The Ultimate GUIDE to START POWERLIFTING (program, equipment..)

In my opinion, powerlifting is a very easy sport to start. Although, like every other sport, once you get to the top level, things become much more complicated. But in order to just start your powerlifting career, it's actually pretty straightforward. I started powerlifting at 22 years old, and I don't know any sport that you can start this old and actually accomplish good things in it. If we take some other examples, like basketball or football, you can't really make much if you start at 22 or 23. But in my case, while I did start at 22, I ended up becoming two times world champion in powerlifting. So my goal is to give you guys the most complete guide I can provide for you in order to start your powerlifting career in 2025.

This video will be segmented with different sections. So let's say you are interested in the equipment section; you can directly find the time code just under this video. The first section is how to start powerlifting. I know there's this idea that in order to start powerlifting, you need to have a given muscle baseline, and for me, that's a pretty wrong way to view it. Because let's take a quick example: if you want to start basketball, you don't first start a track and field career; you immediately start basketball. While you're developing your skills at maneuvering the ball or at making passes, stuff like that, shooting the ball at the same time, you also go to refine the other qualities that you need in order to become a good basketball player. And that's actually the same with powerlifting. You can start your powerlifting career as long as you step foot into the gym. You don't need two, three, four years of lifting weights before being able to start powerlifting. Obviously, if you have this background, like I did when I started, that will be much helpful because then the muscle building phase will be easier to do. But you can start immediately your career with powerlifting. The reason also is that the powerlifting movements are generally accepted as very good muscle building movements. Like if you take some very good bodybuilders, most of them they do some squats, they do some bench, or they do some deadlift. So saying that powerlifting is not a good sport to build muscle is, in my opinion, pretty wrong. And obviously, if you have a good management of your pure powerlifting work and also your muscle building accessories, then you do get the best of both worlds, and you can immediately start with powerlifting.

Another thing I wanted to say about how do you really start powerlifting: like I said, you just step within a gym, start to do some squats, some bench, some deadlift. And also, in my opinion, it's important to immediately start with a sport to actually see if you enjoy it. Because you know, powerlifting is a pretty repeatable sport because you're mostly focusing on three movements, just like some other sports. But you have to make sure that's a sport you actually could be enjoying. So instead of second-guessing, "Oh, I'll start by doing two years of general lifting weight and then I'll start doing the movements," immediately start with the movement; the sooner the better. And also then you'll be able to know if that's actually a sport you want to invest in.

Onto the second segment of this video, which will be about programming. So I just want to do a quick disclaimer: programming for any sport, so probably powerlifting is one of those, is very, very individualized. So I'll try my best to give some general advice that would and could work for 99.9% of you guys, but some of you may be an exception, and some of the general recommendations I'm going to make won't be 100% for them. So just keep that in mind. Those are the recommendations that I gathered after eight years of being a powerlifting coach and as many years as a high-level athlete. So it's probably solid advice, but you may be one of the exceptions where those advice could apply a bit differently to you. Strength is specific. What does it mean? Is if you want to become stronger, let's say on bicep curls, you have to do bicep curls. If you want to become stronger on dumbbell rows, practicing dumbbell rows will be one of the best ways to become stronger on that. So the same goes for your squat, your bench, and your deadlift. In order to develop strength on those movements, you have to have a specific approach. What does it mean? It means that you must do some squats, some bench, some deadlift on a weekly basis.

