Offseason Powerbuilding?

[jahras12]

Guys- i was contemplating going astray from my bodybuilding training ways for a couple of years to gain some more dense and thick muscle at a different approach- becoming a powerlifter/ bodybuilder training- now I know there is powerbuilding but I was thinking of just lifting for density and strength and to gain thickness in my body and eat like a house to get big to then gain strength- of course I would get fat, but I would treat myself like a powerlifter in the offseason and i dont care how I look anyway in the offseason- as long as my strength is getting higher, I feel my muscles will get larger too - I mean look at Johnny O or ronnie or even vic martinez did this approach in the beginning- do you think to do this for a couple of years and gain some fat and density is worth it or will staying lean and gaining lean muscle mass work the same way- I am young and willing to experiment- lifting heavy and eating huge sure is fun, but can it really help put that size, thickness, and density on my body in 5yrs to reach the national level and be a top competitor? I will at least take a good 4-5 years off before I go in for a comp,that it is why it is a dilemma- I think this training style is similar to DC's....please post any input

 

[MikeS]

Hell yeah man that works. Basic exercises for low reps-big weight. Eat and eat.
The only difference in my training from that now is I add some rep work at the end of bodyparts, and probably dont take in as many carbs/sugar.

 

[jahras12]

thanks for the support Mike

I am young and I sometimes just want to be big and intimidating and lift heavy again and eat( of course I would eat my 350-400g protein a day but then anything after that )- I mean thats what the guys of old used to do and they got so thick and dense, they trained heavy no cardio and then ate and ate- I never know if I will be pro, but I am doing this as a means to an end- if I could aquire others at my age cant because I ate like a house and trained powerbuilding style I would be happy- i feel it may be the only way to aquire that thickness and freaky size I want- I am young and have been training hard for 3 years, I got nothing to lose but my abs, right? i could compete and refine later, now its time to build

 

[flexmaster]

just because you are not eating for a contest does not mean you can/should just eat anything, after you get your protien in...having unneccesary excess fat is just extra weight your body has to carry around. i would not let yourself get over 10-12%. i dont know if you checked out big byrd52's powerlifting vids or not, but the dude is THICK! and looking lean as well, im sure he stays at that bf% year round, or maybe even less. and some if not most of the wsm competitors are staying/getting pretty lean as well.

but no doubt about it, powerlifting adds density/thickness to a physique that nothing can compare to. imho, that style of training is what gives some guys muscles that *POP* and others who dont.

 

[Bent_O_Bar]

I'm going that route too now. After years of dicking around with various methods and doing so/so progress I decided to go very basic old school a few months back and have put on more weight and gotten more strength than at any other time. I cranked my protein way up, keep the carbs medium workout days but very low off days and I still see my abs (although not as clearly).

I stick with deadlifts, squats, bent rows, chins (and rack chins), all big compound stuff with the heaviest weight and I keep adding weight each workout. Then I de-load for a week, take a breather, and go at it again better.

I'm past the 'freakout' stage of 'oh no my abs are fading'. I just don't want to cut back now, my power is up for all lifts and I plan on going even better this winter. Besides, I'm really enjoying being 'bigger', people give you a 2nd glance and I love feeling strong and energetic. I'll think about cutting either for the summer or when I'm strong enough (and big enough) that I can afford to lose some muscle. Or not.

 

[xcelbeyond]

just because you are not eating for a contest does not mean you can/should just eat anything, after you get your protien in...having unneccesary excess fat is just extra weight your body has to carry around.

Definately agree with this statement.

It's all to easy to eat shitty and justify getting fat by saying it's just part of the process of getting big. IMHO, all you'll find out by doing it that way is how much weight you're gonna lose when you want to "trim up."