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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

Custom Powerlifting Programs = More Gains

Lift Vault Market now offers custom powerlifting programs to help you exceed your powerlifting goals. Get a program designed to correct your weaknesses and build a massive total!

What is a powerlifting program?

A powerlifting program is designed to improve an athlete's one rep max in the squat, bench press, and deadlift. The main goal of a powerlifting program is to increase an 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!

Want more? Search the Lift Vault Program Library!

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

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Building the Monolith Program Spreadsheet (kg + lb)

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Building the Monolith was created by Jim Wendler, who wrote the 5/3/1 programs and inspired other programs like GZCL and NSuns, Building the Monolith is designed for advanced athletes looking to break through plateaus, not novice or intermediate lifters. For a bench-focused variation of this program, check out Benching the Monolith.

[Read more…]

Kizen Infinite Off Season Program Spreadsheet

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The latest free program from Kizen Training, Infinite Off Season, is geared for intermediate powerlifters training between competition cycles.

[Read more…]

Candito 10 or 14 Week Advanced Deadlift Program Spreadsheet

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Released in February 2018, this deadlift specific program is the latest in a long line of excellent powerlifting programs from Jonnie Candito.

This is an advanced deadlift program and should not be used by novice lifters. For the novice and intermediate lifter, check out Candito’s 6 Week Program or Linear Strength Programs.

The advanced deadlift program is structured as follows: [Read more…]

USSR Yearbook Squat Routines 1974 and 1976 Spreadsheets

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The original strains of what became the Russian Squat Routine, the 1974 and 1976 USSR “Yearbook” routines are very specific and should only be used when preparing the squat for competition. These are not general, off-season programs to be run repeatedly.

Differences:

  • 1974 is a 3 week program, 1976 is a 6 week program
  • Both are high itensity; but 1976 stays at or above 80% of 1RM for all 6 weeks of the program
    • 1974 dips into the 60% range on the lighter workout days, but stays at or above 75% the rest of the sessions
  • 1974 works primarily with 3-5 rep ranges, 1976 works with significantly more sets of 2 reps, likely as a result of the higher intensity
  • 1974 comes with two 3 week flavors that can be run sequentially (flavor 1, then flavor 2), repeatedly (flavor 1 or 2, then repeat for the next 3 weeks) to achieve the 6 week cycle

[Read more…]

Weightrainer Peaking Programs #1 and #2 Spreadsheets

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Weightrainer.net published these two peaking programs: one designed especially for the bench press (#1) and another program (#2) for squat, bench, or deadlift.

The two programs are pretty similar, but here are some key differences: [Read more…]

Dan Alexander 10 Week Powerlifting Peaking Program

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10/1/19 Edit: Fixed the rounding and added support for lbs and kgs! 🙂

Dan Alexander’s 10 week Powerlifting Peaking Program is designed to improve the 1RM of the squat, bench, and deadlift by 5%. Spread across the three lifts, this can result in a sizeable boost to a lifter’s total on the competition platform.

This program is a hybrid of Korte’s 3×3 program and Verhoshansky’s Soviet peaking routine. [Read more…]

Tom McCullough 14 Week Peaking Powerlifting Program

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Edit: Updated to support lb or kg rounding.

This 14 week peaking powerlifting program is similar to many other old school peaking programs on Lift Vault: 1x weekly session per lift, descending reps, increase intensity and a 5-10% 1 rep max increase at the end of the cycle. [Read more…]

Classic 9 and 12 Week Powerlifting Peaking Program Spreadsheets

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As old as time itself, these peaking programs can be run for squat, bench, and deadlift when preparing for a powerlifting meet. Both seek to improve your 1 rep max by 5% after the end of the cycle.

The differences between the 9 week and 12 week peaking cycles can be seen below: [Read more…]

Scott Warman 10 Week Bench Press Peaking Program

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Scott Warman’s 10 week bench press peaking program is a bit different than many bench peaking programs in that it focuses on improving the 2RM by 10 lbs. 1RM improvements are saved for meet day. [Read more…]

Ken Lain’s 10 Week Matrix Bench Program Spreadsheet (Original + Modified Versions)

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The Original Matrix and Modified Matrix bench programs were designed by Ken Lain to help peak his bench press.