Now, in terms of general recommendations for squats, I would recommend between two and three squats. So one squat may not be enough, and above three squats may be an overkill for most of the lifters, but between two and three is, I think, a sweet spot for your squat. For bench, I would recommend between three and four. So below three, that might not be enough to drive those specific strength adaptations, and above four may be a bit too much, especially in terms of recovery. So between three and four bench press sessions a week. And finally, for deadlifts, that's the movement that takes most of the time to recover from; that's the most taxing movement from powerlifting. So usually for deadlifts, we have a lower frequency, and so for deadlifts, I would recommend between one and two deadlift sessions every week. The way we train powerlifting nowadays, what is quote-unquote meta, is to do some training blocks. So a training block is like just a sequence of training, and it could go from 3 weeks up to 8, 10, 12 weeks. Usually, from my own experience and the way I personally coach athletes, is I most often do between three and six weeks' training block. The goal of the powerlifting block is to start at a given level and finish up, end up at a higher level. And so, in order to make that happen, what we most of the time do is we start the block with room left in the tank on every movement. So if you start your block and you're already at max output, max effort first, the recovery will be very, very hard to do, and also you won't really be able to grow into your block if you start week one 1RM squat, bench, deadlift. How do you improve on the coming weeks? Most of the time, if you start very, very high, the more you progress into your weeks of training, the more things start to lower. And in reality, we want the opposite to happen; we want to start at a given level and grow into our block and be able to finish higher than we started the block. And one very good way to do so is, like I said, leaving room in your tank, especially at the beginning of the block. And then, as we go week by week by week into the block, that's actually where we're going to increase some training variables. And just to name a few, one of those could be volume. So you start, let's say, with like 5 tons of volume, and week two you're at 7 tons of volume, and week three you're at 8.5, etc. So you have this slow build of volume. And another variable that we usually play with in any powerlifting block is actually intensity. We also want to increase intensity because, like I said, strength being a very specific way to train, in order to become stronger as a powerlifter, you need to have those more specific intensities. And so you want to start at a given intensity and climb also your way up. So most of the time that's the two variables with which we're going to play: volume, increasing volume over weeks, but also not necessarily in conjunction; you could just increase volume without touching the intensity, but you could also increase intensity on its own or a bit of both at the same time. My recommendation is do not try to increase both very, very substantially at the same time. So don't go crazy with volume and intensity every week after every week.

So just to give you a quick example for you guys to make sure you understand that, let's say you start your block with a single RPE 6, or roughly 88% of your 1RM; that will be your work for week one. And then from the RPE 6 from week one, you go to RPE 7 and 1/2 for week two, which is roughly 91 to 92% of your 1RM. And then week three you bump that up once more, and you go from 7 and 1/2 to maybe 8 and 1/2, and that would more or less be around 95% of your 1RM, and so on and so forth. So ideally, you start your block at a given point, and by the weeks you increase that point, which hopefully will lead to strength gains, and you usually are able to end up your block a bit higher than you had started. Now you've understood how we usually shape the training programs for powerlifting, what do we actually do in any given training week? Because you understood the general ideas, but how do we train powerlifting in reality? So the way I usually do it, me personally as a coach and also for myself as an athlete, is I used a form of periodization, but instead of having a periodization over different blocks, training blocks, I usually have this periodization over the course of a week. So for instance, you'll start your week with one day for squats, for example, where you'll have this high-intensity practice training. So let's say you'll have heavy triples to do, so a triple RPE 8 for instance, which would be close to 88% of your 1RM, and that will be a day where the key will be to have this highly specific training. And then, because you had this day with this type of training, this style of approach, then on the other day you'll have a different thing to train. So for instance, that will be volume. So instead of doing triples very heavy, you'll do much lighter sets with like more reps, so maybe six reps or seven reps, where instead of being very, very high in terms of intensity, you'll be at a much more moderate intensity, but accumulating more volume on this training session. And so by doing so, you actually end up having the best of both worlds because you have a very, very highly specific way to develop your skills as a powerlifter, and at the same time you do accumulate a lot of volume, which will be very important for muscle growth, but also that will be important for developing other skills. Because if you're doing six reps for every set in terms of accumulating a pattern for for any given movement, so whether it be squats, whether it be bench, whether it be deadlift, that will be very, very efficient. And also in terms of recovery, that's probably one of the best ways to manage your body and manage your overall recovery.

