PNP: PowerliftingToWin Novice Program
By Izzy Narvaez
www.PowerliftingToWin.com
Table of Contents
Introduction…1
The Focus of This Book…1
The PowerliftingToWin Novice Program…2
Phase One…2
General Physical Preparation…2
Conditioning…3
Mobility…3
Phase Two…4
Programming…5
Adding Reps…5
Adding Weight…6
Stalling…8
Full Program Summary…9
Program Explanation and Justification…11
Specificity…11
Overload…11
Fatigue Management…12
Individual Differences…12
FAQ…13
Conclusion…14
Introduction
Before we begin, I’d like to provide some context for the program that follows. First, I cannot
assume that you have found your way to this program through the PowerliftingToWin Programming
Series.
With that said, understand that I am not presenting this program as the one, singular option for all
novice lifters to follow. I am not saying that this programs “works” and other novice programs “don’t
work”. Similarly, I am not claiming that this program is perfect or without faults. What I have endeavored
to do here is create a program that is as close to “optimal” as possible for novices with an interest in
competitive powerlifting and maximal strength.
In my view, nothing is ever finished; nothing is ever perfect. We can ALWAYS improve. That
ideology holds true for this program as well! I fully expect to revise, edit, and improve this beginner
powerlifting program based on the real world feedback that I receive from lifters who use the program.
To be explicitly clear, this is a program that is intended strictly for novices with an interest in
competitive powerlifting. While the program will work quite well for those interested in general strength
and hypertrophy, virtually everything about the program is optimized for the sport of powerlifting. It just
so happens that getting stronger and bigger are peripheral effects of training for the best possible
powerlifting total.
The program that follows is the result of three years of research and experience in working with
novice strength athletes. I am a certified Starting Strength coach and thus quite familiar with that method
and its drawbacks for powerlifting purposes. I’m also a former gym owner. Out of the two dozen or so
novices that I have directly worked with in person, more than half were able to finish their novice phase
on the squat above 315lbs for three sets of five. Of the other half, not a single one stuck to training for
more than three months. Using the same principles that will be described in this program, a quarter of my
novice trainees finished their linear progression with squats at, or above, 405lbs for a set of five. I
personally concluded my novice phase at 445lbs for five reps on the squat.
I do not say this because I find it impressive. I say this to impress upon you the fact that the
principles employed in this program are proven to work by real world results. As such, I have full faith
and confidence that your hard work and effort will be rewarded should you decide to follow the
PowerliftingToWin Novice Program.
The Focus of this Book
In this first edition of the PowerliftingToWin Program for Beginners, only the actual constituent
elements of the programming will be covered. While I personally consider technique, gear, nutrition,
psychology, and a basic understanding of powerlifting rules of paramount importance to a novice’s
quality of progress, an exhaustive discussion of each the aforementioned aspects of training is beyond the
scope of this text. Rest assured, in the future, I will be releasing a “handbook for powerlifters” which will
cover all of this information in great detail. I’ll provide step by step instructions for maximizing your
strength all the way through to the advanced stages of training and beyond.
For now, if you’d like more information on such subjects, please check out the article series on
PowerliftingToWin.com. You’ll find a plethora of resources and guides covering a multitude of
powerlifting-centric topics.
The PowerliftingToWin Novice Program
Let’s take a look at the actual program and then we’ll begin to discuss the reasoning behind its
construction.
Phase One: The “True Novice”
Mon, Wed, and Fri: (same workout all three days)
Squat: 2 sets of 3-6 reps
Paused Bench Press: 3 sets of 3-6 reps
Sumo Deadlift: 1 set of 3-6 reps
Sat:
General Physical Preparation Exercise #1: 7 minutes to do as many reps as possible
General Physical Preparation Exercise #2:7 minutes to do as many reps as possible
High-Intensity, Interval Training: 7 intervals of ~20sec with 100sec of rest between efforts
Mobility Work: 10 minutes
As you can see, the basic program of the template is simple, but quite different from what you
may be used to seeing in programs such as Starting Strength or StrongLifts 5x5.
In Phase One, you’re going to squat, bench, and deadlift three times a week. For the squat, you’ll
perform two sets of three to six repetitions (2x3-6); for the bench, you’ll perform three sets of three to six
repetitions (3x3-6); and, for the deadlift, you’ll perform a single set of three to six repetitions (1x3-6).
GPP Protocol: General Physical Preparation
On Saturdays, you’ll perform two general physical preparation exercises (GPP) in a “cluster set”
fashion. You’ll pick an exercise, a weight, and then you’ll have seven minutes to accumulate as many
reps as possible. How you decide to rest between sets is up to you. Your goal is to maximize the work you
get done. Aim for 30-60 total reps and try to pick a weight that facilitates that rep range.
