Beginner Powerbuilding Program: Big & Strong Workout + Free PDF

A Simple Way to Get Big and Strong Is:

Use a 12 Week Powerbuilding Program

Here is why:

People lift weights for lots of different reasons.  Some do it because they want to build muscle – bodybuilders, for example.  Others do it for increasing strength, such as powerlifters.

But what if you want both of these things?

That’s where powerbuilding training comes in. With this training style, which is a combination of powerlifting and bodybuilding, you build strength and hypertrophy simultaneously, with hypertrophy being another word for increasing muscle size.

This article lifts the lid on the powerbuilding workout and shares the best powerbuilding program split for intermediate to advanced lifters.

Table of Contents

1. What is Powerbuilding?
2. Is the Powerbuilding Training Style New?
3. Powerbuilding Program Benefits
4. Warming Up for a Powerbuilding Workout
5. 12-Week Beginner Powerbuilding Program
6. Nutrition for Powerbuilding
7. Best Free Powerbuilding Program – Final Thoughts

What is Powerbuilding?

Powerbuilding combines powerlifting with hypertrophy training.

The purpose of this training approach is to increase muscle strength and size at the same time.

A lot of exercisers want to do more than lose weight.

Instead, they want to look AND feel strong, and that’s what powerbuilding routines are designed to deliver.

The main lifts of powerlifting, known as the “big three” exercises, are the foundation of Powerbuilding workout routines.

Those exercises are the:

• squat,
• bench press, and the
• deadlift.

These exercises usually involve lifting heavy weights at lower rep ranges.

But, like a bodybuilding program, powerbuilding also includes exercises designed to increase muscle mass.

That means things like leg extensions, biceps curls, and lat pulldowns.

These exercises are usually done with lighter weights and for higher rep ranges.

The result is a training session that combines the best bodybuilding training with vital elements from powerlifting.

Powerbuilding 101 – How to Build Muscle and Strength at the Same Time

Is the Powerbuilding Training Style New?

Powerbuilding might sound like a new way to train, but it’s been around for many years.

In the past, a lot of champion bodybuilders split their training between bulking and cutting.

They focused on heavier weights, low reps, and eating lots of nutritious food during a bulk phase, which was when they gained most of their muscle mass.

Then, as summer or the competitive season approached, they made the switch to cutting workout programs and focused more on getting lean, using more cardio, lighter weights, and higher reps to shed the fat that was hiding their newly-built muscle mass.

Powerbuilding and bulking workout programs are very similar as they both involve lots of heavy weights, low reps, and compound exercises.

One of the most famous and widely used sets and reps schemes from the golden age of bodybuilding is also a favorite of powerbuilders worldwide: five sets of five reps.

People have been using the 5 x 5 system to get strong and build muscle for as long as we’ve been lifting weights.

So, powerbuilding training is not new!

Powerbuilding Program Benefits

A Powerbuilding program has some great benefits.

In fact, for the average exerciser, it’s one of the best strength training program methods around.

The five main advantages of a powerbuilding program are:

#1. Workout Efficiency

Every powerbuilding workout you complete will build muscle and strength at the same time.

That will save you a whole lot of gym time.

#2. Get as Strong as You Look

Bodybuilders have big muscles, but they aren’t always that strong because they don’t do a lot of heavy strength training.

In contrast, a competitive powerlifter does almost nothing but heavy strength training but doesn’t usually look muscular.

With a powerbuilding approach, you won’t just look strong; you’ll be strong too.

You will have a powerbuilder body and physique.

#3. Varied, Interesting Workouts

Powerbuilding workouts involve two training styles, making your strength training program much more exciting and varied.

If you usually get bored following a straight bodybuilding or strength training program, you’ll love the variety in powerbuilding workouts.

#4. Challenging

Because parts of a powerbuilding routine involve lifting heavy weights for low reps, this is a challenging training style.

You’ll have to get psyched up to train, lifting weights that you may have once thought were impossible.

If you thrive on challenging workouts, powerbuilding should appeal to you.

5. Upper Body and Lower Body Training

A good powerbuilding program puts an equal emphasis on both upper body and lower body training.

Many bodybuilders only train their legs once a week, but a typical powerbuilding workout split involves two-leg training sessions per week.

Such an approach should produce better muscle-building results and may also increase your performance in sports.

Warming Up for a Powerbuilding Workout

All good workouts start with a thorough warm-up.

Warming up prepares your body and mind for what you are about to do, increasing workout performance and decreasing your risk of injury at the same time.

Given that powerbuilding involves lifting heavy weights, you mustn’t neglect your warm-up.

If you don’t have time to warm up, you don’t have time to train!

To get ready for a powerbuilding workout, spend 5-10 minutes doing some light cardio to raise your core temperature and get your heart pumping.

Then, when you feel warm and loose, spend another few minutes dynamically stretching the muscle groups you are about to train.

Finally, do a few light sets of the first two exercises of each program.

Increase the weight gradually so that your first working set is not a big jump up from your warm-up.