That's a moment where I quickly want to plug in my own personal coaching services. So if you want to follow a powerlifting program that I've written on a training app that will calculate everything for you, so you just type in your 1RM squat, bench, deadlift, and then you simply follow whatever the app tells you to follow. And again, like I said, that's based off of my own personal training programs. You can click the link in the description and go to the pan.app where you'll be able to access over 15 training programs for just one monthly subscription. And at the moment this video is out there, is actually a brand new powerlifting program and also a bench-only program. So go to the pan.app in order to be able to follow those. But at the same time, for those of you guys that want an individualized coaching, I have my coaching team that is ready to welcome you on board. So if, if you want to become one of our direct athletes, there's another link in the description; you'll have a couple of things to submit: so your name, your goals, your email address, and then by doing so you'll be contacted by our team in order to be coached by us. So make sure you either follow the training app or do your submission in order to become one of the athletes. And now we're back to the video. So now I just want to do a quick summary of what I just said because it may be a lot of information to digest at first. But in general, my number one recommendation would be: do specific stuff. If you want to become stronger on your squat, practice your squat. If you want to become stronger on the bench, practice the bench, and so on and so forth. Number two is: use a form of periodization into your training. So, so do not always train crazy heavy, do not never train heavy; have a bit of both. So having some heavy training, having some more moderate training, having some high-volume approach, having a lower-volume approach, but make sure to tackle all of those aspects as they all combine into making, making you a better athlete overall. Number three: leave yourself some room in order to be able to grow into your training blocks; not start crazy high because you won't be able to actually progress that, but also don't start too low because you could be leaving some gains you could be making. Number four: don't be afraid to lift heavy. Lifting heavy is part of powerlifting. Imagine a 100-meter runner that's afraid to go fast, to run fast; no, that's the goal. You just don't simply do that all the time, 100% of the time, but you have to be able to make some of that training, otherwise you won't be able to grow into the sport and develop the qualities that are required for the given sport. Number five: variations and accessories are useful tools as a powerlifter. When I say train in a specific way, doesn't mean don't do anything else; it means most of what you do has to be oriented towards your squat, your bench, your deadlift. But having to develop some other qualities on the side could be and is usually pretty helpful. But the video would be, be 1 hour and a half long if I was to say everything about variations and accessories. So if that's a topic you're interested in, make sure to let me know in the comments, and that will definitely be a video I'll make in the future.

Now onto the third segment of the video, which will be about the powerlifting equipment. Up until that point, I talked mostly about how do you actually get into powerlifting, which is again very simple: just go to the gym, start to do some squats, some bench, and deadlift—hey, you became a powerlifter! Also, we talked about some programming ideas and strategies; in general, we could go much deeper into that, but again that would be a more than an hour-long video. So just I think those general ideas will be enough for you to start your journey. Now we're going to talk about the equipment because the equipment is essential in any sport. If you want to properly practice a sport, in my opinion, you have to be aware at least of the equipment, what it does, and in order to know if that's something you could be interested in. Since I personally love these and I think in general the internet loves these, we're going to do a tier list in order to know which is the best equipment and which is the maybe not as useful equipment for powerlifting. But before I do it, two things: number one, you have to know the only absolutely mandatory required equipment in order to compete in powerlifting is a singlet, a pair of socks, and a pair of shoes. So just to say it quickly, you just need those three elements in order to compete. So all of the other elements, such as a belt for instance, knee sleeves, stuff like that, that's not mandatory; that's helpful; that's something I would definitely encourage all of you guys interested in the sport to learn about and to probably buy in order to make the best out of your training sessions and your competitions. But in general, you can start powerlifting on a very, very low budget: a singlet, pair of socks, pair of shoes—you're good to go. Number two is: I want to be upfront with something. When I started powerlifting, I wasn't sponsored by any brand, so I just, you know, tried a couple of brands here and there, and that's how I encountered the SBD brand, the SBD apparel brand, and I immediately fell in love with their products because, as an athlete, that's the best products out there, and that's the only products I trust personally in order to support me during my training sessions, but also my competition. That's why I use their belt at any competition almost since I started powerlifting, so whether it's local level, national level, international level—when I won worlds in 2021, 2023, I was using their belt, I was using their knee sleeves. Well, I think you get the point; that's a brand I really, really respect, and I think they have the best equipment out there. But since I started powerlifting, I'm now sponsored by SBD, so I think that's a tie; I just wanted to be upfront with you guys about—I started using their equipment before any of that, but now I'm a sponsored athlete, and just I wanted you to keep that in mind during this tier list because maybe some of you guys want to have some alternates in terms of brand, and that's completely fine. But that's also my role to tell you what I think is the best equipment, and just keep in mind this whole tier list is going to be based off of the SBD products because that's the only equipment that I use and that's the only equipment I really recommend.

