Competing in a push/pull meet is a great way to get your feet wet in the sport of powerlifting. While a full powerlifting meet consists of three lifts (the squat, the bench press, and the deadlift), a push/pull meet requires lifters to do just the bench press and the deadlift. Usually, lifters competing in the push/pull portion of a meet lift earlier in the day, completing their three bench press attempts and their three deadlift attempts before the full meet begins. This format is much less grueling than a full meet, which is often draw out over the course of an entire day.Training for a competition can be a very insightful experience, as the strict deadline of the contest usually influences a lifter to streamline their training program. Furthermore, most lifters find they are much more focused when they are preparing for a competition. These factors can make the training cycle that precedes the meet a very productive one.
If testing the waters of competitive powerlifting by doing a push/pull meet intrigues you, then I urge you to take the plunge and find a competition near you. Once you have identified and registered for a competition, put together a training program that will prepare you to lift well and set some PRs in the meet. For those of you that do not know where to get started in the meet preparation process, I offer the following training program.
Strength Musings Push/Pull Preparation Program
Week 1
W1D1:
Bench Press - Progression 1: 3 sets of 5, Progression 2: 4-5 sets of 5 @90% Friday's top set
Deadlift - Progression 1: 1 set of 5, Progression 2: 3 sets of 3
Pendlay Row - 3 sets of 6
W1D2:
Squat - Progression 1: 3 sets of 5, Progression 2: 1 set of 5
Bench Press / Pause Bench Press - Progression 1: 3 sets of 5, Progression 2: 3 sets of 3 (paused)
W1D3:
Bench Press - Progression 1: 3 sets of 5, Progression 2: 1 set of 5
Deadlift - Progression 1: 1 set of 5, Progression 2: 5 sets of 1
Pendlay Row - 3 sets of 8
Week 2
W2D1:
Squat - Progression 1: 3 sets of 5, Progression 2: 3 sets of 3
Bench Press - Progression 1: 3 sets of 5, Progression 2: 4-5 sets of 5 @90% Friday's top set
Pendlay Row - 3 sets of 6
W2D2:
Bench Press / Pause Bench Press - Progression 1: 3 sets of 5, Progression 2: 3 sets of 3 (paused)
Deadlift - Progression 1: 1 set of 5, Progression 2: 1 set of 5
W2D3:
Squat - Progression 1: 3 sets of 5, Progression 2: 5 sets of 1
Bench Press - Progression 1: 3 sets of 5, Progression 2: 1 set of 5
Pendlay Row - 3 sets of 8
Program Notes
Progression 1: The first progression for each lift is a simple linear progression. The sets and reps stay the same from session to session, and you add weight to the bar each session. Your starting weights should not be particularly challenging, and you should add 5-10 pounds to each lift every time you train that lift. As progress begins to slow, begin to take smaller weight jumps. This means that you will add just 2.5-5 pounds (or less, if desired) to your lifts. If progress begins to stall, and you begin to miss reps at the end of your sets, then switch to the second progression for that lift. However, it is important to assess whether or not the lack of progress is due to inadequate caloric intake and/or sleep rather than insufficient recovery time. Do not switch to progression two with a lift that is still making consistent progress with progression one; stick with the first progression for each individual lift until gains begin to flatline. It is worth noting that progress in the bench press will usually slow down the soonest, followed by the deadlift and, finally, the squat. This obviously depends on other factors, such as how much time you have dedicated to each individual lift in the past, so do not think of this tip as a steadfast rule.
Progression 2, Bench Press / Pause Bench Press: The second progression for the bench press is a variation on programming made popular by the Texas Method. In a "standard" Texas Method template, lifters often alternate between the bench press and the overhead press every workout. In this push/pull program, however, you will bench press on Day One and Day Three, and you will do 1-second pause bench pressing on Day Two. The sets and reps for this progression stay true to common Texas Method recommendations, beginning with higher volume, followed by a lighter session aimed at recovery, and then finishing the week with a higher intensity session. I like to describe this incredibly flexible template as "stress-rest-test". You will be imposing a fairly significant stress on your body on Day One by doing 4-5 sets of 5 reps at 90% of the top set you did on the bench press on Day Three of the previous week. Then, on Day Two, you will lighten the load slightly to simultaneously rest from Day One's session and prepare for Day Three's session. Usually, 80% of the top set you did on the previous week's Day Three is used. Then, on Day Three, you will work up to 1 set of 5 reps, using a weight that should be a 5 rep PR (not necessarily an all-time PR, but a weight that is heavier than what you used the week before).
Progression 2, Squat and Deadlift: After topping out on 3 sets of 5 in the squat or 1 set of 5 for the deadlift, you will transition to using an extrapolated version of the 3/1/5 program. You will start with 3 sets of 3 on Day One, do 5 sets of 1 on Day Three, and you will finish with 1 set of 5 reps on Day Two of the following week. You will do your best to add 5 pounds to the bar every session, as you did with the initial linear progressions. However, if your lifts begin to stall, you have a couple of options. You can decrease the amount of weight that you use during your Day Three sessions, dropping back from your Day One weight and then bringing the weight back up for the 1 set of 5 on Day Two of the next week. This alteration will allow you to be a bit more rested for your 1 set of 5 for that particular lift every other week. Another option is adding one or two more sets to the Day One session, doing 4 or 5 sets of 3 rather than just 3 sets of 3. Doing so will increase the magnitude of the stress that this training session imposes, which should spark new progress (provided you can recover from the increased workload). A third idea is to switch the 1 set of 5 on Day Two to 1 set of 3. This change should allow you to continue to increase your Day Two weights for a few more weeks, as the difference in the training effects caused by sets of three are different enough from the effects sets of five have that there should be untapped potential in your triples. These are just a few possible alterations to the 3/1/5 template, all of which can be mixed and matched with any other ideas that you believe will work. Whatever you choose to do, I urge you to do your best to stay within the "stress-rest-test" style template.
Sets Across: Throughout this program, you will be using sets across for all of your work sets. This means that you will gradually work your way up through your warm-up sets until you reach the top weight you will be using for that movement on that day. You will then complete the designated number of sets without increasing or decreasing the weight on the bar. When doing sets across, be sure to take as much time in between sets as is necessary to complete all of the reps of all of the sets. Obviously, if you find that are consistently having to rest much longer than five minutes to get all of the necessary reps, then you should consider advancing to the next progression for that lift, or make slight alterations to your programming.
Pendlay Rows: Pendlay rows are included in the program to build some additional back size and strength to aid both the bench press and the deadlift. Begin with a weight that you can easily do for 3 sets of 6 reps on Day One, and then use the same weight for 3 sets of 8 reps on Day Three of the same week. When you do the movement again on Day One of Week Two, add 5-10 pounds to the bar and complete 3 sets of 6 once again. On Day Three of Week Two, you will use the same weight for 3 sets of 8. Continue this progression from week to week, and make smaller weight jumps if progress slows. When doing Pendlay rows, be sure to keep your form fairly strict, resisting the urge to allow your torso to rise excessively on the concentric portion of each rep. (Also, if you enjoy this simple progression, be sure to check out the "Bigger Arms in Less Time" program.)
There you have it, a flexible template that will enable you to train effectively for your upcoming push/pull meet. Start light, follow the progressions, be patient, train hard, and eat a lot of food, and you will be pleased with the results on meet day. I understand that some of the information about the progressions may be difficult to follow, so do not hesitate to contact me through email (amcgunagle@gmail.com) or on Facebook if you have any questions.
Thanks for reading!
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