Great gains come very quickly because power moves call so much muscle into play all at once.
Powerlifting is also addictive and dangerous. While powerlifters can do three things–the squat, deadlift, and bench press–very well, training for just these three lifts creates wear and tear on the supporting musculature that can leave the lifter physically weaker in many ways. At one point, Dave Tate was benching 610 pounds but couldn’t military-press 55 pounds 10 times–a challenge any intermediate lifter could handle easily. (Watching me do pullups before one of our workouts, one powerlifter remarked to another, “Remember when we used to be able to do that?”)
So if you want to integrate powerlifting into your workout program, it’s best to make it only one facet of your fitness regimen. Working the ancillary, supportive muscles and joints–particularly the shoulders, upper and lower back, and abs–with lighter weights or body-weight exercises will protect you from injury and give you a more balanced physique. That said, here are four staples of powerlifting that can work for any lifter.
1. Measure your strength.
The amount of weight you can lift once, or absolute strength, is the powerlifter’s measuring stick of progress. It’s also a great way to get a hernia. There are better ways to ensure improvement. “Anything less than a 10-rep max, and especially less than your five-rep-max, can serve as an equally accurate measuring tool,” says Mark Peterson, C.S.C.S., an exercise and sport scientist at Arizona State University. Measure your five-rep max (on any exercise you want) the next time you go to the gym, then measure again after a month. If it’s increased, you’re improving. Body composition and waist measurements are also useful guides. But if you still want to know your maximum, measure your five-, four-, and three-rep-maximums. Then approximate for two and one accordingly.
2. Make a hormone.
“Few exercises compare with a squat, deadlift, or bench press in terms of the amount of musculature involved,” Peterson says. (The squat alone calls 256 different muscles into play.) The more total muscle you stress during a workout, the more growth hormone your body releases–which translates into greater overall muscle growth.
3. Work as a team.
Powerlifters drive each other to improve through encouragement and competition. “The adrenaline release enhances performance,” says Peterson. And you don’t have to slap your workout partner upside the head to benefit from this physiological response. Simply lifting near other people can help you lift more weight or squeeze out more repetitions, Peterson says.
4. Move quickly.
Speed training–moving light weights as quickly as possible–teaches the muscles to transfer strength into power. While powerlifters alternate days that focus on speed with days that build strength, Peterson suggests dedicating a phase of your training (1 to 4 weeks) to speed workouts. You don’t need much more than your own body weight: Try box jumps and lightly weighted squats for your legs; medicine-ball throws and plyometric pushups for your upper body. When you return to heavy lifting, you’ll magically be more powerful.
