A SIMPLE APPROACH TO

BULGARIAN TRAINING FOR

POWERLIFTING

Article written by Damien PezzutiDisclaimer: I

believe the following program outlined is a great way
to begin a Bulgarian-like training regiment for the
sport of Powerlifting for the intermediate/advanced
trainee. If youre a beginner to strength training, or
have less than 2-3 years of training under your belt
then I recommend following one of the many
programs offered here on the LBEB site or contacting
Brandon directly for customized programming.
Why High-Frequency/High-Intensity?: Practice
makes perfect, right? After all, strength is a skill and
needs to be practiced just like a Basketball player
would practice his jump shot. That said, I believe the
weights lifted need to be >85% for the specific transfer
towards the sport of Powerlifting. Too often the

problem with high-frequency but lower intensity

programs is that it builds non-specfic strength
required in Powerlifting. Doing 57 @ 500lbs is
impressive, but if you cant do 600 for a single then
what good is it?
Program Overview: Im not going to bore you with
long scientific studies and explanations. Instead I
want to provide you with a basic and simple program
that you can follow and implement immediately for
improving your strength and skill for the sport of
Powerlifting. The program will be setup on a 3x a
week training schedule. I recommend MondayWednesday-Friday.
Template:
Day 1: Squat & Bench Press Up to max single
Day 2: Squat & Bench Press Up to max single
Day 3: Squat/Bench Press/Deadlift Up to max
single
As you can see on all three days youre going to be
squatting and bench pressing. On Friday you will
include the Deadlift. I like to include the Deadlift on
the last training day of the week as it is the hardest
exercise of the three Power lifts to recover from. You
will then have two days off before starting your next
training week. These sessions should be very brief and
swift. It should take no more than 45-60 minutes on
Day 1&2 after you warmup. On Day 3 it will obviously
take longer but you should be able to complete the
session in 90 minutes. Every 4th week I propose
hitting 10 singles at 75-80% in the Deadlift instead of
working to max.

Progressing to max: Take however long you need to

start feeling warm and loose with the bar. Once you
start adding weight, though, I recommend the
following scheme up to max.
50% x160% x170% x180% x185% x190% x195%
x1102%+
Rest between sets should be however long it takes to
load and unload the bar. Once you get up to 85-90%
you can begin to take a bit longer breaks. That said, it
should not take you long to get up to the 90% range. If
you follow these numbers you should almost always
hit 95%. The only time you should miss is if youre
attempting a new PR.
Back-off work: If you hit a new PR on any lift scrap
the back-off work. That said, as a general guideline I
propose the following back-off work for the squat and
bench press: 1-2 sets of 2 reps @ 90% of your max
single for the day. For the Deadlift I recommend
hitting two singles @ 90% of your max single. Also,
back-off work is entirely dependent on energy levels
after hitting your max. Be honest with yourself when
it comes to this. If youre feeling rundown and wiped
scrap the back-off work. Sometimes the best back-off
work is no back-off work.
Accessory work: Accessory work should always be
treated based on energy levels and how you feel after
doing the main lifts. If you choose to do accessory I
recommend keeping the rest periods brief and
focusing on the following muscle groups: lats/rear
delts/upper back/biceps/abs. I do not recommend
any direct chest/front delt/triceps work as the bench

press will take care of that. If you choose to do direct

leg or lower back accessory I recommend doing it only
on Day 3 after youve deadlifted. Another option for
accessory work would be to treat it as a quick miniworkout on your off days. No longer than 20-30
minutes to pump up and get some blood flow going.
Accessory work really is entirely individual and its
something that will take some trial & error on your
part.
Variations: For the most part I recommend sticking to
the direct competition movements. That said, the
following are some good squat/bench press/deadlift
variations you can do: For the Squat pause squat &
high-bar (if squat low-bar) squat. For the Bench Press
floor press and close-grip press if your lockout is an
issue. If you struggle off the chest then 3-count pause
presses are your best friend. For the Deadlift if your
lockout is an issue than block pulls or rack pulls are
solid options. If you struggle to break the floor than
deficit deadlifts are a great choice.
What about the Front Squat?: Ive personally been
asked quite a bit if I do any front squats and the
answer is no. Ive built my squat entirely with back
squats and pause squats. I believe pause squats to be
far superior to the front squat simply because they
more closely resemble the competition squat. So do I
hate front squats? No, I do not. I just happen to think
theyre a bit on the overrated side for the sport of
Powerlifting. By all means feel free to incorporate
them into this program if you feel they help you. Im
just giving my opinion on a question Ive been asked

