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Powerlifting vs BodyBuilding

What do you prefer

  • Powerlifting Style Routines

    Votes: 103 72.0%

  • Bodybuilding Style Routines

    Votes: 40 28.0%
  • Total voters
    143
st8grad

st8grad

New member
Bill Starr says bodybuilding is a waste of time and that working out each muscle group once per week is not based on science.

Omega says that powerlifting is ignorant and destructive. I hate to throw Omega into this because I don't know him and don't know his full position on this.

Bill Starr's full position has been published fully so it is what it is.

The WL forum does seem to be dominated with PL-ers and the AAS forum with BB-ers.

If it is possible, it would be great to read the pro's and con's of each. With at least a little intelligent thought.

Assuming that we all are looking for:

Increased strength
Better performance/health etc
Bigger muscles/better looking body.

For this discussion lets assume that most powerlifters aren't fat and the most bodybuilders don't do pinky extended reverse curls with 5 pounds for 3000 reps.
 
One trains for functional strength and one trains for aesthetics. It's a matter of priority. Sorry for the lack of intelligent thought but I don't think it's any more complicated than this.
 
Power lifting is the definite clear way to go if your looking for the fastest Muscle growth, the biggest strength base and looking overall huge, maby not ripped but huge.

Increased strength: Definitely Powerlifting will increase faster.

Better performance/health etc: Again Powerlifting will increase performance faster.

Bigger muscles/better looking body: Powerlifting for bigger muscles, but for a better looking body it depends on what you think looks better, if you like the sickly lean bodybuilder look then go with that, but if you really dig the huge look then go with powerlifting.
 
If you are simply comparing the weightlifting board vs the A A S board there is one major difference. Most of the people here can still get results training naturally, learned they simply need to eat more, and have good results from programming their training. BB is too subjective for my tastes.

I managed to get over 210lbs from 145lbs by following advice of guys on this board, not necissarily "power-lifters" but good solid advice on following compound movements. Most guys on the A A S board start juicing at 175 or so because their training "needs a boost." Hell, there was just a post yesterday about a guy weighing 154lbs wanting to juice.

The routines from here were a great start. Now I know how to train properly, and my coach fills me in on what I need to work on for snatch/c+j.
 
Increased strength - POWERLIFTING
Better performance/health - POWERLIFTING
Bigger muscles/better looking body - BODYBUILDING
 
I take it you subscribe to the Jkurz school of thought that you don't need to be strong to be big? :d

obviously ''powerlifting'' (whatever that means, I have no idea) isn't going to make an unaesthetic frame into a wasp waisted, tiny hipped Flex Wheeler.. but as a reality check neither is 'bodybuilding' as practiced by most denzins of your gym.

http://asp.elitefts.com/qa/default.asp?qid=56455&tid=139

http://asp.elitefts.com/qa/default.asp?qid=55157&tid=124

http://asp.elitefts.com/qa/default.asp?qid=54913&tid=126

3 quite different examples of guys who actually do some work in the gym, and diet down. They all lift heavy, the difference is in ... wait for it... their genetic response to training & their underlying structure.
 
the terms are grotesquely misrepresented usually, in the gym and online

a powerlifter is someone who competes at meets, not the fat guy sweaty hanging out by the squat rack, annoying you by bragging about how much he used to lift back in HS and doing a shitty assisted 1Rm on the bench before heading out to McD's

a bodybuilder is someone who steps on stage in a thong at 3% bf, not Carlos the gym douchebucket who wears an XS beater year round and tries to scam on the college girls between sets of leg extensions.
 
Look i am sorry :) my words came out wrong,

and I respect all your points of view as you hopefully respect mine.

I truly believe that for Hypertrophy and Muscle Aesthetic you better lift like a Bodybuilder and Actually avoid excessive strength.

I dont have tiem to go into the why's etc.

But when I do I will try to make an article on it.

