Geschatte leestijd: 4 minutenPowerlifting and bodybuilding are the 2 popular training methods in the world of strength training. Powerlifting is a sport where almost everything revolves around maximum strength. The goal is to lift as much weight as possible with a low number of repetitions and volume. In bodybuilding, the goal is completely different from powerlifting. After all, a bodybuilder also wants to become strong, but the goal is to achieve muscle growth with maximum muscle definition on the day of the competition
Contents
- Powerlifting exercises
- Training method of Powerlifters
- Training method of Bodybuilders
- Powerlifting exercise: Bench Press
- Powerlifting exercise: The Deadlift
- Powerlifting Exercise: The Squat
- Powerlifting tips
Powerlifting exercises
Within the strength training sport, there are so many exercises that you often can’t see the forest for the trees. Fortunately, you don’t have that problem with powerlifting. After all, the sport mainly consists of 3 important fitness exercises, or lifts:
The sport of powerlifting is characterized by these 3 major lifts, with the goal of lifting as heavy a weight as possible. In official powerlifting competitions, you have 3 chances to lift the weight, with a fairly long rest period between sets.
So powerlifting is a sport where almost everything revolves around maximum strength. The goal is to lift as much weight as possible with one repetition. It is very important to know what you are doing, and it’s better not to start unless you have a history of strength training.
The big difference between bodybuilding and powerlifting is not only the objective of both strength sports. This is of course reflected in the way the exercises are performed, the volume, and the speed. Below is a brief overview.
Training method of Powerlifters
Number of reps: Low
Number of sets: Low
Volume: Low
Rest: Relatively long, over 3 minutes
Weights: Incredibly heavy
Speed: Explosive
Exercises: Compound exercises (see below)
Training method of Bodybuilders
Number of reps: Relatively high
Number of sets: Relatively high
Volume: High
Rest: Short, around 90 seconds
Weights: Heavy
Speed: Slow, controlled
Exercises: Compound and isolation exercises
Powerlifting exercise: Bench Press
For chest, triceps, and shoulders, the Bench Press is the basic exercise.
Some variations of the bench press are:
- Incline or inclined bench press
- Close grip with narrow grip bench press – puts more emphasis on the triceps
- Decline bench press, inclined but leaning backwards
From powerlifting, there are many variations to make the bench press stronger, such as:
- Paused bench press, with a pause or stop to strengthen the lower part of the movement
- Floor presses, from the ground
- Pin Press: from the safety pins of a power rack, both strengthen the upper part of the movement
Except for the Smith machine and the power rack, you can also perform all the previously mentioned bench press variations with dumbbells, allowing you to sink deeper and stabilize more, which also benefits your muscle growth.
If you are a beginning powerlifter, it is advisable to stick to the basic bench press, especially when training with a full-body schedule. If you are more advanced and you train with a split schedule, it is best to also use the regular bench press as a basis, but also do another variation in addition to your chest and triceps training, depending on your body’s weak points or strength.
Powerlifting exercise: The Deadlift
For legs, lower back, and the deadlift is THE exercise.
The deadlift is the exercise for the back, especially because – when performed correctly – the immense weight with which you can perform the exercise.
Variations of the deadlift are:
- Stiff legged deadlift – legs stretched
- Sumo deadlift – wider stance
- Romanian deadlift – stiff legged deadlift without touching the ground
You can also train certain parts of the movement with the help of a power rack by shortening the movement (put the bar on the pins, at the height you want) or by lengthening the movement (stand on plates yourself so that you have to sink deeper).
Keep in mind that the deadlift demands a lot from your recovery, so do it at the end of your training and plan not to do heavy leg training a few days after your heavy deadlift day.
Powerlifting Exercise: The Squat
For the entire lower body, there is only one king: the squat.
There are also many variations of the squat, such as:
- Front squat – also explained in the link mentioned earlier
- Sumo squat – wider stance
- Box squat – sit on a bench
In addition, you can also strengthen certain parts of the squat, with
the help of paused squats (pause at the bottom), the bottom pinsquats (from the lowest pins), and for the upper part high pin squats (from higher pins).
Powerlifting tips
Try to avoid aids (weightlifting belt, knee wraps) as much as possible. When you want to do competitions, you can use them, and if you have lower back or knee injuries, you can also use them, but a good rule is “if you can’t handle the weight, don’t!”. The aids take over a part of your muscles, which is not good for overall strength and muscle growth
Squat several times a week! Many bodybuilders have a leg day once a week, which is good, but not for beginners. For many people, the squat is a difficult exercise, and practicing once a week doesn’t help much. I usually recommend a beginner a full-body schedule anyway, but if you really want to do a split schedule, do a few sets of squats before or after each training so that you quickly learn the technique
Go deep! Go as deep as you can, without arching your back or hurting your knees. Just slowly sink until you are naturally slowed down and then back up. Stopping at 90 degrees is unnecessary, if you can go deeper, it’s always good.
These were the 3 powerlifting exercises. Let’s briefly mention a few exercises that you can look up on the site yourself.
For back: barbell rows and pull-ups.
For shoulders: the standing military press.
For arms, it doesn’t matter so much what you do, as long as you don’t do too much, because this works against you. As a more advanced athlete, you can really focus on increasing the size of your arms, but a beginner is enough for compound (compound) movements.
