Weightlifter, powerlifter and bodybuilder. They all lift the bar and they are all iron fanatics. And yet, despite the same instrument - the barbell, despite the same material - the muscles, they look completely different. Maybe they differ in genetic background, training style and nutrition? Is it possible to achieve all the best of what all three athletes have: simultaneously large and relief muscle mass, tremendous strength and speed?

Unfortunately not possible. Weightlifters, powerlifters and bodybuilders are similar only in that they chose a universal weights as a means of training - a barbell, dumbbells and various simulators. It is impossible to compare not only their appearance, but also the manifestations of their fitness, since training in each of these three sports is very specific.

Bodybuilding and powerlifting - fundamentally different types sports. Each of them has its own goals and objectives, systems and methods. At a certain stage of training, each athlete chooses: either to pay the main attention to the formation of a powerful, relief muscle mass with a fine study of all details and performance in posing, or to focus on achieving maximum strength indicators.

However, these areas are not mutually exclusive. Powerlifters, as a “free supplement” to strength, usually acquire a mighty figure, albeit not always sufficiently developed, but powerful, and experienced bodybuilders are distinguished by enviable strength. There are also "part-time workers" - athletes who achieve high results in both sports.

Genetics of Athletes in Strength Sports

A person's susceptibility to different methods training is genetically determined. Comparison of champions in these three sports allowed scientists to identify the most favorable traits that can predetermine success when choosing a strength sport.

Weightlifters

Successful weightlifters tend to have a longer torso than their legs. The larger lever allows you to apply more acceleration to the tempo movements typical of weightlifting. In some exercises, speed is more important than strength.

So, a genetically gifted weightlifter is different:

• the predominance of fast twitch fibers in the muscle composition;
• lack of expression of the structure of the pelvis or shoulder girdle;
• a longer torso compared to the length of the legs;
• lack of expression of trends in the thickness (circumference) of the joints;
• very mobile elbow and ankle joints.

Powerlifters

Most powerlifters have a shorter torso than their legs. This gives them the edge when doing deadlifts and squats.

The genetically gifted powerlifter is distinguished by:

• the predominance of fast twitch fibers;
• wide pelvic structure;
• short torso compared to the legs;
• lack of expression of trends in the thickness of the joints;
• with outstanding deadlift performance
• longer (compared to average) arms; for athletes who perform exactly in all three movements, this tendency is not typical.

Bodybuilders

Bodybuilders are distinguished by the largest variety of shapes, volumes and proportions. They have different ratios of torso and limb lengths. But the best athletes in bodybuilding stand out for their perfect proportions.

A genetically gifted bodybuilder is characterized by:

• predominance of fast twitch fibers;
• narrow structure of the pelvic bone;
• wide structure of the shoulder girdle;
• aesthetically pleasing proportions of body parts;
• relatively small circumference of the joints.

However, the genotypes of the representatives of these three strength sports have common features. First of all, they should all be endowed with a high percentage of fast-twitching muscle fibers.

Training

Some differences are also due to the content and methodology of the training. Have bodybuilders efforts are distributed evenly to all muscle groups, and as a result of their development, the external proportions of the athlete are improved. Powerlifters and weightlifters care about the development of those muscle groups, which ensure the achievement of high strength results. These differences are evident in the appearance of the representatives of these three sports.

Weightlifters tend to look closer to what any other strength-related sport might look like, except for the more powerful trapezius muscles, triceps and erectors of the spine, as well as more distinct developed muscles upper thighs. Powerlifters develop powerful muscles in the thighs, glutes, back, chest, frontal deltoids and triceps. Bodybuilders strive to balance the development of all muscle groups.

Now for the most. Bodybuilders have a wide variety of exercises, numbers, styles of performing movements in exercises. In other words, they take a holistic approach to developing muscle volume.

This approach is acceptable for weightlifters and powerlifters only during certain periods of training cycles, since the gains in strength are less than in the “explosive” mode of exercise, when the weight of the weights rarely falls below 60% below the maximum that is clearly possible in the approach. It is these loads that can stimulate the growth of the contractile abilities of the muscles, which are necessary for the manifestations of great strength.

Last but not least, if you're serious about powerlifting, you don't need to aim for the dry, sculpted look that characterizes bodybuilders.