This is one of the men I helped, his final pics come this week:

http://www.elitefitness.com/forum/w...eek-update-out-12-weeks-young-man-553763.html


and I have replicated these results with others so its the techniques NOT genetics

AND I AM NO GURU! nor am I trying to be.

I just know a handful of things and am proud to share for fun
 
Finally, a decent thread to read. I want to here more from the folks with experience. I guess in a perfect world you want both. So anyone on here that looks cut and bench 400lbs at 175lbs? Let's here how they did it....

I just started lifting about 2yrs ago and I have increased my strenght big time. I can bench 305 at 180lbs and squat sets of 315. I'm not all cut and shizzle but not fat either. I love the strengh gains. I have never done juice either.

My goal is to bench 400lbs and able to throw any mckfuckers thru a car window! Oh, I'm 38yrs old too.
 
I voted Powerlifter, because that's what I compete in. I call myself a PowerBuilder, because I believe in combining their various principles, along with a few I invented myself (I call it my maximum overload training theory): For the ultimate in size and strength developement.
Personally I consider us all brothers (and sisters) in iron, along with the Olympic lifter and the Strongman competitor.
I'm not so supportive (or tolerant) of the fitness trainer who just wants to look pretty, while attempting to turn the Gym into their own social club.
Today I enjoyed a great ambiance in the Gym. We had 3 competitive Powerlifters, 3 competitive Olympic lifters, 2 youths training for their first powerlifting meet, and a shit load of out of towners here getting ready to compete in tomorrrows USA bodybuilding championships.
Even the midget Shawn Ray was there.
 
I prefer the bodyuilding style. I used to train for strength and found my joints were a lot more sore on average and I would get minor injuries more frequently. I really enjoyed the challenge and the training involved and still try to integrate aspects of it into my training, but I prefer to do each bodypart once per week as I find I can heal the best and rack up the fewest injuries from a routine like that. Plus my jionts feel like they will last longer training with more of a BBing style.
 
Does the answer in some part depend on how long you have been training - i.e., a powerlifting style routine is more appropriate for the fisrt year or so (e.g., 3 v 3 and 5 v 5) and then once size is developed a bodybuilder once-per-week style is more appropriate?
 
needtogetaas said:
bro lets not be a fucking dick.you may not like a member but this site is going good with lots of people helping out all over...
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dude i've got no beef with omega... i just pull his leg here and there and we all do here but nothing personal. so no offence intended to him.
 
I was just posing the question my friend. Don't be so certain what school of thought I subscribe to.

Dave Tate is a great example to illustrate your point.

Tweakle said:
I take it you subscribe to the Jkurz school of thought that you don't need to be strong to be big? :d

obviously ''powerlifting'' (whatever that means, I have no idea) isn't going to make an unaesthetic frame into a wasp waisted, tiny hipped Flex Wheeler.. but as a reality check neither is 'bodybuilding' as practiced by most denzins of your gym.

http://asp.elitefts.com/qa/default.asp?qid=56455&tid=139

http://asp.elitefts.com/qa/default.asp?qid=55157&tid=124

http://asp.elitefts.com/qa/default.asp?qid=54913&tid=126

3 quite different examples of guys who actually do some work in the gym, and diet down. They all lift heavy, the difference is in ... wait for it... their genetic response to training & their underlying structure.
Click to expand...
 
a combo of the 2 is a good idea. power lifting=heavy weight, heavy weight=the use of more muscle fiber. as a bb this cant be a bad thing? mix rep ranges around. i only go as low as 6 on heavy days tho, scared of low reps lol
 
There both good in there own way. Hows that for politically correct.
You should do a combo of both. Ther are some options like hypertrophy for 4 weeks than straight powerlift for 4 weeks.. one feeding into the other ..

Combo's are best in my opinion. Straight powerlifting sucks. Straight bb lifting sucks also.
 
BigboyAl said:
There both good in there own way. Hows that for politically correct.
You should do a combo of both. Ther are some options like hypertrophy for 4 weeks than straight powerlift for 4 weeks.. one feeding into the other ..

