What I have Learned Going From BB to PL

[curgeo]

I already posted this on the PL forum but I know a lot of people just hang around over here. I figured I would post it here because it might help some newer people that might want to make the transition.

I posted this on AF first:

A lot of you know that I decided to go into powerlifting after being a life long bodybuilder. I love it more than BB and have really gotten an education doing it. This is a partial list of the top of my head of things I have learned in my transition of the last several months:

The only limits are what you set on yourself. You have to readjust your perspective of what is heavy and what isn't. Setting limits on yourself is something I did when bodybuilding, but I have a new perspective on my limitations now.

Try and train with stronger people. This goes right along with the above statement. Before I started training with joepalooka, monster and lunchbox....I had a number in my mind of what was heavy for me......now seeing these big fat guys throw around weight has destroyed that image of heavy. Stronger people are also good to have as friends in case you need something moved.....right lunchbox?

Make sure you can trust your training partners. When squatting or benching....you are relying on your partners to spot you and make sure you don't hurt yourself. IF you don't trust them....your lifts will suffer.

A 5lbs PR is better than no PR.

When you do your Max Effort work, the strain when you do your max set is more important than getting the lift. The strain is what affects the CNS to recruit more muscle fibers.

Technique, technique, technique. Everyday I try and refine my technique. It is the most important thing in powerlifting. We are thinking of starting to train at Clay's powerlifting gym to get some help on just this. Look at it this way....if you are trying to squat 1200lbs....one technique flaw and you could be dead.

On ME day....do whatever you can to get the weight up....technique is reinforced more on DE day.

Speed is king. The faster and more explosive you become....the stronger you can become.

Explode all weights with maximum SAFE force. This goes for bodybuilders to. It recruits more muscle fibers and teaches the body to turn on the motor units quickly.

Constantly reevaluate your strengths and weaknesses. Always work to make your weakness a strength and then reassess your weakness.

You can never know too much. Make sure you remain an ACTIVE student in not only pl, but in life.

Try new things. Do things that you would otherwise dismiss just to see if they work. Don't be afraid to switch your training up if it isn't working.

Buy "Supertraining" and "The Science and Practice of Strength Training." You will learn something every time you pick up these books.

Become a member of the Late Mel Siff's SUPERTRAINING forum on yahoo.....also go to and join http://groups-beta.google.com/group...e?msg=subscribe to access the supertraining search feature. It doesn't work very well on the yahoo forum itself.

Read everything by Mel Siff, Dave Tate, Louis Simmons, Verkoshansky, Bompa, Medvedyev, Laputin and Bill Starr.

Recuperation is really important in your training. Make sure you don't overtrain....make sure you eat and rest to recover for your next workout.

Alternating temperature showers are a great rehab tool.....aim the water at a sore body part and put the temp to cold for 30 sec...hot for 30 sec....cold....etc for a couple times....it will flush blood in and out of the muscle and help it heal.

Learn how to arch when you bench. It will take inches of your stroke. I really recommend Metal Militia's Advanced Bench DVD to learn all the technique of this. Ulter....I recommend this to your friend that is a 700 bencher at the gym.

Tuck your elbows when you bench.

Strengthen your Triceps. The inner head is the head of the tricep that you get your power from. Make that stronger...people always seem to strain a shoulder or a pec, but the tris are durable....make them stronger for your bench.

The Posterior Chain (hamstrings, glutes, lowerback) is the most important bodyparts for functional strength. We will include the abdominals in this as well.

Learn to sit back when you squat. Do a search of www.elitefts.com to read articles on box squatting and sitting back when you squat. You will use more low back, glutes and hams when you squat like this. These muscles are stronger than quads alone. Make sure to always read all the articles on Elitefts.....just like your Playboys.

When squatting wide, invest in power briefs. They will save the wear and tear on your hips.

In 3 years of training, Mike Miller has a 1200 squat an 800 bench and hasn't even got his technique down on the deadlifts.....can you say a 3000 total? Look out Gary Frank.

When coming out of a squat, lead with your head....it will drive your chest up and help your back stay arched.....it is what is hardest for me to learn.

Bands are harder on your body than chains. The bands are always pulling on you and forcing you to exert more force....especially on the eccentric part.

Neurogenix, Cee and Trex make a huge improvement in my workouts.

The Core (hips, lowerback and abs) are the foundation of your strength. If the lower back is weak...it can strain your back. If the abs are weak....it can strain your back. If your hamstrings are tight......it can strain your back. The abs can take up to 40 percent of the pressure off the lowerback when squatting if it is strong.

Blow air into your stomach against your belt to stabilize your back and make a wider base when squatting and deadlifting.

Never do the same workout back to back in your rotation.

I used to get DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) when I was bodybuilding due to the heavy eccentric work, but I never seem to get very sore now.

