Powerlifting

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April 9th, 2014 at 1:28:21 PM permalink
FrGamble
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 67
Posts: 7596
I am a powerlifter. I love throwing around heavy weight which is the real goal of powerlifting. It is not to be confused with bodybuilding, which is not necessarily about lifting heavy but rather all about looking like you can lift heavy. Olympic lifting is also not powerlifting though the two are much closer related than bodybuilding. Powerlifting has three main compound lifts - Squat, Bench, and Deadlift. There are no cleans and jerks and stuff like you find in the Olympics. Another close relative to powerlifting is Strong Man competitions and now the Crossfit meets. The Strong Man competition is very close to powerlifting and I've noticed a lot of the exercises they compete in can be compared to traditional powerlifting lifts. The Crossfit takes powerlifting exercises to the extreme, not worrying so much about the weight but the cardio element as well.

To review:
Powerlifitng - All about how much you can Squat, Bench, and Deadlift one time.
Bodybuilding - All about how you look in the mirror.
Olympic lifting - Lifting heavy weights in an explosive manner over your head.
Strong Man - Lifting and pulling heavy weight in awkward ways, usually for a certain amount of time or reps.
Crossfit - Focus on a variety of exercises for as many reps as possible using strength and cardiovascular fitness.
“It is with the smallest brushes that the artist paints the most exquisitely beautiful pictures.” (
April 9th, 2014 at 1:44:35 PM permalink
Nareed
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 346
Posts: 12545
I'd have thought the CROSSfit would have had a special attraction for you ;)

Seriously, I've been thinking of adding some weight training to my workout. Thus far all I do is cardio on the treadmill and elyptical (I've pretty much given up on the stationary bike). trouble is I've no idea where or how to begin. The gym at my buidling has one of those alrge weight-bench-pulley machines, a couple of adjustable weight benches and a set of barbells (dumbells?)

I'm doing well losing weight(*), but eventually I want some muscle tone too.

Would you recommend online research, or perhaps I should join a real gym, with instructors, at least temporarily.

(*) Fully in keeping with my many eccentricities, I don't weigh myself when attempting to lose weight. I do measure my waist and notice how loosely my regular clothes fit. Thus far the tape measure says 1.5" in eight weeks, which seems plenty good for me (except I wish I'd hit upon the brilliant ide aof morning workouts 18 months ago...)
Donald Trump is a one-term LOSER
April 9th, 2014 at 5:39:35 PM permalink
aceofspades
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 83
Posts: 2019
Alas, my powerlifting days are way in the past, having had surgery about 11 years ago for a torn labrum
April 9th, 2014 at 5:55:16 PM permalink
aceofspades
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 83
Posts: 2019
Quote: Evenbob
FrG is still young, he things god will protect him.
I guess he'll find out..




The morpheme post-surgery was protection enough for me :)
April 9th, 2014 at 8:00:09 PM permalink
rxwine
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 188
Posts: 18633
God wouldn't make a weight FrGamble can't lift.

Now I know how to lift a big a** rock.

You believe in an invisible god, and dismiss people who say they are trans? Really?
April 9th, 2014 at 9:07:05 PM permalink
FrGamble
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 67
Posts: 7596
Elliott from Strength Camp is an awesome trainer and a strong man for sure!

Nareed made me realize there is one other category for strength training and that is weight lifting. This is just lifting to build and strengthen muscle. People ignore lifting heavy weight to lose fat but it helps in many ways. Building muscle and having more muscle uses more calories and can increase your metabolism. For you Nareed I would recommend some light weight high rep sets with some dumbbells. Lunges, push-ups, shoulder presses, one arm rows, tricep extensions, curls all with a weight you can handle for 3 sets of 15 reps (except with push-ups, you might have to start out slowly with however many reps you can do and build on it when you can). Once you feel comfortable with the movements and can do all the reps, pump up the weight and drop to 12 reps. Keep bumping the weight every week until you can't get all the sets and reps done and then stick with that weight till you can. Rinse and repeat.

Another thing often people think is that you will get hurt when lifting heavy weights. You have to be careful of course with everything, but good training with good form will only strengthen not only your muscles, but also your joints and ligaments. You can do powerlifitng as a lifetime sport if your not going to try to set world records every day.
“It is with the smallest brushes that the artist paints the most exquisitely beautiful pictures.” (
April 10th, 2014 at 3:30:30 AM permalink
odiousgambit
Member since: Oct 28, 2012
Threads: 154
Posts: 5055
all jokes aside, I would never have guessed this
I'm Still Standing, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah [it's an old guy chant for me]
April 10th, 2014 at 6:49:39 AM permalink
Wizard
Administrator
Member since: Oct 23, 2012
Threads: 239
Posts: 6095
I already knew this about FrG but I would be interested to hear more about power lifting. To start, can you tell us how a typical workout goes? Number of sets and number of repetitions in each set?

My sophomore year roommate was somewhat into weight lifting and he said power lifting was using free weights, doing sets of about 10, and decreasing the weight a little bit between sets. You keep doing this until you're muscles are so sore they can only support the bar. Is this true what he said?

Personally, weight lifting is one of the forms of exercise in my rotation. I try to do it once a week. However, I just do Nautilus weights because I have nobody to spot me. Plus I have a better view of the pretty gals in my gym (I suspect many are strippers). The free weights area is almost all men.

I still say you should look into the Swiss Guard.

Knowledge is Good -- Emil Faber
April 10th, 2014 at 11:21:40 AM permalink
FrGamble
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 67
Posts: 7596
Unfortunately not tall enough for the Swiss guard and you also not only have to be Swiss but from certain families I have heard.

Anyway, in my opinion true lifting is done only two ways - Super Heavy weights with low reps or crazy whacked out go to exhaustion sets with heavy weight. In both cases you build up to the real working sets. Right now I'm dong 4 sets of 5 reps. I'll start off with three warm-ups sets getting progressively heavier and then put my working weight on the bar and get down to business. Right now in bench I'm trying to do 4x5 with 300 lbs. It is amazing how much I've lost just in two weeks of being sick. I'm still not 100% but I had to drop 20 lbs. to get all my sets in last week. Eventually, I'll increase the weight so much that I have to drop the reps back even further and a few weeks out from a meet I'll be doing sets with one rep. I don't often do the crazy balls to the walls sets but after a few warm ups you would put a weight on the bar you can do say 8-10 times and you would go crazy with it. Keeping good form you would go till you can't go any more and then do five more reps, just straight up killing yourself. It's fun but not easy physically or mentally.

By the way my powerlifting Bible is Dinosaur Training by Brooks Kubik. He is a little too much strongman training focused but the principles in that book are right on! It is also a fun read.

Finally get off those Nautilus machines! They are close to sinful and it sounds like the view is a near temptation to sin anyway. You can do the same exercises safely with free weights and it is so much better for you. There are all these stabilizing little muscles we use all the time that are worked using free weights that the machines can't touch. That section of the gym is a little like the table game sections of the casino. Some people are intimidated to go there, but that is where the best bets are. Feel free to ask for a spot or you can do things in a way that won't need spotters.
“It is with the smallest brushes that the artist paints the most exquisitely beautiful pictures.” (
April 10th, 2014 at 11:35:05 AM permalink
TheCesspit
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 23
Posts: 1929
I have only damaged myself with weights once, and that was on a machine. Torqued my legs in the wrong way, and was off the running for a week.

I don't do super heavy sets with free weights anyways.
It is said that your life flashes before your eyes just before you die.... it's called Life
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