While both versions calls for a heavy and light bench day, the original version is much more aggressive in its  programming, especially on heavy days.

For this reason, most athletes are recommended to start with the “modified matrix” version. [Read more…]

Fred Hatfield (Dr. Squat) 9 Week Peaking Program Spreadsheet

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Update: KG and LB rounding now supported.

Developed by Fred Hatfield (aka Dr. Squat), this 9 week peaking program is based on two workouts per week: one heavy, one light.

It can be run for a specific lift or all three lifts.

The 1RM increase is 10%, making it an ambitious peaking program, although it does allow for a deload period half way through the program for recovery. [Read more…]

Classic 11 Week Deadlift Peaking Program Spreadsheet

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This is truly a no-frills 11 week peaking program for the deadlift. Since it does not program in any accessory work, it will be up to the individual lifter to program in accessories to compensate for their individual weaknesses.

Format:

  • Deadlift 1x weekly, 11 weeks
  • Rep range declines from 10 to 1
  • % of 1RM increases from 63% to 110%

[Read more…]

Ed Coan Program: 12 and 14 Week Peaking Program Spreadsheets

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Ed Coan, arguably the GOAT of powerlifting, has a few popular programs floating around, including the Coan Phillipi Deadlift Routine. Here are two popular powerlifting programs in 12 and 14 week versions. Rep schemes for each program are included below the spreadsheets. [Read more…]

Gene Bell Jr.’s 12 Week Squat Peaking Program

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Used by Gene Bell Jr. to prepare for a powerlifting meet, this program consists of one weekly squat workout over the course of 12 weeks to increase the 1 rep max by over 6%.

Format:

  • Squat 1x weekly
  • 12 weeks in length
  • Most work is done in 60-80% range, with final 4 weeks starting at 92.5% and working up

[Read more…]

6 Week Soviet Peaking Powerlifting Program

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Update: Spreadsheet now rounds weights to the nearest 5 (lb) or 2.5 (kg).

This 6 week program is designed to help peak the bench press, squat, or deadlift. It is based on training twice each week: once heavy, once light. After 6 weeks, it aims to increase your 1 rep max by 5%.

It was designed by Soviet coach Yuri Verkhoshansky and described to John Abdo, who brought it back to the USA. It has been described as “intense.” [Read more…]

12 Week Bench Press Peaking Program Spreadsheet

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This is another old school bench press peaking program spreadsheet. It attempts to add 20 pounds onto the lifter’s 1 rep max by the end of the cycle, which is pretty ambitious. [Read more…]

6 Week Power Bench Press Program Spreadsheet

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Written by John Robbins and published by Dennis B. Beis in an early 1990’s issue of Natural Bodybuilding, the 6 week power bench press program is a peaking program designed to end the 6 week cycle with a new 1 rep max.  [Read more…]

The Best Beginner Powerlifting Programs

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There are so many powerlifting programs available that it can be confusing for a novice lifter to determine which program is right for them.

Here are some of the most popular powerlifting programs for beginners. The following programs are chosen for their intelligent exercise choice, flexibility for the novice athlete to incorporate accessory exercises they enjoy, and perfecting the basics for later powerlifting programs.

[Read more…]

Cube Predator 6 Week Bench Program Spreadsheet

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Brandon Lilly’s Cube Predator program is a successor to the Cube Method, which is a 4x weekly powerlifting program with a “back to basics” approach to training.

Instead, Cube Predator focuses primarily on the bench press and bench accessories, allowing it to be “plugged in” to other programs. It focuses on additional volume and frequency for more advanced lifters. It is a 6 week program.
[Read more…]

Greg Nuckols 28 Programs Spreadsheet

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Greg Nuckols released 28 program variations through his site, Stronger by Science.

In addition to these programs, I strongly recommend you check out The Art & Science of Lifting and the free lifting guides he authored. He also co-authors the best monthly round-up of cutting edge research on strength, hypertrophy, and related subjects. It’s called MASS and it’s absolutely worth a look. He even has a free issue available as a preview.

See also: Greg Nuckols High Frequency Program (free spreadsheet) [Read more…]