When I do GPP exercises in this fashion, I personally use 20-30s of rest between each effort. For
example, if you wanted to do bodyweight chin-ups, you’d aim for as many reps as possible on the first set
without reaching failure. You’d then wait 20-30sec and you’d go again. By the end of the seven minutes,
you’ll probably only be able to crank out one, two, or three at a time. That’s okay.
In terms of exercise selection for the GPP work, I’d prefer that you select from a wide range of
exercises. There are only a few rules: no barbells and avoid compound movements unless they’re only
utilizing bodyweight.
One of the best ways to determine which GPP exercises you want to do that day is to ask yourself
what muscle groups you feel are “neglected” by the rest of your training. For me, that is pretty much
always lats and abs. I generally choose things like Chinups, Pullups, DB Rows, Ab wheel rollouts, situps,
and planks.
However, you might decide to do side lateral raises, DB Curls, DB Flies, pushdowns, lunges, leg
curls, leg extensions, or even calf raises. Just stay away from things like DB Bench, DB Shoulder Press,
Leg Press, and anything else that can be loaded fairly heavy. Other than that, I’m purposely being vague
here. I want you to do a variety of different things. Have fun with it. Try new things. Develop movement
patterns. Build up some of your favorite muscle groups. What you do with these two exercises is up to
you.
Remember, Boris Sheiko has his novices doing more than half of their overall work as GPP.
Don’t listen to people who tell you that GPP is just a waste of time and recovery resources. GPP is one of
the primary ways that you’re going to develop your overall athletic capability and it will also help
improve your body composition. Contrary to popular notions, the very best weight class powerlifters are
all lean and athletic. This isn’t an accident. Better athletes perform better. It is that simple. GPP helps us
ensure basic athletic competence and motor skill. Do your GPP.
As a brief note, if you’d like to avoid going to the gym on Saturdays, you can just do body weight
exercises for all of your GPP. This is perfectly acceptable. Pushups, situps, lunges, and chin-ups, if you
have a way to do them, make for great exercises to rotate on GPP work. For conditioning, you could do
sprints. Hill sprints are great.
HIIT Conditioning Protocol
Following your GPP, you’ll be doing conditioning work using a high intensity, interval style of
training (HIIT). You’ll perform seven intervals. The high-intensity part should last 15-20 seconds per
effort with 75-100s of rest. Aim for a 5:1 rest to work ratio.
Acceptable options here are: pushing the prowler, pulling a sled, hill sprints, weighted flat sprints,
elliptical machine against resistance, C2 rower, stationary bike against resistance, hitting a tire with a
sledgehammer, or any other modality that you can come up with that facilitates HIIT training. What
you’re really aiming for is your muscles to be the limitation rather than your ability to breathe; your limbs
should be the things burning -- not your lungs.
Mobility Work Protocol
For mobility work, I want you to pick one or two exercises that you feel will help improve your
positioning on one of the powerlifts. You may decide to work on opening your hips so that you can stand
wider on your sumo deadlifts or squats. You may decide to work on your ability to bridge in order to
improve your bench press arch. You may decide to do shoulder dislocations in order to help you bring
your squat grip closer. You may stretch out any muscle groups that feel tight, stiff, or sore.
The point here is not necessarily to become a “supple leopard”. I don’t want or need you to be
able to do a perfect ass-to-grass Olympic style squat. The point here is to ensure that you’re able to get
into optimal positions on all of your lifts. By spending just a few short minutes per week on your overall
mobility, you’ll not only avoid injuries, but you’ll eventually be able to perform the competitive
powerlifting movements more competently which will allow for the use of more weight as well.
The Point of the Saturday Workout
The point of the Saturday workout is to help you develop your overall athleticism and to improve
your body composition.
The GPP work will aid in hypertrophy, fun, variety, and, most importantly, it will help teach you
new movement patterns that will force you to coordinate your muscles in ways that they haven’t been
used before.
The conditioning will improve your ability to recover between sets while lifting. Your regular
workouts won’t take as long. With improved recovery, you’ll be able to handle more overall work without
fatiguing. This is important as you advance into the intermediate stages of training and beyond.
Additionally, despite many people’s misconceptions, to be a good powerlifter, you need to be
lean. You need to have a good body composition. Powerlifting is a weight class sport. If you’re
competing in higher weight classes due to excess fat, you’re hurting your chances to set records and win
important meets. This book will not be including nutrition information, but look for the nutrition section
to develop on PowerliftingToWin.com very soon.
