So You Want to Be a Powerlifter?
We love hearing people say, “I want to be a powerlifter.” It means you’ve probably fallen in love with getting strong, with seeing the numbers on the bar go up, and with that incredible feeling of walking out of a squat heavier than anything you've ever touched before.
But before you go chasing elite totals or dreaming of standing on the podium at nationals, let’s have an honest conversation.
Powerlifting is a great tool—until it’s the main thing
Powerlifting is an incredible way to build strength and muscle. The barbell lifts—squat, bench, and deadlift—should absolutely be staples in most strength or athletic programs. If your goal is general strength, size, or performance in other sports, powerlifting can be a fantastic tool to supplement your training.
But powerlifting as a sport is a different animal.
Running through squat, bench, and deadlift progressions to get stronger is not the same as training to be the best at powerlifting. Just like an NFL player might run sprints to prep for the game, you’re not going to see them training for a marathon while also trying to be the best football player of all time. That’s because marathon training isn’t specific to the sport—and it’s not conducive to maximizing performance.
Powerlifting is no different.
Specificity matters
If you want to go far in powerlifting, your training needs to become specific to powerlifting. That means less variety and more repetition. It means prioritizing heavy barbell work over circuits or metcons or “feeling the burn.” It means accepting that certain kinds of “fun” training might take a backseat in service of the sport.
The longer you’re in this game, the more specific your training needs to get. That’s how you take your total from decent to competitive. That’s how you move from working out to training like a powerlifter.
Treat it like a sport—and yourself like an athlete
If you're chasing big numbers and national qualifiers, your approach has to match your ambition. That means scheduling training like it’s a non-negotiable part of your day. That means prioritizing your sleep, your food, your recovery, your mental health—all of it.
You wouldn’t see a competitive swimmer pulling all-nighters, skipping practices, and winging their nutrition while expecting to qualify for the Olympics. So why would you expect elite results in powerlifting without treating it the same way?
True dedication to powerlifting requires focused efforts on sleep, schedule, recovery, nutrition, and all of the outside factors that are treated with priority in other sports.
Not everyone needs to be 100% in—and that’s okay
Let’s be clear: you don’t have to give everything to this sport.
Powerlifting is niche. There’s little to no money in it. Most lifters will never reach elite totals, no matter how hard they work. That’s not negativity—it’s reality. But that doesn’t mean the effort isn’t worth it. It just means we need to be honest with ourselves.
Are you here because powerlifting makes your life better? Are you using strength training to supplement your athleticism, health, or confidence? Amazing. We’re all in support of that.
But if you say you want to be the best powerlifter you can be—not the strongest accountant, not the most jacked weekend warrior, but the best powerlifter—then your actions have to line up with that goal.
Be honest about your goals
You don’t need to commit 100% to be welcomed in this sport. We love the lifters who train three days a week around their 9-to-5. We love the people who compete once a year just for the fun of it. And we also love the lifters who are in the trenches every day chasing elite numbers.
There’s room for all of you—but you need to be honest with yourself.
Are you focused on how powerlifting can benefit the rest of your life? Or are you focused on being the best powerlifter you possibly can be?
Whichever path you choose, we’ll support you. Just make sure you know which road you’re on—and train accordingly.
