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
By Kyle Risley
Last updated
Experience level: Advanced, Intermediate
Weeks: 9
Periodization: Conjugate Periodization
Meet prep program: No
Program goal: Off Season, Powerlifting, Strength
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
Below you fill find two programs by Brian Alsruhe (check out his YouTube channel and website): Dark Horse and 4 Horsemen.
Notes directly from Brian:
By Kyle Risley
Last updated
Experience level: Intermediate
Weeks: 6
Periodization: Block Periodization
Meet prep program: No
Program goal: Hypertrophy, Strength
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
This is a variation of Tactical Barbell programming combined with the GZCL program framework. It only programs the bench press and squat movements. Deadlifts are not included. This is ideal for athletes that are either unable to deadlift or looking to focus primarily on improving their bench press and squat. [Read more…]
By Kyle Risley
Last updated
Experience level: Intermediate
Weeks: 12
Periodization: Undulating Periodization
Meet prep program: No
Program goal: Powerlifting, Strength
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
If you’re a fan of Frankenstein-esque hybrid programs, then Megazord may be exactly what you’re looking for. Written (or maybe concocted is a better word…) by /u/BenchPauper on Reddit, this program combines the Coan/Phillipi Deadlift Program, Greg Nuckols’s 2x weekly Intermediate Bench Program for OHP from his 28 Program Collection, and Ben Gillingham’s Raw Bench Program.
The results? Well, see for yourself…. [Read more…]
By Kyle Risley
Last updated
Recommended by Lift Vault: Recommended
Experience level: Intermediate
Weeks: 12
Periodization: Block Periodization
Meet prep program: Yes
Program goal: 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
This program, billed “the best fucking 12 weeks of powerlifting you’ll have all year” is a powerlifting peaking program best suited for meet preparation. This is not designed for running back to back, as it accumulates a significant amount of fatigue throughout the duration of the program. [Read more…]
By Kyle Risley
Last updated
Recommended by Lift Vault: Recommended
Experience level: Intermediate
Weeks: 16, 8
Periodization: Undulating Periodization
Meet prep program: Yes
Program goal: Peaking, Powerlifting, Strength
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
Written by Calgary Barbell, the 16 week and 8 week programs are designed to improve the squat, bench press, and deadlift of the athlete in preparation for a powerlifting meet. You can, however, run them even if you’re not prepping for a meet. Both programs are quite similar, with the primary difference between the two being that the 16 week program has a more full progression of each lift, whereas the 8 week program is more a training snapshot. [Read more…]
By Kyle Risley
Last updated
Recommended by Lift Vault: Recommended
Experience level: Advanced, Intermediate
Weeks: 6
Periodization: Block Periodization
Meet prep program: Yes
Program goal: Peaking, 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
This spreadsheet uses the popular Candito 6 Week Intermediate Program as a base and replaces the regular bench press work with Candito’s Advanced Bench Press Program. The result is a solid program for intermediate level strength athletes seeking considerable bench press volume. [Read more…]
By Kyle Risley
Last updated
Recommended by Lift Vault: Recommended
Experience level: Intermediate
Weeks: 12
Periodization: Linear Periodization
Meet prep program: Yes
Program goal: Equipped, High Volume, Off Season, 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
This is the free program spreadsheet collection offered on Blaine Sumner’s site.
It contains:
All of the above programs are 12 weeks in length and are programmed off of percentages of the lifter’s training max. [Read more…]
By Kyle Risley
Last updated
Experience level: Intermediate
Weeks: 4
Periodization: Linear Periodization
Meet prep program: No
Program goal: Hypertrophy, Strength
Uses RPE: Yes
Uses 1RM Percentage(%): No
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
Established by Doug Hepburn as a powerbuilding routine that blends the heavy weight work of powerlifting training with the hypertrophy-inducing volume of bodybuilding training, PHATburn is a challenging program for advanced athletes. If you’re looking to introduce more volume into your off-season training, this may be what you’re looking for. [Read more…]
By Kyle Risley
Last updated
Recommended by Lift Vault: Recommended
Experience level: Intermediate
Weeks: 10
Periodization: Undulating Periodization
Meet prep program: No
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
Combining GZCL for squats, Mag-Ort for deadlift, and Deathbench for bench press, this hybrid program became popularized on Reddit by /u/truthlesshunter. [Read more…]
By Kyle Risley
Last updated
Recommended by Lift Vault: Recommended
Experience level: Intermediate
Weeks: 6
Periodization: Undulating Periodization
Meet prep program: No
Program goal: High Volume, Mass, 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
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…]