Athletic lovers are mistaken in thinking that a bodybuilder consistently looks like in a competition photo. It is only for bodybuilding that the “peak” of volumes, relief of forms, vascularity and muscle density is characteristic only a few times a year. The preparation of this form is very difficult, requires special dietary practice, which is not required in powerlifting, unless you need to enter the limit of a certain weight category.

Many tend to equate muscle with strength and power. The huge muscles of bodybuilders and movie stars make them look like superheroes and make them believe that they have colossal strength. However, large muscle volumes are not required for strength, which can be developed at a smaller size.

Of course, this does not mean that bodybuilders are not strong, there are just a few nuances. According to The Conversation, at the cellular level, the muscle fibers of a bodybuilder's muscles are inferior in some criteria to those of weightlifters and sprinters.

Weightlifting and sprinting require explosive power to be gained in a short amount of time, and that is true strength.

A study by Manchester Metropolitan University, published in the journal Experimental Physiology, analyzed muscle cells (myocytes) from a group of 32 volunteers.

It included 12 bodybuilders, 6 powerlifters (weightlifters) and 14 ordinary physically active men, but not athletes.

The researchers stimulated muscle cells to measure the power and speed of the force exerted by isometric load (without changing the length of the fibers). By measuring the size of the muscle cells, they calculated the specific force per volume of muscle fibers. The higher the specific force, the more powerful the muscle.

The authors found that although the muscle cell fibers of the bodybuilders were significantly larger than those of the rest, they had a lower specific force. This suggests that their muscles were generally weaker than those of normal men.

The muscles of weightlifters, who also train with weights, had a specific strength, like the muscles of an ordinary person, but developed it much faster. In other words, these muscles turned out to be the most powerful.

What is the strength in, brother?

However, do not rush to smile and make caustic comments about bodybuilders. The fact is that muscle fibers do not function in isolation, but are part of a larger system.

Lifting weights not only increases muscle size, but also improves connective tissue health, blood flow, and neuromuscular transmission. This allows you to more fully use the muscle, which is already large in size.

Thus, the lower specific force at the cellular level is more than compensated by the number of involved muscle fibers. So it shouldn't come as a surprise that bodybuilders are capable of lifting a lot.

For many decades, physiologists have known that there is a complex relationship between the size of a muscle and the strength it can produce.

Generally, the larger the muscle, the greater the strength. However, large muscles do not show an equivalent increase in specific strength.

According to Brad Shanfield, there are many ways in which muscles grow, but this does not affect peak strength. For example, this is facilitated by the proliferation of non-contractile elements in muscle cells.

This applies to the auxiliary organelles of the cell and connective tissue: collagen, glycogen and intracellular subunits. In general, the process is called "sarcoplasmic hypertrophy".

The goal defines the method

It is clear that bodybuilders and weightlifters have different goals... In the first case, athletes strive for muscle growth, in the second - for an increase in strength.

Different goals lead to features training process... For example, consider the confrontation between bodybuilder Tom Platz, owner of arguably the largest legs in history, and weightlifter Fred Hatfield.

Although Tom Platz's leg muscles were much larger, Fred Hatfield won by lifting 387.8 kg - 40 kg more than his opponent. However, when the organizers reduced the weight to 238kg, Tom Platz did 23 reps and Fred Hatfield only 11, according to T-nation.

The bottom line is that bodybuilders initiate muscle growth with more repetitions with less weight, so they are more successful in these types of loads. Weightlifters are more successful with very high loads and low reps.

The barbell squat is the first of three powerlifting exercises, basic exercise for the development and building of muscle mass in the legs in bodybuilding and an auxiliary exercise for snatch and clean and jerk in weightlifting. How is the squat different in these strength sports?

To the uninitiated person, this exercise will seem quite simple and easy to do. But still, let's take a closer look at this issue. Then it will be clear why we need so many words to fully cover the exercise called squatting in powerlifting.

First, you need to figure out how and why weightlifters do this exercise at all? First of all, bodybuilders do squats to increase leg strength. In weightlifting, squats are auxiliary exercises for the snatch and clean and jerk. The snatch and the take on the chest are performed by weightlifters in a deep squat.

It is fundamentally important what it is in the deep! Because the deeper the squat, the more weight can be lifted by an athlete. This fact explains why weightlifters work out such deep squats (in fact, as deep as possible).