As with the GPP, the mobility work is in place to ensure that you don’t lose the ability to move
competently. There are far too many powerlifters who completely neglect this aspect of performance and
they end up not even being able to tie their own shoes without great difficulty. By keeping a minimum of
mobility work in the program, we avoid needlessly messing around with long stretching routines while
simultaneously giving ourselves the opportunity to perfect our positioning for each lift. If you can use a
big arch in the bench press, or are flexible enough to really open your hips with a wide sumo stance,
you’ve gained a competitive advantage in powerlifting. And THAT is why we do mobility.
All this said, the Saturday workout is optional although I strongly recommend that you do
it. If you’re just feeling too beat up and tired at the end of a long training week to do another additional
workout, I’d rather you just rest than consciously skip your Saturday workout. When people consciously
skip a workout, they tend to feel like failures and they abandon their program entirely. While missing one
of your main lifting sessions is absolutely unacceptable for any reason, do not sweat it if you decide to
skip a Saturday workout.
It should go without saying that those who do the Saturday workout consistently will get better
overall results from the program than those who are putting in less work.
Phase Two: The “Advanced Novice”
Mon and Fri: “Heavy Day”
Squat: 3 sets of 3 to 6 reps
Paused Bench: 5 sets of 3 to 6 reps
Sumo Deadlift: 2 sets of 3 to 6 reps
Wed: “Light Day”
3-Second Pause Squat: 2 sets of 3 to 6 reps
3-Second Pause Bench: 2 sets of 3 to 6 reps
Tue and Sat: GPP, Conditioning, Mobility
General Physical Preparation Exercise #1: 7 minutes to do as many reps as possible
General Physical Preparation Exercise #2:7 minutes to do as many reps as possible
High-Intensity, Interval Training: 7 intervals of ~20sec with 100sec of rest between efforts
Mobility Work: 10 minutes
If you’re confused, don’t worry I’ll explain how, why, and when we move to Phase Two in the
following paragraphs.
In Phase Two of the program, you’ll notice that the volume of the squat, bench, and deadlift
workouts is markedly increased. Rather than doing three sets on the bench press, you’ll be doing five. The
squat and deadlift increase to three and two work sets respectively as well.
Wednesday Light Days
You’ll also note that the Wednesday session is quite different. Instead of performing the big
three, you’ll be performing only two lighter variations for a reduced amount of volume. Specifically,
you’ll perform two sets of three to six reps on the three count paused bench press and the three count
paused squat (meaning you pause for three seconds at the bottom).
As I said in the PowerliftingToWin Programs Series, the idea of true black and white “categories”
for trainees is inaccurate. There are different levels of novices, intermediates, and advanced trainees;
everyone exists along a continuum. While an early novice might be able to recover from a workout in 48
hours, an advanced novice starts to need more time. Additionally, as they become adapted to their
workload, they’ll start to need more volume to elicit progress. When both of these factors are combined,
the advanced novice simply needs more time to recover.
By adding Wednesday as a light day, both due to the decreased volume and the fact you can’t go
as heavy on paused movements, we give our more “advanced” novices additional recovery time. Instead
of 48 hours between “heavy” workouts, they now have 72 full hours. This simple adjustment allows these
“advanced” novices to continue on with basic, linear progression for a whole lot longer.
Wednesday is to be progressed independently of Monday and Friday. For your first
Wednesday workout, use ~75% of that Monday’s work set weights. We’ll discuss the specifics of
progression in a later section.
GPP Protocol: Phase Two
In addition to the Saturday workout, a second day of GPP and conditioning is added on Tuesday.
This day will function in the exact same manner as Saturday.
In Phase Two, it is mandatory that you perform at least one GPP workout per week. You
may perform both if you wish, and I’d strongly encourage you to do so for optimal results, but you must
do at least one. Whether you do it on Saturday or Tuesday is not of particular importance.
That said, I’d recommend Saturday if you’re only going to do one. If you do it on Tuesday, your
Wednesday Pause Squats will suffer a bit. In the grand scheme of things, that’s okay because Wednesday
is supposed to be lighter anyways. However, again, if you’re going to do just the one GPP workout,
Saturday is probably slightly preferable.
Programming: When to Add Weight
“Three to Six Reps”
Unlike most other novice programs which typically call for the exclusive use of the five rep set
and only manipulate weight on the bar, within certain limitations, we’re going to get as many reps as
possible with the weights that we use for each workout.
Now, I don’t want you to EVER go to failure. In fact, my preference is that you use technique as
your guide. Rather than asking if you can do one more rep, ask if you can do one more rep with proper
technique. Don’t attempt reps that will result in poor technique unless it is absolutely necessary or
something you did accidentally.
Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE)
One of my primary goals for this program is to get you thinking about the concept of “rate of
perceived exertion” (RPE). RPE is a subjective metric that tells us how hard a set was.
