Free Programs and Spreadsheets
Recommended Reading: Practical Programming for Strength Training by Mark Rippetoe (Amazon)
A powerlifting program is designed to improve an athlete's one rep max in the squat, bench press, and deadlift. The mark of a successful routine is an improvement in the athlete's powerlifting total.
Whether you're looking for a beginner program, intermediate program, or a peaking program, you'll find a great powerlifting workout routine to get stronger. All spreadsheets are mobile friendly and powered by Google Sheets (better than PDF) - and no website has more free programs than Lift Vault!
Head over to the Lift Vault forum to ask the community and connect with other lifters.
Search the Lift Vault Program Library to find the exact program you're looking for based on many criteria (e.g. experience level, days per week, and much more).
The latest programs are also available below.
Related: Powerbuilding Programs, Bodybuilding Programs, Strength Training Programs, Hypertrophy Programs
Last updated
Experience level: Intermediate
Weeks: 15
Periodization: Block Periodization
Powerlifting meet prep program: Yes
Program goal: Peakin, Powerlifting
Uses RPE:Yes
Uses 1RM Percentage(%):Yes
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This is a 15 week, 4 day intermediate powerlifting program by PRs On The Platform, a powerlifting coaching service.
Thanks to PRs on the Platform for sharing this program with Lift Vault through the program submission form.
This powerlifting program is comprised of three training blocks: a volume/hypertrophy block (weeks 1-5), a strength block (weeks 6-10), and a competition peaking block (weeks 11-15). As such, it can be used for meet preparation.
[Read more…] Last updated
Experience level: Advanced, Intermediate
Weeks: Indefinite
Periodization: Linear Periodization, Undulating Periodization
Powerlifting meet prep program: No
Program goal: High Volume, Strength
Uses RPE:No
Uses 1RM Percentage(%):Yes
As an affiliate of various sites, including Amazon Associates, I may earn a commission on qualifying purchases via links in this post at no extra cost to you. See Full Disclosure
Simple Jack’d is a modified blend of the Bulgarian Method and the Smolov base cycle. It’s essentially a flexible one week volume accumulation block that can be run indefinitely for powerlifting and general strength goals.
[Read more…] Last updated
Experience level: Advanced
Weeks: 10
Periodization: Linear Periodization, Undulating Periodization
Powerlifting meet prep program: No
Program goal: Deadlift, High Volume, Off Season
Uses 1RM Percentage(%):Yes
As an affiliate of various sites, including Amazon Associates, I may earn a commission on qualifying purchases via links in this post at no extra cost to you. See Full Disclosure
This is a 10 week deadlift program designed for building up work capacity during the competitive off-season. It was shared by Alex Bromley (Empire Barbell) on his YouTube channel, where he shared his experience using this style of deadlift training to help prepare for a strongman competition.
[Read more…] Last updated
Experience level: Intermediate
Weeks: 12
Periodization: Block Periodization, Linear Periodization
Powerlifting meet prep program: Yes
Program goal: Powerlifting, Strength
Uses RPE:No
Uses 1RM Percentage(%):Yes
As an affiliate of various sites, including Amazon Associates, I may earn a commission on qualifying purchases via links in this post at no extra cost to you. See Full Disclosure
Heavy, Light, Medium (HLM) programs are a simple and effective way to organize strength training. Each training session consists of either a heavy, medium, or light load for a given lift. The HLM training style is extremely flexible and can be used to accommodate many training goals.
[Read more…] Last updated
Experience level: Beginner, Intermediate
Weeks: 3
Program goal: Powerlifting, Strength
As an affiliate of various sites, including Amazon Associates, I may earn a commission on qualifying purchases via links in this post at no extra cost to you. See Full Disclosure
Garrett Blevins is a strength training coach, powerlifter, and co-creator of the Juggernaut A.I. training system. Below are three different powerlifting programs that he shared for free: an early novice powerlifting program, a late novice powerlifting program, and an early intermediate powerlifting program. [Read more…]
Last updated
Experience level: Beginner, Intermediate
Weeks: 11, 12, 8
Periodization: Undulating Periodization
Powerlifting meet prep program: Yes
Program goal: High Volume, Peaking, Powerlifting
Uses RPE:No
Uses 1RM Percentage(%):Yes
As an affiliate of various sites, including Amazon Associates, I may earn a commission on qualifying purchases via links in this post at no extra cost to you. See Full Disclosure
Dietmar Wolf is the head coach of the Norwegian powerlifting team. Below you’ll find some programs that are either attributed to him or have been released directly from the Norwegian Powerlifting Association. One program is from a Norwegian powerlifter named Frode Haugen; this program is labeled accordingly to reduce confusion. [Read more…]
Last updated
Experience level: Beginner, Intermediate
Weeks: 10
Periodization: Block Periodization
Powerlifting meet prep program: Yes
Program goal: Peaking, Powerlifting
Uses RPE:Yes
Uses 1RM Percentage(%):Yes
As an affiliate of various sites, including Amazon Associates, I may earn a commission on qualifying purchases via links in this post at no extra cost to you. See Full Disclosure
Prep10 is a 10 week powerlifting peaking program designed for beginners and intermediates. It uses block periodization to take the lifter through a 5 week hypertrophy mesocycle, followed by a 1 week transition mesocycle, a 3 week intensity mesocycle, and a 1 week deload. This program could be used to peak for a meet taking place on week 11 (assuming week 10 is the deload week). [Read more…]
A powerlifting program is any program designed to improve the performance of an athlete in the squat, bench press, and deadlift.
Powerlifting programs typically last between 4 weeks and 16 weeks. Lift Vault has programs grouped by week count for your convenience.
Popular options are 12 week powerlifting programs, 10 week powerlifting programs, 8 week powerlifting programs, and 6 week powerlifting programs, but we have everything from 3 weeks to 20 weeks.
Absolutely. Anyone that can safely perform the squat, bench press, and deadlift can use a powerlifting program. There are no special qualifications. Plus, running a beginner powerlifting program can actually help you improve coordination and motor recruitment.
The primary variables manipulated in a powerlifting program are frequency, intensity, and volume.
“Volume programs” tend to have higher volume & frequency paired with lower intensity and are best for off season training or as the beginning of a meet preparation.
A “peaking program” is any program that ends with tapering down volume and significantly increasing intensity in preparation for a powerlifting meet.
A beginner powerlifting program is any powerlifting program that takes advantage of the novice lifter’s ability to recover rapidly. As such, it tends to have shorter mesocycles than other programs. These usually range from 1 training session in length to 2 weeks.