Bodybuilder or Powerlifter

245

Replies

  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
    I want to be strong more than I want to look good. I'm jealous of women who can lift more than me, and I'm jealous of people who can do exercises that I can't do, or more push-ups than me and stuff like that. And most of the pics I've seen of women that I'm jealous of in terms of how strong they are, also look fantastic and I'd be more than happy to look just as fantastic.
  • dare2love81
    dare2love81 Posts: 928 Member
    I want to be a little chick that surprises people with my supergirl ability to lift heavy ish.

    So, powerlifter.

    :flowerforyou:
  • sarahisme18
    sarahisme18 Posts: 574 Member
    I actually wouldn't want to be a bodybuilder... the extremely low bf% doesn't sound fun at all.

    I'd rather eat all the foodz, lift like the she-hulk, and look pretty good in a bikini. :bigsmile:
  • BusyRaeNOTBusty
    BusyRaeNOTBusty Posts: 7,166 Member
    Bodybuilder for sure though I do not want to me overly muscluar to the point that it is no longer very feminine.

    Neither category loses femininity unless steroids are involved.

    Again, power lifter:
    IMG_1842__480x640_.jpg

    Bodybuilder:
    tumblr_mdqdjjf8lM1rj6k3yo1_500.jpg

    I bet Jamie isn't very strong compared to Nia, but Nia's muscles aren't as big.
  • ArroganceInStep
    ArroganceInStep Posts: 6,239 Member
    I think at the most elite levels (particularly when pharmaceuticals come into play) the training paradigms can vary quite a bit.

    However, for a natural guy like me that's not chasing any records and will never go up on stage, there is no difference. I want to be stronger than I am now, and I want to be in better shape too. That's both ideals, not one or the other. Being a 'powerlifter' isn't an excuse to be a fat f*** and being a 'bodybuilder' isn't an excuse to be weak as f***, either. If you really want to excel, do both.

    As I said before, it might change at the elite levels, but until then I don't think there is ANY difference between one or the other. Get in shape to build your work capacity, grow musculature to increase your strength ceiling, increasing strength will impact your ability to maximize time under tension.
  • lacurandera1
    lacurandera1 Posts: 8,083 Member
    (And I haven't seen many hot powerlifters.)

    How 'bout now? :)
    http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/
    ^Shorter, heavier, stronger, and tighter looking then me...Who wouldn't want to have that?

    I said "many" not any. :D She's gorgeous!

    I actually misread it as "any", even after quoting! :)


    And to think. I made a comment about reading comprehension on this site in my morning's status! :laugh:

    P.S> i'm sorry if you didn't think this was funny but I actually just laughed so hard I snorted.

    it actually made me sad. I try to maintain this image of being a smartypants, yet I can barely read or type a single sentence without messing up :sad: :laugh:

    LOL. I'm pretty sure I saw you fail at a calorie math problem once too. It's ok. Don't get too down.

    (i looked for an appropriately comforting emoticon for this but they don't seem to exist)

    (on the list for new emoticons.... :emo: :sadvomit: and :petthedoofus:)
  • thekyleo
    thekyleo Posts: 632 Member
    I guess i am neither because i can't lift heavy weights and i don't have a good physique
  • Jonesie1984
    Jonesie1984 Posts: 612 Member
    Bodybuilder for sure though I do not want to me overly muscluar to the point that it is no longer very feminine.

    Neither category loses femininity unless steroids are involved.

    Again, power lifter:
    IMG_1842__480x640_.jpg

    Bodybuilder:
    tumblr_mdqdjjf8lM1rj6k3yo1_500.jpg

    I bet Jamie isn't very strong compared to Nia, but Nia's muscles aren't as big.

    GREAT examples of both! I think people see both dramatized by roids and they think that ish is standard... no way.. haha. Both look awesome
  • CorvusCorax77
    CorvusCorax77 Posts: 2,536 Member
    Also....

    A bodybuilder is a weightlifter who is too weak to be a powerlifter.
    A powerlifter is a weightlifter who is too fat to be a bodybuilder.