Here’s how it works:
RPE Scale:
10: No reps left
9.5: Maybe one rep left
9: One rep left
8.5: Maybe two reps left
8: Two reps left
7.5: Maybe three reps left
7: Three reps left
6: More than three reps left
Now, for novices, you’re incredibly unlikely to accurately rate your RPEs. Nonetheless, I want
you to get into the practice of doing so. If you can learn this skill during your novice phase, you’ll be able
to skillfully employ autoregulation during your intermediate phase. The importance of this advantage
cannot be understated. Make sure you take learning RPEs very seriously.
After each set, you’ll write down the weight you did, the amount of reps, AND the RPE of the
set. My preference is for you to try and hit an RPE 9 on your working sets. Try to leave one rep in the
tank. Save that last rep. Now, it is okay if you accidentally do an RPE 8 or an RPE 10. It is just that your
goal should be to shoot for RPE 9 on each set.
That said, if you HAVE to do an RPE10 just to get your minimum reps, you should go for that
RPE10. If you can’t get the required minimum amount of sets and reps, only then would we begin to
make programmatic changes. Having to do RPE10’s is not reason enough. We’ll discuss what to do when
you can’t get your minimum reps later in the book.
Simultaneous Double Progression
Next, we’re going to discuss the method by which you actually progress on this program. Let me
define two terms first: progressive overload and double progression.
Progressive overload is simply adding more weight to the bar over time. Linear progression is a
form of progressive overload where a fixed increment is added to the bar each workout.
Double progression on the other hand is a method of progression whereby first you try to increase
the amount of reps you can do with a weight and only once you’re able to hit a certain amount do you
actually add more weight to the bar.
The PowerliftingToWin Novice Program is going to make use of a concept that I’m going to call
simultaneous double progression. Unlike traditional double progression which often has a lifter
performing the same weights over and over until they’re capable of a certain amount of reps, we’re going
to simultaneously progress both the weight and the amount of reps we do on each exercise.
You’re going to be adding weight to the bar every single training session. However, the rate of
increase will depend on how many reps you’re able to get with the weight you used in the previous
workout.
The Progression Protocol:
The following chart demonstrates how to add weight on the program: if you got X amount of total
reps on your last workout, you add Y amount of weight to that exercise for the next session. Please note
that the Workout Calculator Spreadsheet will do all of this for you.
Phase One:
Squat
Total Reps Completed / Weight to add for next workout:
6 Reps: +2.5lbs
7-11 Reps: +5lbs
12 Reps: +10lbs
Bench Press
Total Reps Completed / Weight to add for next workout:
9 Reps: +2.5lbs
10-17 Reps: +5lbs
18 Reps: +10lbs
Deadlift
Total Reps Completed / Weight to add for next workout:
3 Reps: +2.5lbs
4-5 Reps: +5lbs
6 Reps: +10lbs
Phase Two:
Mon/Fri “Heavy” Days
Squat
Total Reps Completed / Weight to add for next workout:
9 Reps: 1.25lbs
10-17 Reps: 2.5lbs
18 Reps: 5lbs
Bench
Total Reps Completed / Weight to add for next workout:
15 reps: 1.25lbs
16-29 Reps: 2.5lbs
30 reps: 5lbs
Deadlift
Total Reps Completed / Weight to add for next workout:
6 reps: 1.25lbs
7-11 Reps: 2.5lbs
12 Reps: 5lbs
Wed “Light Day”
3-Count Paused Squat and 3-Count Paused Bench
Total Reps Completed / Weight to add next workout:
6 reps: +1.25lbs
7-11 reps: +2.5lbs
12 reps: +5lbs
Micro Plates
I want to make one thing explicitly clear: if you’re not using microplates, you’re not doing the
PowerliftingToWin Novice program – period, point blank. Microplates are an absolute
necessity so that you can progress at a slow enough rate to also attempt to add reps
simultaneously. If you try to do this program without microplates, you’ll stall early and you’ll
blame the program, but it will be your fault. You can pick up the exact set of microplates that I
personally use by following this link.
You Determine Your Own Progress
In order to use this protocol, simply note the amount of reps you successfully completed on the
last workout and find the corresponding weight increase. For example, if you’re in Phase One, and you
get 9 total reps on the squat, you’d add 5lbs for the next workout. If you only got six reps, you’d only add
2.5lbs. If you smoked the weight and got 12 reps, you’d add 10lbs.
In this manner, unlike other simple linear progressions, you can determine the rate of your own
progress. At the beginning, if you push hard and get all your reps, you’ll take bigger jumps. Towards the
end, the jumps will start to get smaller. Instead of a linear curve, your progress will resemble something
more like exponential decay which is a lot closer to the reality of how adaptation works.
