In the sport of powerlifting, there are two factors that you can adjust in your workout when completing a particular movement. First, you can vary the weight that you use for the sets. This will allow you to vary your repetition range and bump up or down the intensity of each set. The other method is a bit more creative, and will require some detailed record keeping. It is called the ‘shaving method’ and can gradually lead to the best powerlifting performance of your life, when used correctly. Improperly used, you can derail your training rather quickly. Let’s examine the technique known as “Powerlifting Shaving” or “Time Set Shaving”, and you can decide if they are right for you! Week one has arrived for your bench day. You will be completing five sets of the ...

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You might be a body builder yes, a successful body builder, but you might also be among those body builders who look down on power lifters as the lesser of weight trainers. You might be a power lifter and you are simply sick of the disrespect, the myths and the untruths heaped up on the game you love. Well, this article is to clear the air about power lifters, getting the truth behind the popular demeaning myths against power lifting. Specifically, let us base our consideration of the supposition that power lifters are fat. It is a myth that power lifters are very fat. There is a fear that engulfs most would be power lifters that if they take up power lifting, they would get fat, which to them is not something that is good. The myth is simply ridiculous, ...

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For bodybuilders, the food you eat for the last 24 hours before you step on stage plays a major role in determining how you look at the show. A perfect “carb up” and “water drop” will leave you looking bigger and dryer than you ever have before. At the same time, missing your peak or “spilling over” due to having too many carbs in the body and water under the skin, can leave you looking 6 weeks out when you step on stage. Peaking is a science, and some people make a very good living helping bodybuilder to peak correctly. Bodybuilders take the last 24 hours of nutrition before a show, including those crucial hours between pre-judging and the show itself, very seriously. Despite the fact that bodybuilding is just about looking good – and powerlifting is about ...

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There are essentially two ways to train the back to add muscle. First, you can opt for the traditional type of training performed by trainers at most gyms in America. These workouts usually involve 4 sets of four exercises, in which your repetitions span from 8 to 15. You train for muscle, but mainly for the pump as well. This type of training is fairly effective, but you are probably aware (if you’ve been training in this manner for years) that you’re not going to see a lot of changes in your physique from week to week on it. There is a second method of training the back, and while the goals parallel those of bodybuilders (to gain muscle mass), the means by which this is achieved involve lifting in a method consistent with powerlifting. You keep ...

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Are you an intermediate bodybuilder who just can’t seem to break the 200-pound mark? You eat everything in sight and take an hour nap each day, but something just seems to be lacking? Chances are, your body has become accustomed to your training patterns. You might be using the ever-popular 5-day training split (Chest, back, Shoulder, Arm, and Leg days). Or you might be using another. Whatever system you’ve been choosing, your body may no longer be responding. Without that need for response, the muscles stay their current size. Here are five routines that you should try for stunning the muscles into growing. Routine #1: 20 rep squats Squat three times per week. It’s that simple. Start your Monday with some warm-ups, then proceed to complete one all-out set of squats. This ...

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Periodization is a word that is commonly thrown around in powerlifting and bodybuilding circles to describe training that varies. More specifically, periodization can be defined as the frequent variation of techniques, weights, exercises, speed, and reps & sets in order to facilitate new muscle growth. The belief system behind periodization is that the human body adapts very quickly to a particular routine, and once the body adapts, it is no longer forced to grow in order to possess the muscle required to meet the workload. By continuously changing routines, bodybuilders and powerlifters hope to keep ‘shocking’ the muscle into growing. Periodization has three sequential stages the trainer will encounter when using this technique. Shock If a bodybuilder has been using a 5 on, 1 off body part split routine for five years, he is pretty set in his ...

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Muscle groups in the body are comprised of two types of fibers: Slow-twitch and Fast-twitch. Understanding the difference between the two, as well as the training methodologies which lead to successful training of each area, will lead to the recruitment of the highest possible number of fibers, and should be very important to bodybuilders! Slow-Twitch The first kind is Type I fibers, or slow-twitch muscle fibers. These fibers have very strong aerobic ability for oxidation, they contract very slowly, and they are very useful in endurance activities. These muscle fibers are “hit”, or engorged with nitrogen-rich blood, during higher rep training, specifically in sets of 12 to 20 reps. This type of training is often neglected by bodybuilders. Fast-Twitch This group of muscle fibers is called Type II, and is considered to be of the fast-twitch variety. These fibers assist with ...

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If you asked any new trainer in the gym why he’s there, you’ll likely get one of three answers. First, “I’m here to get bigger”. This is to be expected. The second answer will probably be “I’m here to get stronger”. Again, this is a very reasonable goal. Finally, the most likely answer will combine the two and will sound something like, “I’m here to get bigger AND stronger”. (For the sake of this exercise, we’ll ignore those trainers seeking to lose body fat). Now, the goal of getting bigger and stronger is quite a reasonable one. It’s very hard to do one without the other. If you lift weights to get bigger, you’ll get both bigger and stronger. And, if you lift weights to get stronger, there’s a good chance (provided ...

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Are you a bodybuilder who just can’t seem to make any meaningful gains in terms of size or strength? Are you tired of the same old routine and diet that you’ve used for the past few years? Have you reached a plateau which you just cannot break, no matter how much you try? Perhaps it’s time to mix things up. For the next month, you are no longer a bodybuilder. For the next two months, you are a powerlifter. Now that you’ve changed your title, it’s time to change your diet and training habits. You’re not going to become a *full* powerlifter, as they worry about weight classes and restricting their weights. You are going to focus on the numbers but throw your own scale out the window for the time being. ...

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Throughout the annals of powerlifting history and lore, one technique has stood out among all the others (and there are many) for helping men and women to squat more and more poundage: The box squat. Many powerlifters have attributed leaps from their previously plateaued weight limits, to some higher number (often by 100 to 200 additional pounds) after introducing box squats into their routine. How to Box Squat This part is easy. Place a solid, 4-inch to 6-inch tall box behind you as you prepare to squat. Squat back to a sitting position. You don’t sit – rather, you “set” your body down upon the box for just a split second, and then return to the standing position. Use a low weight when ...

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