Learn how squat, bench press, and deadlift combine into a total, how meets work, and who the sport is for.
Powerlifting is a strength sport built around the squat, bench press, and deadlift. The best successful attempt in each lift adds together to form a total.
Competitors receive three attempts in the squat, three in the bench press, and three in the deadlift. Referees judge each attempt against the event's technical rules.
The heaviest successful squat, bench press, and deadlift make the total. Placings may also account for bodyweight, age, or other divisions under the event's rules.
Powerlifting is not reserved for elite totals. Beginners can learn the lifts, build strength, and use a first meet as a clear performance date.
| Question | Useful answer | |
|---|---|---|
| Does it match my current problem? | Ask it directly | Choose the format that solves it |
| Can I sustain it weekly? | Check logistics | Consistency beats novelty |
Cris RosaPublished
Written by Cris Rosa.
More from this part of the Powerlifting Library.
Set your position, control the pause, and press with a repeatable competition-standard bar path.
Everything about entering, rules, meet day, and turning a training cycle into a total.
Create tension from the floor, keep the bar close, and finish a competition-standard deadlift without wasted motion.
Start here for the big-picture decisions: the sport, coaching formats, and choosing useful support.
Compare coaching models, useful evidence, communication, video review, and the questions worth asking before you commit.
A practical first-meet entry path covering event choice, membership, registration, equipment, and weigh-in preparation.
Compare online and in-person coaching by feedback speed, location, independence, equipment, and the value of a hybrid approach.
Understand the flow from weigh-in to awards, including flights, warm-ups, commands, attempts, and what to bring.
How powerlifting training is structured, reviewed, and changed across a real training cycle.
Build a repeatable squat from setup and bracing through depth, ascent, and competition commands.
The squat, bench press, and deadlift—set up, executed, and judged to competition standard.
Technique, competition, programming, and practical guides from Cris Rosa.