Powerlifters aim to increase their 1 rep max in the squat, bench press and deadlift. Perfection in this case is based on symmetry, size, vascularity and % of body fat. While these are true, there is definitely more there than meets the eye, both in similarities and differences. Now let’s chat about the major difference between bodybuilding and powerlifting to see if one is more likely to be better suited for you. Sign In. Intrinsic Motivation: On that same note, both powerlifting and bodybuilding require sacrifice and an intense amount of intrinsic motivation and discipline. It almost gets to the point of calorie counting. While bodybuilding focuses on overall appearance, powerlifting tends to drift more to sheer strength. Here are the benefits of powerlifting vs. bodybuilding. Bodybuilding is superior to powerlifting in that sense, not only because it allows the body to develop itself proportionally but also because strength will be a common denominator as the years go by. If you look at the body types between powerlifters and bodybuilders, they are quite different. While powerlifting and bodybuilding both use weight training principles, their end goals are different. Injury Risk: Studies suggest that injuries among powerlifters are more prevalent than with bodybuilders. Bodybuilders often have large, well-defined muscles and a low body fat percentage. Powerlifters care about their diet, but need many more calories to continue seeing growth and physique is not their main goal. The two most common schools of thought for muscle and strength are powerlifting and bodybuilding. As you can see, bodybuilding isn’t just about getting as big as possible; there are several different factors that must be acknowledged. 4 Bad Habits Of Weak Lifters – Do You Do This? Powerlifters, on the other hand, are all about maxing out their caloric intake year-round. Bodybuilders need to fatigue the muscle in order to trigger hypertrophy, and this can be done with much lighter weights. The main overall difference is that bodybuilders train for size and symmetry while powerlifters train for sheer strength. While it is possible to be both a powerlifter and a bodybuilder, it can prove to be difficult in the long run given the different demands in training and diet required for each respective sport. Powerlifters have ‘bench press specific’ days in their training split. Seek medical advice before starting any supplement regimen. When they flex a muscle, it pops! In general, bodybuilders and powerlifters have no issue with one another. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Know the difference right now to have a clear concept. Professional bodybuilding is when competitors stand on stage and are judged on how ‘perfect’ their body is. I train Olympic weightlifting and perhaps my perspective maybe helpful with the question. For example, learning how to deadlift can help you to perform movements that require hinging at the hips such as picking up things from the ground. Diet is much more important in bodybuilding than powerlifting. These vary depending on what federation you're competing in, but splitting competitors into weight categories helps to even out the competition. These products should not be used by anyone 18 years of age or younger. If your goal is to look strong and toned, then try a hybrid and maybe one will catch on. It's also important to take into account the higher levels of poundage (weight x … This is one reason why rest periods drastically vary between the styles. The reason the body of a bodybuilder differs from a powerlifter is they have different approaches to training. Bodybuilders must come up with a nutrition plan consisting of the right combinations of food, drink, and supplementation. Powerlifting and strength training really is more about training a movement and becoming very skilled at specific exercises. Bodybuilder’s training style focuses on ‘hypertrophy’ (or muscle growth), fat loss, and contest preparation. You can work on your body and bring up your lagging muscle groups. The biggest issue that bodybuilders and powerlifters have with one another is the debate about the functionality of their respective lifting methodologies. So many Choices! Bodybuilding primarily deals with building muscle mass and strength. But the huge x-factor that the powerlifter lacks is his cardiovascular health, slowing him down significantly during the fight. Both have their own advantages. Bodybuilding is 24/7, period. Cardiovascular Health: By increasing the amount of lean muscle tissue you have along with staying dedicated to cardiovascular exercise, bodybuilders have fantastic heart health. Bodybuilders look at powerlifters and think they just eat whatever to bulk up and not care for the proper etiquette of what it takes to conduct yourself in a gym, while powerlifters look at bodybuilders and see ego-driven competitors who don’t