Can powerlifting make you lean?
What is your why
Before we go into the details of whether
powerlifting will make you lean, let me ask you a couple of questions:
These questions are important to determine whether you will be successful or not. Research shows that people who reflect on and write down their goals are more likely to achieve them. Get out your notepad and write down your goals. Many people go about their lives like this:
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What do I want
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How do I get it
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Why do I want it
With this approach, you are setting yourself up for frustration and confusion. What you want changes hundreds of times a day. It highly depends on who you are with, where you are and what you do. If you focus on what you want you will run in a hundred directions and arrive nowhere. Your resources will be spread thin and time scattered between multiple activities. Something interesting happens when you flip these questions on their head:
Powerlifting
The sport of
powerlifting aims to establish the biggest total out of three lifts. These lifts are the
bench press,
squat, and
deadlift. For each lift, you will get three attempts to establish the highest weight. The best attempt for each lift gets summed up into your total.
Usually, your total consists
to
20% out of the
bench press and 40% for the
squat and
deadlift each. A big difference to lifting in the gym is that in
powerlifting your lift gets judged by three referees. These judges sit at different angles from you to see whether the lift has been performed according to the rules of the federation you compete in.
Being lean on
powerlifting does not give you any extra advantage. Looking pretty and shredded does not matter in
powerflitng. The only advantage you can get out of being lean is that you go to a weight class down and maximize muscle for your height to compete better.
Powerlifting programs to consider
How to get lean
If you want to get lean your aim is to move your body fat percentage below 10%. This usually results in having a shredded physique. Abs are made in the kitchen and usually not in the gym.
Can powerlifting make you lean
No,
powerlifting itself will not make you lean. Your body will if you feed it right.
Powerlifting creates a bias towards being strong and packing on muscle. Being lean is irrelevant.