Bodybuilding Transformation Challenge Week 12 FINAL PICS!

Today I woke up at the lowest weight I've seen since about 2014, and since we are closing out the transformation challenge, I snapped a few progress pictures.

Morning weight: 156.8

There have been a lot of bumps in the road, but I figure in a span of three months life's going to happen. I really don't feel like I went out of my way to get super lean, I just dieted sensibly and made sure I got some training in, which you probably know by now if you've been following my blog. 

Three months of weigh-ins.

I made pretty solid progress the first month. Around month two it looks like I completely stalled, which is when I started implementing more steady state cardio after my training. Four sessions a week at 250 calories got things moving, but then I got prescribed some meds for my respiratory issues, and BOOM. I gained about 10 lbs in a week, not even kidding. I didn't log in all my weigh-ins that week because it was very discouraging, and I got super bloated. 

Holding a lot of water, roughly 163-165 lbs.

Right after I got off the meds (which did fuck all for my respiratory issues), I dropped all the weight and then some. I thought I had an extra week to diet since I was counting down by the date (April 10th), but realized the transformation ends (April 3rd) about a week ago, and I was super bummed because we celebrated Jake's birthday at the end of March, and I wanted an extra week to drop more weight from that weekend. Plus my "lady time" is coming next week and I always gain a few right before, and drop a bunch right after. Oh well, rules are rules. 

Straight from myfitnesspal log: ThisIsIt22

Looking back at my log, I'm very happy with what I see. I never broke my streak, and only missed about 6 days of logging my food. There are some days I may not have logged every single thing I ate, but for the most part, I know that I stayed between 1500 and 1800 calories a day, without too much deviation. I had one really silly day of eating, and I really have no excuse for that other than to say I'm surprised it didn't happen more often given my track record. Haha.

My starting photos vs. some good lighting from last night.

Altogether I lost a solid 12 lbs in 12 weeks, so I can't complain about that. I know I still have a long way to go, but now that I've re-learned how to diet properly and have had a little bit of success with it, I know that I can get to where I want to be, no matter how long it takes. 

My tentative plan is to take a diet break for the next two weeks. I'm going to loosely count and keep my calories closer to maintenance, at about 2,000, while increasing my training intensity. Hopefully my weight stabilizes here and I can start dieting again for summer. 

Until next time,

Mel

Bodybuilding Transformation Challenge Week 4 of 12

We're one month in, which means it's time for some progress pictures!

Everyone looks better in some good lingerie.

I've lost about 8 lbs so far, which averages out to 2 lbs a week, with a low weigh-in of 160.9. If I can keep up this rate of weight loss over these next 8 weeks, I'd be ecstatic!

I'm really glad that I decided to do this cut the "healthy" way. At this point, I have absolutely no cravings for "bad" food, and I wouldn't be able to consume very much anyway. The hubby & I went out to dinner for our cheat meal last night, and we didn't even order any sodas because we know it makes us both really bloated and lethargic. Our cheats are more for spending time with each other, not cooking and measuring our food, but still being relatively mindful of what goes in our mouths. I've learned that cheat meals will always set me back unless I'm able to be reasonable with my approach. It's not about the food anymore, it's about the time I get to spend relaxing with my hubbs.

This next week is going to be business as usual, I'll continue to prep my meals for the week in advance. I'm going to drop my calories by a smidge, and increase my cardio a bit as well. We'll see if we can get into the 150's by the end of this week!

Until next time,
Mel

Bodybuilding Transformation Challenge Week 1 of 12

All right guys,

We're officially finishing up the first week of dieting for bodybuilding.com's transformation challenge. I convinced the hubby to diet with me, so we're in this together! I'm super excited to have a partner in this challenge.

This week started off with a long flight back to Upstate NY from Los Angeles, and then I jumped right into a new job here in town, so my schedule was completely knocked upside down. Not only did I severely under-eat, but I also had zero energy for the gym because of the major jet lag and exhaustion.

