Bodybuilding To Powerlifting

[1samtheman1]

i need some help ive been body buidng for months now and i have had some good results but i think its time to make some real mass,
i am haveing difficulty incorporating powerlifting moves into a workout,
and i need some advice,eg back day, deadlifts, what other moves would you advise along with deadlifts,
also squatts and benchpress,

[IRBS]

www.elitefts.com
www.westsidebarbell.com

Start reading the articles and doing some research, then we can help you once you have a base of knowledge to ask questions from.

Also, you need to decide if you are going to train for Powerlifting or do you want to do more of a Powerbuilder workout...there is a difference.

Time to start reading,
IRBS

[1samtheman1]

yeh thanks for that and after thinking and doing abit of reading this is something what one of my workouts will look like, without all the warm up and cardio bullshit.

iam going to split my back into 2 groups in 2 differnt days

BACK
day 1 deadlifts 5x10
dumbell rows 5x8
seated cable rows 5x10

day 2
lat pull down 5x10
straight arm pulldown 5x8
barbell rows 5x10

i will try to do the same for chest and legs aswell. what do you think about the sets and reps and would you advise any other things i would need to take into acount. safe
any help will help. also powerbuilding sound right for me considering i just want to grow bigger,and iam just starting the powerlifting moves, so to all the power builders out there get ready becouse theres a new bread in town, iam going to rip the gym appart after i get this wak routine for gh out the way, iam comeing for you guys

[Wasteland]

You may be treading into that territory known as "powerbuilding".

[Young&Hungry]

That's a bodybuilding split you have bro, not a "powerbuilding" one and certainely not a powerlifting one. I also would not advise you split your day up like that either. Which are you looking for, powerlifting or powerbuilding? There is a difference. Remember that sets of 10 are NOT power anything, heavy singles, doubles, triples, 5RM's are all about strength building.

[1samtheman1]

powerbuilding is what i have put down,
and hitting my back 2 a week will make massive gains,
what routines do you think would work, like i said any help but fuck me dont waste my time i already said powerbuilding is my game.
yeh thank for the imformation about the sets i was thinking 10 was a high number so 5x5
is the advised rep set thanks for that. also iam looking to gain size, not only strenght

[IRBS]

Nobody is waisting your time bro, but the attitude you are giving towards people trying to help you is not going to get you very good results.

My advice, look at G Diesel's training log. He has Powerbuilding down to a science.

Keep it cool bro,
IRBS

[NickSP]

I think of myself as kind of a powerbuilder, here's what I'm doing right now

Chest/bis
3 sets Flat bench; usually 1-6 reps...I'm actualy doing DB right now but you might wanna use the bar
3 sets DB incline bench; 6-10
3 sets incline flyes; 6-10
3 sets bar curls; 5-8
3 sets standing DB curls; 6-10

Legs
Squats x4 every other week/Box squats the other weeks; typically 6-12 for standard, 1-6 for box squats
Leg Press x4; 6-15
Hams x6; 6-10, after the last set I immediately drop the weight, curl with both legs and do single-leg negative reps, alternating 1 rep each leg
Standing Calves x4 hit em heavy with a full ROM, 6-10
Weighted hypers x4; 8-12

Shoulders/tris
DB Militaryx3; 1-6 or so
Seated Rear Laterals x4, nice and heavy with a bit of swing when needed, about 6-10
Standing Side Laterals x3, same thing, maybe up to 12 reps though
CG bench x4; 1-6/7 or so
Overhead DB Ext x3; 8-12 (I do em one-arm after a big bilateral move like CG bench)

Back
Conventional deads every other week x4; 1-5/stiff-leg off a plate the other weeks x4; 8-15
Underhand BB Rows x4; 6-10
Pull ups (weight if possible)x4; 6-10
Seated Cable Rows x3; 6-12


As you can see the workouts/split is structured like bodybuilding, but I tend to go real heavy on the big lifts, and lift to focus on strength. I warm up the muscle nice, and then start with my heaviest weights (rather than pyramiding up) as to maximize what I can do with the big weights and get the most of out of my heavy sets, and then will follow that with the higher reps to break the muscle down more sufficiently/feed the pump, whatever you wanna call it. I do a lot of straight sets (rather than, say, supersetting) and when I do dropsets they're on the last set of the exercise, and I take enough rest between sets so I can keep up heavy weight rather than significantly dropping the weight.

