Information on how to run faster, lift stronger and think deeper

Will powerlifting make me big? [Article]

Posted by Pascal Landshoeft

Jul 9, 2019 9:30:00 AM

Will powerlifting make me big

Will powerlifting make me big?

 
No, powerlifting will not make you big. Your diet will determine whether you grow or shrink. Powerlifting can help to influence how you turn bigger. 
Click for Instagram

What is your why

 
Before we go whether powerlifting will make you big, let me ask you a couple of questions:
 
  • Why do you want to get big? 
  • Why do you want to powerlift
  • What happens when you do? 
  • What happens if you don’t?
 
These questions will determine your personal success or failure. Research shows that people who reflect on their goals and write them down are more likely to achieve them. Therefore got a notebook ready and make some time to think. Many people go about their lives like this: 
 
  • What do I want 
  • How do I get it 
  • Why do I want it
 
Almost everyone knows what they want. Fewer people will make a detailed plan on how to get there. Almost no one writes down in detail why they want what they want. If you make what you want the focus of all attention you will run in a hundred different directions and arrive nowhere. Your resources will be spread thin and your time scattered between too many activities. Something interesting happens when you flip the running order of these questions on their head: 
 
  • Why do you want something 
  • How do you get it
  • What needs to be done 
 
This way you will focus on your dreams and aspirations. Your thoughts and actions will become more connected and directed towards your well being. In turn, it will become more likely for you to succeed. If you want to know how this works on a psychological basis, read Daniel Kahneman's thinking fast and slow. Simon Sinek's TED talk on the golden circle will change your life. 
 

Powerlifting 

 
The sport of powerlifting aims to achieve the highest possible total out of three lifts. The three lifts are the bench press, squat, and deadlift. For each lift, you get three attempts to establish your highest weight. For each lift, the best attempt gets summed up into your total. 
 
The bench press usually contributes about 20% to your total. The squat and deadlift usually contribute 40% each. A big difference from lifting in the gym is that you will get judged for each lift. Three referees observe your lift from different angles. They decide whether the lift has been performed according to the standards of the federation you are competing in. You need two out of three judges to agree that the lift gets counted towards your total. 
 
Being bigger makes it easier to move bigger weights. Therefore powerlifting creates a bias in your training and diet towards building the biggest body possible on your frame. This is down to physics. 
 

Powerlifting programs to consider

How to get big 

 
Getting big means eating big. It is no coincidence that bodybuilders and strongmen eat between 5000 to 10000 calories daily to put on mass. 
 
The exercises you do will make sure that this energy will be turned into functional tissue rather than fat. Without the stimulus from exercise, you will turn calories into fat as this is the easier process. Still, exercise takes the back seat to diet. This is a point that many get wrong in their efforts and research. If you want to get big, get a good diet routine going first and exercise routine second. 
 

Will powerlifting make me big 

 
No, powerlifting itself will not get you big. Eating more calories than you burn will get you big. Exercise helps that this surplus energy will be turned into muscle instead of fat. 

Topics: Fitness, Strength, Powerlifting, Diet