I've told the story before I spent the first few years of my training with a 100kg Bench, the best thing I did to eventually get a bigger, broader upper body wasn't pumping, toning or whatever else... it was getting stronger. Once I had a 140kg+ bench I was considerably broader and larger.
This is initially why I loved Powerlifting. It was that combination of getting stronger/muscular while remaining at low-ish bodyfat levels which for me was a perfect compromise on what I love to do; lift heavy weight and how I like to look. To me Powerlifting never was about getting as fat as possible, never ever. It's about being as lean and as strong as possible.
Lifting heavier in the gym, getting sloppy with your bodyweight and form is not powerlifting to me, yet that seems to be some of the stigma attached to powerlifting. So when a young guy is told to get stronger, there will always be someone pipe up with 'I want to be a bodybuilder, not a powerlifter' ... ridiculous statement really and it stops beginners from doing what they need to do. Wrapping this post up, what they need to do is get stronger in good form for a medium rep range.
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