Combo's are best in my opinion. Straight powerlifting sucks. Straight bb lifting sucks also.[/QUOTE

I like the time when guys such as Grimek and Tommy Kono had great builds and were strong in both the Oly lifts and power lifts.

Too bad those days are over.
Click to expand...
 
I can't be the only one who thinks that most bodybuilders look gross and unnatural? Like that kid who omega trained, sure he looks like the hulk, but can he squat 500 lbs like his physique would suggest?

that doesnt impress me near as much as a built to shit olympic lifter with huge legs and big traps that lifts a ton of weight.
 
coreyb said:
I can't be the only one who thinks that most bodybuilders look gross and unnatural? Like that kid who omega trained, sure he looks like the hulk, but can he squat 500 lbs like his physique would suggest?

that doesnt impress me near as much as a built to shit olympic lifter with huge legs and big traps that lifts a ton of weight.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the personal compliment.
 
AEKDB said:
Why did you omit Oly Style Routines?
Click to expand...

Because weightlifters only lift the weight - and then drop it.
This is NOT a slam against the great sport of Olympic Weightlifting.
By not lowering the weight you don't take advantage of half of the muscle stimulation of the rep. Also single rep sets aren't usually suited for mass development. Also using momentum and leverage to lift the weight robs you of muscle growth potential.
Looking at the typical Oly lifter you see tremendous leg and hip development, but very little upper body development. Considering the amount of weight you put overhead you'd think Oly lifters would have the best delts of all. They don't because the delts only hold the weight in the locked out position, and contribute very little to actually lifting the weight.
Why I don't Oly lift anymore? I suck at it, and always have. I'm 6'6" with long assed arms that have forearms longer than my upper arms. I have relatively narrow hips, and small joints. I lack flexability. It's a skill that takes years to develop the coordination needed to be successfull. AND I got no percievable growth from my OLY lifting expierment - just sore joints.
It's doubtfull I'll ever total 2000 in Powerlifting, but combined with bodybuilding style training I've built a shit load of quality mass along the way, and have respectable push/pull powerlifting abilities.
I encourage every lifter to try their hand at Oly training. Maybe you have the right combination of strength/speed/coordination/flexability/ect to be great at it. You're a dying breed that needs new blood.
Respect.
 
My delts are huge, but I think genetics did that. I think the upper body development (chest, and biceps only), or lack there of can be a result of only training Oly lifts and their conjugates. With this said I consider my traps, rear delts part of my upper body, and you will not find small traps on an accomplished weightlifter.

Also - we don't drop everything. You only drop the last rep. As an example - doing Snatch Grip Behined the Neck Presses I am deff using my delts to get my max double or single up. They are grinders, and you have to put the weight back on your traps after each rep. I deff bounce the bar off my traps on the decent, but it is by no means dropped (until my last rep)

I always tell my wife I am training for the Apocalypse, not for vanity.

The Snatch is the single hardest / most technical movement in sports IMO.
 
I have the greatest respect for those guys & girls who compete in powerlifting/olympic lifting/strongman..etc. and I also have respect for those who follow bodybuilding.
All require a lot of hard work and dedication, just there is a slightly different emphasis.

Personally, I like to follow more of a bodybuilding training regime....but I also like to include power-lifts such as deadlifts/squats...etc. in my training.

I think bodybuilders today tend to avoid these lifts due to there being a much wider variety of machines and equipment available to them.

If you look back at some of the older bodybuilders of earlier years, a lot of them actually competed in powerlifting aswell. I believe Franko Columbu for example, held a few powerlifting records at one time, as did Robbie Robinson and a few others.

Also, Johnnie Jackson is a pretty good powerlifter and successful pro bodybuilder aswell.
 
chocolate or vanilla? how do you debate preference? personally i love to work with the iron. i am not particularly strong but i dont work on a farm or otherwise need Herculean strength . aesthetics and overall fitness are my goals and to this end bb serves this purpose.
 
coreyb said:
I can't be the only one who thinks that most bodybuilders look gross and unnatural? Like that kid who omega trained, sure he looks like the hulk, but can he squat 500 lbs like his physique would suggest?

that doesnt impress me near as much as a built to shit olympic lifter with huge legs and big traps that lifts a ton of weight.
Click to expand...