I *tried* to get in most of my protein, but my coach has me on 165g, which is way over what I'm used to getting. I think I hit roughly 140g on my best day, and a poverty 80-100g protein/sub 1k kcals most other days. I basically turned into a bitchy sloth-zombie. I realized that if I'm going to function at work and not completely K.O. right when I get home, I need to get in more calories and more food. I still don't think I've hit over 1,500 kcals in a single 24 hour period so far this week, and I paid for it by getting this nasty cold. It's like every time I diet the whole universe plots against me succeeding. Just kidding, I know I suck at it and I just need to work on eating the RIGHT amount, and stop being such an extreme dieter.

I didn't really weigh myself in the beginning of this cut because I didn't have access to a scale, but I gave myself a generous starting weight of 170 lbs. My lowest weigh-in this week was roughly 162 lbs which is where I've been holding steady for several months now. My lowest weight of 2015 after my cut was around 157 lbs.

My goal for this upcoming week is to get over this cold (as if I have much control over this one), meal prep a little better so I'm not starving at work, and get to the gym or do home workouts at least three times. Hopefully this helps me get back into the swing of things so I'm not just losing all my muscle during this cut.

Until next time!
Mel

It's Time to Commit to a Diet

All right guys, this post has been a long time coming.

We all feel it right around this time. The colder months roll around bringing with them holiday celebrations, and all we want to do is cuddle at home with our doggies and some netflix, munching on holiday snacks between parties. Wait, is that just me? If the statistics about holiday weight gain are true, then probably not.

If you're anything like me, you bond over food. It reminds you of home, or of when you went out with that one special person whether it's a spouse or an old friend, and it's something you just default to whenever you set up a night out with your buddies.

But being in this industry, I've spent way too long making excuses for why I'm not dropping body fat. One of the main reasons was that I was afraid to lose my strength. This was a big fear for me because less calories means less energy for lifts, which means less gains. I don't have that excuse anymore.

Earlier this year, I had an elective cosmetic surgery (fancy way of saying I got new boobies), and in doing that I knew that I'd have to take at least 8 weeks off so everything could heal before beginning training again. When I got back to training, I had lost about 50 lbs off my squat and deadlift, and about half of that off my bench press. This was to be expected, so I didn't really sweat it. I had already started dieting to get some of the post-surgery weight off, and I felt really good.

Week 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, & 7 of dieting post-surgery.

Flash forward to a few months later, and my right implant had calcified. It was very uncomfortable and looked terrible. I developed capsular contraction of the right breast and needed to get a capsulotomy. This second surgery would remove the calcification, and result in another 8 week layoff from lifting. This really bummed me out, because it was an unexpected, unwanted surgery that eventually resulted in another 50 lbs off my squat and deadlift, and another 20-25lbs off my bench press. This means I lost 250 lbs off my total, which was almost 30% of my total!

Now that I'm already weak, I really have no excuse for not just dieting down and getting to a reasonable leanness. I've already put on a pretty good amount of muscle, and I really am curious as to what I'd look like under all of this fluff.

My chubbiest in 2006 at 172lbs,
140-145lbs in 2013,
built some mass at 160-162lbs

Long story short, it's time to cut the shit and get lean. Who's with me?

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays

- Mel

The Ironic Rigidity of Flexible Dieting

WHAT IS FLEXIBLE DIETING?

Flexible dieting tends to be a much easier, more sustainable, and overall more pleasant experience than typical dieting methods that have been popularized in the last decade or so.

For the average overweight person intending to drop some fat for the summer months, an event, or for general health, it can be a very helpful tool to balance out dieting with a hectic work schedule and family life. Without referring to the atrocious over-popularized acronym--IIFYM *shudder*, flexible dieting can be used for weight loss, maintenance, or gain, all while enjoying a variety of foods as long as one stays within their calorie goals, while also being mindful of their macronutrient and micronutrient goals. 

When using these dieting methods, however, to be as accurate as possible, one must weigh out all of their meals, down to the ingredients if at all possible, in order to truly know the amounts of each macronutrient that's being consumed. This ensures that dieters hit their nutritional needs, while "fitting in" some junk food (for lack of a better term), when a craving or desire hits, allowing them to enjoy all foods in moderation.