Here, I gathered some of the most usual equipment we see in powerlifting: so you have the belt, you have the elbow sleeves, you have the knee sleeves, and I'm going to do a tier list with every one of those equipment. So we start with the S tier. In the S tier, I have the powerlifting belt, the SBD belt, and I'll be upfront, that's the only equipment I personally have in my S tier because the belt is just this type of equipment. The thing with the belt is most people don't really understand what the belt does. The belt is not here to brace for you; the belt is not here to protect your low back; the belt is here for you to be able to maximize your intraabdominal pressure, which will then lead to two things: number one, if you have better intraabdominal pressure, you do lower the risk of injuries on squats and deadlifts; and also, with better intraabdominal pressure, you have usually better technique repeatability, and also you can lift much more weight. So the belt is not a magical tool that does those things for you; the belt is a tool that helps you support and improve your own intraabdominal pressure. To put it up simply, if you don't know how to brace, then the belt won't do much for you. If you do know how to brace, then the belt will act like an almost a superhero suit, right? It will be very, very helpful. So that's why I do recommend you check out the SBD belt, which is a fantastic piece of equipment, and like I said, that will be the only equipment I S tier, which means that's the equipment I highly, highly, highly recommend for any of you guys watching this video. And I'll say something quickly: I know some people, and I was guilty of that, will say, "Hey, as long as I don't squat 200 kilos or 400 and something pounds, then I'm not good enough to wear a belt," but that's not the way to view it because if you start a sport, you want to be able to develop yourself as much as possible, and you do that with the best programming, you do that with the best movement you're able to produce, you do that with the best techniques, do that with the best of everything; that's actually how you can really improve. And if you want the best program, if you want the best technique, why don't you want the best equipment at the same time in order to be able to grow in a most efficient way in a sport you're actually interested in following?

Following the S tier, we have the A tier, and at the top of the A tier, which is probably A+, I would say, but still in the A tier, not quite in the S tier, I have the knee sleeves. So the knee sleeves are, in my opinion, a very, very good equipment that allow for improved support at your knees. And if you're squatting two times, three times, sometimes even four times any week, uh, and squatting somewhat heavy, I think they're a very, very good way to manage joint fatigue because sometimes your muscles can recover from that, sometimes your central nervous system can recover from that, but the recovery capacity of a joint is actually sometimes a bit lower. So in order to allow for a better joint management and joint recovery, using a pair of knee sleeves can be very, very helpful. Now, in terms of pure strength, I don't know how much these add, to be honest with you, but I would say it's probably around 10 kilos, 15 kilos of weight added, and it's not necessarily a weight added just in terms of mechanics because, as you can see, it's, it's pretty flexible, right? It's not, it's not made out of a crazy material; it's neoprene, right? But the thing is, when you wear those and you're about to squat, you feel your knees so much supported that mentally it creates something where you're feeling very, very stable, you're feeling very comfortable, and that's, I think, in my opinion, why the knee sleeves quote-unquote give you this much support in the squat; it's not just purely mechanics, it's mostly, I would say, mental. And you probably know it, but feeling strong mentally is very important in order to be actually strong physically, right? I don't think it creates this much support as the belt does, but it's still a pretty useful tool, and I think every good powerlifter should squat using a pair of knee sleeves. So for me personally, I like to size down, so my recommendation on the SBD website is, uh, to wear a small size, and I wear an extra-small size because I don't have crazy big thighs, so it's easy to put them on. So if that's your first ever pair of knee sleeves, I would recommend you take your size or just one size down. But if you're an experienced lifter, then you can try maybe one size down, two sizes down. But yeah, um, I think the knee sleeves are pretty useful equipment, and that's why it's at the top of my A tier.

In the A tier, I have the wrist wraps. The wrist wraps do two things actually: they first allow you to create a better stable position for your wrist, and then they allow you to lock in this position. And the way you're wearing wrist wraps is actually you don't wear them just below your wrist because, as you can see here, my wrist doesn't do anything and it's just free to move anywhere. The wrist strap is supposed to be where, here, so at the junction between your, the end of your forearm and your wrist; it's supposed to stabilize and lock in those positions. As you can see, my wrist doesn't move a lot now compared to here; weight can move. So if you use wrist wraps, make sure you put them on properly in order to make the most out of them. And for the SBD wrist wraps, I use them personally for squats because since I have a low-bar squat, that's very helpful to stabilize this upper body position. And also I do wear them occasionally on bench press because on the bench press they will really allow me to have a good feeling of the bar into my hand, and, and if you saw this previous video where I talked about the importance of having a stable wrist position and also a good positioning of the hand in your palm, you'll understand how important wrist wraps can be also for the bench press. In terms of what to take, I usually recommend these wrist wraps, which are flexible; as you can see, they're not very, very stiff, they're quite flexible, medium, and I think they're the most versatile wrist wraps that will be useful for 99.9% of you guys.