[Matt Dickerson]

i need some help ive been body buidng for months now and i have had some good results but i think its time to make some real mass,
i am haveing difficulty incorporating powerlifting moves into a workout,
and i need some advice,eg back day, deadlifts, what other moves would you advise along with deadlifts,
also squatts and benchpress,

I am a big fan of the concept of: Train purely for strength while eating a huge amount and the size will definitely come. Have you ever seen anyone that could bench press 500, squat 700, deadlift 700, overhead press 400, and do barbell rows with 400 pounds that was anywhere near being small?

I was always a numbers person in the gym and was always looking to hit PR's but I didn't train in a power lifting manner that focused on increasing the big barbell lifts. I trained in a powerbuilding like manner like you are thinking about. This is a good way to train if you want to be somewhat big and somewhat strong but you have to realize that you probably aren't going to be the strongest of the strong and you probably aren't going to be that great of a bodybuilder if you are like 70% of the rest of the people on earth. You will just be somewhat big and strong.

I personally made the greatest mass gains when I decided to train purely for powerlifting (strength) 2 and a half years ago. I decided to become as strong as humanly possible and also to eat as much as a 300 pound man should eat. Something almost miraculous happened. I got a lot stronger and got my weight up to 300 pounds from 250 in a 1 year period.

I am also a huge believer in the conjuage periodization method of training. This means training all aspects of strength at the same time. (Maximal strength, speed strength, strength speed, endurance, hypertrophy). This also means training the muscle groups responsible for a big bench, squat and deadlift without doing those movements that often. I believe linear periodization to be way inferior. I trained with the linear periodization method for my first 7 years and after many plateaus got my bench up to a whopping 315, 455 squat, and 500 deadlift at a body weight of 235. This sucks by the way.

Sorry for the long winded set up, but my point is is that powerbuilding can mean many things to many people but some of the older templates typically neglect a few aspects of training that are important over the long run. If you bench, squat, and deadlift everyweek, with maximal poundages, you will find yourself plateauing quite often (Unless you are a freak and specifically built for one of those lifts) and you will need to do other movements in their place.

Read this article here for a template that will allow you to train all aspects of training at the same time while focusing on improving your squat, bench, and deadlift. You will also gain about 40 pounds if you eat for it. Feel free to ask questions if you have any. I consider the westside method to actually be powerbuilding since it trains all aspects simultaneously.

http://www.muscletalk.co.uk/article-westside-barbell.aspx

[sanga]

I am a big fan of the concept of: Train purely for strength while eating a huge amount and the size will definitely come. Have you ever seen anyone that could bench press 500, squat 700, deadlift 700, overhead press 400, and do barbell rows with 400 pounds that was anywhere near being small?

I was always a numbers person in the gym and was always looking to hit PR's but I didn't train in a power lifting manner that focused on increasing the big barbell lifts. I trained in a powerbuilding like manner like you are thinking about. This is a good way to train if you want to be somewhat big and somewhat strong but you have to realize that you probably aren't going to be the strongest of the strong and you probably aren't going to be that great of a bodybuilder if you are like 70% of the rest of the people on earth. You will just be somewhat big and strong.

I personally made the greatest mass gains when I decided to train purely for powerlifting (strength) 2 and a half years ago. I decided to become as strong as humanly possible and also to eat as much as a 300 pound man should eat. Something almost miraculous happened. I got a lot stronger and got my weight up to 300 pounds from 250 in a 1 year period.

I am also a huge believer in the conjuage periodization method of training. This means training all aspects of strength at the same time. (Maximal strength, speed strength, strength speed, endurance, hypertrophy). This also means training the muscle groups responsible for a big bench, squat and deadlift without doing those movements that often. I believe linear periodization to be way inferior. I trained with the linear periodization method for my first 7 years and after many plateaus got my bench up to a whopping 315, 455 squat, and 500 deadlift at a body weight of 235. This sucks by the way.

