Bodybuilding vs Powerlifting

What Will Be Covered

This post has been coming for a while but I think it's something that needs to be written. I intend to cover a variety of issues in this post including: the rising popularity of powerlifting, differences/similarities and why you would/would not choose to embrace powerlifting.

Powerlifting Gaining Momentum

Powerlifting has been gaining popularity in recent times for a variety of reasons (particularly amongst natural lifters). The reasons are as follows in my opinion:

- Some of the best natural bodybuilders and coaches out there who have large followings have been getting into powerlifting or have been doing it for a long while and promoting/popularising it.
- Sometimes bodybuilders will come out of the tail end of a contest prep and decide that either they would like to try their hand at powerlifting or that they need something to focus on in the off season and powerlifting is just the ticket.
- Some bodybuilders tend to believe that powerlifting is the secret to building a bigger, better physique.
- Some people who do/have done both bodybuilding and powerlifting will tell you that they think bodybuilding is a sport which has a fairly negative community attitude and that powerlifters tend to display more comradery and positivity towards one another.
- For some people lifting heavy shit is fun.

I suppose since powelifting appears to be becoming more popular we have to ask ourselves the question - is bodybuilding on the decline? I think there are people who have moved from bodybuilding more into the powerlifting community that would tell you that it is. But I really think that the answer is no it isn't. Bodybuilding is as popular as ever and with the newer divisions that have emerged over the recent years I think it is encouraging more and more people who would have otherwise never considered bodybuilding as such in a competitive sense to get involved in the physique based sport.

Are They Really That Different?

So are bodybuilding and powerlifting really different things? Should they be viewed as separate? I suppose the answer is "yes and no". There are some differences in terms of the ultimate goals and training focuses. Obviously with powerlifting the goal is to lift as much weight as possible at a meet for a single repetition in the squat, bench press and deadlift whereas in a competitive sense with bodybuilding the goal is to present maximal, proportionate and symmetrical muscle mass, with low levels of body fat on stage.

The focuses with training will tend to be on the lower end of the rep range for powerlifters and generally a little higher for most bodybuilders simply because each is more specific to the goals of either strength or hypertrophy. However that is not to say that bodybuilders cannot utilise lower rep ranges or that powerlifters cannot train in higher rep ranges. This certainly is common practice. However I use the phrase "training focus" because it depicts the tendency for powerlifters to focus on lower reps/heavier weight and bodybuilders to focus on moderate or higher rep ranges with lower percentages of load.

Some of the other differences can be found in overall program design and application: amount, type and variety of accessory work performed, technique eg low bar squat vs high bar squat, equipment used (referring to both assistance equipment that equipped powerlifters use to assist in their lifts and also tools that powerlifters typically use in some contexts to improve weak parts of a lift). Now I want to emphasise that none of these things are strict hard and fast rules. They more refer to tendencies or areas that either bodybuilders or powerlifters often focus on in regards to training. It is of course somewhat of a continuum with blurred lines as to where bodybuilding training ends and powerlifting training begins. After all we are all just lifting stuff up and putting it back down again in a gradually progressive fashion.

Why Choose Powerlifting

1. You have a passion for it

I think this is probably the single most important factor. You simply love lifting heavy weights (squat, bench, deadlift) and you are in love with the idea of getting as strong as possible (either recreationally for personal goals or competitively at a meet). Just like anything you want to be successful at you must have unbridled passion for it.

2. Support and Comradery

I think there is truly something to the notion that powerlifting fosters a more supportive environment than does bodybuilding in a general sense. There is more comradery because it is about performance (which people want to see others succeed at) and less about body image (which people can get jealous about). However I do believe that this has become something that is over hyped and only applies generally and not specifically. Whilst there is plenty of negativity in the bodybuilding industry, there is also plenty of positivity and support. I know that amongst my networks as a bodybuilder I have experienced both (though I tend to surround myself and associate myself with positive people for the most part). As a bodybuilder you have to be willing to take the good with the bad and if you are not willing to have the bad as part of your life then powerlifting may be something to consider. I will also say that anything that is competitive is going to have some degree of negativity and jealousy involved with it as that is the nature of competitiveness. Certainly powerlifting is not exempt from this. Negativity will always exist if you seek it out.

