why does that matter? If you want to improve your one-rep max, you need some experience lifting heavier weights (higher %1RM). But doing all your training near your limit would be very fatiguing, require more sets, longer rest periods between sets and therefore take a really long time.
Here’s a real example from Week 2, Day 1 of the three-day Powerlifting 1.0 program, using high-bar squats:
- Preparatory triple: 1 set of 3 reps at RPE 6 (helps you pick the weight for the top set).
- Top triple: 1 set of 3 reps at RPE 7.
- Back-off work: 3 sets of 5 reps at RPE 6.
You work up to the more demanding triple, then use lighter weights for your sets of five. Those sets of five are still useful training; they just don’t require the same high load. The heavier exposure can also prime you for the lighter work, making it feel easier and allowing you to use a higher load than you would otherwise.
The program uses the top-set performance to help calculate the recommended weights for the back-off sets. This means that once you have recorded your top set weight and the RPE that it ended up being, there should be less guesswork in selecting your weights for the back-off sets. On weeks when you’re stronger, it will adjust the weights up. When the top set feels heavier than usual, it will adjust them down. It is completely normal to have small fluctuations in your performance week to week and this helps you adapt to that and choose the right weight for the day.
How does progression work from one week to the next?
Progress doesn’t always mean adding 2.5 kg to the bar every time you walk into the gym. Sometimes the weight increases; sometimes you’re doing more reps, more sets or better work at a similar level of effort.
The actual three-day program goes like this in the first two weeks. For high-bar squats:
- Week 1: a triple at RPE 5, a triple at RPE 6 and 2 sets of 5 at RPE 5.
- Week 2: a triple at RPE 6, a triple at RPE 7 and 3 sets of 5 at RPE 6.
The RPEs increase, so the recommended load increases, and the back-off volume increases too. Throughout the block, the RPEs on the main lifts increase while the reps decrease, naturally guiding you to higher loads as you get more practice and gain proficiency in the lifts. This is not the only way to structure a program but it is certainly one that works, especially for those who are newer to powerlifting.
If a set feels considerably harder than its target RPE, don’t grind through it just because the spreadsheet says so. Record your weight, reps and RPE, and adjust the weight for your next set. Your next decisions should be informed by how the training is actually going, not just what was written in the program.
Similarly, if a lift isn’t progressing, that doesn’t automatically mean you need more work. You might need better practice, a different exercise, better fatigue management or simply more time with the same plan. At the end of a block make a targeted change to the plan. Changing everything at once makes it harder to work out what helped, and sometimes you just need more time under the bar.
What should you track in a powerlifting program?
Keep a record of the weight, reps and RPE for your main work. A short note about technique, unusual fatigue or a change in equipment can also be helpful.
The Powerlifting 1.0 sheets have spaces for those entries, plus a weekly review and dashboard. They use your recorded performance to provide estimated one-rep-max figures and help with later load recommendations. An estimated max is a useful metric to compare your performance across weeks, but it’s not a guaranteed prediction of what you’d lift in competition tomorrow.
You don’t need to turn training into an elaborate research project. You just want enough information to answer a simple question after a few weeks: Am I getting better at what this program is asking me to do, and what should I keep or change next?
What exercises and variations should a powerlifting program include?
Strength is specific. If your goal is a bigger squat, bench press and deadlift, your program needs regular practice of those lifts and close relatives. General muscle and strength building work helps, but it doesn’t entirely replace getting good at the movements you want to perform.
Doing only competition lifts isn’t automatically more specific in a useful way. A variation can give you an opportunity to work on something without trying to improve everything at once.
Here are a few examples of what that might look like:
- Paused squats: pausing at the bottom gives you time to find and hold a stable position before standing up. It can also limit the load you use while you practise that control.
- Pin squats: carefully squatting to a set of safety pins can help someone learn to control the descent and become more confident and balanced near the bottom. They also split the lifting into two phases, which can make it easier to learn as a skill. They prompt you to squat to the same depth every time, which can help you learn what the intended depth feels like.
