Powerlifting is a popular sport and workout activity, and here’s our guide to get you or your child started!
Strength sports are more popular than ever these days, and this includes popular options like Olympic lifting, strongman competitions and powerlifting.
We offer both Olympic lifting and powerlifting classes multiple times per week here at The Rising Legends Academy of Fitness, and we’ve created this ultimate beginner’s guide to assist you or your child in transitioning to this awesome sport!
So, What Exactly Is Powerlifting?
Powerlifting is a sport that measures an athlete’s maximum strength by testing their one-rep max capabilities in three barbell lifts: deadlifts, bench presses and squats.
Each athlete will get three attempts per lift in a competition, which equals to nine total lifts per athlete at a powerlifting meet. Once each athlete has completed all of their attempts, they’ll add their bench press, deadlift and squat weights together to come up with their total score.
It’s also important to note that an athlete’s total weightlifting score is combined with an athlete’s body weight to calculate each competitor’s ranking. There are three different calculation systems in powerlifting, including:
Regardless of which scoring system is used in your powerlifting federation, the ultimate goal is to determine which athlete is the pound-for-pound strongest at a meet.
Powerlifting is also separated into two main categories: geared powerlifting and raw powerlifting. There are also several subcategories, but what’s great is that athletes can find awesome gyms like the Rising Legends community whether they choose to lift in gear or raw!
Understanding Powerlifting Basics
As mentioned in the above section, powerlifting is a competitive sport in which athletes create a total score based off of their best deadlifts, bench presses and squats. In order to become a successful powerlifter, you’ll ultimately need to follow a rigorous powerlifting training program to ensure that your thoroughly trained to gain strength in all three barbell lifts.
There’s also some basic equipment and gear that powerlifters need, including:
- Wrist wraps
- Knee wraps/sleeves
- Lifting shoes
- Lifting belt
Geared powerlifters will also need the following:
- Squat suits
- Single/Multi-ply briefs
- Deadlift suits
- Bench shirts
A lot of beginners will initially choose a raw powerlifting route, and this is partly due to lower skill and cost barriers to entry. However, just because you or your child is new to powerlifting doesn’t mean that you can’t go straight to becoming a geared powerlifter.
The most important factor for beginner powerlifters to keep in mind is that they need to develop their abilities to perform powerlifts at a competitive standard. This means that bench presses will have a distinct pause, squats will go down to a proper depth, and deadlifts are pulled to complete locks—and lowered correctly toward the ground.
Form is absolutely essential for all powerlifters, because not executing your powerlifts to a competitive standard will likely results in disqualifications and lackluster performances; however, the good news is that our powerlifting experts are here to teach you these basic standards!
Establishing Your Powerlifting Goals
For beginners who are just starting to get interested in powerlifting, it’s an important step to establish your initial goals and create training targets.
The very first goal of every new powerlifter is to become more disciplined with their lifting performance, because this helps to reduce injuries and improve competition results.
The next step for most powerlifters is to start focusing on increasing their numbers, which means setting weight goals to reach in bench press, squat and deadlift. One thing to remember is that your training goals need to remain attainable and realistic, because this helps ensure that your motivation stays consistent.
Although long-term powerlifting goals are always great, it’s typically better to stay focused on your short-term perspective when you’re just getting started. You’ll quickly establish your max lifts when you begin training, and you’ll then want to focus on increasing about 5-10 pounds every 1-2 months.
This might seem like a slow progression, but your strength will quickly add up when you stay committed and gain more experience. Once you’re at a more intermediate powerlifting level, you can start thinking more about long-term goals.
Powerlifters also need to set realistic goals when it comes to their technical execution, which means coming to training with the intention of getting slightly better each day. These types of goals are important because they help improve your weightlifting efficiency and lower your risks of injury!
Creating Your Powerlifting Training Program
Another crucial step for powerlifting beginners is creating a training program. These training plans are essentially your personal roadmap toward increasing your strength, and we’re always flexible with every powerlifting athlete at The Rising Legends gym because we know each athlete has unique needs and preferences.
One popular powerlifting regimen is known as The Conjugate Method, and this approach aims to improve specific facets of an athlete’s overall strength by focusing on three different effort methods: maximal, dynamic and repeated.
The maximal effort method primarily focuses on developing an athlete’s absolute strength, the dynamic effort method focuses on improving an athlete’s force development rate (explosiveness), and the repeated effort method focuses on improving an athlete’s work capacity and physical composition.
When you develop a comprehensive training program, you’ll subsequently develop your skills without any glaring weaknesses that could limit your competitiveness during meets!
Injury Prevention & Safety
A huge focus on powerlifting training is safety and injury prevention, and this is why it’s so important to train at world-class facilities like The Rising Legends gym that provide top-quality equipment and coaches.
Another key to safe powerlifting is perfecting strict weightlifting techniques, because form is crucial for both beginner and world-class powerlifters. You’ll also have to keep your level of fatigue in mind during each training session, which includes fatigue levels going into training and the fatigue that you accrue while training.
You’ll never want to make risky, ego-driven mistakes while training with heavy weights—which means avoiding that feeling like you’re about to break.
Safety techniques and training organization are two reasons why it often takes powerlifters several years to reach their full potential, and being smart and in control always ensures that you’ll be ready to train another day!
Preparing For Your First Powerlifting Competition
Beginner powerlifters should train for at least six months to a year prior to competing, because this amount of time usually gives beginners enough training to ensure precise execution and strength when it matters most.
It’s also a good idea to choose a nearby meet for your first competition, because your partners and coaches can show up and provide you with feedback. The good news is that there are countless powerlifting events in Nyack and the surrounding area, so it won’t be too difficult to figure out your perfect first competition.
And just remember that your first powerlifting meet is always going to be a learning experience, so keep your stress levels low and know that you’re only just beginning to get your feet wet in the sport.
You’ll also need to choose a weight class prior to your first competition. Our recommendation for beginners is to choose a class that’s closest to your normal body weight. You won’t want to cut a bunch of weight for your first meet, because this is a whole other level of training complexity that’s better suited for intermediates and experts!
Embracing A Powerlifting Lifestyle
Powerlifting requires a ton of dedication, which is why every athlete must embrace a powerlifting lifestyle in order to be fully prepared for competition days. This means that strict training regimens, a healthy diet and lifestyle adherence are all required.
Accountability is key for powerlifters, which is why it’s such a great idea to join a gym like Rising Legends when you want to train with like-minded individuals and seasoned pros. But regardless of where or how you train, powerlifters must maintain a strong mental fortitude outside of the gym.
There’s no denying how powerlifting is an incredibly tough sport, which is why athletes can’t let unhealthy decisions get in the way of their athletic goals. This is particularly important for beginners, because staying strict with yourself at the start of your powerlifting journey will ensure that you stay on track toward becoming the very best athlete that you can possibly be.
And trust us, powerlifting’s discipline is a tiny price to pay for the rewards you’ll receive—and you certainly won’t regret getting started!
Meet The Rising Legends Powerlifting Coach, Kris Hardin!
All of us at Rising Legends love our powerlifting members, and our weekly schedule includes four weekly sessions with our esteemed powerlifting specialist named Kris Hardin.
Kris has over 20 years of powerlifting experience, and he’s also a 3rd Degree Blackbelt in Kempo and a Brown Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Kris was initially trained by world-class powerlifting coaches, and he brings a world-class approach to our training program that you simply can’t find anywhere else.
Check out our class schedule to sign up for your next powerlifting class with Kris, and we look forward to seeing you at the gym!