Powerlifting training involves a series of calculated risks. You lift weights that are heavy and challenging, over and over, in order to be able to lift heavier and more challenging weights over time. Lift too light and you won’t make progress. Lift too heavy too often and you’ll burn out. It’s a tightrope walk with …
A few weeks back, I hosted my Powerlifting Program Design seminar and got to present my coaching and programming approach that I’ve developed over the past decade. That’s the good news. The bad news: I only got through about 75 percent of the material I planned to present. I guess I can be a bit long …
Here’s an age-old sports cliche: it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish. When it comes to the bench press, it’s hard to finish what you started if you can’t lock out heavy weights. The lockout relies mostly on the triceps to extend the elbows. And while it doesn’t take much convincing to get …
Top 5 Triceps Exercises to Improve Your Bench Press Lockout Read More »
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 …
Training for a powerlifting meet is like shooting at a moving target. It takes a delicate blend of art and science to be at your very strongest in all three lifts on one specific day. A taper is a strategic reduction in training intensity and/or volume to reduce fatigue and improve performance on meet day. …
How Long Should You Taper Before Your Powerlifting Meet? Read More »
You’ll hear some coaches say, “Bigger isn’t stronger. Stronger is stronger.” Being jacked isn’t the only prerequisite for maximal strength. Otherwise, top bodybuilders would also dominate the powerlifting platform. But I firmly believe that being jacked gives you the potential to be a better powerlifter. More muscle mass means you’ve got more cross sectional area …
You Probably Don’t Need to Train These 3 Muscle Groups Read More »
“Everything should be as simple as possible, but not simpler.”Albert Einstein I try to keep things simple when I coach. Lifting can be intimidating and this anxiety can interfere with the learning process. The worst thing I can do is muck it up with lots of complicated words and explanations. Everyone learns differently, but over …
I am a firm believer in autoregulation and teaching my lifters how to choose the weight on the bar as accurately as possible based on what I’m asking them to do. This is why we use RPE-based training almost exclusively. In its purest form, RPE (rate of perceived exertion) is an educated guess on what …
A 4-Step Process for Choosing the Right Weight to Lift Read More »
They say the journey is the destination. The chase is better than the catch. I think that’s why powerlifting is so fun. There’s so much preparation and build-up to a competition. It’s both exhilarating and terrifying to put yourself out there on one single day. With that said, I see so many people piss away …
5 Things Powerlifters Should Do During Meet Week Read More »
Coaching powerlifters on meet day has come to be one of my favorite things in the world. I take tremendous pride in watching my lifters lay it all on the line, channeling months (or even years) of effort into one single day. The drama, the attempt selection strategy, and ultimately, the satisfaction once the meet …
7 Strategies for Powerlifting Meet Attempt Selection Read More »