3. Powerlifting Interests You

This one is more along the lines of - you've never tried powerlifting and are unsure about it but it is something that has sparked your interest and you'd like to get involved in. In this case by all means try it (whether competitive or not). There is absolutely nothing wrong with trying new things if you genuinely have some interest in them.

4. Nutrition

If adhering to a strict diet is not your thing and you prefer to eat all the foods then powerlifting may be a good option for you to choose (or perhaps you are just in the off season between shows and don't want to obsess over your diet too much whilst gaining muscle). This is not to say that you may not have to stay within or close to a weight category, cut body weight for a meet or that you cannot track your nutritional intake with as much discipline and strictness as you desire if you are a powerlifter. It is just to point out that powerlifters typically have less of a focus on body composition and more of a focus on performance. It doesn't mean you can't have both.

5. Strength and performance is more of a priority than aesthetic qualities and physique related goals

If you want to be a powerlifter then you better have a desire to get stronger. After all lifting as much weight as possible is what the sport is all about and at a meet it is what you are judged on. I want to point out that having a great physique and lifting a lot of weight are not mutually exclusive goals. Can you do both? Yes! Look at Dan Green for example. There is quite a bit of overlap between strength and hypertrophy but where your priorities lie are going to determine where and how you develop the most.

6. You like facts and numbers

This is a fairly big attractor for powerlifters (especially those transitioning from bodybuilding to powerlifting because of the contrast in terms of objectivity). The fact is powerlifting is a lot more objective and fact oriented than is bodybuilding (in a competitive/judging sense). In powerlifting you either make the lift or you miss it. Of course there is some interpretation involved by the judges as to whether the lift was acceptable in terms of the rules and regulations which dictate how it should be done. But that is about as subjective as it gets. Bodybuilding of course is a much more subjective sport where each judge on the panel may have a very different opinion about the competitors physiques. Simply put there it's not always very clear cut. Additionally biases, corruption and politics are more likely to creep their way into competitive bodybuilding as it is a subjectively judged sport.

7. You want to build a base for your physique

If you are in that beginner to intermediate phase of training then this point is for you. There is an argument that you may put more of an emphasis on the big three lifts so as to build a base (after all the big lifts are going to help with development of the major muscle groups). I think this one could really be argued either way. If you are truly beginning (as in you've never lifted before) then you probably are going to be quite challenged just using some basic equipment such as machines, developing the neuromuscular pathways and motor control required to develop correct technique. You will also have to contend with quite a bit of delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). Lifting very heavy weights on exercises that have a higher than average risk to reward ratio (particularly without professional instruction) may not be the best idea if you are a beginner. At least not until you develop sound technique. If you are an intermediate and have your technique down pat then I think by all means it would be advantageous to utilise a powerlifting focused routine to develop a good base to then build upon further for the purposes of bodybuilding and physique development. This is of course not to say that the same could not be achieved by simply focusing on these movements in more "hypertrophy oriented" rep ranges (or a variety of other movements) for the same purpose. This one as I said is kind of up in the air and can be approached from a variety of angles.

Why Not to Choose Powerlifting

1. Inability to set physique goals

Scenario: A bodybuilder has been preparing for 6 months for a contest and comes out of the prep wrecked, sick and tired of focusing on nutrition and since the show they have been focusing heavily on is now over kind of "lost" in terms of what to do next. This person thinks to him/herself "I think I'll give powerlifting a shot!". Now how commonly have you seen that happen? Pretty damn often I'd say! Whilst there is nothing wrong with doing this, I have to question how well did that person reassess their own goals? If you are a bodybuilder who is passionate about building a better physique wouldn't you analyse which muscle groups and areas of your physique are lacking and get to work on improving them? As a bodybuilder it seems like a no brainer to me.

