When most people hear powerlifting they think of hulk like men yelling and slamming weights around in the gym. While there are those who fit that description there are also those who go about their workout quietly reaping its benefits. Powerlifting is a workout focused on competing in bench, squat, and dead lift but you do not have to compete in order to power lift. It is simply a style of training that holds many benefits such as building muscle, bone health, weight loss, improving flexibility and mobility, and heart strength and is something I use with many of my clients in their training programs.
Together, the three exercises of powerlifting (bench, squat, and dead lift) work most of the muscles on the body. Bench focuses on the major push muscles; chest, shoulder, and triceps. While those are the major muscles worked your core gets worked as well. Squats hit some of the biggest muscles in the body; gluteus, quadriceps, hamstrings, and calves. While those muscles are the main movers of squatting your back and core also play a very important role in stabilizing the spine and bar throughout the motion. But perhaps the most muscle involved exercise of the three power lifts is dead lift. This exercise works the entire leg, back, core, shoulders, and forearms.
The question that remains is how does all of this weight training address so many health benefits? Whenever your body is placed under a load your entire body needs to adapt to it. The body does this by increasing muscular strength, improving the density of bone, strengthening the heart to supply more blood, and expanding its range of motion so that movement throughout the exercise is safer. All of this combines into the body requiring more energy to work and it finds it in fat.
Powerlifting is not a cure-all exercise routine but it is a great way to change-up your workout, break out of the same old routine, and challenge your body. If you need help perfecting your form or want to learn more about powerlifting, your Ridge Fitness Professionals are here to help.
About the Author
Logan Gregg has a Bachelor’s Degree in Kinesiology and is an ACE Certified Personal Trainer at the Ridge Athletic Clubs.