Everyone has seen it at some point: the men and women lifting numbers that make you think surely that can't be healthy. In competition, this discipline focuses on nothing but technique and pure strength.
Lifting weights like that really is an unnecessary and impossible task for most of us, but the 3 fundamental exercises that make up powerlifting are among the most important movements you can perform in the gym – and that goes for women too.
As an experienced trainer, then, you'd do well not to overlook them. By "experienced" we mean you have at least a year of gym training behind you.
The 3 main powerlifting exercises are the bench press, the squat and the deadlift.
The bench press is used frequently by anyone wanting to build muscle mass in the upper body, particularly the chest, front deltoids, triceps and back muscles.
The squat is regularly used to train the glutes, quadriceps, hamstrings and core (abdominal muscles).
The deadlift recruits the largest number of muscle groups of the three, including the quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, back muscles, forearms and abdominals. It is, however, used far less often than the other two. The reasons for that vary widely, but the main one is fear of injury.
That problem can be avoided entirely by focusing on your technique from the start. Once that has developed sufficiently, you can begin to focus on heavier weights.
But why should you start with these compound exercises?
- When you're no longer making noticeable progress at the gym, this is a perfect way to breathe life back into your sessions.
- Because several muscle groups are trained with a single exercise, they're ideal when you don't have time for a longer session.
- They're ideal for burning plenty of calories in a short time, precisely because you're using several muscle groups at once.
- Learning the technique for the deadlift and the squat will improve your balance.
Once you get started, or if you've already been adding these exercises to your programme for a while, these tips are worth bearing in mind:
- As mentioned above, focus on your technique first and strength second.
- If possible, stand in front of a mirror so you can see how you're performing the exercise. If that isn't possible, ask someone to watch your form for you.
- When you decide to move up a level in strength, it's worth using a few tools: a deadlift jack, knee sleeves, lifting straps and a powerlifting belt. These let you maintain your technique as well as possible when you want to add weight, and to do it safely. They also help you recruit the muscle groups above as effectively as possible during these exercises.
Any questions? Or would you like more information about the tools? Then visit https://www.nrgfitness.nl/krachttraining/ or email sales@nrgfitness.nl