If I may make an analogy if you are a soccer player and you get to the end of the season do you then take up rugby league in the off season to help yourself develop as a soccer player? Of course not! You apply specificity and practice soccer related skills that will help you improve most in your chosen sport. Could there be some carry over from rugby league to soccer? Sure there could. But you'd be better off actually practicing soccer if you are a soccer player. I get the impression that more and more people are turning to powerlifting because they are incapable of setting specific goals related directly to their physique.

2. Using powerlifting specifically as a means to improve your physique without critical thought

This is heavily related to the previous point. Squats, bench press and deadlifts are highly beneficial movements that will benefit your physique. They will. Lifting heavy weights will also undoubtedly benefit your physique in terms of both direct hypertrophy and theoretically strength potential carryover to hypertrophy rep ranges. However the point I want to push home is that if you are primarily a bodybuilder and concerned with developing your physique you really have to think about what areas you want to develop. Is powerlifting going to be the answer to develop those areas? Could you train differently to more effectively build muscle in specific areas that need them? Typically I see people post photos on social media with the sarcastic caption "powerlifting ruined my physique". Indeed it may be true that powerlifting does not ruin physiques, in fact it probably improves them in many cases (specific to the muscle groups involved in the lifts). However I advise that you program your training specific to your own goals. You need to ask yourself how can you best develop YOUR physique rather than assuming powerlifting is a cure all.

I think under this heading we can also discuss the rep ranges that are typically used in both powerlifting and bodybuilding. As we know volume is one of the most important variables when it comes to both strength and hypertrophy (and no it isn't the only variable). The lower rep ranges and heavy loads required in powerlifting typically mean that you have to perform more sets with more rest in between to achieve equivalent volume to what could be achieved with a moderate - high rep range. In other words training with a tendency for low reps/heavy weight most of the time is a less efficient means to achieve hypertrophy (it can be done but it means you will spend longer in the gym). This is something to keep in mind if you have physique related goals as a priority.

3. Coaches or other bodybuilders that you follow are also powerlifters

Again this is not a reason to choose to do something unless you also have a specific interest in it. Do something because you have passion for it, not because someone else does it even if you look up to them. Learn to develop yourself as an individual instead of trying to copy others. Don't be a sheep.

4. You just don't like lifting heavy or prefer other exercises/training styles

Adherence and consistency with a training program is hugely important for progression no matter that your goal is. If you plain don't like doing what you are doing then why are you doing it? Lifting heavy is not for everyone even though some may suggest you are a "pussy" or something along those lines for not wanting to lift heavy or if you prefer other exercises to squats and deadlifts. In my opinion that kind of attitude is fostered through insecurity and excessive ego. Not everyone has to train in the same way and if you dislike lifting heavy or you just plain hate squatting or deadlifting then you don't have to (and whilst all those things are great you can still achieve champion level results without them by the way). Stand up for yourself, be an individual, train intelligently in a way that helps you progress towards your goals in a manner that you enjoy (at least to some degree).

5. Injury

This may apply to bodybuilding to some degree as well but if you have a specific acute or chronic injury that prevents you temporarily or permanently from squatting, bench pressing or deadlifting then you may need to re think things (at least for a while). These movements carry a larger risk than other exercises do and since (other than some assistance/accessory work) powerlifting consists of only these three exercises it doesn't give you much room to move in some cases.

Why Not Both?

So I'm sure you are thinking why not just incorporate both styles of training and get the best of both worlds? This is indeed what many people are doing as they have a genuine interest in both. I don't see a problem with doing this as long as you have created specific, prioritised goals for yourself and have a training program which will assist you in achieving those goals. If you are a bodybuilder 1st and a powerlifter 2nd and your program is 90% squats, bench and deadlifts then you might need to reassess your training. Likewise if your priority is powerlifting it doesn't make sense to be doing a huge amount of accessory work but hardly putting any focus on the main lifts. Get your priorities and goals in order and have progressive training which reflects this and you are more likely to succeed in your chosen discipline(s).

Final Thought

I think both bodybuilding and powerlifting are interesting and enjoyable sports in their own rights. I just think a little more thought and direction needs to be placed behind why we do what we do. That and a lot of passion.

- Evan