Powerlifting is one of the simplest, but most effective, ways of getting strong and in shape.
While powerlifting looks a little bit scary, the good news is that anyone can get started. Whether you want to lose weight, get fit, or simply because you like to be competitive about how much weight you can lift, powerlifting has something to offer you.
But where to start? How do you even begin with this sport?
Here is what you need to know about the three big lifts in powerlifting.
Powerlifting for Beginners: The Squat
There are many benefits of squats that have been discussed in forums and at the gym. Squats are an effective low intensity workout for the lower body and they work the quadriceps, hamstrings and gluteus maximus. They also hit the backside, which helps with posture and helps take the pressure off the knees and hips.
Many people are surprised to find out that squats actually help improve their balance. It is because your body’s center of gravity shifts when you go down and stay up. As this happens you shift your center of balance and you are able to activate a number of stabilizing muscles. Your quadriceps, gluteus maximus, hamstrings, calves and back are all being used in stabilizing your body while you are squatting.
(Pro tip: Use squatting shoes when performing squats. They help put you in a biomechanically superior position, especially if your ankle and hip flexibility isn’t all that great.)
If you were doing aerobics or other low-impact exercises, you would be able to see immediate results. These are because your knees, ankles will thank you for squats because they are supported by the pelvis and ribcage. Your back, shoulders and pelvis will thank you for the exercises too. The weight that is being supported on these joints is helping them to work independently of each other. This in turn improves posture, bone density, and joint health.
Squatting brings tons of variations of muscle groups and stances
To see other benefits of squats you should consider your stance. While standing straight, you are supporting your lower back and pelvis with your legs. When you look down you are looking up at your butt, legs, shoulders, hips and pelvis. By standing correctly you are strengthening your core, taking the pressure off of your lower back and improving your posture. Also remember that you are exercising your legs which are in the front of the body and not your butt or thighs which are in the back.
Another great benefit of squats is that they are an all-around muscle builder. They can help you tone your leg exercises and build strength in all of the main muscle groups of your body. You will be surprised how much more toned your legs will feel after squats than after other muscle groups such as deadlifts and bench presses.
Last but not least the main benefit of squats is they are incredibly effective for fat loss. In fact, when done correctly, squats are more effective for shedding body fat than just about every other exercise. Not only do they burn a lot of calories but they are also incredibly efficient at improving your cardiovascular efficiency. That means you burn calories even while you are resting.
Powerlifting for Beginners: The Deadlift
Next up, we have the almighty deadlift, which might just be the truest test of strength in the gym.
The benefits of deadlifts aren’t always easy to categorize, but they are certainly worth exploring. As a gym exercise, deadlifts offer many benefits. Firstly, they’re extremely effective at building up your total strength in the back and hamstrings (particularly the quads) – which in turn means you’ll be less likely to injure yourself while exercising!
Another benefit is that deadlifts work out your core, strengthening it and improving your posture. Finally, they’ll strengthen your muscles in all the major muscle groups, meaning that your body will have a more toned, muscular look to it as you become older.
But there are more benefits to deadlifts than just the obvious ones. The first benefit is their extensive effects on your core, strengthening all the major muscle groups in addition to increasing your muscular endurance. By regularly performing deadlifts you’ll be strengthening all the muscles in your body, resulting in more toned physique.
Many lifters also find that deadlifts, along with squats and bench press, help them reach their goal body weight; often much quicker than if they were just doing a variety of other exercises. They will also be strengthening and toning their entire body at the same time.
Cranks up your heart rate
Another key benefit of deadlifts is their effect on the heart rate. Whilst many people get confused when thinking about the effects of lifting weights on the heart and lung, there’s a very clear association between heart rate and weight lifting. When lifting weights the heart rate goes up, and the lungs require more oxygen to function properly, resulting in increased performance and, again, greater health overall.
The fourth main benefit of deadlifting is that it provides a whole host of different benefits for different muscle groups. Most people only think of the positives when it comes to weight lifting, such as increased strength, increased muscle mass and being able to lift more weights.
