Can you be a weightlifter AND a bodybuilder?

[aestheticsound]

I have come a LONG way and want to look into competition (for fun).

But I am in a crossroads where I am not sure which aspect I want to focus on: WL vs BB (vs PL)

I guess have always been training BB (just trying to look..bigger and shredded)...
height: 5,11
weight: 162
%BF: ~4-6

But I have also been very intrigued with WL& PL
here's what I have so far..

Bench: 275
Squat: 345 parallel, 335 ATG
Deadlift: 455

Clean&Jerk: 195
Just clean: 215

Stats given, which am I currently closest to (BB, WL, PL) ?

[magician27]

actually strength has nothing to do with bb,wl or pl. ronnie coleman was lifting more weight than many powerlifters and he was a bodybuilder. and not many powerlifters walking around with 4-6 % bodyfat. that can make u bodybuilder

[aj2754]

Do a local PL comp or WL comp. See if you enjoy it, and if so cater your training towards whichever discipline you prefer. Make sure your lifts are technically sound though.

[Retardo-pex]

actually strength has nothing to do with bb,wl or pl. ronnie coleman was lifting more weight than many powerlifters and he was a bodybuilder. and not many powerlifters walking around with 4-6 % bodyfat. that can make u bodybuilder

So in other words strength has everything to do with it. The fact that there are strong bodybuilders doesn't mean strength has nothing to do with weightlifting powerlifting or bodybuilding, it shows that there isn't necessarily as much as of a divide as some people would lead you to believe, but strength has an integral part in all three activities.

Powerlifters don't walk around with super low body fat because it would take away from their limit strength in the majority of cases, just like ronnie coleman wasn't walking around at 4% body fat when he was moving his best numbers ever.

That being said OP it is very possible to perform well in both if you set your schedule up with the competitions in mind. There was a guy a few years back who was a regular post in the powerlifting section, he would do 1-2 Pl comps a year as well as a bodybuilding show in the spring. I think he was a younger guy so he wasn't like Mr. Olympia and world's strongest man or anything but for his size he performed well both in powerlifting ( single ply I think) and top 3 in his weight/age for his bodybuilding shows.

Its all in what you focus on and when, all of them allow you to gain strength and muscle mass. Bodybuilding wise as a natural lifter if you have a ton of muscle and low body fat you will not look ridiculously different unless you happen to be built that way. Maybe you would do more arm/direct shoulder work year round than a powerlifter or weightlifter would need to, but unless you are trying to be the top 1% of either its not going to be a huge hinderance.

[Jasonk282]

Yes you can do both...a lot of people do.

[Itinerus]

Yes. If you get really really stronk and sustain single digit body fat (example: Glen MacCharles) and don't have an odd build you'd basically be there. Not 100% but pretty close.

[DavidUnderhand]

Are you sure about that body fat measurement? It seems quite quite low. Go for either one, I like lifting heavy things (heavy is relative), but aesthetics is still a concern for me. Like a few people have said, there's no reason you can't do both.

[MichaelCJ]

Back in the day, they all did (all bodybuilders did weightlifting, I mean). So yes. And when powerlifting came about, many bodybuilders at the time did that too.

The barbell was king.

Figure out if the bodybuilding lifestyle is for you. It's quite extreme, in a number of ways. Of the other two, you might more easily "succeed" at powerlifting, unless you have some awesome and affordable training available to you - and then, you'd want to be training the two oly lifts day in and day out. So, fairly intense too, though mostly just in terms of repetitive demanding training.

Not to mention, oly lifters that win competitions generally start earlier in life than I suspect you did.


edit: But if it's just "for fun", as you say, simply do what you enjoy the most. Simple, but the only correct answer.

[jgreystoke]

^^^^^^^

This.

[aestheticsound]

Back in the day, they all did (all bodybuilders did weightlifting, I mean). So yes. And when powerlifting came about, many bodybuilders at the time did that too.

The barbell was king.

Figure out if the bodybuilding lifestyle is for you. It's quite extreme, in a number of ways. Of the other two, you might more easily "succeed" at powerlifting, unless you have some awesome and affordable training available to you - and then, you'd want to be training the two oly lifts day in and day out. So, fairly intense too, though mostly just in terms of repetitive demanding training.

