Cardio when powerlifting
Cardio is a distraction from great
powerlifting results. Only incorporate it if you want to go down a weight class to increase your chances of winning.
What is your why
Before we go into the details of doing cardio when you are
powerlifting let me ask you a couple of questions:
These questions are essential for your personal success and failure. Research shows that people who write down their goals and reflect on them are more likely to make them a reality. When was the last time you did this? Can you even remember? If you can not it is time to get a pen and paper and start. Many people go about their lives like this:
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What do I want
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How do I get it
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Why do I want it
This is a great way to burn yourself out. What you want changes constantly based on who you are with, where you are and what you do. Making this the compass of your life will leave your resources to spread thin and time scattered between too many activities. The results will be frustration and loneliness. Something interesting happens when you flip the running order of these questions on their head.
What is your goal
When you combine cardio and
powerlifting you should be clear about your goals. Incorporating cardio in your strength routine only makes sense if you need to lose weight. So if you want to cut to get to a lower weight class with the same total, do it by all means and get on the assault bike. Generally, cardio and
powerlifting are not really complementary. Push a sled around instead.
Powerlifting
Powerlifting is the sport of the total. Your total consists of three lifts. These three lifts are the
bench press,
squat, and
deadlift. For each lift, you get three attempts to lift the highest amount of weight. The best attempt of for each lift will be counted towards your total. Based on your total you will be ranked against your competitors.
A big difference to lifting in the gym is that you will be judged. Three referees will observe your actions from three different angles. They decide whether you performed according to the standards of the federation you are competing in. Two out of three have to agree for your attempt to qualify. You need at least one qualifying attempt for each lift to make it on the board. Otherwise, you will be disqualified.
Cardio usually detracts from your
powerlifting goals and should be used wisely to maintain fitness or lose weight. Powerlifters have no business in running a marathon or doing the 100m sprint in under 10 seconds.
Cardio
Cardio training is basically anything that involves consistently exercising for more than five minutes without interruption. Yes, I know that is very broad, but I don’t care. Your options are:
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Running outdoors
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Cycling
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Stepper
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Just to name a few. What I find to be most effective and efficient for weight loss is twenty minutes with intervals on a 4/1 minute split. Go at a moderate pace for four minutes. Follow this by one minute all out effort. Repeat four times and conclude your cardio workout. You will hate it every single time, but it will get results. Add a hoodie as a bonus to sweat even more.
Cardio when powerlifting
If you want to cut weight try to get three sessions a week for twenty minutes in addition to your other training. That should do the trick given that your diet stays the same and you were not gaining weight before.