I agree with you on the unnatural look, and since Omega never actually said what weight the guy could lift It leads me to believe its not very much.

But whatever bodybuilders do whatever makes them look better. Powerlifters do whatever makes them stronger.

I would say I'm a powerlifter with a strong emphasis on high intensity cardio since not only do I want to be strong, I also want to be fast.
 
I agree a 100% with nathan and Omega. I feel that its also personal preference but like Nathan says about the joints...i started to feel like an old man and im only 21..

I feel growing up the howmuchdoya bench question is thrown around so much that ppl think in order to get a good physique they need to bench and lift A LOT of weight.

right now im 5'9' and 180lbs. I lift with decently heavy weight and i keep my rep range in the 6-10 range with a weight thats heavy but not so heavy that i have to sacrifice form.

There are guys in the gym that will outlift me quite a bit in some excersizes but when we stand next to eachother im about x2 of their size and i think its hilarious that im bigger then them considerably and more cut and i train with wayyy less weight.

Welp thats my thought on the issue.
 
Hybridtheory2o said:
I

There are guys in the gym that will outlift me quite a bit in some excersizes but when we stand next to eachother im about x2 of their size and i think its hilarious that im bigger then them considerably and more cut and i train with wayyy less weight.
Click to expand...


Better not pop off to them - they would eat you as a Post Workout meal.

They think you are hilarious, BTW. :rainbow:
 
al420 said:
Better not pop off to them - they would eat you as a Post Workout meal.

They think you are hilarious, BTW. :rainbow:
Click to expand...
thats funny when i weighed 170lb at age 22 i whipped the fuck out of 2 powerlifters....at the same time. both guys were 250+ and im certain could out lift me on every movement. but it didnt help them against my 10 yrs of boxing aikido kempo and street-fighting. size and strength dont mean shit against a skilled fighter.
 
Probably unless you can hit real hard....not many people can take a shot to the nose or continue scrappin with a broken cheekbone lol and yes ive seen both of those happen :P but who cares we all go to war with the iron everyday
 
layinback said:
thats funny when i weighed 170lb at age 22 i whipped the fuck out of 2 powerlifters....at the same time. both guys were 250+ and im certain could out lift me on every movement. but it didnt help them against my 10 yrs of boxing aikido kempo and street-fighting. size and strength dont mean shit against a skilled fighter.
Click to expand...


I train Muay Thai and have for over 6 years. I train 3x a week. I am 5'11 225lbs....

I think Bruce Lee said it best....

“Let an opponent graze your skin and you smash into his flesh; let an opponent smash into your flesh and you fracture his bone; let an opponent fracture your bone and you take his life! Do not be concerned with your escaping safely; lay your life before him!”
 
One time I banged into a big guy on the way back from the water fountain, and he didn't say shit cause he could see I was a stone cold killer. And the old ladies on the treadmills better check their shit, they get a front view seat to me laying the smackdown on the heavy bag in the pilates studio before trying to do a max bench with 180 (and getting pinned), followed by lots of hostile 'who the fuck YOU lookin at' eye contact with everyone else in the gym.
 
al420 said:
I train Muay Thai and have for over 6 years. I train 3x a week. I am 5'11 225lbs....

I think Bruce Lee said it best....

“Let an opponent graze your skin and you smash into his flesh; let an opponent smash into your flesh and you fracture his bone; let an opponent fracture your bone and you take his life! Do not be concerned with your escaping safely; lay your life before him!”
Click to expand...
muay thai....excellent fighting style with real world practicality. bruce was 5'2 at 135lb. btw i read all of your post.
 
