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The 10 Best Powerlifting Programs for 2023

  1. Kizen 12 Week Powerlifting Peaking Program
  2. nSuns Programs
  3. Jim Wendler 5/3/1 Programs
  4. Calgary Barbell 16 and 8 Week Programs
  5. Sheiko Programs
  6. Candito 6 Week Program
  7. Juggernaut Method Base Template
  8. Greg Nuckols 28 Programs
  9. Beginner Powerlifting Programs
  10. Intermediate Powerlifting Programs
  11. Madcow 5x5 Program

 

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!

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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

The 5 Best 6-Day Workout Splits

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For most people, it’s not realistic to go to the gym six days per week, which is why most workout programs only prescribe training 3-5 days per week. Not to mention, training nearly every day of the week may not be ideal or even necessary for beginners and intermediate trainees. And if you have an extremely busy schedule, it’s not even worth considering.

With that said, a 6-day workout split may be the best option for advanced trainees wanting to continue gaining size and/or strength. Let’s face it, some people enjoy the gym so much that they want to be there every single day. So if you’re a gym rat or an advanced lifter looking to maximize results, a 6-day workout split is something you should consider.

Since you’re training six days per week, following a well-structured workout program is essential because you can quickly overtrain. Two of the most popular 6-day workout splits include the upper/lower and push/pull/legs split. A 6-day workout split can be very effective for building muscle, gaining strength, and losing fat, as long as it’s programmed well.

To take the guesswork out of finding an excellent 6-day workout program and prevent wasted time or money, we’ve hand-selected 5 of the best ones that exist. Below you will find the five best 6-day workout programs and a link to their respective spreadsheets so you can download a copy for free!

[Read more…]

6 Week High-Frequency Conjugate Powerlifting Program

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This is a 6 week conjugate powerlifting program. It trains a wide variety of compound and isolation movements to build strength and develop muscle mass.

This program is described as a high-frequency, full-body training program. It was designed by Parakonan Training for the “humble-hungry” lifter: humble enough to know when to take weight off the bar and hungry enough to take what’s there.

[Read more…]

Full Year of Powerlifting Programming

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David Woolson, strong and smart dude over at Brazos Valley Strength, has boldly declared that he intends to release free powerlifting programming over the next year.

[Read more…]

15 Week Intermediate Powerlifting Program (2021 Update)

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This is a 15 week intermediate powerlifting program from PRs on the Platform. It utilizes block periodization and can be run repeatedly or used to peak for a powerlifting competition.

[Read more…]

10 Week Powerlifting Program [Brazos Valley Barbell]

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Strength 2.0 is a 10 week powerlifting program created by David Woolson at Brazos Valley Barbell. The program utilizes 5 training days per week, calculates load based on RPE and percentage of one rep max, and ends with attempting to set a new one rep max.

[Read more…]

The 6 Best Full Body Workout Routines

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Full body workouts are one of the most effective training tools for anyone interested in getting stronger, gaining muscle, or losing weight.

That’s because not only has full body training been shown to be consistently effective, it’s also time efficient. Five of the six training routines highlighted in this article call for just three training days per week.

This makes getting stronger attainable for the average person that doesn’t want to spend their entire life in the gym.

Below you’ll find the six best full body workout routines along with a link to a spreadsheet where you can download a personal copy for free.

[Read more…]

10 Week Beginner Powerlifting Program (PRs on the Platform)

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This is a 10 week powerlifting program for beginners. It was designed to help increase strength in the squat, bench press, and deadlift. It was created by PRs on the Platform.

[Read more…]

15 Week Intermediate Powerlifting Program (PRs on the Platform)

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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.

Program Overview

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…]

Simple Jack’d v1.0 + v2.0 Strength Training Program Spreadsheet

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May 2020 Update: Added Simple Jack’d 2x spreadsheet. You should probably run v2.0, as the creator of the program considers it superior to v1.0.

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…]

10 Week Off Season Deadlift Program Spreadsheet

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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…]

Heavy, Light, Medium (HLM) Program Spreadsheet

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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…]

Blest Beginner + Intermediate Powerlifting Programs

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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…]

Dietmar Wolf Norwegian Powerlifting Program Spreadsheets

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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…]

Prep10 10 Week Peaking Program Spreadsheet

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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…]

Atlas Rising Powerlifting Program Spreadsheet

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Atlas Rising is an advanced 7 week powerlifting program with 3 training days per week. It is formed from a combination of the Russian Squat Routine for squats, MagOrt for deadlifts, and Hepburn Method A for bench press and overhead press. I would expect this program to improve the squat and deadlift, but not the bench press or overhead press, which simply would be maintained.

This “frankenprogram” was created by /u/PaulTheMediocre, who used it to achieve the following results: [Read more…]

The “Dad Bod” Bridge Workout Program Spreadsheet

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The “Dad Bod” Bridge program is a workout routine submitted by a Lift Vault reader. It is designed for busy people (especially parents) that are looking for any easy to follow routine that will help them grow and maintain strength in a limited amount of time. As the name suggests, it was inspired by The Bridge, a late stage novice strength program created by Barbell Medicine. [Read more…]

Lifting After A Long Break: ReTrain Powerlifting Program

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ReTrain is a 4 week powerlifting program designed to ramp up lifters that have taken a lengthy break from training. With COVID-19 shutting down gyms across the world for several months, many lifters will find themselves in the scenario of going back to the gym to start working out again. The goal of this program is to help those lifters safely and effectively ease themselves back into a regular training routine. [Read more…]

Connor Lutz 7 Week Beginner + Intermediate Powerlifting Programs

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Connor Lutz is a powerlifting competitor and coach at Calgary Barbell. These are a few different powerlifting programs he shared several years back. There are three powerlifting programs in total: a beginner program, an updated intermediate program, and an old intermediate program. [Read more…]

14 Week Block Periodization Powerlifting Program (Empire Barbell)

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This is a powerlifting program designed by Empire Barbell that utilizes block periodization. Training is broken into three distinct blocks: intensification #1, volume, and intensification #2. These blocks can be run in order straight through, or can be repeated with some limitations (explained more below). Running each block once would represent 14 weeks of training in total. [Read more…]

12 Week Mass Building Hypertrophy Workout for Powerlifters (Mathias Method)

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This mass building workout focuses on stimulating muscular hypertrophy and developing raw strength. It is a 12 week powerlifting program built on 4 high volume training sessions per week and was developed by Ryan Mathias at Mathias Method. It is a peaking program that is designed to build your one rep max in the squat, bench press, and deadlift for meet day. [Read more…]

What is a powerlifting program?

A powerlifting program is any program designed to improve the performance of an athlete in the squat, bench press, and deadlift.

How long do powerlifting programs last?

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.

Can beginners do powerlifting?

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.

What are the different kinds of powerlifting programs?

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.

What is a beginner powerlifting program?

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.