Powerlifting Recovery Programs

One of the most common questions we hear is about recovery and rehab during powerlifting training. How do you maintain momentum and give your body time to recover? Coach Lucero shares his advice.

This Week’s Resources

• Powerlifting Rehab Program

• Powerlifting Diet + Protein Calculator

• On-Demand Powerlifting Courses

• News: Weightlifting Events at the Olympics (Olympics)

• Trending: How Much Should I Be Able to Squat?

• Paralympic Powerlifting Legends (Olympics)

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Powerlifting Recovery: What to Know

In powerlifting, continually pushing your body through progressively heavier workouts is key to building strength. However, not everyone competes, and sometimes you're training towards a peak in your progression.

This is where a powerlifting recovery workout, known as a “deload,” becomes essential.

Looking for the quick version? Here are four tips for powerlifting recovery:

1. Sleep: Ensure you are getting quality rest. Sleep is essential for muscle, nervous system, and skeletal system recovery. During rest, your body enters an anabolic state, which is crucial for repairing and building muscle.

2. Nutrition: Maintain high protein intake, aiming for 0.8 to 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight. Additionally, staying hydrated is vital for optimal recovery.

3. Deload Properly: Incorporate deloading into your routine by reducing your workout intensity to 70-80% of your usual effort every three to four weeks.

4. Pre-Competition Tapering: Reduce workout intensity 7 to 10 days before a competition to allow for full recovery and peak performance.

Check out the full video, too.

You can watch the full thing on YouTube (it’s about 6 minutes long).

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Reader Question: Online Powerlifting Training?

Last week, survey results showed readers were especially interested in training squat and learning recovery strategies.

We also had a reader ask:

We do have online resources for powerlifting training. The most valuable? Our on-demand powerlifting courses.

These are taught by Avi Silverberg, who was the head coach for Team Canada.

You can enroll in any of those courses here.

If you’re looking for live feedback, reach out to one of our coaches. Most are happy to chat with a consultation call.

The Powerlifting Diet: What to Eat to Build Muscle

The best powerlifting diet is one that prioritizes protein intake and consuming an adequate amount of calories. Once that's in place, you'll fill in the rest with carbs and fats.

Here's the process to plan the right powerlifting diet:

1. Calculate your calorie requirements

2. Calculate your macronutrient requirements

3. Add in your favorite nutrient-dense foods

4. Check out the favorite foods of other powerlifters

5. Plan 4-6 meals per day

6. Add in supplements

For most people, mealtime is not important. However, if you are trying to maximize muscle gain, you want to try to eat 20-40 grams of lean protein every 3-5 hours.

The body does not store essential amino acids, so consuming them through quality protein sources every few hours is important.