powerlifting routine for beginers to advanced lifters

[Doc.Sust]

here is an article i wrote about a program i used to do, it was rough but it works

german block training
ok routine is called german block training or the 3x3. program is 3days a wk one day of rest seperating each day. mon, wed , fri or tues thurs sat. etc. program is 8 wks.
1st 4 wks every day you squat press and deadlift. no auxillary work is needed due to the amount of core lifts you are doing(sounds odd, but it works!!!)
wk 1 58% squat 5 sets 5 reps ,8 sets of 6 reps in the press ,and dead 5 sets of 5
wk 2 60% same rep scheme
wk3 62%
wk4 64%

wk 5-8 are diferent, here is where the fun begins.

wk 5 monday squat 80% 2 sets of 1, press 6 sets of 4 60%, dead 3 sets of 3 60%

wed squat 60% 3s of 3r, press 80% 2 sets of 1 rep, dead 3sets of 3 60%

fri squat 60% 3s of 3r, press 6 sets of 4 reps 60%, dead 2 sets of 1 80%

wk 6 follow last wks same rep scheme, still use 60% for the lighter speed days, and 85% for your max effort days on squat, press and dead.

wk 7 90% for max efort exerises, still 60% for the dynamic or speed exercises

wk 8 95% for max efort exerises, still 60% for the dynamic or speed exercises

sets and reps are the same from wks 5-8 and the days exercises are the same. after wk 8, take a wk of lifting off and the following wk max out. then use you new max numbers and you can do the program again, this type of training can be done year round. back to back to back.....etc.

to start take your current max numbers,add 20 pounds to your current squat max, 10 to your press , and 15 to the deadlift and use the percentages from these numbers to figure out what weights you will use.

side note, this works great for peaking for a meet. also feel free to try chains, bands, board presses, sumo or conventional, deads. you can rotate execises per day just like west side does"conjugate method" especially with the speed/dynamic effort exercises and all the exercises in the first 4 wks. pick one per day!!!! for example dont do half your presses with boards and the flip over to bands for the last few sets. if you want to do boards, do just boards for the entire day. then the next work out day, you can do all bands and so and so on. this is a template, you can fill in the blanks yourself. the program was intended for straight weight, but it can be done using todays new resistance methods. accomadate for band and chain weight and lower the straight weight percentage by 10, 15 or 20 %. if using board presses, rack presses, partiial squats and deadllifts, add 10,15. or 20% to the straight weight numbers. don't alter the max effort percentages or exercises for this program!!!!! do them the way you would max out or the form and technique you would use in a contest.
if you must do some auxillary exercises, be my guest,keep them light and brief, no high volume or heavy resistance, you will get enough from doing the three major lifts 3 times a wk. confused? just ask.

[Doc.Sust]