We're still in the A tier, and in this tier I'll have a pair of Olympic weightlifting shoes. The reason as to why I think this is still A tier is because a lot of people don't really understand the simple mechanics of squats. When I say simple, I don't mean it simple in terms of how to execute that; that's actually pretty complicated, but I mean in terms of like just the movement itself is quite straightforward. And these allow for better mobility at the ankle, which is called also dorsiflexion, and that's a way to really have a very knee-dominant squat. So now the knee-dominant squat is not probably the strongest in terms of just pure force output style of squatting because having a low-bar squat, which will have a much more important involvement of your posterior chain, will probably be better in terms of pure strength output, just pure force output. But at the same time, in terms of understanding the movement, I think especially if you're a complete beginner to the sport, trying out a pair of Olympic weightlifting shoes is a good way to have your first squats. So that's how I started squatting, and now since then I actually acquired the required mobility on my ankles to squat without those, but I do believe they're a pretty good way to start the movement. In terms of recommendation, I would definitely recommend this pair right here, which is called the Powerlift, and the reason as to why I recommend this pair is because, as you can see, so the drop, so which is the height of the heel, is not crazy high, and I think in terms of just understanding the movement, this is probably also the most versatile pair of squatting shoes, and that will be helpful for 99.9% of you guys out there. So if you're struggling on the execution of the movement, just give this pair a go. But yeah, pretty useful.

We're still in the A tier, and I have a pair of slippers. I'll explain to you what the slippers do. So that's actually my brand, Sal Worker. So if you do want to support me, uh, and try out these slippers, make sure you go in the link in the description and grab yourself a pair of those. But those slippers, as you can see, they have a grippy sole, and the grippy sole is very, very important in two instances: on the bench press, when you're pushing with your feet against the ground, if you're wearing, for instance, a pair of Olympic weightlifting shoes, as you can see the sole is not grippy at all, so your foot might slide and you might lose first positioning but also strength from the leg drive. So that's actually why I personally wanted my brand to have a pair of those; it's because the sole is grippy, and your feet are just cemented into the floor, and in order to produce a lot of force with your leg drive, it's so much better. But also, they can be very helpful especially for sumo deadlifts because with sumo it's pretty much the same as the bench press; you're really pushing into the ground, creating those like lateral or frontal motions, and if your shoes are not non-slippery, you might be slipping, whether it's in training, whether it's on the competition platform. So that's why those are very helpful, and for me they're in the A tier for that reason. So obviously any pair of grippy slippers will be in the A tier; it doesn't have to be Sal Worker, it doesn't have to be my own brand's uh slippers, but if you do want to support your boy, make sure you try those out. But definitely a pair of grippy slippers is a must for any serious powerlifter, and that's why I have them in the A tier.

Now, lower in the B tier, we have the powerlifting singlet. Contrary to the belts or the knee sleeves, the singlet doesn't actually give you any real support. So why is it still in the B tier and not, for instance, the C tier or D tier or whatever? It's because, in my opinion, when you're practicing a sport, you want to use the required equipment of the sport. Like I said in the intro of this section, the powerlifting singlet is mandatory in any competition; you have to have a singlet otherwise you're not good to compete. So that's why I still have it in the B tier because, in the same fashion as a basketball player wants to play with basketball shorts and not jeans, for instance, because it will recreate better circumstances of movements and that will be better for its training and also for its competitions, that's the same with powerlifting. That's why most of the time you see me train in a singlet; it's because I want to replicate the circumstances I'll be under when I compete. And squatting with very, very wide shorts and squatting with a tight singlet, in terms of feeling, it's not quite the same. So that's why I do recommend the singlet still, although it's not like as supportive as some other equipment can be, like, you know, the shoes, the wrist wraps, the slippers, any other equipment I presented so far. But still worth thinking about it, especially if you're a competitive powerlifter. If you're not a competitive powerlifter, then you know probably don't bother to buy a singlet, but if you are a competitive powerlifter, you know you don't have a choice because you'll have to wear a singlet in comp, and I think having a couple of singlets and be able to train in them, especially as you get closer to your comp, could be interesting. So make sure you still give it a thought.

