Powerlifting is NOT Strength Training: And Vice Versa! (CONTROVERSIAL)
Вставка
- Опубліковано 31 лип 2024
- With the advent of social media and the re-introduction of raw powerlifting federations, powerlifting and powerlifting style training have exploded in popularity in recent years and become somewhat of a niche phenomenon. This has had many positive effects on the fitness community as a whole. It has encouraged many people who otherwise would not have done so to embrace barbell training (as opposed to machine or dumbbell only style training) and training to get stronger, creating objective, tangible improvements in the physical capabilities of their bodies. It has also encouraged many women to start lifting heavy weights so that they can build strength and muscle instead of just going to the gym to try to get "toned," and it has simultaneously drastically reduced the stigma that has long been attached to those women who have previously bravely ventured into this realm.
These are all good things! Having a physically capable body is very important. Strength training can improve overall quality of life, increase bone mineral density, help keep elderly people independent longer, and help stave off a whole host of other ailments. The more people who partake in this endeavor the better. However, this rapid explosion in the popularity of powerlifting has also brought with it a great deal of confusion in regards to what the aims of strength training actually are vs. how they relate to the SPORT of powerlifting and training for that sport in particular. Today I want to address one of these points of confusion and that is the widespread total conflation of generalized strength training with powerlifting training.
Here is the original article published on my website
www.enkirielitefitness.com/ar...
_________________________________________
Online Coaching: www.enkirielitefitness.com/co...
Re-Usable Training Templates: www.enkirielitefitness.com/te...
My archive of fitness articles: www.enkirielitefitness.com/ar...
Instagram: / enkiri_elite
10% off Tib Bar Guy products with code ENKIRI10
www.thetibbarguy.com/enkiri
For high quality straps, wraps, collars, and other training accessories be sure to check out Warm Body Cold Mind!
warmbody-coldmind.com/?sca_re...
_________________________________________
TIMESTAMPS
0:00 Introduction
2:15 Powerlifting is NOT Strength Training
4:25 The 3 major points we will be dissecting today
4:50 #1 Tangible differences between PL and strength training
7:15 Maximal weight is not necessary for maximal strength
9:51 #2 Applications of strength training vs. powerlifting training
13:03 Over-specialization is a problem
16:54 Absorb what is useful; discard what is useless
18:15 #3 Why CONFLATING these concepts matters
#powerlifting #strengthtraining #fitness #bodybuilding #enkirielitefitness - Розваги
I have a tip. Next time you are feeling smug and self-satisfied, thinking that you have all of the facts.....just consider how in 10 years you are no longer going to believe most of the stuff that you currently consider as fact.
pin of shame
@@joshuanbixbee2948quite the opposite
I honestly didn't even understand the context of the comment lol.
just fuck off and go do your low bar squats
Dude, the vast majority of what he says on here has been known for multiple decades.
“How much you can Deadlift OR sumo deadlift.” This is a tacit admission by Mr. Enkiri that sumo ain’t a real deadlift.
Good catch!
Even strongman comps don’t allow sumo. In a sport where literally anything else goes even they know sumo is cheating.
@@ericscheerer4138 it is just a different lift. Okay especially some people with the cheat sumo set up. Its not a hip hinge anymore lol. Most people that do sumo its not that different to a regular deadlift.
@@ericscheerer4138 Tf you mean by "even they"?
@@user_ghdq3 yea lmao he's assuming strongman compromises on something
unless he's referring to the permission of hitching then idk
Always an interesting and thoughtful take on things. I always come away with something new. Seriously, dude this channel deserves to be so much bigger.
I don't pretend to know everything and I would never want to anyway, but I do like to try to get people to think from a different perspective. Glad to hear you are finding the info valuable bro.
Couldn’t agree more that strength training has been conflated with pure powerlifting training. If anything the Pendlay/Starr total of high bar squat/push press, and clean probably offers a bit better more carryover for general strength
the grind through your sticking point on the 530 squat is insane, well done. that takes so much mental effort most people would have probably dumped it
I like how he finished the "extra risk" segment with footage of him jumping off a roof.
It's the little details bro 😉
Get strong at multiple exercises, not just 3. That’s what’s builds a well balanced physique
Bench Press
Barbell Row
Deadlift
Squat
Cleans
Snatch
Planks
Human Flag
Overhead Press
Handstand push ups
Running
Sprints
Lunges
Weighted Pull Ups
Muscle Ups
Me when i run 300lbs
i Agree with everything you said here, bro. i much rather have general strength and improve on everything. I love boxing, running, i dont own a car so i have to walk, carry laundry and groceries back and forth why still working a shitty job. I have a plate in my hip from a car accident when i was 13. im 37 now and all this training i do gets more important as the years go by. As always, love your videos, thank you.
