Blog

Written by Ivy Knight Some of these you may have heard but don’t really know what they mean. Some of these might be brand new because, to be honest, I made them up but they helped me. If you know me, you know that deadlifts have notoriously been my least...

Written by Jamie Bolling We’ve all heard some variation of “big back, big (insert compound here),” but how do we build a big back? Why is having a big back so essential?  Having a “big back” simply means that you have well-developed musculature in your back. Musculature that lends itself...

Written by Solana Lewis Don’t water cut. Go in at the weight you are at. Adding extra stress by cutting weight is not necessary for your first meet.Carb up! But keep fats low. Today is not the day to aim for perfect macros. Bring a lot of low fiber carbs to...

Written by Sarah Strong So you’re ready to take the plunge and sign up for your first meet-- where do you start?  First, I’d like to preface this blog by suggesting that you do not have to wait to be at a certain level in order to do a competition....

New to powerlifting and don't understand the lingo? Here's a brief list of terms you should know.

Written by Helena Humphries Firstly I would like to mention this blog is based on my experiences at competitions in Germany with GDFPF and BVDK, and at WDFDF in Italy 2015, and GBPF (IPF affiliate UK) and is more based on rules for IPF. For specific rules for your federation,...

By: Brittany Kohnke Powerlifting has become one of the fastest growing sports during the last 10 years. What was once considered a dying breed has now almost quadrupled in participation across the country and world wide. This increase has kickstarted the emergence of strength and powerlifting coaches as a result....

Written by Coach Ben of Big Benchas Adequate foot placement and the ability to create leg drive in the bench press is something I see plaguing lifters with difficulty. It is one of the hardest technical aspects involving the bench press. Even when you have leg drive down, you run...

Written by Brittany Kohnke The king of all exercises: the squat.  What seems so easy for some can truly be a royal pain in the ass for others.  Perfecting your squat technique takes an understanding of biomechanics and consistent refinement and practice.  Working with a variety of athletes and being...

Written by Precilla Navarro #kidswhopowerlift is now a thing! How cool is that?! But how do you know when your kid is ready to start powerlifting? Here are a few things to keep in mind.   Age vs. Attention Span Will your child pay attention? Are they trainable? There are children...

The first time I picked up a barbell was in 2014. My first meet was in 2016. Since that first meet I’ve competed in a few more, I’ve handled tons of athletes and I became a USPA State judge. I love meets! I love the chalk in the air, the...

Written by Elena Popadic Women need iron. Not the vitamin. The barbell. It's true, you can be fit, healthy and strong through other means, so why powerlifting? Why would anyone subject themselves to the commitment of lifting increasingly heavier weights, year after year? Other women who lift usually "get it," but...

Written by Sara Lee So, no-crap, there I was sitting in a classroom on Fort Bragg racing three other girls in my small group on who could “go green” the fastest.  The year was 2014 and we had one of the first generations of the emWave (https://www.heartmath.com/science/) hooked up to...

   Written by Sarah Brenner Powerlifting coaching can be pretty expensive. For some, like myself, a coach is essential to progressing and totally worth every penny spent. For others, coaching may not be reasonable or necessary. I think that hiring a powerlifting coach is worth it when: You are serious...

Written by Gage Reid Here are 3 quick tips for improving your squat! More Volume/Variety in Rep Ranges Although this isn’t an accessory movement in itself, the concept of increasing the amount of training volume you do throughout the course of a given week, month and year is a crucial...

Written by Robert King Tonight one of my students was going for a heavy lift and she missed it.  In training and on the platform, I do my best to not have my athletes miss lifts or reps. However, every lift we miss is an opportunity to learn. You learn more from the lifts...

Written by Chelsea Nkwodimmah Listening to that one song before a top set. Putting your left wrist wrap on before your right. Wearing that lucky pair of deadlift socks for meet day. It’s no doubt that hours of hard training go into being an amazing athlete. But for a special...

Written by Gage Reid of Nova Strenght Training Systems I’ve worked with countless athletes, coaches, as well as various other members of the strength community and one of the most common misconceptions is that when an athlete has poor technique or movement patterns, you must ALWAYS “Deload to 135 and...

Written by Helena Humphries So today I thought I'd write about my experience of programming my training. First of all, I would say that planning down and tracking your training is vital. Even if you come off your program, or can only do lower weights due to injury - keep...

by Gage Reid of Nova Strength Training Systems Find a Coach or Experienced Lifter This one seems obvious to some, but many lifters start out their Powerlifting careers without any guidance or idea of where they should start. I’m a huge proponent of starting to build that solid foundation of...