Powerlifting Routines

According to the the International Powerlifting Federation, this sport specializes only with squat, bench press and deadlift, that requires strength and repetitive training to accomplish. Here power means movement of weight, including one's own body weight, in the shortest possible time, and strength is the muscular endurance ability to lift weight many times. Once strength is acquired, a good powerlifting technique and coordination can be developed to achieve positive results. Let's take a look at what powerlifting routines are all about.

What are Powerlifting Routines?
Powerlifting is often confused with weightlifting. Weightlifitng consists of just two forms of exercises; the clean and jerk, and the snatch; whereas powerlifting is a lift sport of squat, bench and deadlift. Although, powerlifting programs have only a few exercises, each requires maximal effort as well as strength endurance. A powerlifting routine relies on the philosophy of resistance exercises classified under core and assistance exercises. Core exercises work on one or more large muscles groups such as the chest or shoulders; while, assistance exercises work on smaller muscle groups of the biceps, calf muscles, etc. More emphasis is laid on the core exercises, as they help the body to train for squats, bench presses and deadlifts. The training frequency completely depends on the routine structure. It is different for a personal strength increasing initiative and competitive powerlifting. Always start with the warm-up to avoid injuries. Warm-ups, include a few stretches and push-ups. Powerlifting training routines comprise sets of 6 repetitions as shown below.

Weekday	Activity	No. of Sets
Monday - Squat	Pause Squats	4
	Cable Pulls	6
	Barbell Rows	4
Tuesday - Bench	Curls	4
	Incline Bench	5
	Crunches	4
	Bike Ab Exercise	4
Wednesday - Rest
Thursday - Deadlift	Leg Curls	4
	Stiff Leg Deadlifts	4
	Calf Raises	4
Friday - Band Bench	Reverse Curls	6
	Close Grip Bench	4
	Decline Crunches	6
	Reverse Crunches	4
Saturday - Rest
Sunday - Rest

Powerlifting Equipment
Correct equipment and facility can make a whole lot of difference for a powerlifting program to succeed or fail. Following is the minimum number and types of equipment, a powerlifting training facility should have:

• Three or more squat racks.
• Bench press benches strong enough to support 800-plus pounds.
• Power bars sturdy enough to withstand weight over a thousand pounds.
• Various sizes of weight plates, totaling a minimum of 2000 pounds.
• Locks of various sizes to secure the weight plates in place.
• Lots of chalk, for a good grip.

Powerlifting Clothes and Gear
Correct clothing helps to make powerlifting comfortable, for unless one is not comfortable while performing a powerlifting workout, one will not be able to apply the correct technique and coordination. Some of the gear includes powerlifting belts, cross-training shoes, knee wraps, baby powder to reduce friction, power bar and collars, and powersuits (for comfortable squatting and deadlift), etc.

Powerlifting routines help to make the muscle larger and stronger. The concept of resistance training for strength is very simple, the more you work the muscles, the more it will continue to improve. Powerlifting training routines need to be combined with a sports-specific nutritious diet and supplements, to achieve strength in totality. For achieving best results, it is best to train under supervision and have a diet chalked out by a sports nutritionist.