So you think this rate of progress is “too slow”? Prove it. Add reps! Earn those big jumps if you
want them. It is up to you.
What is “Stalling”?
Okay, let’s discuss what to do when you “stall”. On this program, a “stall” is anytime you cannot
complete the minimum amount of sets and reps for a given exercise. You must get at least three reps on
all of the sets. Even if, for example, you got 5 reps, 3 reps, and 2 reps, this would still constitute a stall.
Three reps is the minimum for any set.
Many novice programs ask you to fail at a weight three times before you can say you’re “stalled”.
I refuse to advocate this approach because it forces you to accumulate many, many failed reps. Not only is
this demoralizing, it engrains failure and poor technique.
If even one time you cannot get the minimum reps, you have stalled. If you’re entirely sure that
the workout was a fluke, because perhaps you only got two hours of sleep or didn’t eat all day, you can
try again one more time at the very most.
What to do when you “Stall”
On this program, we’re going to take stalls very seriously. When you stall, two things will
happen. One, you’ll drop the weight down 10% on that exercise; and second, you’ll switch over to Phase
Two.
The only exception is if you are gaining substantial amounts of weight. If you are bulking, you
may reset and stay in Phase One for one more round. As soon as you stall again, switching to Phase Two
is mandatory.
Here’s how the process works. For example, if you’re in Phase One on the bench press and, at a
weight of 225lbs, you manage only 3 reps, 3 reps, and 2 reps on your three sets, you’d drop the weight to
(225*.9=) 202.5lbs. You’d also move into Phase Two.
If you stall on either squat or deadlift, you will reset the weight on BOTH exercises even if you
only stalled on one of them. You will also still implement the Phase Two changes for both exercises
regardless of whether or not you stalled on both exercises.
The reason for this is that both squat and deadlift heavily tax the lower body. If you reset one, but
not the other, you don’t give your lower body a chance to actually recover. Additionally, if you’re
switching over into Phase Two, the volume is going to go up. By resetting both exercises, you give
yourself a chance to work your way into the higher volumes on each exercise. You just have to remember
there is a relationship between squats and deadlifts that doesn’t exist between squats and bench or
deadlifts and bench.
Once you stall on Phase Two, you can reset 10% and then run Phase Two again, or you can move
onto intermediate programming. I am not a believer in endless stalls and resets. In my experience they
accomplish little besides wasting time.
A reset works because it helps accumulated fatigue to dissipate. If your program is causing you to
overreach, and you change absolutely no variables, you’re going to start overreaching at approximately
the same place you did before unless you’re gaining substantial amounts of weight. If your program isn’t
enough volume for you to progress anymore, you’ll stall in almost exactly the same place because you
haven’t gotten any stronger.
In both cases, the reset doesn’t particularly help; you have to actually change something else:
programming, nutrition, other recovery factors, etc. If you’re already eating right and sleeping well, there
isn’t much you can do besides move on to the next stage of programming.
Don’t worry about trying to squeeze every last drop out of your novice phase. Usually, you’ll just
end up spinning your wheels and wasting valuable time that you could have spent making progress on an
intermediate program.
How-To Do The Program Summary:
The PowerliftingToWin Novice Program
Phase One: The “True Novice”
Mon, Wed, and Fri: (same workout all three days)
Squat: 2 sets of 3-6 reps
Paused Bench Press: 3 sets of 3-6 reps
Sumo Deadlift: 1 set of 3-6 reps
Sat:
General Physical Preparation Exercise #1: 7 minutes to do as many reps as possible
General Physical Preparation Exercise #2:7 minutes to do as many reps as possible
High-Intensity, Interval Training: 7 intervals of ~20sec with 100sec of rest between efforts
Mobility Work: 10 minutes
Phase Two: The “Advanced Novice”
Mon and Fri: “Heavy Day”
Squat: 3 sets of 3 to 6 reps
Paused Bench: 5 sets of 3 to 6 reps
Sumo Deadlift: 2 sets of 3 to 6 reps
Wed: “Light Day”
3-Second Pause Squat: 2 sets of 3 to 6 reps
3-Second Pause Bench: 2 sets of 3 to 6 reps
Tue and Sat: GPP, Conditioning, Mobility
General Physical Preparation Exercise #1: 7 minutes to do as many reps as possible
General Physical Preparation Exercise #2:7 minutes to do as many reps as possible
High-Intensity, Interval Training: 7 intervals of ~20sec with 100sec of rest between efforts
Mobility Work: 10 minutes
Workout Performance:
Get as many reps possible per set. Do not go to failure. Do not attempt reps with poor technique.
