10 Reasons Bodybuilders Are Bigger Than Powerlifters

Merry Dian
Jul 27, 2017 · 1 min read

Bodybuilders are masters of packing on muscle. While everybody responds uniquely to various exercises, loads, volumes, frequencies, intensities, densities, and durations, there are certain rules that apply to bodybuilding.

If your goal were to maximize muscle development, you’d be a fool to ignore them. While mechanical tension appears to be paramount in hypertrophy stimulation, here are several possible candidates that could explain the superior musculature of bodybuilders over powerlifters.

1. Higher Reps and Chasing the Pump

Powerlifters generally train in a low rep range (1–5 reps) while bodybuilders tend to favor a moderate rep range (6–12). The adaptations associated with these may explain at least part of the hypertrophic differences between these two classes of athletes.

Performing higher reps would theoretically result in a greater hypertrophy of Type 1 fibers. As previously noted, Type 1 fibers are endurance-oriented and thus respond best to longer times under tension.

The low-rep training employed by powerlifters simply doesn’t allow enough time under tension for significant development of these fibers.

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Merry Dian

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