spend enough time in the gym. Blog » Bodybuilding » Powerlifting vs Bodybuilding – What You Should Choose? In addition bodybuilders cut down to minuscule levels of body fat to look leaner and score higher with the judges. A powerlifter on the other hand is somebody who focuses on increasing the weight they can lift in the bench press, squat, and deadlift, until they are the best in their weight class. Do not underestimate the benefit of good posture and right muscle engagement throughout the exercises. Bodybuilding primarily focuses on building muscle and shedding fat to maintain size and prepare for contests. Training Splits. However, they are similar enough that the following tips will help you to get more out of your training, regardless of whether you are into bodybuilding … Bodybuilders start the bulking program where they will eat well over the caloric maintenance levels and their lifts will greatly intensify. (2010). Be the 1st to vote. However, if the two sides start to debate the superiority of their sport, this is where trouble can come into the picture. Bodybuilders may do it for symmetry and powerlifters may do it for support (2), but nonetheless, it gets done. share. It turns out that lifting weights is also a great way to pack on muscle mass, increase your strength, and impress your buddies in the process. Naturally, depending on who you chat with, you’re going to get a biased review of which one works best to get big and strong. Speaking of which, powerlifters use innovative techniques like chains, bands and the concept of periodization to grow from wee lifters to monsters who can squat close to 500kg! Bodybuilders also incorporate cardio into their routines in order to reduce body fat to maintain muscle definition. That’s not to say that bodybuilding is completely safe – There is no type of weightlifting that is risk-free – but powerlifters tend to have more injuries. Bodybuilding primarily deals with building muscle mass and strength. The truth is, the best option would be to choose both. 3-AD Pro-Hormone Questions and Answers from Fans . Powerlifting is a strength sport and the intended goal is to be as strong as possible in order to lift the heaviest weights for a single rep. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. 134 West 29th Street Suite 902 As mentioned above, bodybuilding and powerlifting aren’t completely in opposition to each other. Need proof? Bodybuilding Vs. Powerlifting What Should You Choose? On first hearing each word, your mind jumps to a conclusion of what you think, or have been told, of what each sport entails. The same could be said about distance running and bodybuilding, or perhaps rock climbing and powerlifting. Use all of our products in conjunction with a well balanced diet and an intense bodybuilding or exercise program. Whether that be with workouts, dieting, or supplementation, experimenting and failing only leads to you getting better. Humans are obsessed with the ideal physique and bodybuilders try and create that making this an appearance-focused sport. Bodybuilders will do the same type of workouts, but will target muscles with accessory lifts to continue their mission of perfect symmetry. To a bodybuilder this is called a bulking phase and is usually in off season, when they can afford to have a little more fat on their body. A powerlifter will do the exact same thing, where they focus extensively on the core lifts and overall conditioning while ramping up the caloric intake. Final Thoughts. Athletes from both sports also do many of the same exercises. This means there is no pump effect, less microtrauma, and less of a trigger for hypertrophy. Bodybuilding vs. Powerlifting: Which Should You Choose? cause I looked in some of the bodybuilding photos and I was baffled at the progress of about 3 months of some of these people. In order to be successful as a bodybuilder you must be abl… Bodybuilders want to emphasize the size and appearance of their muscle mass. In order to move those weight plates, you have to be. They eat high fat, high calorie and high protein foods in order with a much higher calorie intake than the bodybuilders. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Bodybuilding is known as the physique sport, the toned aesthetic full of poses to make those muscles pop. This has a massive impact on muscle hypertrophy. Bodybuilders trade putting in a greater effort to gain more strength within a specific movement for more quality work in a variety of movements in order to maximize not only general hypertrophy but muscle symmetry. Powerlifters vs. Bodybuilders. 