Train To Gain Increase Your Muscle , Not Your Gut
Iron Man Magazine|September 2016

Powerbuilding - You don’t have to choose between being strong and looking good.

Tucker Loken
Train To Gain Increase Your Muscle , Not Your Gut

Powerbuilding is when you want to build a physique that’s more than pleasing to the eye, you want to build a physique that’s functional and can move real weight. Nobody wants to be able to put four plates on each side of a chest press machine for reps, only to be crushed by three plates on a regular bench press. A powerbuilder focuses on proficiency in the big-three lifts (squat, bench press, and deadlift) because they are the best determinants of raw strength with a barbell. Powerbuilding also focuses on creating a bodybuilding-type physique with all the qualities of broad shoulders, trim waist, low body fat, and balanced muscle mass.

More Gains

You have to keep your body guessing if you want it to grow. The mix-up in rep ranges and volume of a powerbuilding program will be a shock to anyone who has only been doing bodybuilding-style training for a long period. Directly, you will build muscle from pushing more weight. You’ll be able to lift a lot more weight on a set of five reps than a set of 10, and that will engage your muscles in a whole new way. Indirectly, after you finish the program and go back to bodybuilding, you’ll be way stronger. When you go back to bodybuilding, you will be pushing a lot more weight than you were, and this is going to make you blow up.

Let’s be honest, being strong is cool. Looking good is cool. Being strong and looking good is really cool. It’s a great feeling walking into the gym feeling strong, like you could move as much weight as you wanted on any given day. Powerbuilding can help you do this in a way that regular bodybuilding alone can’t. By prioritizing strength gains as a measure of progress and applying the proper deload and intensity programs, you’ll guarantee yourself PRs rather than just hoping to get stronger over time.

This story is from the September 2016 edition of Iron Man Magazine.

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This story is from the September 2016 edition of Iron Man Magazine.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.