another article on the 3x3 more detail

The training program presented here has been used by some of the strongest German powerlifters including IPF Junior World Champions Ralf Gierz and Michael Bruegger. Gierz totaled close to 2200 lbs. at superheavyweight and Bruegger was the first German powerlifter to break the 2200 lb. barrier at a bodyweight of 26O lbs. Bruegger was also the first German to bench over 600 lbs. in an IPF competition (paused and no bench shirt). The basic concepts of this program have been used by almost every Olympic lifter, including many world champions over the last 40 years.
The 3x3 system is an eight week training cycle that consists of two phases. Phase I is a high volume phase, while Phase II is the competition phase. It shares some similarities with the Louie Simmons style of training program. The similarities include no off-season, training percentages in the 58-64 percent range and the main focus of the 3x3 is its high volume phase. Another similarity is very few of the 3x3 training lifts are in the percentage range of 80-95 percent.
The one thing making the 3x3 unique when compared to Simmons and other current powerlifting training is that the only training exercises used are the competition lifts. There is no assistance work! Why is that? The answer is very simple. In order to get strong in the squat you need to train the quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, hip flexors and the lower back. In other programs there are different ways in which to train all these muscles. You can perform a variety of assistance exercises or you can combine the squat with these same assistance exercises. The other option is to train the squat and only the squat. We already know this exercise works all the muscles mentioned above. The major advantage of this option is the squat works the muscles exactly the way they are needed for the competition.
As I mentioned earlier this type of training approach has been used for decades by the Eastern Bloc and Western European Olympic lifters and it works. During the last 10 years I have had the opportunity to talk to and train with many Olympic lifters. In 1992 1 was stationed at the Olympic Training Center while doing my assignment with the German Army. I observed that their training consists of only the competition lifts, the snatch and clean and jerk. Some of you might say that Olympic lifters do a variety of pulls including pulls from a block, high pulls from the hang position, etc. If you take a closer look at these exercises you will see that they are biomechanically identical to a certain portion of the competition lifts. The only difference is that they are not performed through the full range of motion of the competition lift. This will definitely overload the muscles. This is a technique that is very effective if you do it right. Unfortunately I see many powerlifters doing it wrong. They do hack squats, leg presses and leg extensions - exercises that have no bio-mechanical relationship to the competition lift. Leg pressing a 1000 lbs. does not mean that you can squat that weight. Do you see the difference? These exercises do have their place in a training program, but only to rehabilitate from injuries or to create variety once in a while, but not in a serious training cycle.
The 3x3 system works so well because your muscles will be stimulated much more than with other routines. Let’s take the squat again to explain this fact. For example, if your squat maximum is 700 pounds and your training schedule calls for 5 sets of 5 reps once a week you will achieve a fairly high volume com-pared to other training programs. When 75% of 700 pounds (525 pounds) is done for 25 reps (5 x 5) you end up with a total squat tonnage of 13125 pounds per week. This tonnage is determined by the work sets only and not the warm up sets (this is the standard approach in the 3x3 program). Now take a look at the total squat tonnage of the 3x3 system. In week four you use 64% of 700 lbs. which is 448 pounds for a maximum of 40 reps (8 sets of 5 reps). The total tonnage of only one workout is 17920 pounds. You repeat this workout twice and you end up with a total squat tonnage of 35840 pounds per week. That is over two and a half times the volume of the other program. The 3x3 system creates a workload stimulus that forces the muscles to work much harder and therefore to grow faster and get stronger.
Preparations: Before you start with the 3x3 system you need to find your current maximum in each of the three lifts. There are many ways to find this out and it’s up to you which one you choose. You can use your last competition lifts if the competition was recent (within the last 4 weeks). You can also go for a maximum single in the gym (important: use all the equipment you usually wear in competition). If you estimate your max based on reps you can use a variety of equations. A simple one is the Epley equation. In the Epley, you multiply the reps achieved by .033 and multiply the product of this times the weight used. Add the resulting product to the weight used and you have your max. Remember it does not make sense to choose weights that you cannot handle.
Once you have found your current maximum you can calcu-late your training weights for the next eight weeks. I will give you a more detailed explanation of this in future articles. However, before your start the program you will be asked to increase your current maximum in the squat by 25 lbs., the bench press by 10 lbs. and the deadlift by 15 lbs. This will be your new projected maximum and it will be this number that you will base your training. The training weights will be 58-64 percent of this projected maximum in phase I and 60-95 percent in phase II.
Phase I- Weeks 1-4 - High Volume Phase: By doing a lot of sets and reps you will reach a high volume during phase I. This set and rep scheme builds muscle mass, strength and helps to improve your coordination and technique on each of the competition lifts.


Summary: Phase I Day l
squat: 5-8x5
bench: 6-8x6
deadlift: 5-8x5 Day 2
squat: 5-8x5
bench: 6-8x6
deadlift: 5-8x5 Day 3
squat: 5-8x5
bench: 6-8x6
deadlift: 5-8x5

The total number of workouts in phase I is 12. This is three workouts per week. Make sure to rest one day between the workouts and rest two days after the completion of one training week. I used to work out on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. With this approach I had two days off on the weekend which really helped me to recuperate.

You will squat, bench and deadlift in every workout. Yes - you squat, bench and deadlift three times a week. That’s too much? How do you know? Have you ever tried it? You will not be doing any assistance work, which means that you have all your energy available for the three competition lifts. By the way, I’ve worked with Olympic lifters and they train the squat six times a week. They break it down to four front squat sessions and two back squat sessions. In these workouts they used some heavy poundages. If these lifters were overtrained it is of no consequence because they won a bronze and a silver medal in the superheavyweight category at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul.
The sets and reps are the same in every workout. Five to eight sets of five reps for the squat and deadlift and six to eight sets of six reps for the bench press.

You work with four different percentages during phase I, but you stay with one percentage for each training week. This means you will use a particular weight for each exercise and work with it for three workouts or one training week. The next week of training will have you using a higher percentage and therefore a higher weight. That way you increase the weights every week. Make sure to use no equipment, except a power-lifting belt.
Phase II - Week 5-8 - Competition Phase: During phase II you will reduce the volume dramatically and increase the intensity week by week. This helps you to adapt to the heavier weights. You will use powerlifting equipment (suit, belt, wraps, and bench shirt) for every heavy lift (1-2 reps). The intention of phase II is to build power, maximum strength and improve your technique with heavy weight.
As in phase I, the total number of workouts in phase Ills 12. There are also three workouts per week. Make sure to get plenty of rest between the workouts. You will still squat, bench and deadlift in every workout. The sets and reps in the daily workouts will vary. Each exercise is divided in two parts:

Technique and power training. You will be performing three sets of three reps for the squat and deadlift and five sets of four reps for the bench press. The training weight is 60 percent of your projected maximum and it and it will be con-stant for the next four weeks.
Maximum strength training. You will use 80-95 percent of your calculated maximum for one to two sets of one rep for each exercise. Train maximum strength on only one exercise per day. I used to max out as follows: deadlift on Monday (day 1), bench press on Wednesday (day 2) and squat on Friday (day 3).
Summary: Phase II Day l
squat: 3x3
bench: 5x4
deadlift: 1-2x1 Day 2
squat: 3x3
bench: 1-2x1
deadlift: 3x3 Day 3
squat: 1-2x1
bench: 5x4
deadlift: 3x3


While the percentages for the technique training will be constant, the percentages for the maximum strength training will be increased weekly by five percent.

[catabolic kid]

Good Post

[loki_is_a_god]

i might try this bad boy......

[Doc.Sust]

give it a whirl it worked for me even as an advanced powerlifter, i made great gains in functional strength

[Im-Your-Huckleberry]

give it a whirl it worked for me even as an advanced powerlifter, i made great gains in functional strength

Hey Doc Sust, do you think i could use the first program you posted as a football routine, adding some sprints and my a few plyo's on the off days?

[Doc.Sust]

Hey Doc Sust, do you think i could use the first program you posted as a football routine, adding some sprints and my a few plyo's on the off days?

sure you can, the plyo work will help a grat deal, i would personaly cut the lifting down i would do the tuesday ,lift, thursday plyo and sprinting drills, and sat lift again. 2nd part of the routine, i would do the same thing, tuesday, heavy squat light press and light dead. thurs plyo drill, but i would cut my volume down at this point and focus more on the lifting. and saturday.light squats, heavy press and heavy deads

[Grappler13]

I'm doing PCT (3rd day in after a 11 week 500mg/wk test-e cycle. I've been breaking my workouts up into Shoulders (25 Sets) Back (25 sets) Chest (25 sets) Legs.....you get the picture. What do you think of the 3x3 during PCT. I workout PRIMARILY for strength not size so powerlifting is always a big part of my workouts. Also, any pullups or shoulder moves like clean and press for this workout. Also, my max deadlift is like 400 and 58% of that is 232lb. Seems kinda light? Any help would be appreciated. Interesting post.

[Doc.Sust]

I'm doing PCT (3rd day in after a 11 week 500mg/wk test-e cycle. I've been breaking my workouts up into Shoulders (25 Sets) Back (25 sets) Chest (25 sets) Legs.....you get the picture. What do you think of the 3x3 during PCT. I workout PRIMARILY for strength not size so powerlifting is always a big part of my workouts. Also, any pullups or shoulder moves like clean and press for this workout. Also, my max deadlift is like 400 and 58% of that is 232lb. Seems kinda light? Any help would be appreciated. Interesting post.

try it out, even though the percents seem light remeber 3 times a wk you will be squating and deadlifting in the same workout, if you used heavier weight you would fry your cns and overtrain,.give it a shot, it treated me well i used it as an advanced lifter and i made great raw gains. it helped me set a few natiional records in the squat, deadlift and total,

[Willy45]

So you say this is a good workout routine for a football player too? Im lookin for some hardcore workouts for me over the summer to get ready for when I come back in August, Im open for suggestions

[rickjamers]

Im curious about how many on days off days is optimal for building mass. I also heard that its best to have a seperate shoulder day rather than do chest/tri/shoulder all in the same day because your shoulders wont be able to lift as heavy therefore not gaining as much mass as you would if shoulders had its own day. Im thinking about starting a workout routine of the following:
chest/tri
back/bi
rest
shoulder/forearm
legs
rest
(REPEAT)
This workout looks good but Id like to work out each muscle more than once per week which this routine doesnt allow. Any Suggestions?

[Doc.Sust]

Im curious about how many on days off days is optimal for building mass. I also heard that its best to have a seperate shoulder day rather than do chest/tri/shoulder all in the same day because your shoulders wont be able to lift as heavy therefore not gaining as much mass as you would if shoulders had its own day. Im thinking about starting a workout routine of the following:
chest/tri
back/bi
rest
shoulder/forearm
legs
rest
(REPEAT)
This workout looks good but Id like to work out each muscle more than once per week which this routine doesnt allow. Any Suggestions?

yeah , i have a suggestion rocket scientist, DONT dothis program than!! post in the workout forum, not here.