powerlifter vs bodybuilder

is it normal for a powerlifter to not have a great oh lets say appealling body as compared to a bodybuilder (is it just the training style). cause I looked in some of the bodybuilding photos and I was baffled at the progress of about 3 months of some of these people. I mean dont get me wrong I still have some muslce appeal and my primary goal is to gain strength and speed and power but dang how does one get so huge with a low bodyfat is beyond me. It also seems like I have a much bigger back, hip, and waist size and much smaller arms than most of the bodybuilders too is that normal for strength training.

Steroids plays a huge role, but its also combined with an immaculate diet and dedicated training program (with good genes thrown in there). Power lifters also eat to get strong, but don't care about aesthetics, so they'll typically be "fatter."

I have to throw this out there...I don't have a problem with someone choosing to use steroids, but don't even think about it at 17. Your body is still growing (up into your mid 20s), so don't risk anything quite yet. Not to mention they're still illegal (which is why I don't use) and are a felony in most states.

Powerlifter...
[img]http://www.t-nation.com/img/photos/05-134-training/image004.jpg[/img]
[img]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c5/Derek_Poundstone.JPG/449px-Derek_Poundstone.JPG[/img]
[img]http://prommanow.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/Mariusz-Pudzianowski-e1300206369500.jpg[/img]

Not all powerlifters are fat...get that stereotype out of your head.

[QUOTE=TheFuzz1290;874559891]Steroids plays a huge role, but its also combined with an immaculate diet and dedicated training program (with good genes thrown in there). Power lifters also eat to get strong, but don't care about aesthetics, so they'll typically be "fatter."

I have to throw this out there...I don't have a problem with someone choosing to use steroids, but don't even think about it at 17. Your body is still growing (up into your mid 20s), so don't risk anything quite yet. Not to mention they're still illegal (which is why I don't use) and are a felony in most states.[/QUOTE] I knew some of those pics looked a little exaggerated for such a short time. Some did however look legit, you can usually tell when someone is on steroids just by looking at their arms (biceps not forearms to many veins on the surface).

Not necessarily. I used to work with a guy who was all natural, but had freaking huge arms. But Jasonk282 is right, not all power lifters are fat, but most don't pay attention to their diet like bodybuilders.

[QUOTE=TheFuzz1290;874565101]Not necessarily. I used to work with a guy who was all natural, but had freaking huge arms. But Jasonk282 is right, not all power lifters are fat, but most don't pay attention to their diet like bodybuilders.[/QUOTE]

Besides diet isolation work is the only other difference. BBers thrive on isolation...PLers use isolation for assistance to make their main lifts stronger.

[QUOTE=TheFuzz1290;874565101]Not necessarily. I used to work with a guy who was all natural, but had freaking huge arms. But Jasonk282 is right, not all power lifters are fat, but most don't pay attention to their diet like bodybuilders.[/QUOTE]not saying they were fat just that they have bigger muscles in different areas the bottom two guys have massive waists from using their core and erectors so much.

BBers also don't get huge at low BF%, they bulk and gain fat just like the rest of us to gain muscle. They are just probably much more strict about diet than most and keep fat gains to a minimum.

Power Lifters = high weight, low rep

Body Builders = high rep, low weight, and more controlled contractions


Its really cool to see power lifters get into body building. A lot of people who start with a purely body building routine will have those bubbly muscles. And if you are lifting for speed and explosiveness, i would still try to stay pretty lean. There is a difference between strength power and explosive power, so dont get too caught up in the weight.

[QUOTE=rossislim;874567371]Body Builders = high rep, low weight, and more controlled contractions[/QUOTE]

plsgo

ANY athlete that competes in the SHW category is probably going to look like a fatfuk.

Powerlifting is competition in three lifts. It is entirely possible to have lots of lagging muscles and still be a somewhat successful powerlifter.

[QUOTE=Jasonk282;874563431]Powerlifter...
[img]http://www.t-nation.com/img/photos/05-134-training/image004.jpg[img]
[img]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c5/Derek_Poundstone.JPG/449px-Derek_Poundstone.JPG[img]
[img]http://prommanow.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/Mariusz-Pudzianowski-e1300206369500.jpg[img]

Not all powerlifters are fat...get that stereotype out of your head.[/QUOTE]

He never said power lifters are fat.

Those aren't typical examples either.

[QUOTE=Engineer_Guy;874585871]He never said power lifters are fat.

Those aren't typical examples either.[/QUOTE]

It was implied...

People usually when talking about BBers look at the pros for guidence...why not professional PLers to compare them against.

Its not a stereotype to say that powerlifts dont have the physique of bodybuilders, its the truth. Yes some powerlifters are in great shape, but your typical guy will look nothing like a bodybuilder. There could be a list a mile long of the factors that play a role, but its going to change from person to person. I think the most common being diet and lack of isolation work on 'weak areas' from a physique standpoint.

[QUOTE=vikingsfan247;874548961]is it normal for a powerlifter to not have a great oh lets say appealling body as compared to a bodybuilder (is it just the training style). [/QUOTE]
Yes. The goals are very different. A powerlifter trains for strength, a BBer trains for size. A PLer doesn't really care all that much about his bodyfat, while a BBer has to minimize his BF%.

