Powerlifter and Bodybuilding

Gentlemen

I wonder if you can help me out... Do you think there is any way to do both?
Train as a bodybuilder in the morning and powerlifter in the evening?
So long as you eating well enough I can't see a reason it won't work unless I'm missing something?

Appreciate your feedback!

You can change your workouts to focus on both, and just up the volume done on your powerlifting compound movements. Powerbuilding! Look into powerlifting routines like wendler 5/3/1, cube method, smolov, lilliebridge method, westside and experiment until you find what works for you. Always start your workout (after a decent warm up) with your heavy powerlifting exercises. Mix it up with isolation exercises for the second half of your workout to work on symmetry and your lagging body parts.

Basically start chest day with heavy low rep bench, leg day with deep squats, back day with deadlifts and do them with powerlifting form, not bodybuilding form. If you're new to powerlifting take the time to Youtube guys like Dan Green, Eric & Ernie Lillybridge, Brandon Lilly, Mark Bell, Brett Gibbs, Josh Hancott who all are world class lifters and great teachers of how to advance in powerlifting and train with perfect form for your body type.

I love training like this. But powerlifters need more rest. When lifting 3 and 1 rep maxes your CNS takes much more punishing, and you will need more rest than what you're used to. Your body will adapt but don't go your heaviest every week for 1-2 reps because in the long run it's counterproductive.

Mike O'Hearn is one of the best built 45+ year old guys around and is a powerlifter and bodybuilder who has a decent powerbuilding routine. Do a google.

Oh yea and look up Stan Efferding training videos. IFBB pro bodybuilder and world class powerlifter. The guy can do a 500lb one arm deadlift!

I also do some powerlifting-type training. Enjoy the variation and challenge. Have to watch the form more carefully

Thanks Ma, a true champ!

I've actually been afforded the opportunity to train with a multiple world champion and record holder. The form is very diffrent but really enjoying this style of training.

Yes I am taking a bit of a beating and feel a good rest day coming on

Will have a look at those programmes and.guys, thanks Ma

yes you can, most powerlifters i know thats competing this weekend in potch train like bodybuilders the only difference is there first exercise of the training day is a powerlifting exercise eg. bench, sqaut and deadlift after that there rep range increases to what body builders do.

You can go have a look at a system called "The cube method" and just adjust the exercises to your likes.

Hey guys,

Hoping to clarify something on Masons original question here which wasn't really answered.

Mason Might wrote: Train as a bodybuilder in the morning and powerlifter in the evening?

I've been training as per everyone's input for a number of years now. Powerbuilding baby! Heavy compound to start and transition to a bodybuilding style for the last 30 mins. But recently my gym partner has suggested we split our routine into morning and night. Heavy, low rep powerlifting moves in the AM and then in the PM target the same muscle group but more isolation and high rep exercises.

I'm arguing that it's better to do this in one routine but I don't have a valid basis for this and can't really find anything to support it. ....In my head it just doesn't 'feel' right to hit the same muscle group 8 hours apart on the same day.

Any views in terms of muscle fatigue, benefits or disadvantages to muscle growth and size?

Iron K.

Kobra, unless those muscles are recovering fully in the 8 hour period, you'll be over-reaching. If you cause muscular cell damage in the AM, they wouldn't be fresh for the PM and the workout will suffer and so will progress. In fact if you are training hard enough the morning, you'll probably cause more harm than good in the evening.

I know Arnold had a program where he lifted twice a day, but it was different muscle groups, so as long as he had enough energy for the second round he could afford it.

Ye I'm all for splitting legs into quads morning and hammies in the evening as if I try and do them together I neglect my hammies and loose intensity, ecspcially now while I'm cutting and low on carbs.
But train in the same body part twice a day sounds like over kill to me. I can cripple any body part in 30 minutes and then need days not hours to recover. IMO if you are even able to train the same body part twice a day your morning session must have been a bit of a joke.

I dont see a problem with doing it like that every once and awhile to change things up and shock the body wouldnt do it week in and week out. I remember hearing somewhere in the past it does have benefits.

lobo wrote: ... and shock the body...

That's what cold showers are for.


I'm pretty sure you're just going to burn more calories. Even if you did your AM workout to positive failure (done in power lifting routines, if it reaches that), and strategize to do the PM to negative failure or a glycogen depletion workout, it still won't help much for muscular strength and growth. I'm sure you'll end up having better endurance though.

The best way to approach this is as Dr. Layne Norton suggested one week power/strength, next week hypertrophy/ bodybuilding. Or at least this is proven to give the best consecutive gains. The challenge is logging everything meticulously and being disciplined enough to stick with the plan in the long run. Can't remember what he called it, Power Hypertrophy Adaptive training? Can't remember for sure.

Haha true...

Shot, new training methods are always interesting to me will have a look at what dr Norton has to say.

I cant say for sure if the am pm thing for the same muscle is good or not if I did do it would only use it for major muscles like back or for a lagging body parts. Calories would also have to be high on that day and be able to sleep in between.

Didnt work today hit back this morning will go and do some calves and chest later no problem training twice a day on cycle here and there I find.

I set a South African squat record this year and will be stepping on stage in 2 weeks. Not hard at all to make bodybuilding and powerlifting work together. If anything the 2 can work in synergy with good programming. I usually just follow a protocol of periodized powerlifting rep schemes on bench/squat/deadliff/over head press, and then use my assistance work to do bodybuilding orientated training. The only time one or the other really has to suffer is in competition prep, my diet changes accordingly for each type of competition, powerlifting I simply have to eat a shit ton of food to be as strong as possible and sometimes that means accepting a bit of fat gain, cutting for bodybuilding means I have to restrict my calories and get lean and with that it means strength loss will come along, but these draw backs are temporary.

@lobo, take a look here mate:

www.simplyshredded.com/mega-feature-layn...ne-updated-2011.html

the guys got an impressive physic for been natural going to go through it and see what its about will get back to you.

Thanks Furk

Yip, he's got a degree on nutritional sciences, his doctoral dissertation was on muscle protein synthesis. He shifted his own personal development from bodybuilding to powerlifting, but he still coaches bodybuilders.

Furk wrote: @lobo, take a look here mate:

www.simplyshredded.com/mega-feature-layn...ne-updated-2011.html

Awesome. Never seen this programme before and definitely going to give it a go for the rest of my current cycle! Thank you Furk!

Cool stuff Kobra, I'm also pretty keen to try this next time I bulk.

LegitKigtropin wrote: I set a South African squat record this year and will be stepping on stage in 2 weeks.

How heavy was the squat?