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PowerLiftCalc Blog offers quick, data-driven insights and proven methods to help you crush plateaus. Join our thriving powerlifting community to learn smart programming, set meaningful goals, and take your training to the next level—one calculated lift at a time.

7-Day Upper/Lower Strength & Hypertrophy Program - Barbell Only!

7-Day Upper/Lower Strength & Hypertrophy Program - Barbell Only!

Goal: Build strength and muscle size using an upper/lower split over 7 days. This program uses only a barbell, rack, and bench, and emphasizes bench pressing 4 times per week. Each workout includes heavy low-rep strength work (3–5 reps) and moderate-to-high rep hypertrophy work (8–12+ reps) ( Rep Range For Hypertrophy ). The high-frequency bench focus is balanced with careful volume and recovery management.

Why the Big Three in Powerlifting Matter for Everyone

Why the Big Three in Powerlifting Matter for Everyone

When most people think of powerlifting, they picture elite athletes chasing towering numbers. But in truth, the Big Three—squat, bench press, and deadlift—offer everyone a framework for building discipline, consistency, and a measurable path to progress. These lifts aren’t just about gym strength; they represent a system for mastering challenges, tracking achievements, and ultimately improving your quality of life in a structured, intentional way.

Why Spreadsheets Fail for Strength Training Data

Why Spreadsheets Fail for Strength Training Data

If you’ve been using spreadsheets to track your training, you’ve likely run into a major problem—strength training data isn’t tabular, it’s nested. A training session isn’t just a list of numbers; it’s a hierarchy of information that grows in complexity.

How to Break Through Plateaus with Data-Driven Training

How to Break Through Plateaus with Data-Driven Training

Plateaus are a normal part of any fitness journey, but they can be incredibly frustrating when you’re aiming for steady progress. If you’ve felt stuck lifting the same weights without improvement, it might be time to shift your focus from guesswork to precision. By using PowerLiftCalc for goal setting, planning, tracking, and analyzing your workouts, you can pinpoint exactly where your training stalls—and how to push beyond it.