how many reps should you be doing for powerlifting?
Powerlifting - the sport we join because we love heavy lifts and hate rep work (I’m looking at you, Crossfit).
We all enjoy max-effort singles, it’s what draws us to this madness, yet, is that how one should train year-round?
Find 24-Hour Fitness wannabe Powerlifters, and yeah, you’ll probably see a lot of that.
But, for sustainable strength progress in this sport, you won’t get very far just feeding that ego.
The truth is that for optimal strength development, training in a variety of rep ranges of your SBD work is the way to go.
We know volume sucks, but there’s a reason it's so integral.
Let’s dive deeper into that.
What qualities do Powerlifters need in their sport?
Powerlifting tests your absolute, highest strength. You’re performing the heaviest lift possible for one single repetition in a meet.
Yet, different modalities go INTO building maximal strength. That one-rep max is a specific skill, but even Powerlifters need other skills in their competition lifts to be great athletes.
This includes:
-Hypertrophy - we don’t need to be Bodybuilders, but a muscle with a larger cross-sectional area has the potential to produce more force. So, with greater lean tissue, one can theoretically move more weight. There is a point of diminishing returns, but building muscle is integral to getting stronger. One-rep maxes are subpar for hypertrophy, so a volume phase will optimize those gains.
-Work Capacity - As you get stronger, performing 9 heavy lifts on meet day requires more effort. Improved recovery and the ability to handle more in the future will help you as an athlete in the long run. When your body is more resilient, your overall longevity and potential increase. Training in a variety of rep ranges improves your general work capacity, helping you reach for more down the road.
-Rate of Force Development is another important part of Powerlifting. Heavy weights may move slowly, but the intention to move them as quickly as you can is what will help you overcome those higher numbers. If you’re able to produce force more efficiently during a rep, you’re far more likely to stand up with it. Training sub-maximally and improving your RFD will help you move heavy weights efficiently. This is much harder to develop at that 90+% 1RM range.
-General Strength & Technique - There's a distinction between the specific skill of max strength and being strong overall. Specificity is essential. Yet, too much specificity can become an issue, and being generally strong will help your numbers. Your max-effort work has finite adaptation capacities and when over-developed, becomes limited. Singles simply express the strength built prior. Training in the 3-6 rep range will evoke a slightly different adaptation, eventually optimizing you to perform well with greater intensities. Additionally, more reps are a chance for more practice. When you're able to hold up form & improve bodily awareness for rep-work, you'll be more confident when your program only calls for 1 or 2. Building your general strength and technical proficiency at sub-maximal loads will carry over to those bigger lifts when you need it.
While one may think that Powerlifters only need to be skilled at heavy singles, such is not the case. You wouldn't tell any other athlete to practice one skill, so why would it be any different for this sport?
Not only is developing other qualities beneficial to your gains but only training heavy will actually hurt them. They may be fun-but what's more fun is platform PRs.
Why is training max-effort singles year-round unsustainable?
Staleness
The number one principle for any sport is specificity.
Yet, too much specificity leads to stagnation and plateaus.
The body adapts to the stimuli placed on it. However, when the same means are applied, maladaptation occurs- and progress stalls. There’s a threshold to what you can achieve when you repeat the same stressor, hoping to add weight forever. The truth is- variation is also essential.
Variety in training allows us to continue hitting PRs, stressing different systems, providing a new stimulus, and preventing plateaus.
The same holds true for rep ranges in your SBD work. When you train singles all the time, you only get good at singles, and your body “gets used” to this adaptation, so your lifts start to hit a wall.
When you go through phases focused on different rep ranges, you can reach your potential in each one, carrying those gains into the next.
Remember: we train for the platform, not for random Gym PRs. And what’s worse than tons of volume? Missing attempts in the future because your ego wanted to train heavy in the gym, not when it truly mattered.
2. Connective tissue strength-
We know that muscular hypertrophy is essential for strength gains, but what’s overlooked is tendon, ligament, and connective tissue hypertrophy.
