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Over the years I’ve competed in both powerlifting as well as bodybuilding.
I’ve enjoyed and fared well in both, but bodybuilding has definitely given me more satisfaction - probably because it’s more “all-encompassing” and can be more of a life-style than just a hobby. The more an activity can scratch my obsessive-compulsive itch, the better.
But I digress… in this article I want to review the similarities as well as the differences between the two activities, how they can complement each other, and when they probably should NOT be mixed. Hopefully by the end you’ll have a better understanding of how each can play a role in your personal fitness goals.
Bodybuilding – hypertrophy is the primary goal, not strength (they are related, but not 100%). And not just ANY hypertrophy – but hypertrophy of the “showcase muscles”, in the right proportions.
Powerlifting – strength is the primary goal, not muscle. In fact if you can keep up your strength but shrink in size, you’ll have a better advantage because of weight classes. In particular the strength should be in the squat, bench press and deadlift.
Beginners and Intermediates will benefit from pursuing both bodybuilding and powerlifting simultaneously... but eventually, if you want to become very awesome at one, it’s best to focus on it at the exclusion of the other. When you chase two rabbits, you catch none.
Building a solid strength foundation is important for a starting (or intermediate) bodybuilder just like it is a powerlifter. But just improving the big 3 is not enough to become a well-rounded bodybuilder; doing so will neglect many of the body parts that are important to bodybuilding (arms, calves, shoulders, pecs, lats, etc.). Sure, you can do your squats with a close stance to help develop the quads more, or bench to your chest (rather than upper abdomen) to develop your pecs more, but doing so almost always compromises your strength (in terms of sheer numbers) and will not get you very far in the powerlifting arena.
You need to include a larger repertoire of exercises if you want to maximally develop your physique for bodybuilding. Exercises like bicep curls, dumbbell laterals, lying leg curls become much more important as the priority shifts from sheer strength to cosmetic appeal.
And of course there’s nothing wrong (and actually a lot RIGHT) with trying to add more weight (or reps) on the bodybuilding-oriented exercises. It’s not the only way to add size (you can increase intensity in a number of ways, such as pre-exhausting, super-setting, doing drop sets, rest pause, etc.) but it’s a very simple and effective way to do it (just be careful of injury, as always).
Additional Notes
In powerlifting, you will never be asked what your body fat percentage is.
In BBing you will never be asked what your bench press is.
And the only need for a weigh-in is to put you in a weight class – other than that it doesn’t matter what you weigh on the platform or stage – it just matters how you look (BBing) and how you perform (PLing)
It’s NOT rare to see a powerlifter diet down and carry an appreciable amount of mass – especially in their back and traps, triceps, glutes and hamstrings.
It IS rare to see a dieted-down powerlifter with big flaring quads, wide and full delts, airplane-like lats, and big, full biceps.
Because of the nature of the lifts (wide stance, low-bar squats, benching to the abdomen, etc.), especially with equipment (squat suits, bench shirts, etc.) the muscles developed in powerlifting are not the “showcase” muscles that dominate in bodybuilding. This is not an attack on either pursuit – it’s just the reality of the situation. Though there are certainly similarities and overlaps between the two, there are also some major differences. Sure you can come up with a handful of powerlifters that would make decent (but rarely awesome) bodybuilders, and also a handful of bodybuilders that would make decent (but again, rarely awesome) powerlifters – but these guys (and gals) are rare… not the norm by any means.
Assessing Progress
Assessing progress in powerlifting is fairly straight-forward: if you’re hitting PRs, especially at meets (vs. the gym), you’re doing well. Yes you have to factor in changes in bodyweight, equipment, etc. but the goal is pretty simple – bigger numbers (or maintaining strength or a good strength ratio if you drop a weight class or two).
In bodybuilding it’s a little bit different. When you compete you are judged subjectively, against the other competitors that show up at that competition. You can improve immensely from year to year, but if better guys show up then your placings might not reflect that.
Granted, you also compete against others in powerlifting, but it’s much easier to show progress from meet to meet even if your placings don’t show it. “I increased my bench press by 20 pounds, my squat by 40 pounds, and my deadlift by 30 pounds”.
In bodybuilding, it’s more qualitative than quantitative.
Using measurables like body fat and lean body mass only goes so far – the numbers might look great on paper, but all that really matters is how it looks onstage (and the numbers don’t necessarily reflect that “look”).
My point is this: if you’re a bodybuilder, don’t get too caught up in numbers. They really don’t matter. No one will ask you what you weigh onstage, or what your body fat percentage is. As a bodybuilder you are much more an artist than a technician. Taking photographs on a regular basis is one of the best ways to assess your progress – actually seeing how things are “shaping up”.
Conversely, if you’re a powerlifter, the opposite applies. Nobody cares what you look like on the lifting platform- they only want to see big numbers. That doesn’t mean you should be a fat slob (weight classes still apply), but the bottom line is more weight on the bar, however you need to accomplish it.
Wrap-Up
Most strong physiques are big physiques… and most big physiques are strong physiques. But the correlation isn’t 100% and training for either (strength or size) can vary greatly as your training age increases and your interest develops in one direction or the other.
