A Powerlifter Getting Jacked in a World of Bodybuilders

As a young man I followed all the tried-and-true rules for developing massive biceps, a thick, wide back and full, round shoulders.  Yes, I considered myself a bodybuilder.  I used an incredible amount of legal muscle building supplements (some worked, most didn’t) and wore clothes that made my muscles look bigger. 

For several years I followed a lifestyle that I thought being a bodybuilder was all about.  While many of my friends were partying and putting garbage into their bodies, I stayed true to my straight-edge roots and avoided drugs and alcohol, ate clean and hit the weights as often as necessary to build a lean, massive physique.  

Through the years I read a few books that would end up being my road map to building muscle mass rapidly and efficiently and determined which muscle building supplements were most effective and not a complete waste of money.  I did just fine staying lean and watching my biceps, chest, shoulders and back grow beyond my wildest dreams. 

Then I met a powerlifter.  From the first time I lifted with him I was hooked on the powerlifting style of training and the philosophy surrounding the principals that govern the means to get incredibly strong.  For the next decade I structured my entire life around powerlifting.  

I gained about one-hundred pounds of bodyweight (some lean, most fat) and became proficient at squatting, bench pressing and deadlifting relatively heavy loads for single, double and triple reps.  

I prided myself on being able to walk into the gym pretty much any time I wanted and move 80 percent to 90 percent of my one rep max for a couple reps for multiple sets.

It didn’t bother me that I was terrible at doing high rep work and typically had to rest five to ten minutes between my heaviest working sets.  When I’d engage in conversation with my fellow iron enthusiasts my perspective was always different from theirs. 

They would speak about multiple sets of high rep squats for muscle building and continuous tension bench presses to build a large muscular chest.  They spoke of minimal rest between sets, low carb diets for rapid fat loss and the best and easiest way to get ripped and vascular. 

I’d enlighten them on the principles of powerlifting and how to become enormously strong and build the squat, bench and deadlift.  I encouraged them to use muscle building supplement that has worked for me time and time again at putting on muscle mass and develop brute strength.  The one thing that I never did though was step into the gym with these folks. 

They were bodybuilders.  I had no desire to engage in grueling, high intensity muscle building workouts, no matter how effective they might be.  I was content with moving heavy iron for just a few reps a couple of times a week and calling myself strong. 

I am humbled to say that I have recently been lifting with a couple of bodybuilders and have opened my mind to some bodybuilding techniques and principles that have worked for them to build lean muscle tissue while keeping their body weight in check and their endurance high.  I’ve recently engaged in some of the most intense muscle building workouts that I’ve endured in a long time. 

And I’ve noticed some changes in my body and overall level of fitness:

• I’m leaner
• I have greater muscular endurance
• I’m more vascular
• My pumps are fuller

Don’t get me wrong; I still love moving heavy iron in the gym and I have every intention on continuing to compete in powerlifting.  However, this recent modification to my short term lifting program has done me some good and offered a bit of variety as I haven’t changed the fundamentals of my strength building program in quite some time.

Being a powerlifter in a world of bodybuilders has provided me with a few benefits that I wouldn’t have otherwise experienced if I kept my head in the sand:

• Exposure to different lifting philosophies
• Muscle building diet tips and tricks
• Fat burning tips and tricks
• Motivation and accountability

I encourage you to take a period of time and step away from what you’re comfortable with and have grown accustomed to in the gym. 

If you’re a hardcore bodybuilder who has mastered gaining muscle while losing fat, adopt a different training style for a while and watch your body respond.  If you’re a strength athlete who has never strayed from your program, give a bodybuilding style workout program a try.  You may be surprised at what you find and determine where you need improvements. 

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