Powerlifting vs Body Building

beast_kitty89
beast_kitty89 Posts: 58 Member
in Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
I have a huge admiration for powerlifting and body builders. However, I dont know which one to do. I have diabetes type 2, high insulin resistance, gastroparesis and IBS. About 5 ft 2 inches and 163 pounds. I currently live in Norway.

Could someone direct me to good sources of infomation such as books, bloggers and so on?

Thanks for all your help in advance!

Replies

  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,343 Member
    Are your goals primarily strength related (powerlifting), or physique related (bodybuilding)? Are you looking to compete in one or the other, or just do the workouts for the general benefits?

    It doesn't have to be an either/or situation, there's plenty of middle ground where you can gain strength while simultaneously improving your physique.
  • Keto_Vampire
    Keto_Vampire Posts: 1,670 Member
    Any form of physical activity is going to be better than none. Sure bodybuilding is more about shape, hypertrophy, & fatloss oriented goals, but you can still incorporate some form of heavy lifting (maybe not as extreme as powerlifters in attempts at 1 rep max PRs and like 90+% of lifts being DLs, squats, bench, & OHP).

    Look into PHAT - power hypertrophy adaptive training - a bit of both worlds of bodybuilding (hypertrophy) & powerlifting
  • mutantspicy
    mutantspicy Posts: 624 Member
    I generally think its better to start with a solid strength base, before getting into body building. Body building can create a lot of injuries and strange imbalances, especially if you are inexperienced. So I would vote for power lifting to start, its a great way to learn the basic mechanics. Body building works, maybe too quickly sometimes and can cause mobility issues depending on your genetics. Power lifting moves are more full range of mobility. That said don't disregard body weight routines which may be where you want to start. Push ups, Pull ups, chin ups, dips, inverted rows, hand stand pushups, pikes, planks, step ups, are all very great ways to get your self rolling without equipment. For me regardless of what program I am on, Pull ups, Chin ups, and Dips, will continue to be a key part of my routine.
  • ImSoSquishy
    ImSoSquishy Posts: 57 Member
    in my opinion, i do think bodybuilding is a better option to start with for most beginners starting out, and especially without any with proper guidance from either a really good PT, if you have a online trainer, or if you have a friend that's good at lifting weights. bodybuilding does teaches more of the basics and fundamentals like mind to muscle connection(very important), preventing energy leaks, building the overall basic strength all over the body, proper basic forms for various exercises a lot better, getting your body used to lifting weights, and a lot of things can be transferred over to powerlifting with slight tweaks to the bodybuilding lifting form, it's also the reason why many powerlifters use bodybuilding as accessory work to increase the amount they can lift.

    learning on your own by watching tutorial videos on youtube, and going online to do research can be done too. but it's not easy, as you don't usually have someone pointing out things you have to correct for your form in person while performing the lifts, it takes a lot of self body awareness, and patience, in order to learn from trial-and-error on your own because not all gyms have mirrors and depending on the individual, some people gets frustrated easily when they feel they can't get something right. for things like bench press you'll be looking up to the ceiling with no mirrors, some benches are also very far away from mirrors as well, and you can't see your in the mirrors during back exercises so mind to muscle connection is important. without knowing the basics of how to use certain muscles separately and together, it might not end well for some people when attempting heavier weight as you could lose tightness or can't get tight from the start.
  • ImSoSquishy
    ImSoSquishy Posts: 57 Member
    edited November 2018
    in my opinion, i do think bodybuilding is a better option to start with for most beginners starting out, and especially without any with proper guidance from either a really good PT, a online trainer, or a friend(s) that's good at lifting weights. bodybuilding does teaches more of the basics and fundamentals like mind to muscle connection(very important), preventing energy leaks, building the overall basic strength all over the body, proper basic forms for various exercises a lot better, getting your body used to lifting weights, and a lot of things can be transferred over to powerlifting with slight tweaks to the bodybuilding lifting form, it's also the reason why many powerlifters use bodybuilding as accessory work to increase the amount they can lift.

    learning on your own by watching tutorial videos on youtube, and going online to do research can be done too. but it's not easy, as you don't usually have someone pointing out things you have to correct for your form in person while performing the lifts, it takes a lot of self body awareness, and patience, in order to learn from trial-and-error on your own because not all gyms have mirrors and depending on the individual, some people gets frustrated easily when they feel they can't get something right. for things like bench press you'll be looking up to the ceiling with no mirrors, some benches are also very far away from mirrors as well, and you can't see your in the mirrors during back exercises so mind to muscle connection is important. without knowing the basics of how to use certain muscles separately and together, it might not end well for some people when attempting heavier weight as you could lose tightness or can't get tight from the start.
  • Chieflrg
    Chieflrg Posts: 9,097 Member
    What is your training history?
  • beast_kitty89
    beast_kitty89 Posts: 58 Member
    Chieflrg wrote: »
    What is your training history?

    I would say a lot of weightlifting with a bit of powerlifting. I also do yoga and hiking as well.
  • nexangelus
    nexangelus Posts: 2,080 Member
    edited November 2018
    I have used powerlifting programmes to get stronger and hypertrophy (bodybuilding) programmes to build muscle...I started out with 5 x 5, then 5/3/1 and I have used PHUL programmes and PHAT programmes...I now use strongwoman training as my base...it does not have to be one or the other, even learning skills from the other sports/athletes is interesting and beneficial to some of us...I am about to take on the olympic lifts so I can be a better strongwoman (the overhead pressing), for example...

    The thing to look at is, what are your goals? Aesthetics or strength or a bit of both? Do you want to compete? You need to do your research online (youtube and whichever is your chosen search engine)...
  • Chieflrg
    Chieflrg Posts: 9,097 Member
    beast_kitty89 wrote: »
    Chieflrg wrote: »
    What is your training history?

    I would say a lot of weightlifting with a bit of powerlifting. I also do yoga and hiking as well.

    I would direct you to Barbellmedicine.com. Plenty of well written articles by them and a forum with direct answers that are science based.

    They have several coaches that are doctors that have many decades of experience coaching and programming strength and powerlifting training and are also elite powerlifters.





  • beast_kitty89
    beast_kitty89 Posts: 58 Member
    You all have been very helpful so far! Thank you all so much!
  • Silkysausage
    Silkysausage Posts: 502 Member
    edited November 2018
    beast_kitty89 wrote: »
    I have a huge admiration for powerlifting and body builders. However, I dont know which one to do. I have diabetes type 2, high insulin resistance, gastroparesis and IBS. About 5 ft 2 inches and 163 pounds. I currently live in Norway.

    Could someone direct me to good sources of infomation such as books, bloggers and so on?

    Thanks for all your help in advance!

    I understand that such conditions can prove tiring and have a knock on effect on the central nervous system, lifting weights will add to this pressure.

    Whatever you decide, you need to take it one step at a time and adjust accordingly with nutrition, plenty of rest and scheduled days off in-between sessions.

    Your digestion is obviously compromised, making this tricky if you are eating more for strength and hypertrophy gains in future but I see from your current weight for your height you might be losing instead.

  • billkansas
    billkansas Posts: 267 Member
    Strength training via Starting Strength (Rippetoe) is the best. I tried bodybuilding for years and never really got anywhere I think because it was just too complicated and time consuming. When I started to focus on squat, deadlift, bench, and press I finally started seeing my strength increase, dramatically. It really gave weight lifting a whole new meaning and now I'm chasing the "1000 lb club".

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