- Tempo squats: deliberately slowing the lowering phase gives you more time to practise controlling the movement. For example, a three-second descent might help someone who tends to rush into the bottom position or is inconsistent with their squat depth.
You don’t need all possible variations in your program. The point is to choose a variation that intentionally works on an aspect of the lift that is holding you back.
Those examples explain why you might choose a variation, but how you perform them is also important for ensuring you get the intended effect. The free programs include exercise demonstrations and setup guidance for each variation included. Once you have the basics down, the best thing you can do is film your own lifts and review them (or have a coach review them), so you can continue to assess and adjust your technique.
The accessories in the sample week (such as rows, pulldowns, leg work and triceps work) are there largely to help support long-term muscle growth, because, all else being equal, a bigger muscle is a stronger muscle. Some of these accessories can also help to exercise the joints and other tissues in various ways with the intention to stave off potential injuries or niggles.
Common questions before your first powerlifting block
Do you need to test your one-rep max before starting?
No.
A one-rep max (1RM) is the most weight you can lift for one successful rep. Knowing yours can be useful, but there’s no requirement to test it before your first powerlifting training block.
A recent hard set of a few reps with an RPE rating can give you enough information to begin. You can then use your recorded training to build a better picture of your strength.
Testing maxes is fun, and it has its place. But getting familiar with the lifts, repeating them consistently and doing enough productive training are more important at the start. You don’t need to test your max strength to know that you are getting stronger. Your estimated 1RMs, and your best weights at a given number of reps will show that you are progressing.
What equipment do you need?
To practise the three lifts, you’ll want access to a suitable barbell, plates, a bench and a squat rack with safety equipment (most commercial gyms these days have good enough equipment to get started). The free program’s Set Up tab lets you choose exercise options based on the equipment available to you. Don’t worry about buying specialist competition gear before you’ve decided whether you enjoy the sport. It doesn’t make a meaningful difference until you’re quite strong anyway.
Do you have to compete?
You can decide that after you’ve spent some time training the lifts. Competition adds a date to prepare for, rules to follow and the experience of taking attempts on a platform. For some people that’s great fun; for others, getting stronger in the gym is the whole point.
If you do plan to compete, learn your federation’s rules and practise its lift standards and commands well before the meet. A gym PR isn’t necessarily a successful competition lift, and it can be frustrating to have a lift in competition disqualified on a technicality. Start practising to competition standards as soon as you decide you will compete.
What’s included in the free Powerlifting 1.0 programs?
I’ve put the structure above into a set of free Google Sheets programs so you don’t have to build it all yourself. You get:
- 2-day, 3-day and 4-day versions, each planned for that training frequency;
- a Start Here tab with setup instructions and video walkthroughs;
- a Set Up tab to choose exercises and account for your available equipment, with demonstration videos;
- the Program tab for the sessions, targets and your training entries;
- a Weekly Review tab to track subjective and lifestyle metrics.
- Dashboard to help you visualise and review what happened over the block with everything pre-calculated and graphed for you.
I developed the first versions of these programs from years of coaching powerlifters and these exact programs were refined after using them for several in-person training camps. I’ve continued improving it with feedback from people who’ve used the free versions since. This is a program I’ve tested and refined with real lifters, not just something I scribbled down on a whim.
To use one, open the Google Drive folder, select the version you want and choose File → Make a copy. You can use it on your phone or computer through Google Sheets; downloading it into Excel may break some features. The Start Here walkthrough takes you through the setup, so you don’t need to be a spreadsheet expert, you just need to be able to select boxes and enter numbers. I used Google Sheets because it let me build in the smarts and give you all the pre-calculated stuff in a format where you own your version and can use it for free.
Between this guide and the actual programs, you have everything you need to start powerlifting!
If you are curious to hear from someone who ran Powerlifting 1.0
Seth completed the free three-day program for a six-week block. In this short review, he explains how top sets, lift variations and more focused back work changed his training, and why he later chose individual coaching for his own goals and circumstances.