Learn how to use your gear (belts, suits, shirts, wraps....etc.

Learn prelipins's principle and plan your training with it.

If you don't use your strength....you will lose it in less than a week.

If you train at a commercial gym, get ready to be an outcast, victim of jealous people, complained about and watched very closely.


That's all I can thin of from the top of my head. If anybody feels like adding anything please feel free.

 

[JohnnyCoho]

....and wear sunscreen!!! hehehe just kinda reminded me of that song / speech,..only for serious lifter though.

Only thing I'd like to add is; Learn to really listen to your body!! Kinda' goes with your strengthening weekness' then reevaluating thing though.

I'd also re-emphasize strengthening one's core!!

Awesome post curgeo!!!! "K" to ya Bor

 

[Madcow2]

Wow. Very nice. I'd put this in the running for highest good information/words ratio.

 

[super_rice]

good stuff

 

[WalkingBeast]

Great post!

 

[bignate73]

deja vu!

hehe.

 

[d3track]

i'd say much of that can be used in bb as well
at least IMO

i'd k ya, but i need to spread first

 

[220]

Lifting heavier weights, more suseptible to injury??! (PL)

 

[bignate73]

Lifting heavier weights, more suseptible to injury??! (PL)

no...thats a generalization.

lifting heavier weights requires more emphasis on developing correct form, preventing injury through prehab exercises, and focusing on weak points(physical, not visual ones).

as with anything, there is a chance for injury, but PL'ers tend to do less rep grinding, so overuse/cumulative trauma can be minimized. Joints will take a beating from heavy weights but also repetitive submaximal lifting can cause its wear and tear.

i guess it can be argued either way, but the education that curgeo speaks of is ongoing and seems to cover such a vast range of topics: prehab, weak points, speed, flexibility etc. you don't tend to encounter that much in BB'ing, unless someone has adopted a hybrid of training styles.

 

[220]

I'd prefer looks over strength. Plus, strength comes with muscles anyway. So it's a win win situation.

 

[super_rice]

no...thats a generalization.

lifting heavier weights requires more emphasis on developing correct form, preventing injury through prehab exercises, and focusing on weak points(physical, not visual ones).

as with anything, there is a chance for injury, but PL'ers tend to do less rep grinding, so overuse/cumulative trauma can be minimized. Joints will take a beating from heavy weights but also repetitive submaximal lifting can cause its wear and tear.

i guess it can be argued either way, but the education that curgeo speaks of is ongoing and seems to cover such a vast range of topics: prehab, weak points, speed, flexibility etc. you don't tend to encounter that much in BB'ing, unless someone has adopted a hybrid of training styles.

those who train for strength are much more open about the subject and their training "secrets"

those who train for strength take better care of their bodies as for as targeting weak points with injury prevention

 

[BobbyJenious]

Great stuff bro.

 

[curgeo]

Great observations as usual Nate. Thanks for you kind words everybody.

I'd prefer looks over strength. Plus, strength comes with muscles anyway. So it's a win win situation.

Actually 220, that is true but only to a point. When you lift maximal weights you are actually training your cns as well as your muscles. You are trying to learn how to recruit the maximum amount of muscle fibers for a particular lift.

I'll explain:

If you take a beginning lifter and tell him to do 70 percent of his 1rm as many times as he can.....he can get a bunch. Ask a lifter who has been training for a while and he can not do as many reps with the same 70percent. Why? The beginner only recruits the muscles that he needs in order to do the exercise.....the powerlifter recruits many more than he needs in order to do it and gets fatigued.

Size does not equal strength. I did a post on AF about this a while ago. Because I am lazy, I am just going to cut and paste a little here:

posted 07-03-04 02:04 AM
There are two types of muscle growth:

Sarcoplasmic and myofibril.

Myofibril growth is actually the muscle FIBER growing denser and larger. It does not mean you are making MORE muscle fibers, only that they are getting bigger. This is not a a large growth, but it is this hypertrophy that makes you stronger. Powerlifters usually have this type of muscular growth.

Sarcoplasmic growth is different. It is a swelling of the non-contractile protein and plasma between the muscle fibers. Usually myofibril growth happens here to, but not to a great extent. This is the type of growth that most bodybuilders aquire from their training. It does not directly relate to a strength increase, but to muscular growth.

This is the reason that when you look at a powerlifter, they usually have dense looking muscle.

There is a relationship between strength and size, but I feel fiber type and type of training are a bigger indicator of strength or muscle.

A bodybuilder usually trains in higher reps. They go for working the muscle to a pump. This shoves nutrients and blood into the cell. The relience on eccentric movements causes a heavy breakdown of muscle fibers....which stimulates the Type IIc (I think they are IIc) which are large fibers, but not really strength fibers.