I’ve enjoyed and fared well in both, but bodybuilding has definitely given me more satisfaction - probably because it’s more “all-encompassing” and can be more of a life-style than just a hobby. The more an activity can scratch my obsessive-compulsive itch, the better.
But I digress… in this article I want to review the similarities as well as the differences between the two activities, how they can complement each other, and when they probably should NOT be mixed. Hopefully by the end you’ll have a better understanding of how each can play a role in your personal fitness goals.
Bodybuilding – hypertrophy is the primary goal, not strength (they are related, but not 100%). And not just ANY hypertrophy – but hypertrophy of the “showcase muscles”, in the right proportions.
Powerlifting – strength is the primary goal, not muscle. In fact if you can keep up your strength but shrink in size, you’ll have a better advantage because of weight classes. In particular the strength should be in the squat, bench press and deadlift.
Beginners and Intermediates will benefit from pursuing both bodybuilding and powerlifting simultaneously... but eventually, if you want to become very awesome at one, it’s best to focus on it at the exclusion of the other. When you chase two rabbits, you catch none.
Building a solid strength foundation is important for a starting (or intermediate) bodybuilder just like it is a powerlifter. But just improving the big 3 is not enough to become a well-rounded bodybuilder; doing so will neglect many of the body parts that are important to bodybuilding (arms, calves, shoulders, pecs, lats, etc.). Sure, you can do your squats with a close stance to help develop the quads more, or bench to your chest (rather than upper abdomen) to develop your pecs more, but doing so almost always compromises your strength (in terms of sheer numbers) and will not get you very far in the powerlifting arena.
You need to include a larger repertoire of exercises if you want to maximally develop your physique for bodybuilding. Exercises like bicep curls, dumbbell laterals, lying leg curls become much more important as the priority shifts from sheer strength to cosmetic appeal.
And of course there’s nothing wrong (and actually a lot RIGHT) with trying to add more weight (or reps) on the bodybuilding-oriented exercises. It’s not the only way to add size (you can increase intensity in a number of ways, such as pre-exhausting, super-setting, doing drop sets, rest pause, etc.) but it’s a very simple and effective way to do it (just be careful of injury, as always).
Additional Notes
In powerlifting, you will never be asked what your body fat percentage is.
In BBing you will never be asked what your bench press is.
And the only need for a weigh-in is to put you in a weight class – other than that it doesn’t matter what you weigh on the platform or stage – it just matters how you look (BBing) and how you perform (PLing)
It’s NOT rare to see a powerlifter diet down and carry an appreciable amount of mass – especially in their back and traps, triceps, glutes and hamstrings.
It IS rare to see a dieted-down powerlifter with big flaring quads, wide and full delts, airplane-like lats, and big, full biceps.
Because of the nature of the lifts (wide stance, low-bar squats, benching to the abdomen, etc.), especially with equipment (squat suits, bench shirts, etc.) the muscles developed in powerlifting are not the “showcase” muscles that dominate in bodybuilding. This is not an attack on either pursuit – it’s just the reality of the situation. Though there are certainly similarities and overlaps between the two, there are also some major differences. Sure you can come up with a handful of powerlifters that would make decent (but rarely awesome) bodybuilders, and also a handful of bodybuilders that would make decent (but again, rarely awesome) powerlifters – but these guys (and gals) are rare… not the norm by any means.
Assessing Progress
Assessing progress in powerlifting is fairly straight-forward: if you’re hitting PRs, especially at meets (vs. the gym), you’re doing well. Yes you have to factor in changes in bodyweight, equipment, etc. but the goal is pretty simple – bigger numbers (or maintaining strength or a good strength ratio if you drop a weight class or two).
In bodybuilding it’s a little bit different. When you compete you are judged subjectively, against the other competitors that show up at that competition. You can improve immensely from year to year, but if better guys show up then your placings might not reflect that.
Granted, you also compete against others in powerlifting, but it’s much easier to show progress from meet to meet even if your placings don’t show it. “I increased my bench press by 20 pounds, my squat by 40 pounds, and my deadlift by 30 pounds”.
In bodybuilding, it’s more qualitative than quantitative.
Using measurables like body fat and lean body mass only goes so far – the numbers might look great on paper, but all that really matters is how it looks onstage (and the numbers don’t necessarily reflect that “look”).
My point is this: if you’re a bodybuilder, don’t get too caught up in numbers. They really don’t matter. No one will ask you what you weigh onstage, or what your body fat percentage is. As a bodybuilder you are much more an artist than a technician. Taking photographs on a regular basis is one of the best ways to assess your progress – actually seeing how things are “shaping up”.
Conversely, if you’re a powerlifter, the opposite applies. Nobody cares what you look like on the lifting platform- they only want to see big numbers. That doesn’t mean you should be a fat slob (weight classes still apply), but the bottom line is more weight on the bar, however you need to accomplish it.
Wrap-Up
Most strong physiques are big physiques… and most big physiques are strong physiques. But the correlation isn’t 100% and training for either (strength or size) can vary greatly as your training age increases and your interest develops in one direction or the other.