quite a bit.
Adding days: First off bleed the well until it is dry. If
youre continuing to make progress at 3x a week then
there is no reason to add any training days. In fact,
there may never come a time where you need to add
any extra training days. That said, if it comes to that
then I recommend adding a 4th training day on
Saturday but only as a light session. Work up to 85%
in the squat and bench press for 3 singles.
Peaking for a meet: Obviously we dont want to leave
our strength in the gym come meet day. Here is my
recommendation for meet week.
Monday Up to max no back-off work
Wednesday 80% for 2 singlesFriday 60%
for 2 singles.Saturday Meet Day!
There you have it. A very basic and simple approach to
applying a Bulgarian-like regiment to the sport of
Powerlifting. If you have any additional questions
please feel free to ask me. I tried to cover all of the
most common questions Ive gotten about the system.

HOW TO: HIGH FREQUENCY

AND INTENSITY TRAINING FOR
POWERLIFTING

Editors Comment: Not too long ago, Broz uploaded

the now famous squat videos that quickly spread
through the strength community. Shortly following,
he came out and talked about his methods,
explaining how himself and his lifters trained.
Although the routine was originally used by

weightlifters, many powerlifters attempted to

emulate the ultra high frequency training. For most
powerlifters, the fun was short lived and the
program was tough to adapt. Damien Pezzuti wasnt
one of those powerlifters. He was able to make the
methods work, and work very well. Heres his layout
on how he did just that.

Damien Pezzuti

The 5 Day High Frequency, High

Intensity Powerlifting Program
Overview: As you will see, youll be training the
Squat and Bench Press on Monday through Friday.
The Deadlift will be performed once a week on Friday
after you Squat and Bench Press. The reasoning is
because the Deadlift is the most taxing of the three
lifts and is best performed on your final training

session, which will then give you the weekend off to

recover.

Monday Friday: Squat + Bench up to a 15r training max.

Friday: Deadlift up to a 1-5r training max
or 10 12 sets of Speed Deadlifts.
Adding a 6th Training Day: Everything in the
original template stays the same except for the
deadlift. Instead of deadlifting on the 5th (Friday)
session you would now deadlift on the 6th (Saturday)
session.

The Important Details

Training Max: This is not like a competition
maximum. I do not recommend grinding out 1-5r
training maxes every session. The goal should be to
handle a heavy weight for a good, solid rep or reps. In
my opinion you should have at least 1-2 reps in the
tank so to speak. That said, training is always based
on how youre feeling, and if youre feeling really good
on a day by all means go for an all-time best or PR.
Back-Off Work: If you work up to a multiple (3-5r)
training max I do not recommend any additional
back-off work. If you work up to a 1r training max I
recommend you perform one back-off set for some
extra volume. Examples of back-off sets (%s taken off
training max): 90% x 1-2; 85% x 3; 80% x 3-5; 70-75%
x 5-8; 60-65% x 8-10; 50-55% x 10-12.
Again, these are just examples to give you an idea.
Come up with your own unique ideas for back-off
work.
You just go to the gym and lift whatever youre capable of. I

never deload.

Assistance & Substituting Exercises

I am not a big believer in the use of assistance
exercises. Ive never found it necessary to expend
energy on doing isolation work. With that being said, I
do recommend underhand band pull-aparts and/or
some type of internal/external rotations for shoulder
health. These can be done at home or the gym.
You can sub in the Front Squat for Back Squat on days
youd like. For the Bench Press you could sub in Close
Grip Bench, Incline Bench, or Floor Press. For the
Deadlift you could sub in Deficit Deadlifts or some
type of partial ROM Deadlift movement. Again, these
are just examples and by no means is it absolutely
necessary to sub in exercises. I advise not to sub in
exercises once you get closer (3-4 weeks) to a meet.