Tweakle said:
One time I banged into a big guy on the way back from the water fountain, and he didn't say shit cause he could see I was a stone cold killer. And the old ladies on the treadmills better check their shit, they get a front view seat to me laying the smackdown on the heavy bag in the pilates studio before trying to do a max bench with 180 (and getting pinned), followed by lots of hostile 'who the fuck YOU lookin at' eye contact with everyone else in the gym.
Click to expand...


That guy was me - tell the story right Tweakle. What really happened is Tweakle was doing dips and I saw how big his ass was - i love a big ass - so I followed him to the mens locker room to see if he wanted ot jerk me off... unfortunatly for me he wasd already going downm on the towel boy....

Damn towel boy get's all the play.
 
you better check your shit too, granddad or I'll come stand really close to you and start shadowboxing & pulling up my shirt to flash my abs/wipe my sweaty head. just to show I could crush you like an ant if I chose to.

that clearly didn't happen as my ass it much too big to squeeze into the dip stand, or through the locker room door for that matter.
 
Call me a newb but what is the difference between Power Lighting and Body Building aren't they the same thing, I mean both lifting weights to get a better body ??

Which one goes more with the 5x5 program ?? I assume that Power Lifting is the 5x5 for lifting ball busting heavy weights on your 5th sets, and Body Building is doing like 15reps of lighter weight to get ripped ??
 
Powerlifting is a sport where you try to lift the most weight for a single rep in the squat, bench press, and deadlift.
Bodybuilding is a sport where you are judged on muscular development.
I call myself a powerbuilder because I combine the training principles of both for the ultimate in size and strength - hopefully.
I compete in powerlifting only, as my leg development is lagging and always will be. Plus I'd rather be a 310 lb monster than a 250lb anatomy chart.
I don't use any of Bill Starrs routine's (5x5), but I suggest you give them a try.
Getting ripped is more a function of dieting and cardio then training style, but you'll burn more calories with high rep, short rest period type of training.
I feel you build more muscle size with low reps and heavy weights with ample rest between sets - i.e. power training.
Bottom line: There is no one right way for everyone to train. It's as individualistic as people are.
 
st8grad said:
Bill Starr says bodybuilding is a waste of time and that working out each muscle group once per week is not based on science.

Omega says that powerlifting is ignorant and destructive. I hate to throw Omega into this because I don't know him and don't know his full position on this.

Bill Starr's full position has been published fully so it is what it is.

The WL forum does seem to be dominated with PL-ers and the AAS forum with BB-ers.

If it is possible, it would be great to read the pro's and con's of each. With at least a little intelligent thought.

Assuming that we all are looking for:

Increased strength
Better performance/health etc
Bigger muscles/better looking body.

For this discussion lets assume that most powerlifters aren't fat and the most bodybuilders don't do pinky extended reverse curls with 5 pounds for 3000 reps.
Click to expand...

I may lift like a powerlifter and "be a powerlifer" per se. However, i still lift to look good. I am not 100% about moving more weight and upping my lifts. I am more interested in being good at strongman (which is different all together) and i still wanna look good, not be a fat blocky blob who happens to be able to lift alot. I just started out with a powerlifting type routine and saw huge gains off it so i never changed to BB style stuff unless i am deloading or taking time off from heavy training.
 
Big_BK said:
I may lift like a powerlifter and "be a powerlifer" per se. However, i still lift to look good. I am not 100% about moving more weight and upping my lifts. I am more interested in being good at strongman (which is different all together) and i still wanna look good, not be a fat blocky blob who happens to be able to lift alot. I just started out with a powerlifting type routine and saw huge gains off it so i never changed to BB style stuff unless i am deloading or taking time off from heavy training.
Click to expand...

I think this outlook applies to many of us here. This includes myself who doesn't have the goal to compete.

Whatever your reasons are it takes a lot of hard work to be successful. This is just as true of adding 40 lbs. to your squat as it is of trying to lose 5% off your body fat.