Finally, we finish at the last position of this equipment tier list, and we're finishing with the elbow sleeves. Just as the knee sleeves, a pair of sleeves in order to support your elbow joint, especially for pressing motion, so it can be bench press, but also like overhead press, military press, whatever, um, those are meant to give you the same style of support than the knee sleeves, but for the elbows. So if it's as good as the knee sleeves in terms of support, why is it much lower in the tier list? And the reason is pretty straightforward: is although the knee sleeves and every other equipment I presented you so far is accepted in competition, so you can use those equipment in competitions, for the elbow sleeves they're not allowed in powerlifting competition. So in my opinion, if you're really relying on those in order to feel good, feel strong, to have good training sessions, to have good PRs, whatnot, and then on the midday, the day of your competition, you can't rely on those because they're not allowed, you may end up having some unpleasant surprises. So although I do believe in terms of just the equipment they're very useful, if they were allowed in powerlifting, I would probably put them in the same tier as the knee sleeves, but since they're not allowed, that's why I have them at the lowest of my tier list, and that's why I don't recommend you use those unless you have some instances where you do need those, like for instance on some squats, low-bar squats, because then otherwise it just hurts your elbows, stuff like that. Why not do some training sessions occasionally with those, but don't rely too much on those because again, on the day of the competition you won't be able to use it. Now, if you're not a competitive powerlifter, just as I would say don't bother buying a singlet, I do would say do bother buying these because I think they will be very useful, especially for some bench press, for some of you guys that do low-bar squat, could be, be very, very helpful in order to manage your upper body joint fatigue.

So that was it for the equipment. I think it was a pretty thorough analysis. If you do have some specific questions, feel free to ask them in the comment section. I personally will answer, or I'm sure some other people of your community will answer for you guys. But here is, from top to end, what I do recommend you invest in, and you know, again, you can start powerlifting on a very, very low budget, but then if you want to maximize your growth in the sport, that's worth giving some of those equipment a thought. The next part will be about some general rules within powerlifting. So let's say you're now fully engaged, you do want to compete; I just wanted to give you a general idea of what you should expect in a powerlifting competition, especially in terms of movements rules. So what is to avoid during a squat, what is to do during a squat in order to have your lift accepted by the referees, and just that section could be an hour-long video again. With the programming, we could have another hour; with some other stuff, we could have an hour. So keep in mind it will be general recommendations, just the most general stuff, and in order for you to have a pretty substantial understanding of the powerlifting world and make sure you start your journey correctly in 2025. So without further ado, let's see the rules of powerlifting. I personally compete in the IPF, which is the best federation for tested lifters. In the IPF, you have a 2-hour weigh-in, so it means that you're being weighed in 2 hours prior to your comp. So in terms of body weight management, that reduces a lot the risk of crazy, crazy weight cuts. So just keep in mind, if you do want to compete in the IPF, you'll have two hours between the moment you weigh in and the moment you're doing your first set on the platform. We have eight categories in powerlifting; you'll see them right now on the screen, so eight for men, eight for women, and we also do have age categories. So you have the sub-juniors, you have the juniors, the open, and then master, master 2, and so on and so forth. So the athletes will be ranked in depending on their weight but also age categories.

Now, in terms of movements, the first movement in any powerlifting competition is the squat. For the squat, you have two styles of squats that are allowed in a competition: number one, you have the high-bar squat where the bar is resting on your traps, and then number two, you have the low-bar squat where the bar is resting on your rear delts. In general, I would recommend you do low-bar squat and not high-bar squat in competition because usually most people are stronger with the low-bar squat. I talked about it briefly before, and I do have a tutorial on that again, which will be linked, but most of the time the high-bar squat places a higher demand on your knee extension aspect, so your quads, but also your spinal erectors, whereas the low-bar squat has a much more balanced stress, which will be placed also on the knees and your spinal erectors, but also on the posterior chain, where you'll have your adductors, where you'll have your glutes, you'll have your hamstrings, which are much bigger muscle groups, and usually that's the reason as to why people are stronger with the low-bar squat. Now, the high-bar squat is still a very, very useful tool to train; to me, that's one of the best squat variations you can do. And again, like I said, if that's the variation and accessories is a topic you're interested in, make sure to let me know in the comments. But keep in mind, in competition you'll probably be stronger with a low bar than you would be with the high bar, and that's why I recommend the low bar for comps.