GPP and Conditioning:
GPP: Pick two non-barbell, non-compound exercises (unless bodyweight). Appropriate choices
include exercises such as: pushups, dips, chin-ups, pullups, situps, lunges, calf raises, flies, lateral raises,
curls, pushdowns, leg extensions, hamstring curls, and DB Rows. For each GPP exercise, pick a weight
and get as many reps as you can in seven minutes. Aim for approximately 30-60 reps. Rest however you
want.
Conditioning: Do seven “intervals”. Sprints/intervals should be ~15-20sec each with ~75sec-~100sec rest.
Aim for a 5:1 rest to work ratio.
The Weight Progression Protocol:
Phase One:
Squat
Total Reps Completed / Weight to add for next workout:
6 Reps: +2.5lbs
7-11 Reps: +5lbs
12 Reps: +10lbs
Bench Press
Total Reps Completed / Weight to add for next workout:
9 Reps: +2.5lbs
10-17 Reps: +5lbs
18 Reps: +10lbs
Deadlift
Total Reps Completed / Weight to add for next workout:
3 Reps: +2.5lbs
4-5 Reps: +5lbs
6 Reps: +10lbs
Phase Two:
Squat
Total Reps Completed / Weight to add for next workout:
9 Reps: 1.25lbs
10-17 Reps: 2.5lbs
18 Reps: 5lbs
Bench
Total Reps Completed / Weight to add for next workout:
15 reps: 1.25lbs
16-29 Reps: 2.5lbs
30 reps: 5lbs
Deadlift
Total Reps Completed / Weight to add for next workout:
6 reps: 1.25lbs
7-11 Reps: 2.5lbs
12 Reps: 5lbs
The “Stalling” Protocol:
Definition: Failing to get at least three reps on all work sets.
Phase One: Reset 10% and move to Phase Two.
Phase Two: Reset 10% and move on to Intermediate Programming.
The Explanation of the PowerliftingToWin Novice Program
In the PowerliftingToWin programming series, I set out to explain some of the foundational
principles behind proper powerlifting programming. Namely, the discussion centered on specificity,
overload, fatigue management, and individual differences. I’m going to present a highly summarized
version in the following paragraphs. If you’d like a more thorough analysis of each principle, I’m going to
direct you to the PowerliftingToWin website.
Specificity
The training principle of specificity dictates that you get what you train for. If you run marathons,
you’ll become better at running marathons. If you train for hypertrophy, you’ll get hypertrophy. If you
train for maximal strength, you get maximal strength. Of course, there is often carryover between various
physical qualities, but, nonetheless, one of the most important aspects of a program is that it is designed
specifically to help a trainee reach their goals. Anything less than specificity results in non-optimal levels
of progress.
With that in mind, it is important to note that, to my knowledge, there isn’t a single widely
available beginner program explicitly designed for the novice powerlifter – until now. Many popular
beginner programs such as Starting Strength, StrongLifts 5x5, and GreySkull LP were designed to
produce general strength gains. Because of this, the programs contain many sub-optimal practices for
powerlifting.
In particular, these programs feature a 1:1 press to bench ratio. While this may make sense for
those concerned with balancing development of different aspects of the upperbody, for an aspiring
powerlifter, it is incredibly important to put the majority of the upperbody training emphasis on
improving the bench press. After all, the bench press is a contested lift and the press is not. For this
reason, the bench press is featured across all three days in the PowerliftingToWin Novice program.
Along a similar vein, these more general programs often include lots of barbell rows or power
cleans as exercises to rotate alongside the deadlift. While these are great general strength builders, they
have little to do with powerlifting. In this novice program, instead of spending precious recovery
resources on these exercises, those resources are just directed towards doing more deadlifting instead.
This leads to a bigger deadlift and thus a bigger total.
Additionally, because these programs are focused on general strength and/or other goals, they
often prioritize the squat far ahead of the deadlift. In many of these programs, you’re typically doing
anywhere from six to ten times more total squat repetitions than deadlift repetitions.
Frankly, this just doesn’t make any sense for a powerlifter. While it is true that improving the
squat will do more to improve the deadlift than vice versa, nothing improves the deadlift at a faster rate
than doing more deadlifts. The deadlift typically makes up 40% of a powerlifter’s total – more than any
other lift. As such, in the PowerliftingToWin Novice program, the deadlift makes up a much larger
portion of the overall lowerbody work.
As one last note about specificity, I’d also like to point out that the overall frequency of the
powerlifts is higher on this program than virtually all of the other commonly used novice routines.
Alongside the fact that the movements are always performed in the same order they would be at a
competition, the program is just far more specific to powerlifting than the currently available alternatives.
Overload
The training principle of overload is simple: you have to do more than you’ve done before to
keep getting better. In some way or fashion, you must add reps, weight, volume, decrease rest times, or
otherwise do something to make your workouts progressively more difficult over time. If you fail to do
this, the body will stop making further adaptations and you’ll stop making progress.