Secondly, weightlifters train not just strength, but high-speed, so-called “explosive” strength. Especially "explosive" power is important during detonation. And in the squat with a barbell overhead (in the snatch) or on the chest (in the clean and jerk) there is no need to sit up. Therefore, weightlifters perform squats in a high-speed, explosive mode with medium weights.

The third fact concerns the use of squats. In weightlifting competitions, only knee pads or soft bandages are allowed. Accordingly, in training, weightlifters use only this equipment (and then only during the "penetration" or in case of injury). And soft bandages and knee pads do not change the squat technique in any way.

Finally, during a regular workout, weightlifters will squat at 70-80% of their maximum. Penetrations are rarely performed. And even 100% squatting load is not the actual maximum for a weightlifter, because the squat technique was worked out only for weights of 70-80% of the maximum and was not designed to implement a one-time limit effort. As you can see, there is no need for squats with maximum weights also influences squatting technique in weightlifting.

Features of squat technique in weightlifting

1. Since the straight squat is practiced, vertical back, then the bar is placed on top of the trapezoid, which allows you to keep your back arched and straight
2. The legs are placed shoulder-width apart, the toes are slightly turned. This is the most comfortable and natural position that is used in the jerk and lift to the chest.
3. The squat is performed deeply, in the “rebound”, ie. at the bottom point, as it were, there is a repulsion from the lower leg. The pace of the exercise is medium or high. "Rebound" makes squatting a little easier and allows you to work out high speed, which means "explosive" strength. At the same time, the load on the knees increases significantly, but the weight of 70-80% of the maximum is not yet traumatic.

And the last feature: during squats (both snatch and jerk), the athlete's center of gravity line passes through the middle of the foot.

Barbell squats in bodybuilding

In bodybuilding, as in weightlifting, squatting is an auxiliary exercise, but its purpose is somewhat different. The main goal is to increase the volume of the thigh muscles, and in some cases increase their strength (but this is a secondary task). Athletes in bodybuilding do not need deep squats like weightlifting. This reduces the stress on the knee joints. In addition, deep squats promote the development of the large gluteal muscles, which is considered unnecessary in bodybuilding.

Since bodybuilding does not require the development of "explosive" strength, squats are performed at an average pace. This pace is most effective for "pumping" muscles. And of course, the weights that athletes work with in bodybuilding are also in the range of 50-80% of the maximum.

Features of squat technique in bodybuilding

1. The bar is placed on top of the trapezoid (as in weightlifting)
2. Legs shoulder width apart or somewhat narrower (depending on which part of the thigh needs to be loaded more)
3. Squats are shallow: usually half squats or to a level where the thigh is parallel to the floor. Squat Pace - Medium
4. The center of gravity, as in weightlifting, runs through the center of the foot. This makes it easy to maintain balance during the exercise.

Of course, there are many generalizations in the analysis performed. Both weightlifting and bodybuilding use different kinds squats to achieve certain personal, different from the named goals. However, these are only exceptions that prove the rules.

Unlike weightlifting and bodybuilding, in powerlifting, the barbell squat is not an auxiliary, but the main, competitive exercise. Hence follows the main task: the athlete must lift the maximum possible weight! It doesn't matter at what speed, in what position the barbell will be on the shoulders. It is important to sit with the highest weight (of course, within the framework of the competition rules). Based on this, let's analyze the squat technique in powerlifting.

Probably, anyone understands that to overcome the greatest weight (in any exercise, not just squats!), You need to connect the largest number of muscles (in bodybuilding this is called). For powerlifting, this method is fine. Of course, this is not "cheating" in the sense that bodybuilders put into it, but a very close concept.

To squat with the maximum weight, it is necessary to "connect" not only the muscles of the legs, but also other muscles of the body. This refers, first of all, to the muscles of the back, which are in no way inferior in strength to the muscles of the thigh. In addition, in regular squats such as weightlifting and bodybuilding, the load usually falls on quadriceps hips and gluteus muscle, and the rest work only partially. This should be changed. How to really implement the "connection" of the maximum possible number of muscles will be considered a little later, but now let's touch on another, no less important aspect squats.

