Powerlifting Over the Holidays

In partnership with

It has been a wild year in 2024, and we hope you’re reaching new athletic peaks with your training. This week we’re releasing a short newsletter for the holiday. Please let us know what you’re working on so we can start the year strong with you.

Resources

• The Best Time to Go to the Gym (Based on Science)

• Should You Wear Squat Shoes? A Coach Responds (YouTube)

• The Best Arm Workouts with Dumbbells

• Can You Cut and Maintain Muscle Mass? (YouTube)

• The Pros and Cons of Taking Creatine While Cutting

• Is Gold’s Gym Worth It? An Honest Review

The Best Time to Go to the Gym

We have a bunch of information about the best time to go the gym. The short version is this:

Now, most people don’t automatically think about this perspective on science. Most people immediately want to know when the gyms are least busy, another way of asking, “when is it the best time to go to the gym”?

If you want to consider the scientific facts, though, it states that your performance has a better chance to improve in the late afternoon when your body is under peak condition.

But just because science says afternoons are the best doesn't mean we can all make this happen! Factors that could influence your decision to work out in the morning, evening, or afternoon depend on your work, sleep, goals, and availability at the gym.

Partner Messages

This Holiday Season, Give Yourself the Gift of Nike Air Max.

This winter, take your footwear game to the next level with Nike's Air Max collection for men. With a diverse range of models, this collection prioritizes comfort and functionality, perfectly tailored to meet your everyday needs. Whether you're hitting the gym or heading out for a casual outing, these sneakers deliver the support you crave without compromising on style.

Find the perfect pair that matches your lifestyle and get ready to make a statement with every step. Treat yourself to a fresh pair from the collection this holiday season—you deserve it.

Shop the Men’s Air Max Collection

The #1 App That Helps You Fall Asleep In Minutes

BetterSleep, the 5 star app that focuses on helping users sleep better and feel better daily.

Build and layer a unique personalized mix from over 300 unique sounds such as: green noise, ocean waves, heavy rain, arctic storms or even background bustle in a city cafe! Use sound science to send yourself to sleep and improve your restlessness.

By building your perfect dreamy soundscape and watch your sleep and your mornings improve in just 7 days!

Try it tonight!

Reader Question

Here’s a question from a reader:

And here’s a response from Coach Joseph Lucero":

“The hardest things about max effort lifts are timing and recovery. In your question, you asked if it would be too much to do a ton of 1-rep maxes within one session. Yes, that would be very hard, especially if there are many overlapping concepts being assessed in one session.

My recommendation is that when it comes to testing for a 1-rep max, you might want to stagger your effort into two weeks of training. To make more sense of it, let's focus on the squat, bench, deadlift, and overhead press. One week, you should do the squat and bench press, followed by LIGHT deadlifting and overhead pressing just to work on technique and give the body a chance to recover. Then, the proceeding week you can do the deadlift and overhead press to figure out your maxes with those lifts instead.

This is what those two weeks would look like:

• Week 1: Monday - Squat Max, Tuesday - Overhead for Speed, Thursday - Deadlift for Speed, Friday - Bench Max

• Week 2: Monday - Squat for Speed (prime the hips for a deadlift max) Tuesday - Overhead Max, Friday - Deadlift Max

Research shows that when you hit 90% or more on a specific lift, you need 48 to 72 hours to recover in order to be prepared for another training session. However, the stronger you get, the more time this could take beyond the 72-hour window. Some of my clients might have to rest for at least 10 days before a powerlifting competition in order to be successful!”

Should You Wear Squat Shoes?

Squat shoes are designed to provide better stability and foot contact, but whether they’ll improve your squat depends on your individual mechanics. If you have poor ankle mobility and your heels rise off the ground during your squat, squat shoes can help by maintaining contact with the floor and providing a more stable base. However, if your feet stay flat throughout the squat due to good ankle mobility, squat shoes might actually hinder your form and cause you to lean forward more than you should.

To determine if squat shoes are right for you, record a side-view video of your squat and analyze if your heels lift off the floor. If they do, squat shoes could help; if not, you might want to focus on improving your squat technique without them. Share your squat video with us in the comments, and we’ll help assess your form.

Reader Question: Can You Cut and Maintain Muscle Mass?

Coach Lucero talks about the challenges and strategies for performing a body cut while preserving muscle mass. It’s hard to do. Maintaining muscle, which is key for powerlifting, requires protein intake and carb cycling.

Check out our full guide with a powerlifting cutting program. It gives even more detailed information for maintaining as much muscle mass as possible.

The Pros and Cons of Taking Creatine While Cutting

Are you wondering, should I take creatine while cutting? Taking creatine while cutting enhances your body’s ability to train harder and recover faster, making it helpful in cutting body fat and losing weight.

You’ll want to understand how to use creatine while cutting correctly and the concerns since it may not be for everyone.