[QUOTE=Jasonk282;874587751]It was implied...[/quote]

I fail to see where it was implied.

[quote=Jasonk282]People usually when talking about BBers look at the pros for guidence...[B]why not professional PLers to compare them against.[/B][/QUOTE]

Sure lets look at some of the world's best power lifters.

Donnie Thompson

[img]http://26.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ltabvc8ob21qcjoxlo1_500.jpg[/img]

Scot Mendelson & Gene Rychlak

[img]http://www.muscleandstrength.com/gallery/data/503/scott_left.jpg[/img]

Looking at extremes is pointless. We can all find images on the internet that support our viewpoints. The typical power lifter is not going to have the physique of a typical body builder. There's really no reason to argue otherwise. Yes some body builders started out as power lifters. However it takes a lot of work to transition from one to the other and be successful.

[QUOTE=PeterGibbons316;874597861]Yes. The goals are very different. A powerlifter trains for strength, a BBer trains for size.[/QUOTE]And [B]definition[/B]. Aesthetics, IOW.

But yeah, the actual reasons they're lifting iron and juicing up* in the first place are entirely different.

In fact, (most) powerlifters really just train to better the "core three" lifts, more than anything else. Just as weightlifters (i.e., the Olympic kind) train to better the Snatch and Clean & Jerk. And strongman types will typically train, for the most part at the very least, to get better at established strongman lifts/carries/feats.

Very few people get very far doing their own thing, as it were. But i have just as much respect for them, incidentally. :) Like some of the strength trainers of old. But anyway...


* A lot of the prominent PLers, and virtually all the prominent BBers, from what I've heard... not to mention weightlifters, sigh. :/

[QUOTE=rossislim;874567371]

Body Builders = high rep, low weight, and more controlled contractions
[/QUOTE]

[img]http://26.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lyl9drXA2l1r2il6eo1_400.gif[/img]

I lold at the amount of retardation in that statement. I hope you honestly don't think bodybuilders don't use heavy weight....

[QUOTE=Lendogg;874682991][img]http://26.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lyl9drXA2l1r2il6eo1_400.gif[/img]

I lold at the amount of retardation in that statement. I hope you honestly don't think bodybuilders don't use heavy weight....[/QUOTE]

Yes i know body builders use heavy weights, you are the dumbass for not comprehending. But when comparing a powerlifter to a bodybuilder, on average a bodybuilder will do more reps. Power lifters stay in low rep rangers to gain POWER, duh. Body builders use high reps to gain SIZE, duh. I meant low weight in regards to their 1RM dumbass. You aren't going to get ripped by benching sets of your 1RM everyday..jeez, I hate ignorant f a g g o t s

Just because you had to be an a$$hole. Jokes on you fool

"Bottom line is, bodybuilders seem better at high reps with a smooth cadence, whereas powerlifters seem more adept at low reps performed explosively.


Powerlifters generally train in a low rep range (1-5 reps) while bodybuilders tend to favor a moderate rep range (6-12). The adaptations associated with these rep ranges may explain at least part of the hypertrophic differences between these two classes of athletes (Schoenfeld, 2010).

Performing higher reps would theoretically result in a greater hypertrophy of Type 1 fibers. As previously noted, Type 1 fibers are endurance-oriented and thus respond best to longer times under tension. The low-rep training employed by powerlifters simply doesn't allow enough time under tension for significant development of these fibers (Tesch et al. 1984).

Moderate rep training promotes a greater muscle pump. While the pump is often thought of as a short-term training effect, it may result in greater muscle development. Studies show that cellular swelling causes both an increase in protein synthesis and a decrease in protein breakdown (Grant et al., 2000; Stoll et al., 1992; Millar et al., 1997).

It's theorized that an increase in water within the muscle cell – consistent with the mechanisms associated with "the pump" – is perceived as a threat to its integrity.

In response, the cell initiates a signaling cascade that ultimately causes the muscle to grow larger to protect the ultra-structure. In addition, greater occlusion and hypoxia may be associated with higher rep pump-style training, which can induce growth through increases in growth factor production and possibly satellite cell fusion (Vierck et al., 2000).

Moreover, as previously discussed, training in a moderate rep range promotes sarcoplasmic hypertrophy—an increase in non-contractile elements (McDougall, Sale, Elder, & Sutton, 1982; Tesch, 1988). While this in itself manifests as an increased muscle size, it may also promote additional increases in contractile hypertrophy.

Glycogen is hydrophilic (water loving). Each gram of glycogen attracts three grams of water into the muscle cell (Chan et al. 1982). This increased hydration may thus lead to greater myofibrillar growth through cell swelling mechanisms, providing double-duty for increasing hypertrophic gains.

It's also important to take into account the higher levels of poundage (weight x reps) and time under tension (TUT) performed by bodybuilders in comparison to powerlifters. Let's say a bodybuilder performs a bench press routine consisting of 225 x 12, 275 x 10, 315 x 8, and 335 x 6, while a powerlifter does 315 x 5, 365 x 3, 405 x 1, and 415 x 1. Under this scenario, the bodybuilder lifted 9,980 total pounds while the powerlifter lifted 3,490 total pounds.

