Several moons ago, in a nearby galaxy, I had coined the phrase “powerbuilding.” (Ask my bros, they can verify.) I did so, because I couldn’t quite call my relationship to, and status within, the subculture. I eschewed the more showy, pretty aspects of bodybuilding. And I wasn’t in love with the rigid specialization, specialty gear and redundant programming of powerlifting. What I loved was the training. The process. Pushing myself. The incremental alchemy of turning the everyday elements of iron and food and supplements into something far more powerful and valuable.
“Powerbuilding”, as I see it and have defined it, is basic, heavy training often using rudimentary equipment with the aim of continually growing bigger, stronger and better conditioned. It combines what I see as the best of both worlds—powerlifting and bodybuilding, into a single, brutal discipline, one capable of transforming mere mortal men into machines.
The core principles of powerbuilding are simple—prioritize free weight training, structure your workouts around the basic movements, be innovative and open-minded in adding old school exercises, aim to get stronger—if not with heavier weights than with more reps, be efficient with your routine—getting more out of less by means of intensity and brief workouts, and finally “eat like a man” placing an emphasis on nutritious, nutrient-dense food—eating more of it more often to fuel your workouts, your recovery and to facilitate fresh gains.
This is savage training… Not for the faint of heart or the weak of constitution. This is pushing yourself to the limits and pushing the envelope. This is training with a chip on your shoulder… Training with something to prove.
In recent months, my garage, once warehousing some vintage equipment I plan to one day use to furnish a public gym, has been converted to a makeshift alternate lifting sanctuary. Daily, instead of descending to my basement to train, I’ve gone out into the cold of the garage. I’ve sought out the less comfortable conditions. Layered in old sweats, a skully and beat-up work boots, with the requisite hip-hop beats of the nineties banging in my ears, I’ve channeled the Dorian Blood & Guts VHS tape and Rocky training montages burned into my brain for decades, into dungeon workouts. Powerbuilding, pure and plain. Not for the likes or for the LOLs, but for the love.
Creativity has always been an aspect of training that I’ve enjoyed. Employing schemes and implementing different exercises, forcing my body to react and adapt. The utilitarian aspects of limited free weight equipment naturally lends itself to experimentation with movements and methods long forgotten—like the barbell hack squat, dumbbell squat, floor press and behind the neck press. Bodyweight exercises like pushups, pull-ups, planks, wall-sits and dips. Intensity techniques like dropsets and supersets. Jewels of the gymnasium abandoned over the years, all in the name of “evolution”. I’ve brought them back from the dead.
When I say “eat like a man” it is a cheeky, antiquated, meathead way of suggesting to myself and my brethren that we need to feed our bodies for maximum athletic performance and stop eating like a ballerina or one of Derek Zoolander’s peers. Let’s do away with the gimmick diet cults of social media—carnivore or keto or veganism, etc. And get back to eating like beasts. Hearty, whole foods like those that have powered all the GOATs who came before us. Beef, chicken, eggs, milk, rice, potatoes, fruits and veggies, pasta, peanut butter, bread, oatmeal… The more of this, the more often, the better. You’ve gotta fuel the machine, you’ve gotta power the dream.
When it comes to your supplements, the same no-bullshit approach applies. Take your vitamins. Drink your preworkout before you train. Blend up a postworkout shake. Beyond that, it is all icing on the cake. I’m a big believer in the pills, powders and potions of our industry and most especially those created by my company—they have been an essential part of my daily process since I was a kid. But I am well aware of an irrefutable fact—it all only works if I do.
Cardio is done consistently on every training day, in the range of 20-45 minutes, both for metabolic and cardiovascular health. Use whatever apparatus you prefer, whether that be the treadmill, bike, elliptical or stair climber. That said, if you want to go old school, take it outside in the elements and walk, run, hike or bike. What specifically you do matters much less than getting it done with consistency. Identify your cardio modality of choice and hammer it regularly.
So, here, for the sake of illustration, is a sample week of my most recent powerbuilding training, not coincidentally this programming is similar to what was recently prescribed on #TheProgram2025. Out in the cold, bundled up, hard in the paint and hungry for progress. Use it to help guide and inspire your own rugged renaissance this Winter and beyond.
DB Wrist Curls: 2 sets x 15 reps
Shrugs: 3 sets x 20 reps
Deadlifts: 3 sets x 6 reps
Wall Sits: 1 set x 60 seconds
Pushups: 100 total reps (as many sets as necessary)
Leg Raises: 2 sets x 25 reps
Sunday
OFF