The real debate is sparked by people who fall into a 'style' of training without understanding what they are doing. They need to understand, whatever their objectives are, that it's necessary to start with an adequate base of strength. As the saying goes, you can't build a house without a foundation. This is equally true for a bodybuilder, powerlifter, baller, strongman, what3ver

Rant over.:dolphin:
 
In the words of my father, "Son, why the Hell are you trying to Body Build, you need to be Power Lifting so you can pick up my damn lawnmower and put it in the truck!"
(Its a riding lawnmower - prob over 1000 pounds)
...now I'm a powerlifter
 
haven't read all umpty-ump pages of dialogue, but here's my 2c: i was doing bodybuilding for a few years a while back and while i did enjoy it a lot, i *vastly* prefer powerlifting for one simple reason:

with bodybuilding, you train and train and train and in a few weeks or a couple months, you check to see if it's working.

with powerlifting, it goes up - it worked, on to the next goal. it didn't go up - need to work harder.

me, i'm all about instant gratification, lol.
 
I'm a fan of the sleeper concept. Look small but lift big. There is no better feeling then when you are next to some guy that out weighs you by 50lbs and you out lift him by 100lbs! Being big is a joke if you don't have the strength to go with the look.
 
Sportbike Bob said:
I'm a fan of the sleeper concept. Look small but lift big. There is no better feeling then when you are next to some guy that out weighs you by 50lbs and you out lift him by 100lbs! Being big is a joke if you don't have the strength to go with the look.
Click to expand...

I couldn't agree more brother. I do this daily in my gym. I weigh just under 170 but can bench almost twice my weight. Its an awesome feeling to throw around big boy weight....and most people think I'm much heavier too :)
 
We have 3 kinda people at our gym powerlifters, bodybuilders, and powerlifting bodybuilders. For looks on stage the powerlifting bodybuilders are the more thinker and grainer guys that do more of the winning on stage rather than just the bodybuilders alone. They are also damn good at powerlifting cause they are usually leaner which make them lighter. I say the 2 mixed together are the magic combo for both worlds. Lift like a powerlifter and then diet like a bodybuilder.
 
spikester said:
We have 3 kinda people at our gym powerlifters, bodybuilders, and powerlifting bodybuilders. For looks on stage the powerlifting bodybuilders are the more thinker and grainer guys that do more of the winning on stage rather than just the bodybuilders alone. They are also damn good at powerlifting cause they are usually leaner which make them lighter. I say the 2 mixed together are the magic combo for both worlds. Lift like a powerlifter and then diet like a bodybuilder.
Click to expand...

Probably true until you run into the hardcore powerlifters. I mean the Louie simmons type. Thick, Fat strong as FCK and wouldn't win a bodybuilding contest in a million years. But if you need someone to pick up your fridge...
 
A powerlifter uses mechanical advantage (good form!) to lift as much weight as possible over time. More weight = more muscle. I think to many guys don't realize that most BBer's built there foundations of mass from powerlifting type programs then they focus more on training the "muscle" NOT the lift. I personally just want to be as big and strong as i can. Eventually i might use more of a BB program if i wanna bring up a certain body part for looks, but i got a long ways to go.
 
This was a great read. Hearing people opinions on different types of training was very interesting.

I'm lucky in this area because I run a night club and I've gotten some training in all the areas. I had a bouncer that worked for me the was a body builder, had a bouncer that was a professional power lifter (had records at west side barbell) and a couple MMA guys. The body builder is in amazing shape, very hard work and very impressive. No one wanted to fight after they looked at him because most people were scared of him. The power lifter clearly looks strong, but he doesn't really worry about his diet so he just looks like a bigger guy. Then the mma guys have never even lifted a weight (lol) all weigh under 200lb.

Each area is completely different! The body builder is in it for looks. It's 90% diet for him and 10% training. The power lifter does all his training based around the the three lifts that he cares about.