I was just thinking about this for the past couple of days. Thanks for the video. Now go recommend this to more people almighty algorithm.
A good discussion as always. I 100% agree that powerlifting training does not equal strength training; you especially sold this point in the last part of the video; you're right, strength does serve as the basis for many physical tasks. In order to perform such tasks, one needs to have sufficient strength for the muscle groups associated with that task (which may or may not be similar to powerlifting). Hell (this is more of am anecdote), I've also seen people who have not been able to do the lifts seen in powerlifting as well as I have, but are way beyond my strength overall. Ultimately, powerlifting pidgeon holes a person to three specific lifts and lowers the versatility of their strength (that is, if they don't do any other type of training), as you said in your video.
Great video. Have learnt to focus on all lifts, while focusing on 8-15RMs
That 60” box jump is so great! So is your high totals. But love the snatch and overhead presses
Amazingly giga. So weird to me how everthing that wasn't hypertrophy was automatically powerlifting!
Yep, you can build strength without testing it every single session or week. You're also allowed to do more than 5 reps in a set and still promote strength haha.
Loved this one.
Great perspective
This is a key message to the fitness industry that too many people need to hear. Keep preaching it man!
Thanks for making this bro.
Glad you enjoyed it man!
Amazing video
Never commented on your videos before but this is the number 1 thing alot of recreational lifters need to hear (especially naturals). Getting better at the Squat, Bench/ Deadlift is not the be all and end all unless you are a competitive powerlifter. Progress is progress no matter the exercise and will eventually lead to a more well rounded strength profile.
What are your thoughts on using Louie Simmons 5x5, 6x6 replacement for dynamic effort? Ie 60-70% with 1 minute rest periods? Would this be a good tool for power, density, and strength development?
I’ve been thinking about this for a while, using certain things like wide grip and arch in bench press isn’t getting stronger. It’s a form of specific strength that hyper focuses on the number rather then the strength of the muscle. It’s not about developing the muscle. Which helps with athletic endeavours and building general strength. It’s about developing the movement, the bench press.
Of course that has its limit. So every powerlifter. Eventually has to go back to generalised training or a “hypertrophy” block to increase their general strength or their “base”.
Is there anywhere a systematic analysis of what parts of the body are not strengthened by bench/squat/deadlift and so what supplementary exercises are needed alongside these 3
Really spot on !
OG article enjoyer checkin 🤓 wondered why the topic was so familiar! 😂
I hope you enjoyed it the second time around as well bro!
I care about strength milestones but only relative to the lifts and rep range I’m using to grow. I enjoy maxing but it loses appeal when you know volume work predicts your peaked strength and I don’t see the point of moving more weight if you have to use an easier variation to do it
My reaction to the title=FINALLY
Most excellent video!
Thank you!
Great vid Alec. Was wondering could you do one for squatting in heel shoes vs flats? Thanks
It's been so long that i have squatted in flats that my opinion on that topic would not be valid lol
@@EnkiriElitefair
Just another comment and a Like for the algo.
Stay shredded brahs (and brahettes), we're all gonna make it.
Peace.
Yea I really wish we as a community would stop saying training for size vs training for strength and start calling it training for size and strength vs Big Three One Rep Max Specialization, I think thats alot more accurate, especially when a massive amount of that specialization is technique and not actually just an increase in the raw muscular strength, doing curls for example you are specifically building size and strength in that specific muscle and to some degree theres probably motor unit recruitment adaptations as well. Powerlifting is similar to my training of box jumps while yes my muscles are increasing there ability to contract powerfully the progress is also largely do to perfecting the execution of the triple extension more and more. I hope I'm making sense here, but I consider general strength to be superior to Big Three One Rep Max Specialization, of course there also actual an increase in raw muscular strength but I think there is even more so with bodybuilding, especially if you train in lower rep ranges, and if I wanted to specialize on strength I'd choose strongman training over powerlifting 11 times out of ten, not to put down powerlifting, but the terminology we use seems to have created this misconception that if you bodybuild youll just be massive and weak, no you will be strong for sure, a lot of bodybuilders who can't fight is simple 1.) Their softies who like to lift they simply are not fighters mentally and thats ok
2.) They often dont have any stamina or agility or explosiveness which if you train directly you certainly will have
3.) This is also perpetuated by bodybuilders with no fighting training at all getting beat by martial arts master well no crap, just the reluctance that would be present because they dont know what to do is a huge factor, and the reason a lot of them suck at lifting objects is due to a lack of knowledge and maybe some underdeveloped stabilizing muscles and or tendons, anyway I'm sorry for the rant, I just think it'd be better for everyone if we started calling it Big Three One Rep Max Specilization instead of strength training
A much needed video that I will be referring people to in future discussions.
