Using Video to Improve Powerlifting Performance: A Step-by-Step Guide for Lifters

Video has become a staple in improving certain aspects of your training but often gets misused, resulting in you barking up the wrong tree and spinning your wheels with training or worse yet getting injured.

Today, I’ll go through how to strategically approach filming your sets in order to increase your 1RM as well as how to know when filming yourself and analyzing your technique isn’t the thing that will actually benefit your total as you prepare for a powerlifting meet.

Filming: Consistency

Recording your lifts allows for analysis and documentation (if you index your lifting videos) of your squat, bench and deadlift performances. It can allow you to have more objectivity when things feel “bad” on a given day since you might be able to see how the bar is moving faster than it feels which can prevent you from sandbagging a session and holding back a training block.

With that in mind, you must have clear objectives of what you are actually looking for when viewing training footage. Some common examples include:

• Technique: Film
• Bar Speed:
• Sticking Point:

With any of the above objectives, it is important to get as close to “apples to apples” as you can. If you are looking at a top set @ 90% of your 1 Rep Max, then you should be comparing it to videos of similar intensity range, filmed from similar angles and under similar external conditions where possible (hydration, sleep, etc). If the latter are all over the place, you might have some other things you need to focus on.

Filming: A Piece to the Puzzle, Not the Universal Answer

The goal with powerlifting training is to see an increase in actual 1-Rep Max numbers on the Squat, Bench Press and Deadlift when performed to a competition standard.

The biggest challenge with this metric is that the feedback loop on 1RM improvement is extremely long (several weeks to several months in most intermediate to advanced lifters) and can be hard to see changes and know if you’re on the right track. As such, we use proxies to gauge progress. These can include the 4 main pillars of successful 1RM increase are:

1. Injury Mitigation
   • Good luck making progress if you’re broken. A training approach that used to work for you might eventually just run you into the ground, so being able to adapt your approach and adjust how much and when you use harder, medium and easier training sessions, weeks and blocks is crucial to continued progress. For more information on how to pull back on the intensity (common if you go heavy every week) in order to actually increase your progression, see this article on Alternating Periodization
2. Technique (Physical Weak Point Development)
   • After the beginner phase of learning to lift and performing the basics of the Big 3, most of the technique flaws you see will not be fixed in 2 minutes with a cue change. The more likely solution to these problems is using special exercises to target your physical weak points because you are simply NOT strong enough yet to hold the technique that is most efficient for you.
   • For example: if you fold fowards in your squat on the way up, you probably don’t need to just think about getting more upright (you probably already tried that!), but instead need to use good mornings, front squats and leg presses to develop your leg and back muscles to be strong enough to hold you more upright in your squat in the first place.
   • Your competition lifts showcase your technique potential, using cues (tuning the engine)
   • Your special exercises (accessories and secondary lifts) build that potential so that the cues work in the first place (building a bigger engine)
     
3. Technique (Skill)
   • Improving your ability to perform the lifts with stability and repeatability can increase your odds of remaining injury free, but also your ability to handle maximal loads. Put simply, executing a 1RM attempt requires you to be able to do the first (only) rep well, whereas the first rep on a set of 5 doesn’t have to be perfect. You only get one shot on the platform, so being able to create consistency is crucial to success.
     
4. Enjoyment and Ability to Remain Consistent
   • Due to the long term nature of powerlifting training, your process MUST integrate with your day to day life and leave you able to stick with a plan for the majority of the year, for years on end.
   • Your personal enjoyment of the process is paramount here and while seeing a number go up is motivating, due to the long turnaround time on this you must find a way to train (frequency, exercise selection, variety, time commitments) that you don’t hate. For more information on how to develop a dynamic training program that only takes 4 hours per week, see THIS ARTICLE I wrote on the subject

Practical Takeaways

• Video analysis is fine, but must be used in the right context.
• Improvement in technique can feel like a silver bullet IF you are strong enough to support the technique change you are hoping to make
• Don’t over analyze videos within a session. If you’re intermediate or advanced, a video of a lift will give you some objectivity on bar speed and possible technique deficiencies, but these are likely something you need to get stronger to correct, not a cue you need to add to fix all your problems in 2 minutes.
• Technique is great, having things look good on video is great. But if the changes you’re making aren’t translating into an increase in actual 1 rep max, then it doesn’t really matter.

Bonus: How strong do you need to be to compete in powerlifting?

I created a free guide just for first-time competitors. I analyzed tons of local meet results to show you:

• What kind of numbers are competitive at your bodyweight
• How strong you need to be to podium at your first meet
• Where to find powerlifting meets near you

If you DM me “firstmeet” on Instagram (@strongeryoupt), I’ll personally send you the file.

— Matt

PS – here’s another way I can help you prepare for your first powerlifting meet:

Apply to join my “Platform-Ready Blueprint” and become a case study. We’ll work with you 1-on-1 to show you how to add up to 200 lbs to your total and compete in a powerlifting meet with less than 5 hours per week in the gym.

It takes less than 60 seconds to apply HERE in order to find out more information and see if you’d be a good fit.