Sorry for the long winded set up, but my point is is that powerbuilding can mean many things to many people but some of the older templates typically neglect a few aspects of training that are important over the long run. If you bench, squat, and deadlift everyweek, with maximal poundages, you will find yourself plateauing quite often (Unless you are a freak and specifically built for one of those lifts) and you will need to do other movements in their place.

Read this article here for a template that will allow you to train all aspects of training at the same time while focusing on improving your squat, bench, and deadlift. You will also gain about 40 pounds if you eat for it. Feel free to ask questions if you have any. I consider the westside method to actually be powerbuilding since it trains all aspects simultaneously.

http://www.muscletalk.co.uk/article-westside-barbell.aspx

Good post and a very interesting article.

[Bob]

You may be treading into that territory known as "powerbuilding".

That word rings a bell. I think G Diesel coined this term...

[Big Wides]

If your going to approach "powerbuilding" there is no splitting up of bodyparts, and typically a 4 day split is all your going to need. Concentrate on compound movements and train them heavy. With your assistance work there are several ways you could approach them, a set hyperthropy range, low reps, high reps, or my favorite going to natural muscle faliure per set. Remember to keep going up with the weight whether you get 8 reps, 5 reps, or 3 reps you've gotta progress foward. The best rep range to build muscle goes from 1-1000 and all inbetween.

Check out my log if you want, or G Diesel's (knows more about it than me).....in my opinon its the best of both worlds, strong as balls with that unquie physique

[mjsef88]

in my opinon its the best of both worlds, strong as balls with that unquie physique

That's why I'm doing it. I do some things a little different tho. I'm still learning, and keeping it simple, and this is what's currently working for me. Bulk then cut (like most guys do here, ha).

When I'm bulking I do a 3-4 day split. Maybe 3-4 movements, sometimes even as low as 2. My rep range, after warmups, goes something like 8, 6, 4 or 5,3,2 or 1, all while keeping safe form. It goes without saying that I take in a shit-ton of calories, and make sure i get my rest in. Stick to core movements.

Chest- Incline/flat BB/DB bench and then the opposite in a fly. (say you do BB flat bench, then incline flys. Or DB incline bench and flat flys)
Back- BB/DB rows, deads, chins
Shoulders- BB/DB press, side laterals
Wheels- Squats/hack squats/leg press ... stiff leg deads, lying leg curls
Guns- BB/DB curls, skulls, CG bench.

Then when I cut down I do a Bodybuilding Contest diet. 16 weeks, following a bodybuilding split. Higher reps, more movements, split is 5-6 days a week.

All of the guys that posted in this have given out steller advice. I'm just throwing in my 2 cents, maybe some fresh ideas.

All the best.

[mark]

My log is actually covering this idea right now, as I'm looking to throw on some extra size right now... I stole this idea from Jim Wendler...

Monday- ME Bench Day
-Usually a heavy flat press variation for a triples or 5s.
-Another flat press movement, with another grip, for 5x10-15
-Flyes- 5x10-15
-Dips/Declines- 3-5 sets of whatever I feel like doing
-Maybe some face Pulls for 3-5 sets of 15-20

Tuesday- DE SQ/DL Day
-Box squats
-Speed Pulls
-Row variation for 5x10
-Back Hypers for 5x10
-Ab work

WED-Off

Thursday- DE/RE Bench/Assistance work
-Speed bench/Shoulder Press/Incline Press- Do whatever movement I need the most work on depending on weakness. Speed bench do 9triples, shoulder press and inclines do 3-5x5-15
-Maybe some Lockouts- workup to a heavy set of 3 or 5
-Tri Extensions or Push Downs- 3-5x8-15
-Side and Rear Delt work- 3-5x10-20

Friday- ME Sq/Dl
-Close stance squat or GM- Work up to a heavy triple or set of 5. Occasionally do 3x3 or 5x5
-On weeks I squat I'll do a DL variation afterwards- I'll either do 5s, 3s, sets of 1 (not a max though)
-Ham Curls- 5x10-15
-Pull Ups- either 30 total reps with bodyweight, or use the machine counter weight and do 5x10
-On weeks I don't pull, I'll do heavy shrugs for whatever sets and reps I feel like
-Tons of weighted ab work in every direction.