Squatting & Benching 2x a session

Obviously I dont recommend you start out doing this,
but this is a way to increase training load over time
without increasing the number of days you spend in

the gym. And honestly, it really doesnt increase your

total time in the gym that much. The reason is
because your body is already warm from the 1st Squat
and Bench Press sessions you performed. Thus, you
can start your 2nd Squat and Bench Press sessions at
much heavier weight. No need for warm up sets with
the bar or 135lbs. I personally have done this in the
past with very positive results. Sometimes I would
even be stronger in my 2nd sessions. I attribute this to
the 1st sessions essentially priming my body and
CNS.
If you eventually choose to do this I recommend not
performing any back-off work. This is also where you
can get a little creative, too. There is nothing wrong
with doing some CAT/speed work during these 2nd
sessions. Youre not obligated to work up to a top set
with this 2nd session. Just keep the volume relatively
low during these CAT/speed sessions. Something
like 5-82 in the squat and 5-73 in the bench.
You can mix it up, too. Maybe one day you Squat 2x
and Bench Press 1x; then you have a day where you
Bench Press 2x and Squat 1x. If you choose to Bench
Press 2x but only Squat 1x in a session then start the
session with the Bench Press. Example: Bench PressSquat-Bench Press.

Optional Weekend Recovery/Technique

Work
Perform a total of 75-100 reps with either an empty
barbell or no more than 95lbs. Perform these in sets of
5-10 reps. Do not rush through these reps. Perform
these reps slow and under control. Squat and Bench

Press only. Again, this is just optional. That said, its

always good to do something even if its just a brisk
15-20 minute walk.
Monday Session: I recommend that you play it safe
and be conservative with your attempts on Monday.
Why? Because it will have been two days since you last
were under heavy weights. The muscles recover at a
much faster rate than the tendons do. Take longer
warming up and make smaller jumps in weight.
I owe a lot to this style of training and the Bulgarian method
as a whole. I would have never hit some of the numbers I
have without it.

Working up to Max: Other than the Monday

session, which I explained above, I recommend that
you work fast and take big jumps leading up to your
top set of the day. I advise no more than triples once
you start adding weight to the bar. Anything above 5
reps is just wasting energy in my opinion.
Friday Deadlift: You can do Speed Deadlifts instead
of maxing out on the Deadlift every Friday session.
That is totally up to you. You can also alternate weeks
of Speed Deadlifts and maxing out on the Deadlift. I
understand that the Deadlift is the most difficult
exercise to recover from so I feel it was important to
add this option in.

Peaking for Competition

PLEASE NOTE: all credit for this peaking plan goes to
John Broz, who is the single biggest influence on the
way I train and how I think about training. Prior to
my Bench Press meet in early April this year I was
fortunate to exchange a few emails with Coach Broz,
who was kind enough to give me a basic, general

peaking plan. We all know that peaking isnt an exact

science and can be very unpredictable. Often lifters
leave their best performances in the gym. With that
being said, this plan worked absolutely fantastic for
me. I brought my strongest performance to the
platform.
Here is the exact plan I used from Coach Broz: last
max 5 days out without any additional volume
4 days out: w/u to 60-70%
3 days out: same
2 days: openers
1 day out 70%
reduced volume for those days. you should almost feel
guilty that you are not training more and actually be a
bit nervous like you should be doing more work.
I personally would like to add that this plan is for the
Squat and Bench Press. I recommend having your
final max Deadlift 10-14 days out. You would not
Deadlift again until meet day. Please understand that
this is just a basic, general peaking plan. What worked
for me may not work for you and vice versa. That said,
this definitely gives you an idea of what to do.

Final Thoughts
These sessions should take no longer than 45-60
minutes with the possible exception being the Friday
session where you will also be performing the
Deadlift. Get in, get after it and go home!
(Be sure to check out Damiens training log for more
information and insight on this style of training.)
Damien Pezzuti

Damiens stats include triple bodyweight squats at

multiple body weights such as 530 at 162, 545 at 170,
and 550 at 183 (without a belt or wraps), equally
impressive pressing strength with a recent 425 Lb
floor press at 180 bodyweight, and more. He follows
high frequency and high intensity training principals.
His current maxes are 690 Lb squat, 430 Lb bench,
672 Lb deadlift at around 196 bw.