Bodybuilding vs. Powerlifting: 3 big differences

If you work out in the gym, you don't have to be a bodybuilder. In fact, you can find people with a wide variety of goals in the gym.

If you train to shape your body and get the most aesthetic figure possible, you are bodybuilding. However, if your goal is to become as strong as possible in the basic exercises, you're doing powerlifting.

In powerlifting, you try to get stronger in the three basic exercises of squats, bench press, and deadlift. The goal in competition is to do one rep each with maximum weight.

In bodybuilding as well as powerlifting you need a lot of muscle mass. Strength training is the key to success. In addition, you should pay attention to a nutrient and protein-rich diet, as well as sufficient recovery, whether you are bodybuilding or powerlifting.

However, there are differences in training methodology. So you should adjust your training depending on whether an aesthetic figure or maximum strength in the three basic exercises is your goal. The more advanced you are, the more differently you should train.

In today's article, you'll learn what the three big training differences are and what adjustments you should make in your training.

Large vs. small exercise selection

The first big difference is in your exercise selection. In bodybuilding you can choose between many different exercises.

For example, if you want to build good pectoral muscles, you don't necessarily have to bench press. You could also incorporate the incline bench press and dumbbell flys into your plan instead.

You don't necessarily have to do squats to develop good quad strength. You can also train this muscle with the leg extension or the leg press.

And instead of deadlifts, you can do hyperextensions and use a machine for leg curls. So you can choose between many different exercises that are effective for building muscle.

It is of course important that the 4 criteria of effective exercises to build muscle are met.

In powerlifting, on the other hand, you have a smaller selection of exercises. In principle, there are only 3 exercises. But it wouldn't make much sense to let your training consist only of these exercises. After all, these 3 exercises are very fatiguing.

Over time, you might not be able to provide a strong enough training stimulus. In order to continue to improve, you should integrate accessory exercises into your training plan.

So you could supplement the squat, bench press, and deadlift, for example, with accessory exercises like the front squat, dumbbell incline bench press, and Romanian deadlift. This way you can also set strong training stimuli in the long term.

If, in addition to powerlifting, you would like to build an aesthetic physique or compensate for your weak points, you can also do a few smaller exercises. However, your focus should always be on the three basic exercises and the relevant accessory exercises.

High vs. low training intensity

The next big difference is the training intensity, that is, the weight used.

As a powerlifter, your training weight should not deviate too much from the weight you move in competition. However, it doesn't make much sense to always train with just one rep.

Even if you did 10-15 sets, the training volume would be too low. This would cause you to lose muscle because you wouldn't be setting enough of a training stimulus.

For this reason, you should do more reps during training than you would during competition. For example, for training you could choose a weight for the basic exercises that you can move cleanly for 3-6 reps.

For accessory exercises, choose a weight that you can move for 6-8 reps. At the end of all of your sets you should still have 1-3 reps left in the tank. However, you should make sure in between or some time before the competition to test how much weight would be feasible for your one rep max.

If you do bodybuilding, you also have more options when it comes to training intensity. You don't necessarily have to keep the training weight as high as possible.

So you can train with significantly less weight, but with higher reps. You should aim for about 6-15 reps for most sets. At the end of all sets, a maximum of 4 reps should be left in the tank.

Long vs. short breaks between sets

The last major difference in training is the breaks between sets.

Those who train very hard in the lower rep ranges must also take longer rest periods. The reason for this is the very heavy load these sets place on the nervous system. After a heavy set, the nervous system needs longer to recover.

Therefore, as a powerlifter, you should take longer breaks, most lasting around 3-5 minutes.

Since you tend to train in higher rep ranges as a bodybuilder, your rest periods don't necessarily have to be that long. Training with both short and long set rests can be effective. It's best to pause until your breathing has normalized and you have enough focus for the next set.

Bonus: differences in nutrition

Above, we mainly discussed differences in how you should train depending on your goals.

However, there are also some differences in how you should eat throughout the year depending on whether your goals align more with bodybuilding or powerlifting. This is especially true if you plan to compete in a bodybuilding show or powerlifting meet, since this is where the differences will be the most significant.

If you are going to compete in bodybuilding, then obviously you want to be very lean during your show day. Bodybuilding is based on your physical appearance of muscularity, so having as little body fat as possible covering up your muscles is highly important.

In powerlifting, on the other hand, your strength output is the most important thing. As such, extreme leanness can be counterproductive, since the types of diets bodybuilders go on leading up to a show tend to diminish their strength and energy by quite a bit. Often bodybuilders feel their absolute worst when they look their absolute best on stage. As such, powerlifters should maintain much more body fat than bodybuilders leading up to a competition, focusing on eating foods that will give them plenty of strength and energy

Of course, this is only relevant leading up to a show day. After a show or during the off-season, bodybuilders should also prioritize gaining strength and size over staying lean. During these times, the same rules apply for both groups. Eat in a slight calorie surplus, get 0.7-0.9 g of protein per pound of body weight, eat plenty of carbohydrates to give yourself energy before a tough workout, etc.

Just keep in mind that regular cycles of bulking and cutting are far more important for bodybuilders, who prioritize leanness, as compared with powerlifters, who prioritize strength.

"Powerbuilding"

Of course, many people want to do a combination of powerlifting and bodybuilding, and these "powerlifters" embrace a training style that uses some elements of both training styles.

For instance, powerbuilders will usually focus on the three main exercises of the bench press, squats, and deadlifts in all of their workouts, but will also do more accessory movements as well. They will also focus more on exercises that work muscle groups like the biceps and posterior deltoids that aren't really important for these three exercises, since they also want to build a balanced and aesthetic physique overall.

For powerbuilders who compete in both bodybuilding shows and powerlifting meets, it can be helpful to periodize your training based on which event you plan to compete in next. As mentioned above, bodybuilders need to get very lean (but also a bit weaker) leading into a show, whereas powerlifters need to get as strong as possible (but also gain a bit more body fat) leading into a meet. However, powerbuilders can also change their focus in how they train.

For instance, powerbuilders who want to focus on prepping for a bodybuilding event can shift a bit of focus away from the big three movements and focus more on bringing up weak points in their physique. They can also use slightly higher rep ranges than they normally would, and focus less on very low-rep high-weight sets. For powerbuilders who plan on doing a powerlifting meet in the next few months, doing the opposite is probably best.

In short, it is perfectly possible to be a "powerbuilder," or a person who trains for both strength and size. However, even in this case, it is important to think ahead and focus your training in a way that will prepare you for whichever of these two goals is more important in the immediate future.