Assuming 2 seconds per repetition, the bodybuilder accumulated 72 seconds under tension while the powerlifter accumulated 20 seconds under tension – a significant difference!

In a recent study, high reps to failure were shown to be better than low reps to failure for myofibrillar, sarcoplasmic, and mixed protein synthesis (Burd et al. 2010). Although interesting, more research is required as acute protein synthesis doesn't necessarily correlate to greater hypertrophy over time (Mayhew et al. 2009) and previous studies have found very high rep protocols to be suboptimal for increasing muscle growth (Campos et al. 2002).

More total reps also equates to more eccentric contractions, which have been shown to create more muscular damage. There's a large body of evidence suggesting that muscular damage is associated with increased muscle growth, although research is still inconclusive in this area (Brentano et al. 2011; Komulainen et al. 2000; Zanchi et al. 2010)."

[QUOTE=rossislim;874687541]okay, yes i know body builders use heavy weights, but when comparing a powerlifter to a body builder, on average a body builder will do way more reps. Power lifters stay in low rep rangers to gain power. Body builders use high reps to gain size. I meant low weight in regards to their 1RM. You arent going to get ripped by benching 225 for 2 reps every day...[/QUOTE]

[img]http://images.txtagif.com/gifs/nNtJqXwUvN2.gif[/img]

well another reason I posted this too was a lot of the 15-17 teens that post their pictures of a couple months progress have the muscles of a 30 year old bodybuilder it kinda makes you wonder.

[QUOTE=Bumpus;874567311]BBers also don't get huge at low BF%, they bulk and gain fat just like the rest of us to gain muscle. They are just probably much more strict about diet than most and keep fat gains to a minimum.[/QUOTE] bumpus would you recommend 5/3/1 after starting strength.

Let's ge one thing straight. Both PL and BB use steroids. They often times just use different drugs for their varying effects.

Second, while the training styles may be different at face value, the real difference lies in the evaluation of success and progress. When a bodybuilder improves in strength while developing a size imbalance in a muscle groups (say his pecs got bigger but his triceps didn't), his success in the sport is undermined. He must then make changes in his training to address those proportions. For a PL, those changes would only be made if there was a strength imbalance as assessed through finding a failure point in the ROM. We all know that size =/= strength so these things happen at different times, for different reasons, an for different durations.

Another related area of difference is intent. Bodybuilders intend to build a great physique. The strength just kind of happens. The reverse is true of powerlifters. They don't intentionally build their physiques, they build their strength level up. If one arm is bigger than the other but both are of equal strength, there is no negative consequence. If their chest is too big for their back, same deal. If they have a huge waist, no problem. Some do have great physiques, but that was not their intent, just as being strong as hell isn't the intent of a bodybuilder, though it happens.

Watch
[youtube]m8wZNGL4iA4[/youtube]

Bodybuilding vs. Weight Lifting

[QUOTE=PeterGibbons316;874597861]Yes. The goals are very different. A powerlifter trains for strength, a BBer trains for size. A PLer doesn't really care all that much about his bodyfat, while a BBer has to minimize his BF%.[/QUOTE]

You'll find that a lot of powerlifters have concerns about bodyfat. 99% of serious powerlifters are usually dropping some weight around contest time. Having extra fat doesn't help you make weight. Hell, the powerlifters I know IRL are fukkin jacked.

[QUOTE=Pump Freak 86;874801991]Let's ge one thing straight. Both PL and BB use steroids. They often times just use different drugs for their varying effects.

Second, while the training styles may be different at face value, the real difference lies in the evaluation of success and progress. When a bodybuilder improves in strength while developing a size imbalance in a muscle groups (say his pecs got bigger but his triceps didn't), his success in the sport is undermined. He must then make changes in his training to address thos proportions. For a PL, those changes would only be made if there was a strength imbalance as assessed through finding a failure point in the ROM. We all know that size =/= strength so these things happen at different times, for different reasons, an for different durations.

Another related area of difference is intent. Bodybuilders intend to build a great physique. The strength just kind of happens. The reverse is true of powerlifters. They don't intentionally build their physiques, they build their strength level up. If one arm is bigger than the other but bother are of equal strength, there is no negative consequence. If their chest is too big for their back, same deal. If they have a huge waist, no problem. Some do have great physiques, but that was not their intent, just as being strong as hell isn't the intent of a bodybuilder, though it happens.[/QUOTE]

Very nicely put.

It's like most people don't understand that powerlifters do more than just squat/bench/deadlift.

[QUOTE=vollric;874806691]Watch
[youtube]m8wZNGL4iA4[/youtube]

Bodybuilding vs. Weight Lifting[/QUOTE]

Yup, I agree with that, but I find a powerlifting style of lifting should be used in the beginning when you are weak (more potential growth)...

It's true some people let their ego get the better of them when lifting but keeping track on how much you lift and trying to get stronger isn't a bad, thing =) beat yourself in reps/weight each workout is good too unless you break form.

Powerlifters have gone into bodybuilding and vice versa so... both styles can be benefitial?