Learning powerlifting these days is probably done better online unless you have a dedicated powerlifting gym around the corner. God channels to follow are Juggernaut Training Systems, Calgary barbell, Kabuki Strength and Supertrinaing06. 

 

Before we go into the details of where to learn powerlifting, let me ask you a couple of questions:

 

These questions are essential for your personal success. Research shows that people who write down their goals and reflect on them are more likely to achieve them. When was the last time you did this? Can you even remember? Many people do not make this a habit and even if they do  it looks something like this:

 

This is a great way to get almost nothing done. Focusing on what you want will make you run in every direction to finally arrive at no destination. What you want changes hundreds of times a day based on who you are with, where you are and what you do. Making this the center of attention will spread your resources thin and scatter your time between too many activities. The result will be unhappiness and loneliness. Something interesting happens when you flip these questions on their head:

 

This way your long term goals will take precedence over your short term goals. Your thoughts and actions will become more connected and success will follow. If you want to know how this works on a psychological level read Daniel Kahneman's thinking fast and slow. Simon Sinek's TED talk on the golden circle will change your life.

 

It all starts with your daily habits and rituals. The best way I found to change those was keeping a self-journal. You can check it out via this link.

 

When you want to learn anything it is most important that you stick with it and the teaching excites you and keeps you interested. It is usually best to get your input from many sources and to be open to different inputs. The following list of sources is my personal shortlist. There are many more you can name but I found these to be most interesting to learn powerlifting for myself.

 

Juggernaut Training Systems is, in my opinion, one of the most professional and most structured sources for the serious lifter to get improve themselves without ever seeing a coach in real life. They cover diet, programming technique and many more topics in great detail. Their results are also convincing as they have multiple national and international champions on their roster.

 

Chad Wesley Smith and Max Aita also bring a great personal note to the content sharing how they fight injury and how interests shift over the lifetime of a lifter. I highly recommend them for programming for raw lifting.

 

The only downside is that Juggernaut Training Systems might be ideally suited for absolute beginners. The concepts already use quite a bit of jargon and also the programs are very complex and sophisticated. If you just woke up and never heard anything about powerlifting except the name, you might feel a little lost. In your first year, you might be better off with the instructions from Stronglifts 5x5 and powerlifting to win.

 

Powerlifting to win is a great resource for a beginning lifter who likes to read. All the common ready-made programs can be found on this website and are compared against each other. I highly recommend having a read of all their program reviews, before starting your first one. This will give you context and also will put you in a position to know what is out there before making your decision. The only bad thing about the site, in my opinion, is that it is very narrow-minded and only looks at all programs through the lens of winning a powerlifting competition. There is more to life than that.

 

Stronglifts 5x5 is one of the most popular beginner programs besides Starting strength for powerlifters. This is a great source to learn the big three lifts initially and get the basics right. I would point any beginner to Stronglifts 5x5 after they had a read of the powerlifting to win website to start their lifting journey. The only downside of the material of Stronglifts 5x5 is that you might walk away from it thinking everything is super easy and you do not have to put a lot of thought into it. Be careful of this and stay a lifelong learner.

 

 

If you want to take things a bit more international, Calgary barbell is one of the sources which sticks out among a lot of US-based trainers. Calgary barbell has one of the slickest video productions I could find. A really like the work-life balance approach which seeps through this channel. Compared to Juggernaut Training Systems you get a lot more insight into how to mentally prepare for powerlifting and staying strong. You will also find more material in suited lifting and band and chain work compared to Juggernaut Training Systems.

 

The only downside of Calgary barbell is that you will have a lot of focus on the personal perception and journey of their team rather than developing systems which can be applied to everyone. These programs are there, but a lot less sophisticated than with Juggernaut Training Systems.

 

In my opinion, Mark Bell and his team at Supertraining06 are like cable TV in your home. They have some of the largest audience on the internet for powerlifting and turn most of their videos and content into infotainment. Through Supertraining06 you will get to know the most successful and influential athletes in the sports of powerlifting. The videos are done in a very conversational and entertaining manner. This is the way to learn when you do not take yourself too seriously and have a bit of time on your hand.

 

The downside of Supertraining06 is that their content is quite drawn out. You have to watch 20-minute videos to get to information which could have been conveyed in 5 minutes instead. On this point, Calgary barbell and Juggernaut Training Systems do a better job of packing a lot of high quality (and complex) information into a shorter timeframe. In return, their content might be a bit dry compared to Super training.

 

Kabuki Strength is the brainchild of Chris Duffin. This is the place to go to when you want to learn about mobility and intensity in Powerlifting. I have not found a more intense guy in powerlifting who is also good at teaching than Chris Duffin. Kabuki Strength is very analytical and pinpointed about how to rehab and keep your body as a well-oiled machine. There also quite a few products available from their website to address the pains of a lifter. When you observe how intense Chris Duffin operates you might get an idea why he puts such a big emphasis on rehab. He probably has aches and üains all the time and just ignores them. I especially learned a lot from Chris about breathing techniques and how to get tension into my body to lift.

 

The downside of Kabuki strength is that at times it comes across as a little too aggressive. For me personally, it can just become unpleasant to watch at times. That is why I tend to lean more towards Calgary barbell and Juggernaut Training Systems. Still, some of the most valuable input to fix my posture and breathing came from Kabuki strength and not from other sources. 

 

Generally, I find the content on bodybuilding.com to be quite poor when it comes to powerlifting. The programs are not intense enough and it all feels a little too commercial for my tastes. The videos are very polished and to the point. If you want the information you want there, you usually get a high end produced video which sticks to the point as it has been scripted. There is just very little that goes deeper into powerlifting and beyond "This is a squat, this is a bench press, this is a deadlift, do them three times a week and you will be strong". 

 

T nation has some of the coaches and writers in the industry. I fund some of the best articles on kettlebell training and intermediate programming on T-Nation. The whole first iteration of the Wendler 531 program is basically on there free of charge. I based my 531 calculators on the information they provide for free. The title "Testosterone Nation" also bears in it what I do not like about this source. I find them to be a bit too leading towards the assumption that steroids are ok and that a real man always just gets shit done. A little bit too much bravado going on for my tastes which might make you a great lifter, but a pretty nasty person in other areas of your life. 

The best way to learn powerlifting is to find as many sources as possible and look at them with one critical and well-meaning eye. In the end, you will have to find out what is best for you and your personal needs. Take a little from here and there to make your own destiny. Juggernaut Training systems provide the individualized program that I am now on. Stronglifts and powerlifting to win were invaluable in my first year of powerlifting. Kabuki strength fixed my squat when I had a lot of trouble and injuries due to bad posture and execution. Bodybuilding.com and T Nation provide the little gem here and there especially when I look for accessory work. Supertraining 06 introduced me to the channels of Cailer Woolam, Chris Duffin and Juggernaut Training Systems. I like to revisit them every three months to see the Who is Who of lifting.