Lean Powerlifters!

[Fazc]

This is an awesome thread: http://muscleandbrawn.com/forums/pow...-rulebook.html

I figured I'd run another one alongside that looking at weight categories. There's going to come a time when you're strong enough, big enough but just slightly too fat to be competitive. It's only around 7.5kg-10kg between weight categories and if you're carrying that amount and more in excess fat surely it makes sense to take it off at some point right?

So at what point does that happen?

[PrimalBeard]

I've found that cooking everything in butter or bacon grease does the trick, honestly. Paleo/Primal has let me lose body weight but gain weight on the bar, and I've seen it long term do the same (bruteforce is a great example).

Maybe not the answer you were looking for, though!

[big valsalva]

How about this rule I picked up from Dante? It might apply. It might not.

Eat like you weigh 300 pounds. Do cardio like you're at 8% bodyfat.

[kitarpyar]

Very strongly worded, but entertaining blogs on this from Jamie Lewis (at chaos and pain). Not safe for viewing while at work

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

[LtL]

I like Dave Tate's advice on this topic (shocker I know):

Keep eating until you stop getting stronger and then drop a weightclass.

LtL

[Carl1174]

Well Im no where near a powerlifter, but I am trying to bodybuild by powerlifting if that makes sense. I intend on eating untill a particular move gets to where i want it to be (in my first case bench 3pps) then I will strip down, have a look how I look then do the same again with deadlift, then the same protocal with squats. Then possibly OHP (I know not technically a powerlift)

I figure concentrating on getting the big 3 (4) up to reasonable levels is a sure fire way of getting a strong looking physique, without having to worry too much about isolations

Carl.

[Fazc]

Originally Posted by kitarpyar

Very strongly worded, but entertaining blogs on this from Jamie Lewis (at chaos and pain). Not safe for viewing while at work

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

This is the sort of thing I was getting at. Thanks for the links Kit, especially Part 1. Also what Ltl said about Tate's advice.

When I first started all I wanted to do was win. I was naturally fat so I was very aware of weight categories, I actually competed in the 110kg category once after only a couple years of training and I was shit there. I dropped past the 100's, past 90 and into the 82.5kg where I was lean and muscular and did most of my lifting. Nowadays I weigh in at a relatively smooth 95kg, 90kg is definitely much more like it. If however I was to push it and diet down really slowly then 85kg (cutting water to 82.5) would be a possibility if I were ripped. If I could hold onto my strength at that bodyweight and bodyfat level, I'd be very competitive.

That's the sort of thing I was wondering about, considering I've been training for well over a decade now and have a relatively light bone structure I don't envision much going much higher than the 82kg class while i'm in shape. According to the Casey Butt potential calculator that is pretty much spot on too.

[LtL]

For me I am mostly competing against myself. I want to lift more each time I step on the platform and set PB's. I have my eyes on a 675kg's total in 18months time which, if done at 100kg's RAW, would put me in with a shout of winning Nationals.

As my gains slow down I would imagine I will become more motivated by winning competitions (which I should have more chance of doing by then) and would consider dropping a weightclass and potentially lifting less in order to win.

LtL

[BendtheBar]

I was able to get pretty strong after my come back to the iron in 2007. I lost 50 pounds during this time. before that point I trained a long time lean (under 220), and was able to get very strong doing so. But I did eat aggressively - I just had a fast metabolism.

The 2 times in my old age I allowed myself to eat aggressively I made amazing progress on my lifts.

My goal right now is to get into the 220s and eat aggressively using Paleo. I'm hoping it is a good combination for me.

[SqeezeMasterFlash]

I like the old John McCallum quote, that all the fat in the world doesn't have the strength to pull a sick hen off a nest. So for me, if I had fat to spare and would be more competitive in a lower weight class, why not drop the fat? 30 days of watching what you eat will not kill your strength.