Now, in terms of rules you have to follow, you have three main rules to follow for a squat. First, you have to be upright at the beginning and at the end of your movement. If you're not standing upright enough, either at the beginning or at the end, it will be considered as a fault by the referees. Once you're standing upright with your knees locked and your hips locked, the central ref will give you the start command. From this moment, you're allowed to lower yourself, but there's something important called the depth, and you have to make sure you hit depth in order to have your movement accepted by the referees. The rule is simple: the top surface of your legs at your hip joint has to be lower than the top surface of your knees. To put it up simply, let's say you just have to break parallel in order to make sure your squat is a good lift in any powerlifting competition. Once you've hit depth, you then have to come back up, lock out your knees, your hips, and at this moment the central referee will give you the rack

The Bench: You must have your foot, especially your heels, on the ground. That's an IPF rule. Some other federations allow just the toes, but in the IPF, your whole foot—toes and heels—must be on the ground. Once in position with your elbow straight, the central ref gives the start command. From this moment, you can lower the bar until it touches your chest. You must touch your chest with the bar and stabilize it; the bar must be still, not moving left to right. That doesn't count as a pause in the powerlifting rulebook. Once stabilized, the central referee gives the "Press" command. Then, push the bar back up, locking out your elbows to finish the repetition. The central ref then gives the "down" command, and you can put the barbell back on the bench.

Some things to consider for your bench press, especially in training: Just like squats, your position must be comfortable and second nature. That means your head and butt on the bench, feet slightly cemented into the ground—toes and heels—and elbows extended at the top. I unrack the bar, lock my elbows, stabilize for a second, then start my motion. This makes it second nature; I don't have to think about it once on the platform. Another crucial aspect, like depth in squats, is the bench press pause. In competition, you must pause the bar when it contacts your chest. If you can't stabilize and pause the bar at the bottom, you're missing technique and strength. Train this in the gym; pause the bar on your chest. You don't need to pause for two seconds on every rep of sets of six, but pause on heavy bench press sessions, especially when projecting a lift for competition. On higher-rep sets, you're not forced to pause strictly, but on lower reps, especially practice singles, pause properly. Consider variations like two- or three-second pauses at the bottom. Lengthy pauses are a prerequisite for improving your bench press.

Butt on the Bench: Some don't understand leg drive, so their butt comes off the bench. If you understand leg drive, your butt shouldn't come off. But lifting your butt can sometimes help complete reps. Don't rely on this in competitions; refs will call a "no lift" even for a small movement. Record yourself from the side to check. Learn this in training, not in competition.

Deadlift: In IPF competitions, two styles are accepted: conventional and Sumo. Sumo is a hot topic, but it offers advantages; hips closer to the bar provide better leverage. If you have good hip mobility and external rotation, try Sumo; it might feel easier and stronger than conventional. You don't need Sumo to be a good powerlifter or world champion; I don't pull Sumo, and I've won twice.

Competition: You have one minute to get on the platform and complete the deadlift once your name is called. Unlike squats and bench press, there's no signal. Once you finish the rep, lock out your shoulders, hips, and knees. The central ref gives the "down" command to lower the bar to the ground. Don't drop the bar; lower it while maintaining hand contact.

Straps are forbidden; use hook grip or mix grip. Don't rely on straps; train your grip strength. Use straps only when necessary (injured hand, etc.), but train your grip with hook grip or mix grip for heavy sets.

General Recommendations: Powerlifting is easy to start, but becoming one of the best takes dedication. Many examples exist of athletes starting late and becoming world champions. I started at 22 and became a world champion; Leah Baval (Leah Po on Instagram) started at 22 and became a two-time world champion. Even athletes in their late 30s can become world champions (Jan Gamu). Don't limit yourself. Compare yourself to others who've been training for years, not months. It takes time to build strength. I started at 22 and it took five years to become a world champion. Set short-term, mid-term, and long-term goals.

Powerlifting is individual, but training like a team helps. In my gym, we have three world champions who trained together for years before becoming champions. We had high expectations for each other. Find a gym that allows powerlifting and training partners who push you. You can become strong training alone, but training with a team accelerates your progress. This environment and the drive to constantly push myself helped me reach my achievements.

2025 Goals: Push yourself to become stronger, train harder, and find training partners. Powerlifting requires hard work and intent, but many can excel at it. Support this video by leaving a comment, subscribing, and liking. More content is coming in 2025. Let's all train hard this year!