Most novice programs employ linear progression as their overload method. In linear progression,
you simply add a fixed increment to the bar every single workout. The rate of improvement thus
resembles a straight line – a linear curve.
The reality is that linear progression is a bit of a farce. Organisms adapt at a decreasing rate over
time. The early beginner is going to make progress more quickly than a beginner who has 3-6 months of
training. It doesn’t make real good sense to have both populations using the same fixed increments for
progress. Additionally, the entire idea that you get a fixed amount of performance increase after each
workout is wildly inaccurate. Performance fluctuates and there is no way to accurately predict exactly
how much stronger the last workout may have made you.
The PowerliftingToWin Novice Program overload method addresses these issues. Phase One
features larger incremental jumps than Phase Two. Additionally, lifters are encouraged to add both
repetitions and weight simultaneously. Because of this, lifters are not limited by a predetermined, fixed
rate of progress. If they’re capable of progressing faster, they’ll “prove it” by adding repetitions. When
they add these repetitions, they’re then allowed to take bigger weight jumps as well. In combination, these
factors allow the lifter’s progress curve to more readily resemble their true rate of adaptation rather than
merely trying to force fit a linear curve onto a pattern that really resembles something more akin to
exponential decay.
Fatigue Management
The training principle of fatigue managements states that you have to strike a balance between
how much work you do and how much you allow yourself to recover. For novices, generally speaking,
full post-workout recovery happens somewhere within 24-72 hours. The newer the lifter is to training, the
closer that number will be to 24. The further along they go, the closer it gets to 72.
We want to take advantage of this recovery ability by working out as soon as recovery occurs;
more overall workouts and recoveries means more overall progress. If you can put your body through
more cycles of adaptation, you accrue more results. It is really that simple. Programs that don’t force
novices to set frequent PRs result in needlessly slow progress.
Many novice programs allow 48 hours between sessions. This will work well for the majority of
novices. However, later stage novices won’t be able to keep up. Rather than prematurely moving these
lifters to intermediate programming, “Phase Two” of the novice program presented here by
PowerliftingToWin introduces a “light day” on Wednesday’s. Compared to Phase One, which allows for
only 48 hours of recovery between heavy sessions, this allows Phase Two novices to have a minimum of
72 hours of recovery. This subtle adjustment allows the more advanced novice to continue with simple
programmatic methods for much longer than they otherwise could have.
The most important point to note here is that no unnecessarily complex programming methods are
introduced for the training of novices. Novices can set PRs (nearly) every time they step into the gym.
Their program should allow for that and the PowerliftingToWin Novice Program certainly does.
Individual Differences
The law of individual differences states that everyone will respond differently to any given
stimulus. Even if you and I do the exact same training method, we will not progress at exactly the same
rate. Even if we have the exact same hormonal profile, sleep habits, and nutrition plan, we still won’t
recover at exactly the same rate.
Everyone is different. Some people need more volume than others. Some people progress faster
than others. Hell, even with the same person, some days are just better than others.
The PowerliftingToWin Novice Program truly shines in terms of individual differences compared
to most of the novice alternatives out there. Rather prescribing a fixed rate of progression for every single
trainee, trainees’ individual differences determine how fast they will progress. If they’re particularly
gifted, they’ll add reps and weights simultaneously with ease. This will lead to bigger jumps and faster
progress. For those who are less gifted, the program will accommodate them with a smaller rate of
progression that they can keep up with.
Additionally, the volume on this program is autoregulated to a large degree. Because you’re not
doing a fixed amount of reps per set, on good days, you’re going to accumulate more reps and, on bad
days, you’ll accumulate less. If the last workout beat you up really badly, you’ll get less reps on the next
workout and, hopefully, that will give you time to recover a bit.
This can all happen without you “stalling” because there is a minimum range in place rather than
an absolute, specific number. If you find yourself on a roll, you’ll be able to take advantage of it. If you
find yourself having a shitty couple of weeks, the reps will be down and you’ll be forced to take smaller
jumps until you can get through it.
Most novice programs simply ignore the law of individual differences. The PowerliftingToWin
Novice Program doesn’t: the program is designed to fit you; you don’t have to fit the program.
Anticipated Questions
How do I determine my starting weights?
Work up to a weight that is challenging for you to maintain proper technique. You should still be
able to fully maintain proper technique, but it should require medium to hard effort to do so. If you need
resources on proper powerlifting technique, see our Powerlifting Technique Video series. Technique will
be addressed more fully in a future release of this book.