Glad you found it valuable!
I did Powerlifting for about 2 years, but trained perhaps 9 months, due to injurys on hips and shoulders. I completely fcked up my shoulders due to benching. Powerlifting destroyed me completely. Before i trained Powerlifting i did mostly calisthenics, i was healthy and really fit and especially shredded and had a lot of muscles. Powerlifting got me fat and unhealthy and i felt most of the time tired. So i stopped Powerlifting and got back into calisthenics and more functional Training and now my shoulders are finally healing, i loose bodyfat and become healthier. I would say Powerlifting is Not a Sport to get fit and strong, its just a specific competition Sport, If someone wants to be healthy and fit, just do other Sports
I like your videos
So do i.
It's the same thing.
Heavy singles terrify me
Hmm if your point is that strength training and power lifting is different then yes I'd agree. But if you're saying that powerlifting style training can't build up " everyday" strength then I disagree.
Powerlifting is the expression of maximal strength in 3/4 exercises ( conventional vs sumo) if you can sumo dead lift say 625 at a weight of 160 you'd be pretty useful in taxing the groceries to the front door or moving a couch.
Why does someone need to be strong in a seated pin press or zombie squat when you can be strong in the bench or back squat? Outside of goals of course.
Every sport has a level of specificness that can lead to overuse / boredom power lifting is no different.
Lastly even if you take out the super technical powerlifting stuff ( arch, wide stance etc) these lifters are still stronger than 99.9% of the population and they are using said methods to be the best of the best not uncle Phil I'm having a hard time seeing the " ineffective" nature of a sound PL training system.
This sounds like a CrossFit argument from 2011. ( Be functional) Functional is different for everyone.
I believe you missed the point of the essay.
@@EnkiriElite then enlighten me if you don't mind.
You obviously didn’t watch the video or hugely missed the point and you have the balls to ask the main to enlighten you? Lol the nerve
Does powerlifting actually help with MMA, wrestling, etc.?
Depends on how you execute it. Being stronger, all else being equal, makes you a better and more formidable athlete
@@EnkiriElite bench, squat and deadlift involve up and down motion only, I noticed that some MMA fighters who do powerlifting when they're fighting they're not that stronger than their opponents who didn't do powerlifting but did spend some time in gym
Not without proper training in the coordination required and cardio.
Solid video
can you try to deadlift and squat with a car
Respectfully, I think point one is off base. An all-out max and a training max are completely different things, and doing max effort singles at around 90% or so to attenuate upper threshold muscle fibers before moving on to hypertrophy-based work is not inherently dangerous. Certainly not any more dangerous than triples, fives, or 10s, and it’s only neurologically draining if the lifter is too psychologically aroused before performing their training maxes. They shouldn’t be. They should be approached calmly, in a business-as-usual fashion. These maxes can be rotated every max effort day to whichever accessory the lifter chooses and realistically set a PR every time they do max effort. And the changing of exercises, bars, grips, etc, to utilize different joint angles help stave off overuse injuries or overreaching. I see no reason why intermediate or advanced lifters can’t use conjugate-style training year-round for hypertrophy and strength training, which are necessarily linked. If a powerlifter has a meet coming up, they can simply hyper-focus on peaking their big 3’s in a brief prep, take a break after the meet, and then resume their normal strength training. Powerlifters don’t need special snowflake programs lol. They SHOULD be doing general strength training for musculoskeletal balance and longevity and overall health. Sport-specific prep should only comprise a very brief time in any given year
One problem is that strength is specific to the task which you are performing. Squat Bench and Deadlift strength isn’t even enough of a constraint. We must also set a rep and intensity value to determine the relative strength of that lifter under those conditions at that moment in time. The idea of “General Strength” is a bit of a misnomer.
I guess the biggest difference between powerlifting and strength training is the incorporation of weighted bodyweight exercises especially weighted chin ups.Most powerlifters don't focus on getting brutally strong at the weighted chin up
I have seen the light! I'm now a high bar squatter!! Mostly due to the fact it's easier on my low back, hips, and my tweaked knee, which surprised me.
same, i might still be a bit stronger on lowbar, but it beats up my shoulders so it negatively impacts my upper body work
Specialising early on is killing your gains? 😅
Imo, yes.
@@EnkiriElite Could you make a video going more in depth into this and explain why
Nah you are still nobel natty, and be proud of that!
Algo
Thank you sir!
People dont understand this
Biggest issue with this take is that if I listen to you I won't be able to answer the most important question in training:
"How much ya bench?"
Did you ever respond to vegan gains tearing up your client for raising his arse on that four plate bench?
