Last weekend saw eight lifters represent team Bonvec Strength at the 2023 WRPF North American Championship in Las Vegas. It’s the most lifters we’ve had at a single national-level meet. By and large, our lifters did incredibly well, securing a handful national records, state records and podium placings. We experienced our fair share of challenges …
Everyone has their own unique goals. In the world of powerlifting, the common goal is to get as strong as possible. Getting as big as possible often accompanies that goal, as lifting heavy things and getting jacked tend to go hand in hand. However, there are occasions where someone may NOT want to get any …
Powerlifting is an evolutionary process. Not in the clichéd sense of “only the strong survive,” but rather, natural selection. The longer you lift, the more your technique will change out of necessity. You’ll get to a certain level of strength with your current approach, but as they say, what got you HERE won’t get THERE. …
Supplementary exercises are movements that closely resemble the competition squat, bench press and deadlift, but with small changes that aim to target technical and/or muscular weak points. Examples include pause squats, close grip bench press, deficit deadlifts, etc. All these movements are 1-2 degrees separated from the main lifts, but are ultimately close relatives. We …
If you’re a regular visitor to this site, you know that I put out a ton of free training content. But did you know I also send out even MORE free stuff to my mailing list subscribers? And if you’re a subscriber, I’ve got something extra special for you. I’ve got a brand-new 12-part Level …
The fun part about strength training is that there’s no finish line. No matter how good you get, you can always get better – whatever better means to you. Stronger, faster, more muscular, and in the case of this article, more masterful in your technique. Powerlifting isn’t like a video game where you beat the …
The majority of our lifters (myself included) train 4 days per week and follow an upper body/lower body training split. It looks something like this: Day 1: Heavy Bench PressDay 2: Heavy Squat/Light DeadliftDay 3: Light Bench PressDay 4: Light Squat/Heavy Deadlift This is a common training schedule seen in popular training programs/systems such as …
No matter what lift you’re training or exercise you’re doing, you’re aiming to do 1 of 3 things: Lift as heavy as possible Lift a light weight as fast as possible Lift a moderate weight for moderate-to-high reps close to muscular failure These three methods were first outlined by pioneering sports scientist Dr. Vladimir Zatsiorsky, …
When programming for the main barbell lifts, I typically prescribe either straight sets (multiple sets at the same weight/RPE, e.g., 5 sets x 5 reps @ 8 RPE) or a heavy top set with backdown sets (e.g., 1 set x 3 reps @ 9 RPE, then 2 sets x 3 reps @ 90% of top …
Having long arms may put you at a disadvantage for benching pressing big weights, but with hard work and smart training, you can still develop elite-level pressing power. Kate (shown below benching 150×3) is a great example: long arms and built to deadlift, but has worked incredibly hard to become a strong bencher. These tips …
