Maximize Strength and Muscle Growth: The Powerlifter’s Guide to Off-Season Training
The Importance of Accessory Workouts in the Off-Season for Powerlifting
Powerlifting is all about strength, but strength is built on a foundation of muscle mass and joint health. While hitting heavy singles and max-effort lifts are crucial during meet prep, doing so year-round can be a fast track to injury and stagnation. That’s why the off-season is the perfect time to shift gears and train more like a bodybuilder, prioritizing muscle growth and recovery.
Why You Need an Off-Season
Many powerlifters make the mistake of trying to train at maximum intensity year-round, but this approach often leads to burnout, injury, or stalled progress. The off-season is your opportunity to take a step back from max-effort lifts and focus on building new muscle, reinforcing weak points, and improving movement patterns.
This period of training is essential for:
Building Muscle Mass: More muscle means a greater potential for strength when you return to heavy lifting.
Preventing Injuries: Overuse injuries are common when heavy weights are used too frequently. Higher-rep, lower-intensity work helps strengthen connective tissues and correct imbalances.
Improving Weaknesses: Accessory work allows you to target muscles that may be limiting your performance in the squat, bench, and deadlift.
How to Train in the Off-Season
During the off-season, your training should resemble that of a bodybuilder more than a powerlifter. This means focusing on hypertrophy—higher reps, moderate weights, and a variety of exercises to stimulate muscle growth.
Key Training Principles:
Lower Intensity on Main Lifts: Instead of constantly pushing for heavy singles or triples, work in the 60-75% range of your one-rep max for 6-12 reps per set. For some you may find 3-5 rep range may be more ideal for the compound movement.
Increase Training Volume: More sets and reps with moderate weight allow for greater muscle breakdown and growth.
Prioritize Accessory Work: Use exercises that target smaller muscle groups and reinforce your main lifts. Some great options include:
For Squat: Bulgarian split squats, leg press, hamstring curls, and calf raises.
For Bench: Dumbbell presses, dips, triceps extensions, and rear delt flys.
For Deadlift: Romanian deadlifts, glute-ham raises, rows, and core work.
These are just a few ideas of movements. There are plenty of great options, just a matter of finding what benefits you the most. For example, I utilize belt squat and walking lunges A LOT. Because I respond wonderful to those.
Improve Mobility and Recovery: Stretching, mobility drills, and prehab exercises should be included to keep your body healthy for when heavy lifting resumes.
Transitioning Back to Heavy Lifting
The goal of off-season training isn’t to abandon strength work but to build a bigger, more resilient base for when competition prep rolls around. After spending several weeks focusing on hypertrophy and accessory work, you can gradually reintroduce heavier loads and lower reps while maintaining the new muscle mass you’ve built. This approach ensures that when it’s time to peak for a meet, you’re stronger, healthier, and better prepared than ever.
Conclusion
Powerlifting isn’t just about lifting the heaviest weight possible—it’s about longevity, strategy, and continuous improvement. The off-season is a critical time to build muscle, address weaknesses, and reduce injury risk. By shifting your training focus towards hypertrophy and accessory work, you’ll set yourself up for bigger lifts and a longer, healthier lifting career. Don’t neglect your off-season—it’s where champions are built.