    :bigsmile:

    Based on above statements, I'll go for bodybuilder since I probably won't get very strong anyways, given my shocking lack of testosterone in my bloodstream :(
  • CorvusCorax77
    CorvusCorax77 Posts: 2,536 Member
    (And I haven't seen many hot powerlifters.)

    How 'bout now? :)
    http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/
    ^Shorter, heavier, stronger, and tighter looking then me...Who wouldn't want to have that?

    I said "many" not any. :D She's gorgeous!

    I actually misread it as "any", even after quoting! :)


    And to think. I made a comment about reading comprehension on this site in my morning's status! :laugh:

    P.S> i'm sorry if you didn't think this was funny but I actually just laughed so hard I snorted.

    it actually made me sad. I try to maintain this image of being a smartypants, yet I can barely read or type a single sentence without messing up :sad: :laugh:

    nelson_haha.jpg
  • capnrus789
    capnrus789 Posts: 2,736 Member
    There's a powerlifter at my gym. Dude throws around some serious iron like it's nothing. HUGE beer gut, too.
  • IronPlayground
    IronPlayground Posts: 1,594 Member
    I have no desire for bodybuilding. Mainly because isolation exercises, IMO, are a waste of time. I prefer the compounds involved in powerlifting.

    ETA: Some isolations have a purpose. I just don't like dedicating too much time to them.
  • Martucha123
    Martucha123 Posts: 1,089 Member
    Powerlifter
    I really want to be strong, I know that I will look better with more muscles and less bf, but I don't really care about specifics.
    I want my body to be strong and look strong even if it means bigger waist and legs...
  • funforsports
    funforsports Posts: 2,656 Member
    I do mostly compound exercised now so I would go with the powerlifter. Most bodybuilders start out as powerlifters to begin with anyway.
  • BigRedgw2010
    BigRedgw2010 Posts: 127 Member
    Bobybuilder for me. I don't care if I can lift a house with one single arm, but I do care about how much bodyfat I have and how I can make each body part as ripped as I can.

    I like to look lean and fit in a nice suit and when I take my shirt off, I want to see my abs and not a big beer gut.
  • MightyDomo
    MightyDomo Posts: 1,265 Member
    Bodybuilder for sure though I do not want to me overly muscluar to the point that it is no longer very feminine.

    Neither category loses femininity unless steroids are involved.

    Again, power lifter:

    Bodybuilder:

    I bet Jamie isn't very strong compared to Nia, but Nia's muscles aren't as big.

    I was meaning along this gross line of muscluar haha.

    tumblr_m0bon2ZMb51r1iowb.gif
  • naculp
    naculp Posts: 225 Member
    I'd also like to add that I want to be a reasonable-looking powerlifter, not one of the guys that acts proud of his 315+ bench, yet weighs 340. I'm talking like 4.0 and above ratio for Big 3, or 300+ on the Wilks scale.

    http://wilkscalculator.com/lbs
  • lacurandera1
    lacurandera1 Posts: 8,083 Member
    Bodybuilder for sure though I do not want to me overly muscluar to the point that it is no longer very feminine.

    Neither category loses femininity unless steroids are involved.

    Again, power lifter:

    Bodybuilder:

    I bet Jamie isn't very strong compared to Nia, but Nia's muscles aren't as big.

    I was meaning along this gross line of muscluar haha.

    tumblr_m0bon2ZMb51r1iowb.gif

    I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess steroids had something to do with her body. :shrugs: could be wrong
  • Loftearmen
    Loftearmen Posts: 380
    Which are you?

    Which do you want to be?

    Explain the difference.

    What are the best routines for both?

    Do you have to pick one or the other? At what point?

    Powerlifter

    There's no such thing as a "best routine" for either but I train with westside barbell principles and I modulate my intensity and volume in a block periodized template.

    You definitely need to pick one or the other to achieve an elite level. If you choose to be a powerlifter, that point would be when maintaining a lean physique interferes with your strength gains. If you choose to be a bodybuilder that point would be when increasing strength levels interfere with your ability to get lean.
  • trojanbb
    trojanbb Posts: 1,297 Member


    You definitely need to pick one or the other to achieve an elite level. If you choose to be a powerlifter, that point would be when maintaining a lean physique interferes with your strength gains. If you choose to be a bodybuilder that point would be when increasing strength levels interfere with your ability to get lean.