1. With bodybuilding, depending on your muscle group split, you may need to dedicate one day per muscle. Bodybuilding is the art of sculpting your body. “Classic Powerlifting Performance: A Systematic Review”. [infobox] Key Takeaway: The main difference between powerlifting and bodybuilding is the end goal, body composition and training methods [/infobox] (2016). Of course, (good) programming isn’t confined to an Excel spreadsheet, … Strength athletes love to criticize bodybuilding as an un-athletic, drug-fueled, narcissistic beauty contest, while at the same time, bodybuilders often insult powerlifters for being fat and nutritionally undisciplined. Bodybuilders physique is considered more aesthetic then powerlifters, but their strength and conditioning level is much lower in most cases. Of course, when you put a powerlifter next to a bodybuilder, you can usually tell the difference. Austin Letorney is a writer, actor, and fitness enthusiast. (, Henderson, Zachariah J. Believe it or not, but more women probably prefer the look of a powerlifter over a bodybuilder. Bodybuilding vs Powerlifting. Shows You What You’re Made Of: Powerlifters are tough. Now, depending on your goals, going after a bodybuilder physique over a powerlifter physique is totally fine. Initially, the body will react to any sort of resistance training by developing larger and stronger muscles. But whether you choose powerlifting or bodybuilding, the bench press technique and how you design your training … I certainly don't mean to insult anyone. For bodybuilders, appearance is everything and a strict, consistent diet is their main concern for keeping their gains in the gym at the right level for competition. Bodybuilders train with considerably more volume. Bodybuilders and powerlifters are both on the pursuit for physical excellence in the gym, however, the way they approach their goals are vastly different! Also, powerlifters take far more rest between sets compared to … As an Olympic sport, athletes seek the gold medal to claim top sport in the entire world. This type of workout would feature a rotating schedule of both types of acute variables: higher reps with lower weight and lower reps with higher weight. The bench press is one of the most popular exercises you can do in the gym. While these two ways of lifting have a few similarities, they couldn’t be more different in their approach. Powerlifters eat to provide immense amounts of energy, rather than maintain muscle or build a certain physique. This approach to powerlifting allows you to work on condition and endurance at the beginning of the program and gradually build up the strength to perform exercises at maximal weight during the last week. Specifically, we’re going to be comparing the two and will be looking at powerlifting vs bodybuilding. When deciding which type of squat is right for you, your decision should start with your training goal. You already know who I’d be rooting for, though if you (the challenger) are being a dickhead I’d cheer on either of the other two. Powerlifting and bodybuilding are very closely related forms of weight training. Image Source: www.youtube.com. It’s used by both powerlifters and bodybuilders to build strength and mass. Following a bodybuilding diet program is rather hard. If you having trouble deciding whether powerlifting or bodybuilding is the right sport for you, the first thing you need to do is determine what your main goals … Powerlifter Vs. Bodybuilder Steroid Cycles – How They Differ More Plates More Dates. Weights– to train in the 6-12 rep range, bodybuilders use lighter weights than powerlifters. During the off-season, which is when competitors are not getting prepared for a competition, both groups may follow a relatively similar diet. Just check out the attendance for the Mr. Olympia compared to any big league powerlifting event. This will decrease your risk for issues such as high cholesterol and heart disease. Overall performance is not the intended goal and while strength and fitness may come as a result of their time in the gym, bodybuilders are judged in competition on how they look. A bodybuilder may rest 30 seconds to 3 minutes depending on what they’re doing, but a powerlift often rest 3-5 minutes between sets. No one looks like Ronnie Coleman or Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson (The Mountain from Game of Thrones) without complete dedication. Here’s the breakdown of both types of lifting: Goal: Finally, the most obvious difference between powerlifting and bodybuilding is the ultimate goal: Powerlifters want to max out their personal bests (the amount they can lift) in squatting, deadlifting, and bench pressing. This has a massive impact on muscle hypertrophy. Building that level of muscle and dropping your body fat to single digits is going to turn heads no matter where you go. Almost always, the powerlifter will look much bigger than the bodybuilder. The last 1-2 reps of each set should be very hard, but you should still be able to complete your set in good form. A weightlifter, powerlifter, bodybuilder & CrossFit athlete walk into an arena together — who wins? 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