Let's turn to physics, or rather to mechanics:

where h = h2 - h1.
Remember this formula? Well, of course! This is the work spent on lifting a body with mass m from level h to height h. In powerlifting, the above relationship describes the rise of an athlete with a barbell from a saddle. And - this is the work that his body does. When we want to lift the maximum weight, we do the maximum possible work - Amax. This is the kind of work we can do right now. Perhaps someday later (after training!) We will be able to do a great job, but now this is the absolute maximum for us! More is simply not possible!
Let us assume that Amax = const = mg h.
In addition, g is known to be approx. = 9.8 m / s2. Further, you can get that mg = const / h. That is, the mass that we can lift is inversely proportional to the lift height. So, if we want to raise greatest weight, then you need to reduce the height difference in the exercise. This means that to overcome maximum weight should not squat deep! Semi-squat or better yet quarter-squat! Then the weight overcome in squats will become huge!

But in competition, the exercise is performed with a certain depth of the squat. This means that you need to look for other ways to reduce (or shorten) the range of motion. About special fitting techniques to solve this problem, it will be discussed below, but now we will analyze the depth of the squat in powerlifting.

The depth of the squat is a stumbling block when doing this exercise. it key moment in squats with a barbell, since it is clear to everyone that the lower the squat, the less weight can be lifted. Therefore, in this matter, the refereeing at the competition is quite tough.

The depth of the squat is determined by the ratio of the pivot points of the knee and hip joint, or the ratio of the upper points of the knee joint. In either case, the point on the thigh should be below the point on the knee. To achieve the required sedation depth, you can, for example, proceed as follows:
a) squat the way weightlifters do. At the same time, the depth of the gray hair is usually sufficient. But there are a few downsides here:
- in this technique, as already mentioned above, only the thigh muscles (and even then not all) and partly the back are included. This means that the weight is overcome less than the maximum possible;
- a large load is created on the knee joints, which is fraught with injuries on large weights;
- the length of the trajectory of movement of the bar delta h is maximum, which means that one should not expect an outstanding result;
- the depth of the sitting is limited by the volume of the thigh and lower leg (it is usually difficult, and sometimes impossible, for heavyweights to achieve the required depth of sitting due to too massive muscles).

What are the advantages? Plus - the only one: a natural and simple technique, the easiest to learn.
As you can see, there are much more minuses than pluses. You should look for something more effective!

In fairness, it should be noted that some athletes squat in a weightlifting style and achieve very high results. This is due, first of all, to individual characteristics and a number of other factors.

What can really be done to achieve maximum results?
First, you should change your legs to a wider one. It is practically very difficult to define unambiguously what “wider” means. Usually, the position of the feet is determined by trial and error. There is no single criterion here. From experience, I can advise the following method (perhaps not the best!). Rather, this is not even a way to determine the width of the legs, but a criterion for the correct setting. It is as follows. If you look at the squatting athlete in full face, then in the lower squat position, the shin should be perpendicular to the floor. In this case, several advantages are realized:
- during squats, feet do not slip on the platform, which is very important in competitions;
- the risk of injury decreases (the load on the knees is directed vertically downward, which corresponds to natural loading);
- the effectiveness of squats increases, the effort directed vertically downward is the most powerful, since there are no lateral components of the main load vector.

For clarity of the analysis, we introduce the vector | B | = | AJ
- force that acts in the horizontal direction, squeezing (or spreading) the knees. Thus, the main effort is decomposed into horizontal and vertical components, which reduces its “effective” value!

Let's see what we have achieved with a wider stance:
1. In addition to the quadriceps femoris, the hamstrings and long adductor femoris, as well as some smaller muscles, were connected to work.
2. The amplitude of movement delta h ^ becomes slightly less than delta h ,.
First of all, we have increased the efficiency of the squat itself, since we have fulfilled the conditions for increasing the efficiency of the movement.

However, you should avoid placing your legs too wide, as this, firstly, can lead to injuries to the knees and groin, and secondly, it is fraught with a performance error (the lower leg is not perpendicular to the floor!). If you nevertheless decide to squat with a very wide stance of your legs (due to personal physiological characteristics or just so convenient for you), then you need to turn the socks so that during squats the line of motion of the knee joint coincides with the line of staging the feet - this will avoid many troubles (or at least keep them to a minimum).

