Blog

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...

A mini-review of the effects of taking oral contraceptives (both combined and progesterone-only) on athletic performance in women. Written by Helena Humphries I have recently seen a few posts on social media and on various other blogs which claim that taking oral contraceptives reduced strength, primarily through reduction of available...

Written by Gage Reid of Nova Strength Systems I’ve caught some heat in the past for saying, “There’s no such thing as a weak lockout in the Sumo Deadlift, only a poor starting position” and I will die by that statement because I wholeheartedly believe it to be true. In...

  Interview by Sarah Brenner Our hormonal cycle is important. Periods are important. For strength athletes, it is especially helpful to understand our hormones and how they can affect our training and strength gains. We sent over a list of questions to Veronica McNelis, a personal trainer, powerlifter, and advocate...

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...

By Gage Reid of Nova Strength Training Systems Fatigue management is one of the most important aspects of a well throughout out program because, without it, you’ll lack the ability to move the prescribed weights from session to session, as well as create the adaptive response required to get stronger....

  Written by: Lindsay McGuire, MS, CSCS, PT, DPT Many powerlifters and athletes, in general, have one side or limb that is stronger and more stable than the other. In powerlifting, many of us have this blatantly pointed out during the bench press. One common biomechanical error that occurs during...

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...

Introduce yourself to the GWPL Community Christine Castro Federation: IPF/CPU Weight class: 63kg to 72kg Division: Open Year in sport: 3 years Best Lifts Squats - 175kgs (386lbs) Bench - 90kgs (198lbs), Deadlifts - 200kgs (441lbs)  How did you find powerlifting? I was first introduced to general strength training in...

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...

Written by Renee Garcia The other day, I began to think back to how I have gotten to this point in powerlifting and thought about what I did to get my start. I started going to the gym in 2013 at 24 years old but didn't really start powerlifting until...

  By Gage Reid of Nova Strength Training Systems The Sumo Deadlift, much like the wide-grip, arched competition Bench Press, is often ridiculed online for being a “cheater lift”, when in reality the Sumo Deadlift is a highly technical lift dependant upon leverages, mobility, and strength in the starting position.Being...

Written by Chelsea Nkwodimmah Music is as important of an accessory to my workout as are my SBD knee sleeves and Inzer lever belt.  We all have that one song that hypes us up right before a top set or new PR attempt. Kendrick Lamar, Dave East, and Apple’s hip-hop...

  Written by: Lindsay McGuire, MS, CSCS, PT, DPT In recent months I have had an increasing number of lifters approach me with heel pain during their squat and during other times of the day. I have noticed this heel pain is more common for those who walk out their...

Written by Helena Humphries If you're new to Powerlifting you probably wonder why Powerlifters use equipment such as knee sleeves, belts, wrist wraps and even special shoe types. Is this necessary and what are the benefits? The goal with Powerlifting is always to lift as much weight as possible on...

Written by Aysha Elayan So after a year and a half of powerlifting... I have learned how to squat. Squatting has gone from being absolutely miserable to something I actually look forward to now and here’s how I got there.  For the last 5-6 months before I actually committed to...

by Gage Reid of Nova Strength Training Systems If you’ve been in the strength game or training for any period of time then you will eventually learn that progress is not linear- linear in the sense that you cannot simply add 5-10 pounds to the bar every training session, every...

by Gage Reid of Nova Strength Training Systems One of the biggest issues I've noticed with many people in the strength and conditioning community is the prioritization of load (weight on the barbell), as opposed to technical improvements. Now, before anyone jumps in I must note that sub-maximal training is...