In the world of powerlifting, which is all about adding one kilogram to your total at a time, keeping track of what you’re doing in the gym is essential.
You can do this by memory, paper, or our preferred method: an app.
As our CEO Daniel mentions in this article on paper logs versus workout log apps, there are pros and cons with both. And if he didn’t convince you in that article on why StrengthLog is a great choice for powerlifters, I hope that I might change your mind in this one.
Progress Tracking and Analysis
Powerlifters tend to rigorously analyze every aspect of their training, from the weights lifted to the intensity and volume of their sessions. Our workout app aims to help you do that without needing advanced spreadsheets, tiresome calculations, and time-consuming analyses.
To get stronger, you need to increase the workload somehow. You can do this by increasing your weight, reps, or sets. Regardless, keeping track of what you did last time is important to improve. With the StrengthLog app, you always have easy access to what you did in your previous workout to push yourself every session.
Train Again
With the Train Again feature, you can start an identical workout as you did last week and try to beat those numbers. This is an easy way to use progressive overload, and you don’t need to spend a lot of time planning/programming.
Keeping Track of Your Workload
Understanding each session’s workload (volume) and effort level (intensity) is important for optimizing training outcomes. This data is necessary for ensuring that you are not overtraining or undertraining, balancing your routine to establish continuous improvement.
One common parameter for powerlifters to use for this is your estimated 1RM (e1RM). Testing your 1RM often is very hard on your body. By keeping track of your estimated 1RM instead, you can continue focusing on building muscle and strength without burning out and taking as many recovery days as you might need if you’re maxing out too often.
Another thing that might be useful for powerlifters is keeping track of how close to your 1RM you are during your workouts. This helps you focus on the right things and not accidentally fill your workouts with so-called junk volume. In our workout log app, you can see these statistics on an exercise basis.
Read more: How Many Reps to Build Muscle vs. Strength?
Personal Records
Our app keeps track of your personal records (PRs) and yearly records (YRs) for you. You can also log your old PRs in the app, so you can keep track of them even if they were made before you started using our app.
Video Library
Another vital part of improving as a powerlifter is tracking how your technique improves in the lifts. That’s why you can upload videos connected to your sets in our app so that you can always go back and check on your progression there as well.
You can add videos to a set in an ongoing workout or the list of your personal records. A set with a video attached will have a small video camera icon next to it (like the 1RM squat in the previous picture in this article).
RPE/RIR
For powerlifters, it’s not just about lifting heavier weights; it’s about lifting smarter. By logging RPE/RiR, you’re adding more context to your performance, which helps you analyze your progression.
Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE): The RPE scale used by powerlifters was popularized by Mike Tuchscherer from Reactive Training Systems. RPE tells how heavy a set feels on a scale typically from 6 to 10, where a higher number indicates greater effort and ten is the maximum.
For example, an RPE of 8 suggests you could perform two more reps before failure.
Reps in Reserve (RIR): RIR is the same concept as RPE, but you write how many additional repetitions you could have done before reaching failure. So, if the lift in my example above is RPE 8, the same life would be marked with 2 RiR.
Logging RPE/RIR helps give you a more correct e1RM. If you rate a lift easier on the RPE/RIR scale, it will give you a higher estimated 1RM. So, if you’re doing the same weight two weeks in a row, logging how it felt with help from RPE/RIR can help you see if you’re moving in the right direction.
This gives you additional insight that can help you decide your next move in training. Whether you’re planning to ramp up the intensity or dial it back for recovery, this will help to ensure that your efforts contribute directly to your goals.
It’s about making every session count with a clear vision of where you’re strong and where there’s room to grow.
Other Useful Tools
Even if someone else is taking care of your progression and programming, our app will be valuable for you as a powerlifter. Here are some neat features that let you keep track of your powerlifting journey without digging too deep into the analytics.
Accessible Overview of Muscles Worked
With StrengthLog Premium, you’ll have access to the muscles worked widget on the home screen in the app. This map shows how well you’ve trained each muscle during the last seven days. If you have zero registered sets, the area will be grey. To get a muscle to turn bright red, you need to do at least ten sets/week.
Create Your Own Goals
Maybe you noticed the small circles in the screenshot above? They are the goals I’ve created. Earlier in this article, I wrote about how your e1RM could be an important tool for measuring your progression in powerlifting. Therefore, I’ve made a goal for each competition lift to be able to quickly check in and see if it’s moving in the right direction.
Helpful Tools and Calculators
We’ve packed the app with an excellent battery of calculators, too. As a powerlifter, I think you might find these extra useful:
- 1RM calculator. That is exactly what it sounds like. Just enter the weight and number of reps, and the app will tell you your estimated 1RM according to Epley’s equation.
- IPF/Wilks calculator. The calculator works for equipped and classic powerlifting and bench press, showing your results in IPF GL and Wilks points.
- Attempt Selection for Powerlifting Meets. Enter your target weight for your meets, and the app will present a suggestion for all your attempts.
- Warm-up for Max Attempt. Enter your target weight for the day, and the app will present a warm-up, complete with suggested resting time between each set. You can, of course, start a workout with these warm-up sets directly from the calculator.
- Plate Calculator. The plate calculator is already included in your active workout on all barbell exercises. But it’s also available on its own from the calculator section in the app. You can create several profiles and ensure the calculator has the same number of plates as your gym.
Specific Programs That Will Increase Your Total
In addition to all these features and tools, I still haven’t mentioned one of the best things! StrengthLog has a big library of programs and workouts that are suitable for powerlifters at all levels. There are programs suitable for powerlifters looking for a peaking program, and for those who want to take time to build more muscle where they have a lot of time until their next meet.
You can read more about them in depth in the article linked below.
Read more: 10+ Powerlifting Programs to Increase Your Total
Sticking to the plan and ensuring that you progressively overload are two of the most important factors in becoming stronger.
With StrengthLog, we’ll serve you all you need – and the only thing you need to think about is to make your way to the gym. Find a program that matches your experience level and goals, and get going.
Download StrengthLog Now
I hope you’ve found this article helpful in your search for a workout log app for powerlifters. If you want to give our app a shot, download it via the buttons below. While some of the features in this article require a premium subscription, the app itself is completely free (and 100% free from ads as well!).
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