Selection between powerbuilding I, II, and III

Training Q&A [Moderated]
1

Hi, I hope this is an appropriate place to ask this, but I’m wondering which of the three PB templates would be most appropriate for me. I think that one of these templates would be a good fit for me since my goal is to lose a large amount of bodyweight (40+ pounds) while ideally increasing/maintaining strength in squat, bench, deadlift, press.

My schedule is pretty flexible so I can accommodate longer sessions (e.g. 1.5+ hours) and 4+ sessions/week. Four per week might be preferable just since I enjoy spending that time.

I started lifting in 2018 for about a year and stopped for a long time due to various injuries (in retrospect wish I just trained through it as much as possible but oh well). Been lifting consistently again since August 2021. Still have lingering back/shoulder pain but been able to work through it for the last few months with some improvement.

Other details if helpful:
Sex: Male
Age: 24
Height: 5’9’’
Weight: ~215 lb

Lifts (lb): (I don’t know my 1RMs so these are my best sets of 3)
Squat: 215
Bench: 195
Deadlift: 295
Press: 115

I don’t actually know the differences between PB I, II, and III beyond things on the template info pages like the amount of recommended prior experience, # of workouts a week, and program length. Also please let me know if I should post this somewhere else.

Thanks!
-Jon

2

Jon,

Thanks for the post. I think I would pick PB I for you. It’s 3x/wk lifting and 2x/wk week conditioning. I think the other programs have a bit too much training volume for where you’re at right now, though they could definitely be appropriate in the future.

-Jordan

1 Like
3

Hi Jordan,

Thanks a lot for the advice, in that case I’ll go for PB I.

As a side note it’s really cool that you guys maintain and participate on these public forums. I really appreciate your time.