Powerlifters often face the ongoing battle with their ego. It’s the never ending fight around trying to put more weight on the bar…. as that is the point of the sport.
How can a Powerlifter effectively manage training smart and managing jumps in-order to not let the ego get the best of you in training?
Smart Programming
Planning and programming your workouts is essential. Furthermore a lot of powerlifters you see will use an RPE (rate of perceived exertion) based program. Or percentage based and sometimes a combination of both.
There are also a few different models of periodization that lifters can follow.
Basic linear periodization
This starts with higher volume at lower intensity. As you decrease the volume increase the intensity. You can do this by working up to singles or heavy triples etc. Typically for competitors linear periodization used to look like months of training dedicated to higher volume at lower intensities. Building hypertrophy and conditioning. After the volume phases lifters would transition into months of lower volume at higher intensities before tapering and peaking for competition. Next, as the athlete gets closer to competition this model becomes more specific to the athlete. E.g. A powerlifter would focus on the big 3 mainly.
A basic example of this will be the following
Week 1 3×12 @ rpe 6
Week 2 3×10 @ rpe 7
Week 3 3×8 @ rpe 8
Week 4 3×6 @ rpe 8
Week 5 3×3 @ 9
Week 6 deload week.
Block Periodization
Block periodization is arguably a more flexible form of periodization that has many similarities with linear periodization. It usually splits the macro-cycles into 3 separate blocks (meso cycles). With a different goal for each block.
Similar to linear periodization it begins with higher volume at lower intensities. Before moving into lowered volume at higher intensities, then going into a taper. Moreover, the main difference to the conventional linear periodization model is that the meso cycles are shorter. Therefore, you generally will not be spending months in hypertrophy or accumulation phases like general linear periodization model.
Undulating Periodization
Undulating Periodization changes more variables during the week than linear and block periodization.
DUP – Daily undulating periodization changes training variables each training session whithin a week. One way to do this is by changing the rep range used on each day for different training goals.
For example:
- Day 1 – 3 sets of 8-10 reps
- Day 2 – 3 sets of 5 reps
- Day 3 3 sets of 1-3 reps.
In one week you can train hypertrophy, strength and power.