However, some dieters have simply gone too far into a obsessive state of counting macros. Many "IIFYM" advocates tend to develop neurotic behaviors (if it has calories, it MUST be counted!) which, although an accurate use of the macro system, is the complete opposite of what a flexible approach should feel like. Counting gum, black coffee, artificial sweeteners, diet sodas, and herbs, and other super low calorie foods is not only a waste of time, but is really mentally obsessive and unhealthy behavior. Considering most food labels are partially rounded anyway, depending on FDA guidelines as well as each brand's own arbitrary systems, labels are not one hundred percent accurate. Not only this, but no matter how obsessively one track's their intake, one cannot possible duplicate each day's caloric output exactly, but can only estimate total caloric burn.


WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT IT?

The best way to approach flexible dieting, if you're not in competition prep, is to allow your results to speak for themselves. Meaning that if you are getting closer to your goal week by week, allow yourself to loosen the reins a bit and allow for uncounted green vegetables, eyeballing a portion of almond milk, or a free meal here and there. Rigid loyalty to the method is nonsensical if you are accomplishing what you are setting out to do regardless. It's only when there is a period (i.e: as little as two, up to ten weeks for women) of no change in body weight, when you can either change your calorie allowance or tighten your counting methods.

Restrictive dieting (we've all been victims of this in the past), is typically NOT sustainable for the average person. We all have parties, events, social lives, and even work lives that don't allow us to be on a diet ALL the time. So what? Does this mean we have to give up? ABSOLUTELY NOT. This just means we have to account for those days! You CAN couple macro counting with free days.


A FEW APPROACHES

• If you have an event where you will want to enjoy yourself and generally will not want to diet through, you can account for a meal by limiting your earlier meals to just protein rich meals. A vegetable omelette for breakfast, a chicken salad for lunch, maybe greek yogurt or a protein bar for a snack, and then just enjoy your evening while still being mindful of your portions so you don't throw yourself too far off track. A good way to gauge portions is to have just one plate of food with a protein, a serving of vegetables, and a carb, as well as one drink and a dessert that you can share with a friend or your spouse. Resume your diet the next day. 
• If you have a weekend event, you can opt for a steeper deficit (if your goal is weight loss) for a couple of days before and after your weekend. If at all possible, try to be mindful of your meals during this time, and throw in an extra cardio session so you won't be thrown too far from your goals.  
• If you have an event, like a vacation, that will last a week or longer, do your best to time your diet so that your diet break coincides with your vacation. Typically a diet break will come after about 6-12 weeks of dieting depending on the leanness of the dieter. This way you can just take the entire week or two off from dieting and just live your life. Once your diet break is over, you can get right back into dieting with a clear conscience and get to your goals even faster. 

For personalized meet prep programming and nutrition, email melsmoves@gmail.com

Maxing Out After 10 Weeks as a TSAthlete!

My first block of powerlifting training as a TSAthlete is all wrapped up as of last week, and I finally got a chance to get under the bar for some honest max effort attempts to base my new training cycle around. We structured my max effort day similarly to a meet day, giving me three attempts at each lift before moving on.

I was incredibly nervous during all my attempts because this is the first training cycle that I did not train very close to my maxes. 

Now onto the numbers (in lbs).

Squat

1st attempt: 250 - Pretty easy

2nd attempt: 270 - Struggled a bit

3rd attempt: 280 - Easier than my second

I still had more in the tank after squatting, but we took into consideration that I had two other lifts to focus my efforts on, so we stopped here. Depth looked great, well past parallel on all of the lifts, which has been my main focus this last training cycle since my meet squats have notoriously been red lighted for depth. 

Bench Press

1st attempt: 130 - Easy lift

2nd attempt: 140 - Flew up, lifetime PR

3rd attempt: 155 - Failed :(

4th attempt: 145 - Went up slightly grindy, lifetime PR

I was a bit bummed to miss my third attempt, but that was just impulsive attempt selection, since the 140 flew up so easily. We made a mental note to be more conservative next time, and Coach Hani decided to give me a fourth which I obviously wouldn't get at a meet, but for setting up my next training cycle I think 145 is a fair number. 