Sent from my ADR6350 using EliteFitness
 
I pay the body builder to just stand there because it makes most people not want to fight. I pay the power lifter to remove drunk idiots, because he can literally pick up anyone and bring them out side. The two mma guys actually get swung at all the time because they look like nothing. So its pain have to small bouncers. But at the end of the night if there's a 20 man fight, those two mma guys CLEAR THE CLUB OUT for me! (very entertaining by the way)

Sent from my ADR6350 using EliteFitness
 
I prefer both.
Compete as powerlifter. I train the main lifts and use accessory work as bodybuilding. Motto - be strong, look strong.
Only thing worse than a weak bodybuilder is a fat powerlifter. Relax everyone, was a joke with a dash of reality.
 
powerlifting all the way, i did body building split routines for a year and didnt get shit outta it!!! i powerlifted for four months and i put on 25 pounds of lean mass in that time and my total went from a really shitty 860 to a sorta shitty 1020, well it aint to bad since im only 15
 
I think the two compliment each other. It depends what you want though. Bodybuilding excels at building muscle and an pleasant balanced looking physique, you will gain some strength as you build muscle. that being said optimal strength will not be reached with bodybuilding alone. Powerlifting is best for building absolute brute strength. Bodybuilding training lacks the intensity level (% of max weight lifted) to enhance motor unit recruitment, and CNS development, which are needed for peak strength.
 
I couldn't agree more that you should mix the both together if you want to really make the best gains.
I mainly use powerlifting to push me to a new weight set, (you have to tell your slow twitch muscles whats up).
However, I do happen to train my Bicepts in more of a BB approach since I use them a lot on my heavy bent over rows.
(I'm only at 120lb dumbels for reps of six, trying to get back to 150lb for x5)... And I do only work out these muscle groups once a week.
I also train my inner thighs/groin area and outer with lighter weight as well as my hamstrings on leg days on more of a bb approach.

I do notice that medium weight with a squeeze gets the best pumps for me. However, heavy weight with a rep 4-6 where the 6th is borderline failure
always gives me the best sore as hell but i know your getting bigger feeling. (I always try to mix these styles up)

I tried just the BB approach at 160lb but got stuck at 180lb two years later.
I switched to incorporating the power lifting approach and peaked out again at 210lb after another 2 years.
Granted I have a large frame for only being 5'9.. ( measuring your wrist circumfrence, ankle circumfrence, height etc into a formula)

so as stated you really need both, as well as listening to your body to get the best gains for that day.

Because I don't see whats wrong with looking big and lifting big : )
 
Last edited:
Brapbrap07 said:
I couldn't agree more that you should mix the both together if you want to really make the best gains.
I mainly use powerlifting to push me to a new weight set, (you have to tell your slow twitch muscles whats up).
However, I do happen to train my Bicepts in more of a BB approach since I use them a lot on my heavy bent over rows.
(I'm only at 120lb dumbels for reps of six, trying to get back to 150lb for x5)... And I do only work out these muscle groups once a week.
I also train my inner thighs/groin area and outer with lighter weight as well as my hamstrings on leg days on more of a bb approach.

I do notice that medium weight with a squeeze gets the best pumps for me. However, heavy weight with a rep 4-6 where the 6th is borderline failure
always gives me the best sore as hell but i know your getting bigger feeling. (I always try to mix these styles up)

I tried just the BB approach at 160lb but got stuck at 180lb two years later.
I switched to incorporating the power lifting approach and peaked out again at 210lb after another 2 years.
Granted I have a large frame for only being 5'9.. ( measuring your wrist circumfrence, ankle circumfrence, height etc into a formula)

so as stated you really need both, as well as listening to your body to get the best gains for that day.

Because I don't see whats wrong with looking big and lifting big : )
Click to expand...

Quick tip for you, hamstrings contain mostly fast twitch type IIb muscle fibres so they respond well to heavier weight and lower reps.

I also agree about mixing it up, there are other reasons for doing this other than the sake of variety. both styles of training target different muscle fibres, in my opinion; to maximize your full muscle building potential it is necessary to try bb routines and powerlifting either in the same workout or separately
 
You could develop more on certain routines, types of exercise and volume, but sometimes it's a mattter of personal preference and of what your goals are.
 
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