This is controversial? 😳
I completely disagree , because i consider u as one of the Noble Natties
All I learned is that Alec can outrun a truck, and purple laser beams help your deadlift 🙏🏼
alec is kryptonian
Damn, that music gets annoying really fast. It's a shame, because it starts distracting me from what you're saying.
Powerlifting is hideous unless we're talking about high bar squat, close grip bench and conventional deadlift.
High bar squats, close grip bench and conventional deadlifts are hideous. You need Platz squats, JM presses and stiff legged deadlifts.
See? You can purity spiral INFINITELY with this dumb argument
Powerlifting is still a sport for failed bodybuilders though.
@@Copeman9999 Didn't mean for it to be an argument, just my opinion.
Not *infinitely* lol just farther than he intended. Let's go with bottoms up ATG front squats, behind the neck z press, and deficit DL pulled with the bar at foot height (stiff leg cannot be enforced accurately, but deficit can!). We've spiraled pretty far with those 3 lifts and it would be hard to spiral much further than this lol.
@@Copeman9999 I don’t disagree with this point. The reason why he state this opinion is because low bar could always be lower, arch’s curve more and sumo so wide that the weight barely misses our feet. High bar is high bar. You can’t go any higher. PL just fixed the rules on bench with the new elbow rule. I’m glad I don’t see someone practically doing the splits while using a deadlift bar to move weight .25 cm for lockout. I get why he said that. And I see why we could use different movements to judge strength. Some people take these leverages way too far and it ruins the sport.
Nothing like getting accused of hiding your strength by not doing arched benche sand wide stance squats deliberately done to create a rebound 1 inch below parallel by yanking on your adductors and hip sockets for elasticity! How about sumo lifters making a big deal about straps because that's clearly a crutch! Bromley was right: powerlifting is where people who couldn't do other things - including strongman and bodybuilding - can congregate and circlejerk about how great they are as no one cares or watches them! Maybe I'm caricaturizing too much... it's really those online faux powerlifter wannabes that are like this really, actually strong powerlifters say it like it is!
It is funny you mention Bromley tho cuz he himself was essentially circlejerking about how pointless non-powerlifting or organized sport related lifting feats are in his new odd lifts video where he "accuses" odd lift enjoyers of the same things you allude to. Except all he seems to admit is that he is fragile when it comes to ranges of motion outside the approved domain of powerlifting and strongman (which itself is kinda wacky with the lifts but he still refers to it).
The comment thread on that video starting with Deadliestlift's comment is hilarious!
@@illustriousindividual1077 Many people who do shit like Jefferson block pulls and hack deadlifts are not doing those lifts because they actually build anything. They do it because it is in fact gimmicky. Or often the case is that they're noobs - thanks AlphaDestiny and Rick! - who have a bad case of monkey see monkey do.
I know that Bromley has absolutely little love for powerlifting and is more of a bodybuilding guy, likes bodybuilding parameters and developmental motions.
Not really controversal for me. Maybe for overly proud powerlifters XD .
Once you take many of these powerlifters out of the regular planes they train in they’re weak as hell
like what? most of the time my powerlifting strength has carried over pretty well to other aspects of life and other strength sports
That's because strength is specific and dynamic, you need to train the movement you are trying to be "strong" at for it to apply. As an example, just because someone is a strong deadlifter doesn't mean they will automatically be good with atlas stones. Another example is that both calisthenics athletes and powerlifters are "strong", but a cali athlete will never be able to place high at a powerlifting meet without specifically training for it and a high level powerlifter will never be able to do half the feats that these cali guys put up.
What powerlifting does is increase your low velocity strength in the squat, bench, and deadlift (and if you are a specialist who does single lift meets than even less than 3). Of course, this does infact carry into other areas of your life, and will make you stronger overall. But what I am trying to say is, just because someone is a strong powerlifter doesn't mean they will be good at every single strength sport under the sun, and this applies to other strength sports too. Arm Wrestlers are "strong" too but you can find videos of Devon online struggling to deadlift 435lbs.
@@Kaledrone Wouldn't a 600 lb deadlifter be better at atlas stones than someone who isn't? Especially if it's conventional. Barring the extreme technician types, powerlifting does seem to carry over pretty good to general strength stuff especially if you do the accessories and have diversity in the supplemental lifts
@@illustriousindividual1077 yes, of course! Or at least, they would have the *potential* to be once they got skilled/good at loading stones. I didn't make this video to try to convince people that "strong isn't strong." And I hope that is not the message people are taking away.
@@EnkiriElite Yeah, I got that much! I read your article back when you wrote it actually. I was responding to the original commenter who seemed to have misunderstood that message.