The bad news: You can’t go hard all the time. It’s the quickest way to burn out — to see your progress stall, to get injured, and to lose interest in your training. The good news: A bodybuilding-style approach to the offseason has a ton of benefits for the powerlifter.

Extra workouts, if programmed right, can kick your training and results up a notch.

You’ve done the work thus far to demonstrate your strength on the platform. Don’t ruin it with poor food choices come meet day.

Powerbuilding is not just bodybuilding with the squat, bench press, and deadlift tacked on. It’s also not just powerlifting with accessory exercises.

The biggest mistake I see among lifters is rushing into advanced training too soon. Let’s back up for a minute.

A few easy dieting strategies can make a big difference in your recovery, strength, and—most of all— how you look.

With no weight class or aesthetic events to worry about around the holiday season, it’s a perfect opportunity to pack on some extra mass… and to pick up some gifts for your favorite powerbuilder.

When performed properly, deadlifts can be a powerful exercise movement for strengthening your lats. Emphasis on “when performed properly.”

The thing to keep in mind as you read the remainder of this program is that I’m describing a method of training — not a set-in-stone program. It’s up to you to apply the method to your particular context: your body, your goals, and your life situation.

Here’s a preview of what we have lined up for you this June! We welcome Dr. Jordan Shallow to Team elitefts as the newest coach and columnist. Also, find out what was the most popular content in May (especially if you’ve been busy enjoying the summer weather — without a phone in hand).

Part of my journey to getting that IFBB pro card includes getting more active in the online bodybuilding community… which also gets me into situations where I answer questions like this one: Are deadlifts overrated?

As the bodybuilder or raw powerlifter, you have to lift heavy-ass weights and build a big-ass chest. Unfortunately, that’s easier said than done! So here are some ideas (cues and a sample chest workout) to help you get started.

In this “powerbuilding” article, we’re looking at hamstrings — a muscle group bodybuilders and strength athletes alike struggle to develop. If you’re naturally lower-body dominant, you don’t need to spend tons of time on ’em. But if you’ve got piglets instead of hammies, I don’t need to convince you to read on.

You’re not a competitive powerlifter or bodybuilder. You want to move big weights in the gym, look good naked, and still have fun training and eating. You need the maximal effort method.

All that matters is how you look, and if using equipment allows you to train heavier and harder, build more muscle, and ultimately look better, then you should use it! Here are my top-5 powerlifting Christmas gifts for bodybuilders.

If you have a free minute or two, I’d really, really appreciate it if you’d use that time to vote in the Mr. Golden Era 2018 competition – whether for me or for someone else!

Instead of just trying to get strong by getting as big as humanly possible, many lifters are paying more attention to their muscularity. Just take a look at Larry Wheels or Dan Green, and you’ll immediately know how successful this strategy can be.

Just as powerlifters can benefit from bodybuilding movements, so can bodybuilders benefit from powerlifting movements. Today we’re looking at the triceps – a muscle group that I really struggle with and, as a result, have spent a lot of time studying and training.

Four weeks out is when I suffered a quad tear—I should have dropped out at that point. In fact, I talked to Dave Tate, and that’s exactly what he told me to do.

Day by day, week by week, here is how you can deal with the quickly-changing and very challenging aspects of getting over an injury.

This is the first meet I’ve done in three years that I didn’t win best overall lifter, and it was a huge—and much needed—kick in the ass.

Based on Dave’s bench cues and progress made, I’m revising my bench goal for Reebok Record Breakers in November, from 200 kilos up to 210 — a huge jump, especially considering it’s by far my worst lift.

No, hammer curls and pushdowns probably aren’t going to add 50 pounds to your bench, but they very well might keep your elbows healthy enough so that you can train consistently. And getting arms big enough to bust through shirtsleeves is fun.

High-rep training is extraordinarily useful to powerlifters (even if it’s also extraordinarily unpleasant). Like any other programming tool, however, it needs to be used appropriately, or it can cause more harm than good.

It can be hugely discouraging to feel that all the work you did in the offseason and during your meet prep was wasted because you had one bad day, Unfortunately, all that really counts is what you put up on the platform. Or is it?

Sorry to burst your bubble. There’s really no such thing as 60 seconds to a huge PR. Training, whether it’s mental or physical, requires practice.

I can’t tell you how many people I’ve met who have no time under the bar, no idea of why they’re training, and no vision for their future powerlifting career. Once I started to understand why I lift, I became a better lifter overnight.

This breathing exercise will help you to perform your heaviest sets with much more confidence and ease. It will take practice to get the hang of the process, but once you do, I promise, it’s absolutely worth it.

I finished 7/9 with a 799 squat, 424 bench, and 815 deadlift (raw with wraps). That was good enough for a 2039 total and an all-time world record in the 198-pound weight class, plus a 592 Wilks and best overall lifter.

When recovering from a recent hamstring tear, I started using a simple practice that can not only make training more intense, productive, and satisfying, but can also help you handle anything in training — including injury.

There is an astronomical amount of misinformation floating around right now about the hook grip, and, in my opinion, that’s the result of a lot of people (mostly beginners) using the hook grip inappropriately.

I’ve neglected training both my upper and lower arms, and now I’m suffering for my lack of grip strength. Prevent this. Here’s my newfound twist on traditional arm and grip work.

There are a lot of ways that you can make a cut easier for yourself, keep your strength, and finish the meet with a high Wilks. Maximize Your Wilks and weight loss without losing strength.

Bulk up your back, strengthen your deadlift, and learn to activate your lats with this one exercise.

I’ve already written about my training strategy going into the meet, and what I’ve learned from my meet prep, but I didn’t share a few things for competitive reasons.

I’m going to share my strategy and reasoning behind it here, so hopefully, you can get some inspiration for whatever meet you’ve got coming up.

Get a bigger bench and boulder shoulders with this easy movement.

This article series describes how you can incorporate bodybuilding exercises into your powerlifting training for big benefits in strength and aesthetics.

‘Tis the season for winter bulking, New Year’s resolutions, long lines at the squat racks, and a bunch of gym bros begging to work in on your bench sets.