Not to mention, oly lifters that win competitions generally start earlier in life than I suspect you did.


edit: But if it's just "for fun", as you say, simply do what you enjoy the most. Simple, but the only correct answer.

so i guess the general consensus is yes, you can all of the above. as far as " BB lifestyle " ...i guess ive been lucky with a relatively fast metabolism because I do for the most part eat somewhat healthy (plain chicken breast, brown rice, etc..) ...but there times when i really dgaf and just eat/drink whatever.

I started just under 4 years ago. from 119 to 162, keeping bf consistent and just increasing str and size. my goal is around 175-180 and then just get strong af.

I am thinking about competition because I feel like my lifts are almost there. a few more months of training and I think i can do 165 weightclass for WL.

what is the criteria for bb ? like amateur.

[mm394006]

height: 5,11
weight: 162
%BF: ~4-6

hahahaha

















































...no

[Engineer_Guy]

Sure but you'll be mediocre at one or both. Weightlifting is very sensitive to height/weight ratio and body part size. For example, big biceps are a hindrance when racking a clean. Or gaining size that doesn't aid you at all in the competition lifts.

[aestheticsound]

hahahaha
...no

that's what the machine says. if im wrong im wrong, but idk any better. ive measured several times

[aestheticsound]

Sure but you'll be mediocre at one or both. Weightlifting is very sensitive to height/weight ratio and body part size. For example, big biceps are a hindrance when racking a clean. Or gaining size that doesn't aid you at all in the competition lifts.

^my main concern. but then why are people saying you can do both ?>

[14996158]

I would say so - my goal is to simply gain as much strength as possible without getting big just on the simple fact that I don't like the muscle-bound thug look. So I train with powerlifting intentions but there are bodybuilding principles I find quite useful

[Retardo-pex]

^my main concern. but then why are people saying you can do both ?>

Because people tend to look at the extremes. Sure you probably can't be the best pro bodybuilder and top weightlifter at the same time, but in terms of doing this stuff for fun (as in 98 % of the population that actually trains) its very feasible to do well at multiple things. Maybe your proportions won't be ideal or you have a weak lift you need to work on more, or the lift is weak in order to look a certain way for the bodybuilding. There are genetically perfect examples for every sport, as in people born with certain strengths or proportions are more likely to perform the best at certain things. That in no way means you are excluded from becoming a strong national level powerlifter/weightlifter while also placing well in a natural bodybuilding show, it all depends on how far you want to take each.

If you want to be the top 0.00001 % in something you need to make that your life. If you want to improve yourself from where you are and reach some reasonable or even lofty goals, you sure as **** can do that.

People take it to extremes because some people have the mindset that why do anything if you don't want to be the best? Others live in the real world and can bust ass and have fun while doing so and also kick some ass along the way, without setting a world record or whatever.

[14996158]

Given the fact that people think I'm a bodybuilder and I got people that wanna be like me when I'm only like 145 or so when I have no bodybuilding intentions whatsoever and just want to focus on strength and power and performance, it really doesn't seem that complicated - but to go along with what others are saying, you can be pretty good in both but you can only be the best if you specialize in one or the other.

[Engineer_Guy]

^my main concern. but then why are people saying you can do both ?>

Because you can do anything you want to my man. Just be aware of the repercussions. If you want to do both because you enjoy doing both and don't care so much about reaching advanced/elite status, then by all means, do both.

[headrek1]

Don't type yourself. You'll have plenty of others doing that for you. I have no desire to compete in either, but I strength train and bodybuild. Again I don't compete, never had the desire to measure my bf%, but just eyeballing myself, I've never dropped below 7 or 8% bf either.

[TJP33]

Your on the small side right now for bodybuilding. Id bulk up and while doing so try PL- ive never done that style of training but Im sure you could find some type of hybrid routine for best of both worlds 5-3-1 your compound as first lift of the day and throw a BB routine on backend or something. Im sure someone has something out there.

[Engineer_Guy]

Your on the small side right now for bodybuilding. Id bulk up and while doing so try PL- ive never done that style of training but Im sure you could find some type of hybrid routine for best of both worlds 5-3-1 your compound as first lift of the day and throw a BB routine on backend or something. Im sure someone has something out there.

PLing and BBing definitely have more in common than WLing and BBing.

[jbball92]

Stan Efferding brah, does both, idk if he still holds the record in PL though

[PrettyBoyFitnes]

Look up Mike O'Hearn..... The dudes a monster. Squatting 900lbs without a belt, but he's shredded.

You may be interested in his program of Power Bodybuilding. Check it out.

[KDG730]

Check out Mike O'Hearn Power Bodybuilding. Mix of both worlds