Whether you're in the gym trying to improve your looks and aesthetics or you simply want to move as much weight as possible, one thing is certain: Various lifting techniques complement one another. For many years we've been disillusioned to believe that powerlifting and bodybuilding cannot coexist. While there are certain tools and strategies that are best reserved for each sport, there are techniques from powerlifting that make our bodybuilding endeavors much easier and vis versa. Moreover, there are various athletes -- such as Larry Wheels and Mike O'Hearn -- who utilize powerlifting and bodybuilding techniques in their gym routine. If you're ready to build the body and strength of your dreams without sacrificing certain training practices, you'll want to keep reading.
Strength Allows for More Repetitions
During our powerlifting routines, we rarely exceed rep ranges over three to five (really 1-5). In fact, many of us use maximum weight for single repetitions as a way to prepare our body for the loads we may undertake in upcoming powerlifting meets. While this may seem counterproductive to bodybuilding where we're advised to use high repetition ranges, the strength we gain from powerlifting movements assists us in our routine.
In essence, having a better connection with our nervous system allows our body to perform more reps using a heavier weight. Although we may never use our powerlifting maxes for multiple repetitions to achieve hypertrophy, we will be able to increase our eight-to-twelve-rep max within our bodybuilding training. This also allows the muscle to remain under tension for longer periods for optimal muscle gains.
*this will help with the adaptation that comes with lifting weights
Increased Stamina
While bodybuilders are, generally speaking, not known for their stamina, higher rep ranges can lead to better cardiovascular strength within the heart. According to an article released by Medical News Today, researchers and healthcare professionals have found that weight training may be better for the heart than cardiovascular exercises.
Although any exercise activity will allow the heart to grow stronger, weightlifting had a significant impact on the test subjects and allowed them to lead healthier lives. The data goes on to further demonstrate that individuals who participate in at least 150-minutes of exercise per week will experience a plethora of positive side effects such as the reduced risk of heart disease, fat loss, and cardiovascular improvement.
The way this translates into the powerlifting and bodybuilding realm is through the improved stamina we gain over a period of time. Ask anyone who's serious about powerlifting or bodybuilding and they will all tell you the same thing: Your stamina plays a huge role in your gym performance. For powerlifters, being placed under intense weight can cause them to fatigue quickly, lose their breath, fail a rep and even cause muscle damage (but this is the purpose of the sport. This is also why conditioning is so important). For bodybuilders, lacking stamina will prevent them from performing more reps to reach the desired state of hypertrophy.
In short, the more weights we lift- whether they're extremely heavy or moderately so- the better our conditioning and cardio become over the course of our career. By performing either a bodybuilding routine or strength-training protocol, we strengthen our heart and elevate our circulatory system to new heights. This allows us to extend the length of our career and help us take our physique/strength levels to new heights (or so they say).
Powerlifting Improves Technique
One of the biggest factors that separates an amateur powerlifter and a seasoned veteran is the technique and form they use during key movements. As every powerlifter knows, the entire body is utilized in even the most mundane lifts. For example, the bench press utilizes muscles located in the back, legs, calves, triceps and shoulders as a means of generating strength and explosiveness. Each of these muscle groups are recruited and placed under tension when moving large amounts of weight and causes the muscles to become fatigued. Over time, our body will adapt to this stimulus by creating more muscle and strength in those areas.
The pump, in basic terms, is when the muscle becomes engorged with blood and lactic acid to provide a swollen effect on the area. This pump stretches the fascia surrounding the muscle and causes the area to expand for new muscle to grow. When we use proper form learned from powerlifting, we can target these areas more efficiently and experience rapid muscle growth.
Understanding Nutritional Needs
The average powerlifter, generally speaking, consumes more calories and carbs than a bodybuilder. The increased calories and nutrition gives much-needed energy to explode during key movements and allows the practitioner to move heavy weights with relative ease. This style of eating helps the bodybuilder succeed through a means of understanding their body and what nutritional fuel they require to change the appearance of their body.
Think back to a time in the gym where you had a lousy and lackluster workout. Did you notice anything substantial? For most of us, the reason our workout was scrapped was on account of low energy, and our body was unable to move weights that were previously light and manageable. For the powerlifter, they've realized that their body reacts differently depending on want macronutrients (fat, carbohydrates, protein, etc.) they consume prior to their weightlifting session.
Understanding food sensitivity can greatly influence a bodybuilder's career and how they build quality muscle. For some readers, they may find that their strength and power is at its highest when a large number of carbohydrates are consumed before they engage in the activity. For others, they may rely heavily on fats, high protein and entering a state of Ketosis.
Low Repetitions Versus High Repetitions
The powerlifter has realized that although we can vary our repetition ranges, a muscle can be built regardless of what repetition ranges they use. The idea of using heavy weights for low repetitions often scares the bodybuilder and makes them think they won't build muscle. Bodybuilders fail to realize that getting a pump from high-repetition sets doesn't essentially mean that muscle is being built.
Instead, we should also incorporate frameworks that utilize low repetition ranges and days where we use a moderate weight with higher repetitions. When we adopt this core philosophy, we can build strength and improve our aesthetics simultaneously without sacrificing either one.
Conclusion
The last key to keep in mind is that powerlifting and bodybuilding do not have to be mutually exclusive. In fact, some of the greatest bodybuilders on the planet -- Arnold Schwarzenegger and Ronnie Coleman, to name a few -- began their respective careers as powerlifters and utilized both disciplines later into their lives. Even though these two are known for their bodybuilding achievements, their strength and conditioning was built upon a framework of strength and power which allowed them to maximize their musculature.
Adopt and grow your workout routine to facilitate your needs and disregard the movements that no longer serve you. By having a hybrid-style training routine, you will show that you're not only muscular, but you're also able to use those muscles to perform impressive feats! Join the newfound group of bodybuilders who use powerlifting disciplines as a means to grow their physique to new levels.
Resources:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeU05pwtEAreeF81saVb9XQ
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8YnxGgVT62DDZ6sX1pLKGQ
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muscle_hypertrophy
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/323732.php
https://www.webmd.com/diabetes/type-1-diabetes-guide/what-is-ketosis#1
Mihailescu, Cristian. "Workout with high and low reps." Ovidius University Annals, Series Physical Education and Sport/Science, Movement and Health, vol. 9, no. 2, 2009, p. 285+. Gale Academic Onefile, Accessed 9 Oct. 2019.