3 Pro Tips to Kickstart your 2021 Powerlifting - 3 minute read

Pro-Tip 1 – Have a plan for when you can’t plan 

Decision fatigue is real, and you really will make poorer choices and exercise less will power when you are tired, overworked or stressed.

It is super hard to decide on 10 x 3 squats when you are tired, but when its written down and you just look at your program, shrug, and get on with it, its way easier.

For us, when life is relaxed, none of us run off program, but when we know its going to be super busy and stressful, we’ll run a 8 week block so we can turn our brain off after work.

Pro-Tip 2 – Increase your bench – 100% of the time

If anyone comes to us and says their bench has stalled out, we always advise a block emphasising triceps, and it works every time for powerlifters.

We just don’t do that much tricep focussed work, and if you have not done a lot, its going to help lockout a lot and but also that mid way slow down.

You can’t really hammer your triceps that hard without elbow issues, so plan carefully. For us, the best exercise is small incline (like a 20 under a flat) close grip bench to nips. Grab the bar so when you descend, the inside of your wrist hits you nips. 8-12 reps is perfect, leave a few in the tank (ie, 8rpe max) and do a fair bit of volume (ie, 5 sets). Once your tris are pre exhausted, classic bodybuilder stuff like rope pressdowns or skullcrushers. Just don’t go near failure and don’t cheat.

Our elbows are WAY more susceptible to injury after years of benching and squatting. Finish with dips, or even bench dips. We always finish with band tricep pushdowns for super high reps (like 50-100) but that is because we will always be EliteFTS/Westside fanboys

If you did this properly, your triceps will have huge DOMS the next day. Do this after bench day (obviously lower bench day volume) for 5-8 weeks, then return to normal programming. Tris are 2/3 or arm mass, so you will look more yoked too!

Pro Tip 3 - Stay ready so you don’t need to get ready

@briancookpl is such a good example of a person that kept his work capacity up and goals moving as 2020 kept throwing out punches.

Stopping is never, ever a good idea. As most of us know, coming back to training is so hard, because you just don’t have the capacity to work like you used to, so its so frustrating. You not only have to rebuild your strength, but also you ability to train.

Its taken a long time to learn this, but do what you can, when you can. Work around injuries safely, change goals as circumstances change, but keep the momentum. Its way easier to keep the rock rolling down the hill than to get it started again.

That's it for today! Short and sweet. Now get at it!