Run Faster, Lift stronger, Think deeper

Can you do powerlifting and bodybuilding

Written by Pascal Landshoeft | Jun 26, 2019 4:30:00 PM

Can you do powerlifting and bodyuilding

 
Yes, you can. The two sports feed into each other as bigger muscles lift heavier and more effective fiber enables you to train harder for longer. 

What is your why 

 
Before we go into the details of whether you can do powerlifting and bodybuilding, let me ask you a couple of questions: 
 
  • Why do you want to do both?
  • Why do you want to powerlift?
  • Why do you want to bodybuild
  • What happens when you do? 
  • What happens if you don’t?
 
These questions will make all the difference between your success and failure. Research shows that people who reflect on their goals and write down their goals are more likely to achieve them. When was the last time you took two steps back and looked at your goals? Most people go about their lives like this: 
 
  • What do I want?
  • How do I get it? 
  • Why do I want it?
 
If you make what you want the center of attention you will get into trouble. What you want changes hundreds of times a day. If you make this the guiding principle of your life you create a consumer mindset. With a consumer mindset, you will always chase the next thing and have a hole in your heart. Your resources will be spread thin and your time will be scattered between too many activities. Something interesting happens when you flip the order of these questions on their head: 
 
  • Why do you want something 
  • How do you get it 
  • What needs to be done 
 
This way of thinking puts your innermost desires and live at the center. Your actions and thoughts will become more connected. Success will soon knock on your door. If you want to know how this works on a psychological level read Daniel Kahneman's thinking fast and slow. Simon Sinek's TED talk on the golden circle will change your life. 
 

Powerlifting 

 
Powerlifting is the sport of the total. Your total consists out of three lifts. These are the bench press, squat, and deadlift. For each lift, you get three attempts to establish the highest possible weight lifted. The best attempt for each lift gets summed up to your total. 
 
Your total usually consists of 20% out of the bench press and to 40% each of the squat and deadlift. The big difference between lifting in the gym and in a powerlifting competition are the judges. These referees observe your lifts from three angles. Two out of three judges have to approve your lift to count it towards your total. 
 
Powerlifting is all about getting the maximum amount of power out of your current body size. For this, you will lift in the 3 to 8 repetition range per set. You will create a lifestyle that pays attention to toon to the gym. This can also help your bodybuilding even though the main purpose of powerlifting is the strength, not aesthetics.
 

Powerlifting programs to consider

 

Bodybuilding 

 
Bodybuilding is the sport of building an aesthetic physique. Aesthetic means here that you live up to a certain standard that has been set out by the federation you compete in. 
 
Some of the factors you will be judged by are 
 
  • Size of your muscles 
  • The symmetry of your physique 
  • Stage presence 
  • Choreography 
  • Definition of the muscles 
 
And many factors which a bodybuilder can tell you a lot more about. The basic idea in bodybuilding is to get big. For this, you will use whatever makes you bigger inside and outside of the gym. 
 
Bodybuilding is all about getting as big as possible. Powerlifting exercises can help with this but are often not the best way to get there. Bodybuilders more often than not train in a higher repetition range than powerlifters. 
 

Can you do powerlifting and bodybuilding 

 
Yes, you can. The two are not mutually exclusive and feed into each other. Still, you can expect that bodybuilding is more likely to get you big while powerlifting is more likely to get you stronger. So find your own balance.