Now consider the position of the barbell on the shoulders. For clarity of the analysis, we introduce the vector | B | = | Ax |
- force that acts in the horizontal direction, squeezing (or spreading) the knees. Thus, the main effort is decomposed into horizontal and vertical components, which reduces its “effective” value! (see Figure 3).

So, we figured out the positioning of the legs! Now consider the position of the barbell on the shoulders. As mentioned above, in weightlifting, it is placed on top of the trapezoid above the spine of the scapula, which allows you to keep your back straight and upright. However, this position of the bar takes the powerful back muscles out of work, since they are not heavily loaded. Therefore, it is necessary to tilt the back slightly forward, shifting, as it were, part of the load on it.

The barbell can roll on your neck, which is completely unpleasant. To avoid this trouble, the bar should be placed just below the trapezoid. The most convenient place is rear part deltas and the middle of the trapezoid. Here, the bar will not press on the neck and the axis of the scapula and will not slide down. But in this place, the bar can no longer lie without support, as on the top of the trapezoid. It must be firmly fixed with your hands. This is somewhat inconvenient, since the load on the joints of the wrists and elbows increases, but there is no other way out. This inconvenience goes away after some training and getting used to this position.

In addition, this position has one more advantage: the load on the back muscles is reduced due to a decrease in the torque (or otherwise, the length of the "shoulder") of the bar, since l2< l1. Для пауэрлифтера это означает, что можно переложить большую часть веса штанги с ног на спину.

So, we achieved a decrease in the range of motion and connected the largest number of muscles to the barbell lift. What else is left? Well, of course, the smallest thing, namely: to achieve the required depth of gray! How can this be achieved without violating the previously formulated conditions? Very simple! By shifting the line from the center of gravity, from the center of the foot to the heel.

As can be seen in the figure, there is not only a shift in the center of gravity. All of the above technical innovations are already used here:

1. The bar lies below the spine of the scapula, i.e. actually on the back surface deltoid muscle.
2. The back is slightly tilted forward.
3. The legs are set wider than the shoulders, which makes the stand stable.
4. The line from the center of gravity of the athlete is shifted from the middle of the foot to the heel.

What are the advantages of this position? There are several of them:

a) as can be seen from the figure, the athlete's knee height (a) - h1 is less than that of the athlete (b) - h2 (h1< h2). Казалось бы, какая разница? Но вспомним правило: “точка вращения тазобедренного сустава А должна быть ниже точки вращения коленного сустава В”. Значит чем выше колено В, тем выше может быть точка А. Значит спортсмен может приседать на h’ выше, не нарушая при этом правила соревнований! Значит возможно уменьшение амплитуды движения на величину h! Каковым будет фактическое значение h зависит от индивидуальных физиологических особенностей спортсмена (длины голени и бедра).
b) pay attention to the angle formed by the lower leg and thigh - a. It is easy to see and prove that the angle a2< a1. Что это означает практически? Это означает, что у атлета (а) нагрузка на knee-joint more than the athlete (b). Consequently, athlete (a) has less maximum effort than athlete (b), and the likelihood of knee injury will be greater.
c) the athlete's stability (b) is slightly lower than that of the athlete (a), but the emphasis is more powerful. This is explained by the fact that the 2nd athlete's main effort vector does not have a horizontal component (see description above!).
So, due to a simple shift of the athlete's center of gravity, a significant optimization of the squatting process is achieved. This suggests that in technical performance, everything is not so simple and there are no trifles here! Every little thing is a plus or minus a few pounds.

The final feature of powerlifting squatting technique is tempo. Let's remember physics again, Newton's second law: F = ma. That is, the greater the acceleration, and hence the speed, the greater the effort must be applied to move a body of mass m. In practice, this means that the movement when performing squats should be smooth, without sudden accelerations. Therefore, the speed of lifting the bar should not be high.

We emphasize that, in contrast to weightlifting, the pace of the exercise is chosen low. Of course, the slower the pace, the more the athlete is under load and the more energy he expends. Here it is also necessary to look for the "golden mean".

Powerlifting squat technique

1. The bar is located on the back of the deltoid muscle, below the spine of the scapula, but not too low so that it does not slide down. Hands hold the bar firmly in place.
2. The placement of the legs is wider than the shoulders, the socks are unfolded. The specific placement of the legs can only be determined by trial.
3. The projection of the center of gravity passes through the athlete's heel.
4. The athlete's shin is located strictly perpendicular to the floor.
5. The back is tilted forward enough to provide stable position athlete.
6. During squats, the vector of the direction of movement of the knees coincides with the direction of the foot.