    Exactly. For most people, there isn't much of a difference. And most bodybuilders start out powerlifting...no bodybuilder ever got huge benching 135 every set, no matter how many reps.
  • Jonesie1984
    Jonesie1984 Posts: 612 Member
    I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess steroids had something to do with her body. :shrugs: could be wrong
    [/quote]

    Definitely Roids. This is the false impression of women who lift. Hence why no one wants to pick up a weight over 5lbs they think this is what they will become. Naturally impossible physique.
  • kyodi
    kyodi Posts: 376 Member
    Bump for reading later.
  • Shock_Wave
    Shock_Wave Posts: 1,573 Member
    <--Bodybuilder (I like to be big and lean/ish) and don't kid your self we lift heavy. If you don't believe me then look at the blood vessels that busted in my eye after a leg day. BBers do add a lot more isolation exercises but I love the massive pump that it gives!
  • BusyRaeNOTBusty
    BusyRaeNOTBusty Posts: 7,166 Member
    Bodybuilder for sure though I do not want to me overly muscluar to the point that it is no longer very feminine.

    Neither category loses femininity unless steroids are involved.

    Again, power lifter:

    Bodybuilder:

    I bet Jamie isn't very strong compared to Nia, but Nia's muscles aren't as big.

    I was meaning along this gross line of muscluar haha.

    tumblr_m0bon2ZMb51r1iowb.gif

    1. It's not nice to call anyone "gross". She most likely likes the way she looks and has worked hard to achieve it.

    2. She is most definitely a "body builder" .

    3. She also most likely uses steroids.
  • CorvusCorax77
    CorvusCorax77 Posts: 2,536 Member


    You definitely need to pick one or the other to achieve an elite level. If you choose to be a powerlifter, that point would be when maintaining a lean physique interferes with your strength gains. If you choose to be a bodybuilder that point would be when increasing strength levels interfere with your ability to get lean.

    Exactly. For most people, there isn't much of a difference. And most bodybuilders start out powerlifting...no bodybuilder ever got huge benching 135 every set, no matter how many reps.

    that would be an impressive bench for me...

    I wouldn't mind being this lady- whatever she is, I wanna be:

    http://youtu.be/NO4lKgJPxEU

    ETA: She says "POWERLIFTER POR VIDA" so i guess i'm a powerlifter :) hahahaha
  • BigRedgw2010
    BigRedgw2010 Posts: 127 Member
    I starting working out when I couldn't run for 12 weeks due to a broken ankle. That was 20 yrs ago and i still love hitting the weights twice a day. Not for size but to shape each muscle to make them sharp.
  • haroon_awan
    haroon_awan Posts: 1,208 Member
    By the way, not that my opinion about bbing really means anything, but I personally believe that at the core of any bb program should be a powerlifting program. The big compounds should be done by basically anyone who is physically able; and then assistance/accessory work can be tweaked and tuned to have a more bbing type of focus.

    This man speaks the TRUTH!

    Also OP:
    Phil Learney, a strength athlete and coach who has an incredible physique.
    http://www.cutandjacked.com/Get-Stronger-With-Strength-Coach-Phil-Learney
    http://monstersupplements.com/resource/2011/10/phil-learney-joins-fitmag/
    http://www.foodforfitness.co.uk/#/interview-with-phil-learney/4553445995
  • Lt_Starbuck
    Lt_Starbuck Posts: 576 Member
    I would like to be both. I would love to be a powerlifter who pays attention to aesthetics and symmetry. I don't just want to be powerfully mad strong, but I want to look like a goddess while doing it.
  • CorvusCorax77
    CorvusCorax77 Posts: 2,536 Member


    1. It's not nice to call anyone "gross". She most likely likes the way she looks and has worked hard to achieve it.

    Thank you.

    Let's not get all mean about different body types and calling them gross.
  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
    I'd also like to add that I want to be a reasonable-looking powerlifter, not one of the guys that acts proud of his 315+ bench, yet weighs 340. I'm talking like 4.0 and above ratio for Big 3, or 300+ on the Wilks scale.

    http://wilkscalculator.com/lbs

    My wilks is 322, I feel cool now! :bigsmile:

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