Your ligaments and tendons support your body's movement and stabilize your structures. Staying healthy in the long run is the goal, right?
Connective tissue strength develops best in high-volume conditions. So, if you’re only training a single rep range, while your nervous & muscular systems may be getting stronger, your CT strength may not develop as readily. In this case, you have the potential to place yourself under loads that your tendons & ligaments can’t handle yet. Spending time in other rep ranges can help mitigate this, so you can hit those heavy weights when you’re adapted to do so.
3. Decreased work capacity & GPP
A more well-rounded, prepared athlete is a better-performing athlete. You can't become that when only training heavy singles.
While you may build a specific work capacity for heavy weights, other qualities such as recovery time, anaerobic capacity, and general physical preparedness may diminish. This will catch up to you as you get stronger.
If you can build up your body's tolerance and capabilities, recovering more efficiently, you'll be able to adapt to heavier loads. Building up your foundation will pay off when you reach a peaking phase.
In short, training SBD max-effort singles year-round is unsustainable and counterproductive to your performance as an athlete. Building a variety of qualities will provide the greatest strength gains over time. Training in different rep ranges will make you more well-rounded, resilient, and capable, allowing you to keep progressing for months and years to come. As an athlete, most of your time should be spent BUILDING strength, not testing it. Then you'll have something to show for when you DO test.
Benefits of different rep ranges + periodization
So clearly, spending time in different rep ranges on your main lifts is paramount to success. But, how do you structure this? Why is each rep range important?
High Volume-
Volume phases are done further out from a competition, including higher sets + reps and less specificity. They’re characterized by intensities around 65-75% 1RM and include sets of 5-12 reps on comp lifts/variations.
Volume essentially builds the foundation for what’s to come. Hypertrophy is best developed in this phase, so you can build more lean mass. Additionally, volume helps increase connective tissue strength, develop technical proficiency under fatigue, and increase your GPP.
That way, you’ve got a solid base to handle more load in the following weeks.
In a meet prep cycle, for example; Volume makes up the first training block. It’s also a great tool to use in off-season.
General Strength-
These phases take your newly developed muscle and make them stronger. They accustom the CNS to those heavier percentages and act as a transition between a volume and peaking phase.
Strength blocks include sets of about 3-6 reps on main lifts, with moderate sets and levels of specificity. Percentages generally fall around 75-85% 1RM.
During a strength phase, the intensity gradually increases-upping that confidence. After rep work & lower intensities, your body (and brain) need time to adapt to heavier loads, so you're ready for what's to come.
Singles are a specific type of strength, whereas a Strength block builds overall strength in your lifts. Triples, sets of 5, are common rep ranges for a reason- they’re highly effective at boosting your lifts. Moderately heavy rep ranges also allow more practice with setup, technique, and cueing under the barbell. This way, you can get stronger while preserving the specific skill of singles for when you need it on the platform.
Peaking/Intensity-
The most fun block, right?
Peaking phases are where we *actually* train singles and doubles. These cycles are performed right before a competition, so the body can adapt to absolute intensities and lower reps. This allows you to perform what you’ll be executing on the platform, hence the phrase “peaking." That way, your body is primed for meet day-and you can practice fighting doubt, uncertainty, insecurity-common characteristics of max lifts.
Peaking phases are performed with the highest specificity, with intensities around 85-100% 1RM and sets of 1-5 reps. The goal is to mimic the Powerlifts themselves.
Each phase leads up to this one- where the reps prior are revealed in your new PRs.
While training maximally 24/7 may be enticing, it’s actually destructive to your progress in the long run. Performing a variety of rep ranges in your main lifts will allow you to continue building strength and achieving as an athlete. While you may be under maximal loads on the platform, variation will help you develop the qualities needed to execute that. Only doing heavy singles will lead to staleness, prevent you from developing other modalities, and can lead to plateaus. Spend phases dedicated to different volumes/intensities, and your hard work will pay off where it matters: on meet day.