[prowrestler]

wow, i think i am the only one who does deads on leg day!!!

i train lower back on leg day aswell but only with deads and squats. deadlifts hit my legs waaaaaay harder then back and certainly alllooootttt more then lats and traps. depends on your form i guess.

works for me. i think its due to me not being able to squat for like 4-6 months awhile back so i did lots of deads instead. so my body uses more leg drive then lower back.

besides deads for a power move for back, try hang cleans for upper back, and triples on the barbell row.

[1samtheman1]

thanks for the info boys some usefull info there what will help me out,
i thought i was one of the best in the gym at bodybuilding.
But this has just opend a new door for me and theres alot of things to learn,
iam going to have to look into this a bit more read a few peoplos logs,
and go from there, some of those routines looked good aswell i think powerlifting is defanatly my thing,
one more thing and i dont want to be opening loads of threads so i wil ask you guys,
what does bb and db and everting else mean. if someone could just give me a breif understanding of these meanings it would be much help for when iam trying to read safe
ps hopflly i will be 50 pounds heaver by summer and have a good understanding of this game so thanks again.

[mjsef88]

wow, i think i am the only one who does deads on leg day!!!

i train lower back on leg day aswell but only with deads and squats. deadlifts hit my legs waaaaaay harder then back and certainly alllooootttt more then lats and traps. depends on your form i guess.

works for me. i think its due to me not being able to squat for like 4-6 months awhile back so i did lots of deads instead. so my body uses more leg drive then lower back.

besides deads for a power move for back, try hang cleans for upper back, and triples on the barbell row.

Talk to BlueIMlifter. He pulles on leg day. Granted he pulls Sumo style to tie in the hamstrings. I myself pull double overhand, in a somewhat close compact stance. Doesn't make all that much sense because im 6'2'', But it works.

thanks for the info boys some usefull info there what will help me out,
i thought i was one of the best in the gym at bodybuilding.
But this has just opend a new door for me and theres alot of things to learn,
iam going to have to look into this a bit more read a few peoplos logs,
and go from there, some of those routines looked good aswell i think powerlifting is defanatly my thing,
one more thing and i dont want to be opening loads of threads so i wil ask you guys,
what does bb and db and everting else mean. if someone could just give me a breif understanding of these meanings it would be much help for when iam trying to read safe
ps hopflly i will be 50 pounds heaver by summer and have a good understanding of this game so thanks again.

BB-Barbell
DB-Dumbell

You're here, at the Forvm, you have a huge wealth of information at your fingertips. Search out the logs of G-Diesel, J-Rock, The Lad, Machine, Sgt. Rock, Big Ant, any of the big names here. they are all more than willing to help.

[prowrestler]

thanks for the info boys some usefull info there what will help me out,
i thought i was one of the best in the gym at bodybuilding.
But this has just opend a new door for me and theres alot of things to learn,
iam going to have to look into this a bit more read a few peoplos logs,
and go from there, some of those routines looked good aswell i think powerlifting is defanatly my thing,
one more thing and i dont want to be opening loads of threads so i wil ask you guys,
what does bb and db and everting else mean. if someone could just give me a breif understanding of these meanings it would be much help for when iam trying to read safe
ps hopflly i will be 50 pounds heaver by summer and have a good understanding of this game so thanks again.

sorry to break it to you but you wont be 50 pounds heavier by this summer. unless 80% of it is fat and even that would be hard to do. 50 pounds in say 3 years working time is accomplishable, not in 3 months man!

this game is a work in process. you gotta pay your dues for a long time before your worth 2 shits. focus on smaller goals. like for me, in 3 months i wanna go up 15 pounds.

thats 5 pounds a month. not to hard.