For example, if you are going to bench press 150 lbs, your warm-up might look like this:

• 10 reps 45 lbs (empty bar)
• 8 reps 60 lbs
• 5 reps 80 lbs
• 3 reps 110 lbs
• 1 rep 135 pounds
• 5 reps of 150 lbs. (1^st work set)

You should now be ready to hit your powerbuilding workout!

Russwole Powerbuilding Split to Maximize Muscle Growth

12-Week Powerbuilding Program

While you could follow any of the basic powerbuilding programs you can find on the internet, why not give the 12-Week Powerbuilding Program below a try? 

It’s got everything a powerbuilder needs to get started with this style of training.

For this powerbuilding plan, you will train four times per week, alternating between lower body and upper body training sessions.

4 Day Powerbuilding Split

Here is your weekly training split that keeps Sunday a rest day*:

As you can see, you never train for more than two days in a row, and you never rest for longer than one day in a row.

As a result, you should give each workout maximal effort, and that’s important because you will be lifting hard and heavy.

Each workout revolves around 1-2 powerlifting-type exercises and several bodybuilding exercises to balance your muscular development and trigger hypertrophy.

*Note – alternative 4-day powerbuilding splits appear after the powerbuilding routines.

The Get Big and Strong Workout

Workout 1

Workout 2

Workout 3

Workout 4

12-Week Powerbuilding Program Set/Rep Scheme

While you could use the same set/rep scheme for the entire 12-weeks of this program, you’ll get better results if you follow one that changes every few weeks.

Use the following scheme for your 12-week Powerbuilding workout program.

Note: these recommendations only apply to the first exercise in each workout.

• First Weeks 1-4: 5 sets, 5 reps
• Middle Weeks 5-8: 6 sets, 4 reps 
• Last Weeks 9-12: 8 sets, 3 reps 
• Take a week off and start again!

Alternative Powerbuilding 4 Day Splits

If the split detailed above doesn’t fit your schedule, try one of these alternatives:

Or:

Ultimately, so long as you do not train three days in a row, almost any configuration will work.

The best option will always be the one that slots the most seamlessly into your lifestyle.

You may even need to change your split from one week to the next.

However you do it, so long as you balance training and rest, you’ll make the progress you deserve. 

Make a copy of the Fit Apprentice™ 12-Week Powerbuilding Program spreadsheet that you can edit.

Or, you can download the spreadsheet as a free powerbuilding program pdf.

Nutrition for Powerbuilding

Building muscle and strength at the same time requires plenty of healthy, nutritious food.

You’ll need a calorie surplus and to consume adequate protein, carbs, and healthy fats.

If you don’t eat enough, you won’t make any progress.

It’s impossible to say precisely how much you should eat to get bigger and stronger but, if you aren’t getting bigger and stronger, the answer is probably more!

Most powerbuilders consume about one gram of protein per pound of body weight, half a gram of fat per pound, and as much as three grams of carbs.

Try hitting these targets and, if you aren’t getting bigger and stronger, increase your food intake until you are.

So, if you weigh 180 lbs., you should aim for:

• 180 grams of protein (720 calories)
• 90 grams of fat (810 calories)
• 540 grams of carbs (2160 calories)
• Total = 3690 calories

Calisthenics VS Powerbuilding – Strength Wars!

Best Powerbuilding Program – Final Thoughts

Powerbuilding is a great way to work out if you want to build muscle and achieve strength gains in equal measure.

It’s a fun but challenging way to train that makes a welcome change from standard bodybuilding powerlifting workouts.

Because it involves lifting heavy weights, especially for the “big three” exercises, it’s not a good workout for absolute beginners in weightlifting.

Instead, intermediate to advanced lifters will get the most out of a powerbuilding workout routine.

But, once you have mastered the big lifts, the squat, deadlift, and bench press, powerbuilding is a logical step up for your training routine.

Try this complimentary copy of the Fit Apprentice powerbuilding program in an editable spreadsheet for 12-weeks – I hope you will love the results!

Also, you can download the spreadsheet as a powerbuilding program pdf.

What’s Next

You need to master the main lifts of powerlifting. Perfect your squat, deadlift, and bench press to get the most out of your powerbuilding program.

To that end, you need to work on your technique in these big compound movements.

Begin with deadlifts because they do not require as much mobility as squats and yet still offer these 37 remarkable deadlift benefits to unleash your fitness fast.

• First,  know what muscles do deadlifts work, and then you will understand why the deadlift can transform your life.
• Second, learn how to deadlift like a boss in 5 simple steps.
• Third, review the top 15 proper deadlift checklist form tips I wish I had when I started deadlifting.
• Fourth, for more deadlift motivation, discover 27 sensational ways how deadlifts change your body
• Last, set yourself up with the best deadlift shoes and best deadlift shin guards to avoid injury so you can keep on training!

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• 12 Week Deadlift Workout Program
• How Many Exercises, Sets, + Reps Per Workout Should You Do?