A powerlifter doesn't use a lot of eccentric when they train, causing more damage to the Type IIb fibers which are explosive and strong.

I really think it all comes down to specifity of training. If you train to be strong (low reps, explosive training) you can become strong......That doesn't mean you will not gain muscle mass, it just means you don't have to (powerlifters sometimes compete in the same class year round and seem to always get streonger).

If you train for size.....higher reps, shorter rest intervals, more time under tension you will have more sacoplasmic growth. This also doesn't mean you won't gain strength from it, it just means it doesn't have to cause strength gain.

It's a hard question to answer. Monster and I have been trying to find a happy medium for a while on this. I am okay with just being strong for now and Monster is trying to get strong and still maintain size.

My opinion is it comes down to training specifity.....A sprinter doesn't usually train like a marathon runner and vice versa.


220....I actually used to get a lot of back injuries but I haven't had that since I started lifting heavy and made my back stronger.

Just train how you want to. Decide what it is you want and go for it. For me....I will never go back to bodybuilding again, but I won't bash somebody that likes it.

 

[Madcow2]

220 - Here's more info to compliment the above:

TOPIC 6: DIFFERENT KINDS OF HYPERTROPHY

Hypertrophy: guys, i wrote this in responce to a question on the think muscle board... i thought it might be of interest to some of you here. if not, well no harm done i guess. there are basically 3 trainable factors involved in size and strength. sarcoplasmic hypertrophy... does not directly increase strength but can effect it by increasing tendon angle at the attachment. but of course increases size. sarcomere hypertrophy... increases contractile proteins in muscle thereby increasing strength directly and also size. neural effeciency... increase in the percentage of motor units that can be activated at any given time. no effect on size but increases strength. the training for each quality exists on sort of a continuim. training for sarcoplasmic hypertrophy is high volume and low intensity... like 10 sets of 10 for a muscle. training for sarcomere hypertrophy is med intensity and med volume... like 5 sets of 5 for a muscle. training for increased neural effeciency is high intensity and low volume... like 5 max effort singles for a given muscle. now, each style of training effects each muscle quality, but in different quantities. for example, 10 sets of 10 will result in a high degree of sarcoplasmic hypertrophy, some sarcomere hypertrophy, and little or no increase in neural effeciency. 5 sets of 5 will increase all 3 qualities, but will effect sarcomere hypertrophy the most. max effort singles will increase neural effeciency a great deal, but will have only a small effect on hypertrophy of the sarcomere, and little or no effect on sarcoplasmic hypertrophy. so no matter how you train, you are likely to get both bigger and stronger... but the degree to which each quality is increased depends on the training. as you get more advanced, the picture changes somewhat. for example, if a highly trained explosive athlete, like a shot-putter, did only workouts of 10 sets of 10 for a month, he would get hypertrophy of the sarcoplasm... but likely NO hypertrophy of the sarcomere and would likely LOSE neural effeciency, simply because he was so highly trainind in this quality beforehand that 10 sets of 10 would not be sufficient stimulus to even keep what neural effeciency he had. also... for a beginner, doing multiple singles would likely lead to some size increases. but for an advanced bodybuilder it would not be sufficient stimulus to keep the sarcoplamic hypertrophy already present. now, as far as whether training for one quality helps subsequent training for another quality, the answer is yes. for instance, an athlete who is only concerned with explosive strength will still train at times with higher reps and experience some sarcoplamic hypertrophy... this "supports" later gains in sarcomere hypertrophy and neural effeciency by building work capacity (sarcoplasmic hypertrophy adds the neccessary ingredients such as cappillaries to the muscle to support high work capacity later in the training cycle, so the athlete can do a higher volume of work). also, a bodybuilder who is only concerned with size will do most of his work with volumes and intensities of training which favor hypertrophy of both the sarcomere and the sarcoplasm. but heavy work done to increase neural effeciency will also help... the ability to activate more motor units during an all out effort will make the rest of his training more result producing and effecient. as far as how to "cycle" these different types of work during a training cycle... well at almost all times during a training cycle you should do at least SOME work on each quality... if you totally neglect some portion of the muscle you will lose performance in that quality. however, you should shift your concentration of work from the least important quality for your sport over time to the most important. in other words... a bodybuilder might begin training for a contest 6 months away with more high intensity work, and gradually shift the emphasis over the months to more med. and low intensity work. a strength athlete would do the opposite. hope this helped in some way.

Source: http://forum.mesomorphosis.com/showthread.php?t=12

 

[The_Monster]

strength comes with muscles anyway.

Dont forget to take smilax and boron though... for EXTRA good gains!

 

[d3track]

you don't tend to encounter that much in BB'ing, unless someone has adopted a hybrid of training styles.

my preffered method
i have to admit, i have made better gains and had fewer injuries adding pl components in t my bb training....