[Enforcer]

i need some help ive been body buidng for months now and i have had some good results but i think its time to make some real mass,
i am haveing difficulty incorporating powerlifting moves into a workout,
and i need some advice,eg back day, deadlifts, what other moves would you advise along with deadlifts,
also squatts and benchpress,

try to train back at least 2 days after you train legs this way you are at full strength. I always found that low rep heavy weight deadlifts are the way to go. Now keep in mind this worked for me and may not always work for everyone. I would do 2 warmup sets then 5 x 5. No straps, all grip. If you have chalk then that is fine. Just tighten that belt, grip and rip. A solid back routine would be:

Deads: 2 warmup sets then 5 x 5
Weighted Wide Grip Chins: 3 x 10
Bent Over Barbell Rows: 3 x 10-8
One Arm Db Rows: 3 x 10-8
Front Pulldowns: 3 x 10

[1samtheman1]

enforcer thanks for that post thats probably just what my back day will look like,
but when you say warm up sets are these the usual light weight hight rep ones or are they differnt. also what kind of gains did you have when you started useing powermoves into your workout, i should find out for my self but it would be good to here what kind of gains you had,
iam expecting some prety heavy ones my self, i will post and tell yous after a few weeks, i will still keep track of whats going on aswell in the meantime make some fucking noise and tare the gym appart.

p.s iam going to do my chest today, i will post the routine later. iam just going to hit the gym and see what i can produce,so i will post later.

[Mean Machine]

http://www.animalpak.com/html/article_details.cfm?ID=364&section=training

Check that article by JRock. Seems to be what you're looking for.

[1samtheman1]

lets se then o yeh
i went to the gym today with a bit more knowlage and confidence, and busted chest,
i started with the warmup exercises. Then i got up to 85.kg 3 times, flat bench usual shit,
then moved on to incline db and did 3 sets 22kg
then some flyes,these are a bastad iam just trying to confine my move, so i did 17kg 4 sets
then i did some tri work,usual etensions and push downs on the cable machine,
also did dips until failure, fuck i was gaging for a diping belt but just had to do body weight,
then i did a few crunches and fucked of home, filling my face with food,
anyway iam going to get my act together and make some progress, and start a journal,
so wach the fuck out.

[mjsef88]

lets se then o yeh
i went to the gym today with a bit more knowlage and confidence, and busted chest,
i started with the warmup exercises. Then i got up to 85.kg 3 times, flat bench usual shit,
then moved on to incline db and did 3 sets 22kg
then some flyes,these are a bastad iam just trying to confine my move, so i did 17kg 4 sets
then i did some tri work,usual etensions and push downs on the cable machine,
also did dips until failure, fuck i was gaging for a diping belt but just had to do body weight,
then i did a few crunches and fucked of home, filling my face with food,
anyway iam going to get my act together and make some progress, and start a journal,
so wach the fuck out.

Solid lifting. Had to stop a sec to convert the kg to lbs. With your tri work, the best way to grow is to use the free weights. Why not tie in some chest as well with some close grip benching? you should also hit up skulls, and overhead extensions. Cables will put on mass, but nothing like freeweights. Keep it up, i'll be waiting for the journal to pop up.

[1samtheman1]

yeh i will get a journal to use just got alot on this week court and shit, need to have a clean mind, then i will get a training log up, meanmachine that was a good link just what i was looking for thanks, yeh anyway did back today of j rocks routine, and fuck me after the deadlifts i went onto the rows,and felt like i could of done the same weight on fucking rows,only jokeing, but yeh i usaly strugle doing 10 with 50kg today i was busting 12 out with 60kg, felt fucking awesome, iam gona stick at this game iam defanatly seing the changes in 2 days, anyways keep an eye out i will have my log up sooner or later. safe.

[bigcurly]

well powerlifting is a great way to build mass yes but if you notice like on chest for example they generally only flat bench so what i recommend is doing heavy inclines and such with the same sets and reps you do on flat benching and possibly some incline flies

[eric downey]

well powerlifting is a great way to build mass yes but if you notice like on chest for example they generally only flat bench so what i recommend is doing heavy inclines and such with the same sets and reps you do on flat benching and possibly some incline flies

SORRY BUT WE DO MORE THAN FLAT. BENCHING HEAVY MEANS MAKING EVERTHING STRONGER. WHICH INCLUDES THE UPPER AND LOWER CHEST.

[Themostocles]

SORRY BUT WE DO MORE THAN FLAT. BENCHING HEAVY MEANS MAKING EVERTHING STRONGER. WHICH INCLUDES THE UPPER AND LOWER CHEST.

And abs, delts, traps, lats...