Once again, this is the perfect technique. Like any ideal, it is difficult (or completely impossible) to master. But you need to strive for this!

Weightlifting can be divided into three most popular species: Olympic weightlifting, powerlifting and bodybuilding.

Olympic weightlifting is a speed-strength sport that includes competitions in a single lifting of a barbell with a maximum weight in two different exercises, included in the summer program Olympic Games... It is one of the oldest strength sports in the world. Olympic competition weightlifting are held in the form of biathlon and include a two-handed barbell snatch and a two-handed barbell push.

Competitions are held among men and women. Participants compete in weight categories and age groups specified in the rules and indicated in the competition regulations according to age and body weight.

Powerlifting (from the English powerlifting: power - strength and lift - to lift) is a power sport, the essence of which is to raise the maximum heavy weight... Powerlifting is also called powerlifting... This is due to the fact that as competitive disciplines it includes three exercises: squats with a barbell on the shoulders, deadlift barbells from the floor and bench press horizontal bench with two hands - which together determine the professionalism of the athlete. During the performance, the indicators of athletes of the same weight and age category are compared. The assessment is based on the total weight in all three exercises... With the same indicators, the victory is awarded to the athlete with the lower weight.

Unlike Olympic weightlifting, in powerlifting, muscle strength plays a greater role and to a lesser extent - speed, coordination and technique, because the technical difficulty of the exercises is easier than in Olympic weightlifting.

Body-building (English bodybuilding - building a body) or body-building(French culturisme, English physical culture - body culture) - the process of building and developing muscles by exercising physical exercise with weights, the use of a high-energy diet with a high protein content and sufficient for hypertrophy of muscle fibers. A person who lifts weights for the purpose of increasing the volume or quality of muscles is called a bodybuilder or bodybuilder.

Competitive bodybuilding- sport, where the judges are based on aesthetics, volume and quality physical development bodybuilders showing them by posing determine the best bodybuilder. A relatively small percentage of bodybuilders participate in competitions and pose, mainly professional athletes... All professional bodybuilders use anabolic drugs and other pharmacological agents to maximize muscle mass, get rid of body fat and water (for maximum relief).

Training sessions, as a rule, are carried out using: weights, barbells, dumbbells, resistance bands, simulators of various types, as well as their own body weight (for example, in pull-ups).

Weightlifting mainly develops muscle strength, quickness power movements and strength endurance, that is, the ability to multiple repetitions of power movements. Weightlifters are distinguished by especially developed, prominent muscles. Barbell exercises strengthen the musculoskeletal system, increase the adaptability to physical activity.

In the section to the question How does Weightlifting differ from Powerlifting? Who is the strongest weightlifter or powerlifter? given by the author To confess The best answer is I think both of them are strong in their own way, but still, I think that lifters devote more time to power training, while heavy ones. athletes, the bulk of the training goes to perfecting technique and technical and tactical work. For lifters, it is the maximum strength that is well developed, but on the other hand, the heavy ones. athletes explosive and speed-strength power

Answer from retrospective[newbie]
absolutely different goals, but the fact that they are strong is for sure, I have been doing this myself, and for a long time ...

Answer from European[expert]
Powerlifting (English powerlifting; power - strength + lift - to lift) is a power sport, the essence of which is to overcome the weight of the most difficult burden.
Powerlifting is also called powerlifting. This is due to the fact that as competitive disciplines it includes three exercises: squats with a barbell on the shoulders, bench press lying on a horizontal bench and barbell deadlift - which in total determine the athlete's qualifications.
Weightlifting is a speed-strength sport, which is based on the performance of exercises to raise the bar over your head. Weightlifting competition today includes two exercises: snatch and clean and jerk.
In my opinion, a powerlifter should be stronger and more enduring. But both of these sports require tremendous skill, and physical strength... Another thing is that a powerlifter develops more upper part- arms, torso. And weightlifters must also have very strong legs... Yes, and weightlifters sharpen themselves for competition, and powerlifters do not mind just swinging and swinging to the maximum, becoming also bodybuilders