WEIGHT-LIFTING VS. POWER-LIFTING

REVIEW OF THE ARTICLE “WEIGHTLIFTING VERSUS POWERLIFTING” BY ALLEN HEDRICK (T-NATION)…CLICK HERE TO READ THE ARTICLE IN FULL

SUMMARY (POINTS TAKEN FROM THE ARTICLE) 

DIFFERENCES IN LIFTS:

• Weightlifting includes the snatch and the clean and jerk (performed as one movement)

• Powerlifting involves the squat, deadlift, and bench press

DIFFERENCES IN POWER:

• Weightlifters generate more power and move at higher velocities than powerlifters at all percentages of 1RM.

• The big 3 powerlifting movements typically produce approximately 12 watts per kilogram of body weight in male athletes.

•  In weightlifting, the second pull in both the snatch and clean average 52 watts per kilogram for male athletes. That’s over four times as much power

BENEFITS OF POWERLIFTING:

•  Powerlifting’s high force, low velocity movements are believed to be best for developing muscle strength.

•  Another benefit of slower speed training (e.g., 2 seconds up, 3 seconds down) is that it’s believed to be very good for developing hypertrophy

•  Increased muscle mass leads to increases in bodyweight, and depending on the athlete (e.g., offensive linemen), it can be another performance advantage.

BENEFITS OF WEIGHTLIFTING:

•  Believed to be the best approach for developing strength, power, and speed. This allows for performing heavy load and high velocity training simultaneously.

• Weightlifting movements and related training exercises (hang pulls, hang cleans, power snatch, power clean, push press, power jerk, etc.) are also valuable for developing explosive power, as the goal is always to move the bar as quickly as possible

•  Weightlifting programs are advantageous for increasing speed

  
  
  
  

REP MAX CALCULATOR + How much weight should I be using on my lifts (article)

Click HERE for an easy to use rep-max calculator

Q) I don’t understand how much weight I should be using on my lifts at the gym. I see in the WOD workouts you post, you use certain percentages… what is that all about?

A) First of all you need to figure out which lifts you want to focus on. For example if we are taking the 4 week strength-speed phase listed on this website, we would use

• Back Squat

• Push Press

• Deadlift

• Bench Press

It does not make much sense to just go into the gym and try to lift the heaviest weight possible all the time. You will plateau very quickly, by using a calculated approach you can continue your strength gains with limited wear and tear on the body.

STEP 1:  Go to the gym and figure out the heaviest weight you can safely do for 1 rep on each of these lifts. Make sure you write it down

Note: many experts often recommend calculating your numbers based on 90% of your 1 RM (rep max)

Step 2:  Take your 1 RM (rep max) number and multiple it by the percentage. Take that number and round it to the closest realistic weight

EXAMPLE:

1 RM Back Squat= 225 lb

60%        225 x .60 = 135  

70%        225 x .70= 160

calculating your starting weight + REP MAX CALCULATOR LINK

CLICK HERE FOR CALCULATOR 

Q) I don’t understand how much weight I should be using on my lifts at the gym.

A) First of all you need to figure out which lifts you want to focus on. For example if we are taking the 4 week strength-speed phase 

*click here to see the Strength-Speed workouts

EXAMPLE

• Back Squat

• Push Press

• Deadlift

• Bench Press

It does not make much sense to just go into the gym and try to lift the heaviest weight possible all the time. You will plateau very quickly, by using a calculated approach you can continue your strength gains with limited wear and tear on the body.

STEP 1:  Go to the gym and figure out the heaviest weight you can safely do for 5 reps on each of these lifts. Make sure you write it down 

STEP 2:  Use the calculator above or…………….Take your 1 RM (rep max) number and multiple it by the percentage you want to work with. Take that number and round it to the closest realistic weight…

• EXAMPLE:

• 1 RM Back Squat= 225 lb

• 60%        225 x .60 = 135  

• 70%        225 x .70= 160

calculating your starting weight + REP MAX CALCULATOR LINK

CLICK HERE FOR CALCULATOR 

Q) I don’t understand how much weight I should be using on my lifts at the gym. I see in the WOD workouts you post, you use certain percentages… what is that all about?

A) First of all you need to figure out which lifts you want to focus on. For example if we are taking the 4 week strength-speed phase 

EXAMPLE

• Back Squat

• Push Press

• Deadlift

• Bench Press

It does not make much sense to just go into the gym and try to lift the heaviest weight possible all the time. You will plateau very quickly, by using a calculated approach you can continue your strength gains with limited wear and tear on the body.

STEP 1:  Go to the gym and figure out the heaviest weight you can safely do for 5 reps on each of these lifts. Make sure you write it down 

STEP 2:  Use the calculator above or…………….Take your 1 RM (rep max) number and multiple it by the percentage you want to work with. Take that number and round it to the closest realistic weight…

EXAMPLE:

1 RM Back Squat= 225 lb

60%        225 x .60 = 135  

70%        225 x .70= 160

WEIGHT LIFTING VS. POWERLIFTING

REVIEW OF THE ARTICLE “WEIGHTLIFTING VERSUS POWERLIFTING” BY ALLEN HEDRICK (T-NATION)…CLICK HERE TO READ THE ARTICLE IN FULL

SUMMARY (POINTS TAKEN FROM THE ARTICLE) 

DIFFERENCES IN LIFTS:

• Weightlifting includes the snatch and the clean and jerk (performed as one movement)

• Powerlifting involves the squat, deadlift, and bench press

DIFFERENCES IN POWER:

• Weightlifters generate more power and move at higher velocities than powerlifters at all percentages of 1RM.

• The big 3 powerlifting movements typically produce approximately 12 watts per kilogram of body weight in male athletes.

•  In weightlifting, the second pull in both the snatch and clean average 52 watts per kilogram for male athletes. That’s over four times as much power

BENEFITS OF POWERLIFTING:

•  Powerlifting’s high force, low velocity movements are believed to be best for developing muscle strength.

•  Another benefit of slower speed training (e.g., 2 seconds up, 3 seconds down) is that it’s believed to be very good for developing hypertrophy

•  Increased muscle mass leads to increases in bodyweight, and depending on the athlete (e.g., offensive linemen), it can be another performance advantage.

BENEFITS OF WEIGHTLIFTING:

•  Believed to be the best approach for developing strength, power, and speed. This allows for performing heavy load and high velocity training simultaneously.

• Weightlifting movements and related training exercises (hang pulls, hang cleans, power snatch, power clean, push press, power jerk, etc.) are also valuable for developing explosive power, as the goal is always to move the bar as quickly as possible

•  Weightlifting programs are advantageous for increasing speed