However, deadlifting also has a whole host of different benefits such as improving posture, increasing metabolism, increasing joint flexibility, improving balance, increasing stamina, being able to control body movement and much more.
There are even benefits of deadlines which are specific to a single muscle group such as biceps curls which target the triceps, or leg extensions which target the hamstrings. There are countless different variations on these movements, which can further improve your fitness and performance.
Deadlifts are great for testosterone
The last major benefit of performing this exercise is related to testosterone. Testosterone is an anabolic hormone, which is primarily used for energy and muscle growth. Naturally produced in the body, it is also released into the bloodstream where it acts as a catalyst for many physical actions. To help stimulate testosterone levels, it is recommended that athletes and bodybuilders perform high-intensity weight training to trigger anabolic hormones. The benefits of deadlifts can further be seen in the fact that they help increase testosterone, without which high-intensity training would simply not work.
As you can see, there are multiple benefits of deadlines that are great for your health and fitness. For example not only are they highly beneficial to your spinal health, but they can also help improve posture, increase testosterone levels, improve balance and stability, decrease injury and stress and promote proper form. If you perform deadlifting correctly then you will be increasing all of these benefits, which will greatly affect your ability to move freely and with ease, improving your overall fitness and performance. Make sure you perform your deadlift form properly and regularly and reap the benefits for yourself!
Powerlifting for Beginners: The Bench Press
Among the most popular of all the upper body exercises, the benefits of bench press are easy to spot. One of the biggest perks is its ability to build chest muscles fast and efficiently. Also, it is easily the most effective exercise for building up the pectoral muscles in the entire upper body. When performed correctly, there really are no other exercises better for increasing strength and adding lean muscle mass to the chest quickly.
The lower back is the one of the most important muscles in the body. Most people know how to strengthen their legs and arms, however, they neglect the back. This is unfortunate because it is an area that can be greatly affected by muscle imbalances. By strengthening the lower back with bench presses you can significantly reduce the risk of injuries related to lower back strain.
Another benefit of bench pressing is that of developing the deltoids. These are the two large muscles found in the shoulder area. Like the shoulder, the cells are also highly important to our overall health. Like the shoulders, cells are also prone to developing imbalances due to lack of training intensity and poor dietary habits. By strengthening these muscles with bench pressing you are greatly increasing the likelihood of developing muscular imbalances due to training intensity and poor diet.
The bench press is a pec builder
Believe it or not, the bench press can actually help develop the pecs. The new major muscles are the largest group of muscles in your chest, and like with the triceps, are very prone to developing muscle imbalances due to training intensity. The bench press helps isolate the pecs by having the pecs work against a much heavier resistance than they would by themselves. Although they are not very strong, they are extremely susceptible to development from training.
A final benefit of bench pressing relates to building up the muscle group of your chest. When we are young, the muscles of our chest are very easily visible beneath our shirts due to their prominent position on the shoulders. However, as we age, the muscle becomes more hidden. This means that the triceps become the dominant muscle group for pressing the weight. By working the shoulders with the bench press, the triceps become stronger and the bench press actually works more resistance through the larger muscle group of your chest (the triceps) than the arms (also known as the deltoids).
While all this sounds good in theory, the actual physical benefits of a barbell bench press can be very different from what most people think. For starters, unlike most exercises where you can slightly lift the barbell by bending your knees, it is very difficult to do this with the bench press. So most people find it easier to lift the barbell using their legs. Also, as we have already discussed, when doing this exercise you need to use your back, therefore most people find that they cannot lift the barbell using their chest. This results in many people using their arms for completing this exercise.
The Takeaway
As you can see, even just the “Big 3” powerlifting exercises provide a heaping ton of benefits for everyone, regardless of age, physical conditioning, or sex.
When you head down to the gym today, keep these benefits of powerlifting in mind and lift your way to better health.