5 powerlifting workouts perfect for beginners

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Here’s what we’ve got to start your October with:

• Powerlifting workouts for beginners

• 5 pump-worthy dumbbell workouts

• A Rogue Invitational CrossFit primer

Powerlifting

Begin at the Beginning

Powerlifting's explosive growth over the past decade and a half has created an entire subculture of gym-goers dedicated to hoisting the heaviest weight imaginable. Seeing the best of what the sport has to offer can often be intimidating. Still, with the beginner-friendly powerlifting workouts we've compiled below, you'll be well on your way to hopping into your first meet (or just improving your PRs) in no time.

Since the sport is centered around three lifts — the squat, bench press, and deadlift — it is somewhat axiomatic that these moves would dominate every powerlifting-centric workout program. And while that's true, we also have a plan for people on a bodybuilding program who want to sprinkle just a little bit of powerlifting into their lives. (These workouts also include moves like the pec deck and leg curls to get your machine fix.)

Whether you’re prepping for a competition or just want to boost your bench press, we’ve got your keys to the kingdom below.

A Message From Lumen

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Workouts

Extra Dumbbells on the Side, Please

Dumbbells may not be the sexiest tool in the gym, but they get the job done (and then some.) Simply put, weight is weight. And since a dumbbell’s main reason for existence is to possess mass to be exerted against gravity at a specific measurement, they are supremely useful for lifting.

The five full-body workouts below use dumbbells to their maximum ability, allowing you to crush your goals in strength, hypertrophy, or endurance with the little buggers (sometimes not so little, depending on how strong you are.) 

Don’t underestimate the difficulty just because the movements can seem like something you do after you finish in the power rack; these are self-contained workouts that will cripple you with soreness all on their own. So grab a pair and hang on for dear life.

CrossFit

Getting Rogue in Aberdeen

The Rogue Invitational will travel outside the shores of America for the first time next month, taking place in Aberdeen, Scotland, from November 8 to 10.

The Rogue has always provided equal (and top-end) payouts to both men and women competitors, making it an important date to circle for any professional fitness athletes looking to make ends meet. Find out who made the final cut for the CrossFit rosters and learn where and when to watch the event from the sunny shores of Northern Scotland.

Everything Else

The Case of Cutler v. Deadlifts

• Jay Cutler has always been a master of using appropriate exercise and load selection to achieve his primary aim (bodybuilding domination). See why he thinks the increasingly popular deadlift isn’t the ideal solution for your back-day needs.

• While possibly overzealous in their use of exclamatory punctuation, our resident Registered Dietician ranks Think! protein bars highly across several important categories.

• Even in a gym full of folks moving big piles of calibrated weights around, one of the most watched and marveled-over feats of strength is often a heavily weighted pull-up. Learn all about how to be that kind of person with this tutorial.