Powerlifting Q & A - How to Peak for a Meet Without Wrecking Yourself

Hey Kyle, can you and Derek cover gaining strength without burning yourself out and stalling progress? I’ve done one meet, and I’m roughly four weeks out from my next. Both times, I’ve started strong, making great strength gains, and then 8ish weeks into meet prep, all progress stalls, and I just feel physically exhausted. What am I doing wrong?

This was a long question. He provided some background and his workout routine, but the gist is that he is following an upper/lower-power-building routine and is experiencing lower back pain. Since this is a common issue, let’s just talk about ways to mitigate lower back pain when training for strength.

Hey guys, would there ever be a good reason to take a competition lift completely out of training for a while? My squat has been stuck at the same weight forever, and I’m wondering if I’d benefit from replacing it with variations for a couple of months.

If someone can only train three days a week, how would you set up a powerlifting program to maximize progress? Is there a specific split that works best?

I always feel like I lose tightness in the hole when I squat heavy. Are there any specific cues or drills you recommend to fix this? I’ve tried slowing down my descent, but it doesn’t seem to help much.

I lift first thing in the morning, and if I don’t eat, I feel weak, but if I do eat, I feel sluggish. What’s the best pre-workout meal or drink that won’t slow me down?

When should a powerlifter go through a hypertrophy block? Is it something that should only be done in the offseason, or do you think there’s value in keeping some hypertrophy work year-round, even close to a meet?

If someone pulls conventional and sumo about the same weight, is there a reason to specialize in one? Or would training both be more beneficial in the long run?

On meet day, is caffeine timing more important than total intake? Should I be spreading out smaller doses throughout the day, or is it better to take a big hit of caffeine before each lift?

Imagine you both compete at the same meet at the end of the year in your preferred weight class. How would each of you structure the training and nutrition to coach each other into the meet?