If you’ve lifted before, you should have some idea about where to start. Nonetheless, the above
advice still applies to you as well. I’d recommend trying to learn powerlifting technique if you haven’t
already.
How should I warm up?
Please consult the workout calculator spreadsheet. All warmups are calculated for you.
How long should I rest between sets?
Three to five minutes.
What kind of gear should I use?
I’d recommend a belt, knee sleeves, powerlifting shoes, wrist wraps, and chalk as the bare minimum
essentials in terms of gear. For a more comprehensive analysis and discussion of each of the
aforementioned items, check out the PowerliftingToWin powerlifting gear series.
How should I eat?
As of this writing, PowerliftingToWin.com currently does not have any publicized nutrition advice. For
now, I’d recommend that you eat to achieve YOUR goals. This program does NOT necessitate bulking –
although obviously you will get better results if you gain some mass. Be on the lookout for a full nutrition
series from PowerliftingToWin -- coming soon.
Do I have to use the sumo deadlift? Can I pull conventional?
Pulling conventional is just fine. I recommend Sumo, though. You’ll be able to better handle the volume.
Why are the Bench Presses paused?
In powerlifting, you’re required to pause all bench press reps. TnG bench is thus less specific than paused
bench.
Why is there no overhead pressing?
In my experience, the overhead press doesn’t help the powerlifting style bench press very much at all. For
those who use the wider grips and arched backs typical of a powerlifting style bench press, a narrow
gripped overhead press just doesn’t provide a tremendous amount of carryover.
Frankly, a press isn’t that specific to the bench. Remember, this is a powerlifting program designed
explicitly to help produce the fastest possible gains on your powerlifting total. Introducing an overhead
press day because of some misconceived notion about “balance” and “shoulder health” would detract
from the possible bench gains you could be making. As such, there is no overhead pressing. You can
address any imbalances you feel are present with your GPP movements.
How do I peak for a meet?
Novices do not need any sort of a complicated peaking plan. During the week of the meet, instead of
repping out your sets, do the minimum reps only while practicing following the commands used by your
particular federation. Doing only the minimum reps will allow any fatigue to dissipate and lead to a better
performance at your meet. Practicing the commands will make sure that following the rules is second
nature to you at the meet.
Why Paused Bench and Pause Squats on Wednesday?
Wednesday is intended to be a lighter day. There are two ways to ensure this: 1) use percentages to make
sure the lifter doesn’t load heavy weights on the bar, 2) reduce volume and pick exercises that don’t allow
for as heavy of weights to be used.
Three count paused bench and three count paused squats will force the lifter to use lighter weights, but are
still highly specific to powerlifting. In fact, few things are better for technical development than paused
movements. They teach you to stay tight like nothing else.
Additionally, this still keeps the Wednesday workout as a challenge. If you just use the percentage
method, it can often feel like the Wednesday workout is completely pointless and boring. We avoid the
psychological trap of feeling like the “Wednesday workout doesn’t matter” by introducing challenging
pause movements.
Where can I find out more about best practices for Powerlifting?
www.PowerliftingToWin.com
Closing Thoughts
Well folks, there you have it: PowerliftingToWin.com’s take on the optimal novice program for
Powerlifters. Again, I’m not claiming this program is perfect, but I do believe that you are now armed
with the single best beginner program for Powerlifters anywhere on the internet.
This program is, and will continue to be, offered completely for free. If you appreciate the work
I’ve put into the program, and you’d like to show support, then all I’m going to ask is that you share the
program. Post it on your favorite forums, Facebook, Twitter, or where ever you hang out online.
PowerliftingToWin’s chief aim is to grow the sport of powerlifting by helping people achieve their goals.
The accomplishment of that aim is best served if as many people see this program as possible.
I am aware that PowerliftingToWin is about to be FLOODED with questions about this program.
Unfortunately, I know that I cannot handle the sheer volume of questions by myself. As such, I have
decided to launch the PowerliftingToWin forums. If you’d like your questions answered, please feel free
to sign up for the forums and join in on the discussion. Going forward, I will not be answering YouTube
comments and the commenting feature on PowerliftingToWin.com is going to be disabled. The only way
to ask me questions directly will be through the PowerliftingToWin forums.
If you’re interested in doing this program, please do me the tremendous favor of starting up on a
training log on the PowerliftingToWin forums. In this manner, I can be sure to specifically help you and
your log will serve as evidence of how effective the program is.
Lastly, I just want to thank every last one of you who has already liked, shared, or posted
PowerliftingToWin content all around the internet. The PowerliftingToWin community is just getting
started, but, with people like you as members, I know for a fact that we will be able to spread high quality
information about powerlifting all across the globe. Thank you so much for your support!
Sincerely,
Izzy Narvaez
www.PowerliftingToWin.com