Deadlift

1st attempt: 315 - Felt off, saw stars.

2nd attempt: 335 - Felt okay, went up fine

3rd attempt: 340 - Solid max effort lift, PR

My deadlifts definitely aren't advancing as fast as they used to, but I'll take a 5lb PR any day. I'm really happy about having 8/9 successful lifts, although you never really know if those lifts would have passed at a meet until you're actually there being judged. We finished out the day with a 760 total, or 765 if you count the fourth attempt bench press. 

I'm very happy with where I am with my lifts. I'm confident that most of these would have passed on the platform, and a lot of that has to do with the smart attempt selection by my coach. I'll be participating in the USPA Camp Pendleton Open again in 2015 which falls on January 10th, and I'm hoping to work up to a solid 800lb total by then. 

We are officially 10 weeks out!

Until next time!

The Importance of Good Coaching

Everyone likes to think that they know best. We live in a society that breeds narcissism. The modern selfie has become an ego's necessity; 100 likes later, your sense of self returns to homeostasis, but make sure you post another one within 48 hours, or else you'll go hypo-selfiemic.

Hey, it's me! 

I've dubbed this the #melfie. 

I like to think it's clever; it's probably not.

This makes it hard to admit that you need some proper guidance. After all, you've been making progress, right? You've gotten stronger, more muscular, leaner, and you're able to do things that you weren't able to do a year ago. But now that you've flown past the newbie stage of lifting, you find that your progress has stalled, you're spinning your wheels, and the gains don't come as easily. How can you face instagram knowing full well that you have nothing new to show the interwebs?

Not to worry, that's what a coach is for. And I'm officially announcing that I've taken the plunge.

I've been pretty apprehensive about hiring someone to do my training and nutrition program. I've had very lackadaisical coaching in the past, and with the amount of free information out there, I didn't feel that it was necessary to pay someone to tell me what I *think* I already I know.

The more I researched, the more I realized how little I actually do know. And the more I realized that the progress I'm making can increase exponentially with proper guidance and a good eye along with a caring heart.

The trend that most intrigued me in my research for a coach, is that most coaches have coaches. To me, this means that even though these individuals know their field well, they still find comfort in having another set of eyes watching them and not allowing them to slack off. If a coach truly believes in the value of coaching, then it only makes sense that they lead by example.

I'll be posting update videos for my coach on YouTube with some general stats every week. It should turn out to be a fun little mini-series transformation. The goal is to lose roughly 18 lbs in 18 weeks while maintaining or increasing strength. My current competition stats:

@148lbs

Squat: 242

Bench: 126

Deadlift: 336

Total: 705

There is a USAPL meet that I will consider doing in February of 2015. I'm confident that I can add 45lbs to my total by then, I just need to fix my form. I'm training to go deeper with every squat, and I'm working on paused reps with my bench press. And since USAPL has different rules for benching than I'm accustomed to, I will have to switch from benching on my toes to benching flat-footed. Goodbye, arch gains! Yikes!

>> Subscribe to my YouTube channel here! <<

Until next time.

The Metroflex Classic

The USPA meet this past weekend at The Metroflex Gym in Long Beach was a great event to compete in, as well as to spectate. The event was separated into two days, with a cap of 60 lifters each day to make the event go smoothly and more quickly than single-day events. This was the most fun I've ever  had at a meet, mostly due to being surrounded by friends and family who really showed their support. I'm very appreciative to everyone who came out!

 Strength Society at Metroflex

 Tina Daneshmand, top female raw lifter in 105lb class

Greg Khoudikian pulling 705lbs at 220lbs

CT Fletcher showing support at his home gym

Now let's get down to the numbers:

Squat

1st attempt: 242. Two white lights. One red for depth. Got my first attempt on the board so I'm happy!

2nd attempt: 265. Two red lights for depth. 

3rd attempt: 270. Two red lights. One for depth, the other for up/down movement.

It was a bit disappointing to miss both my second and third attempts, but I was happy that I didn't fail any of these squats. My squat training hadn't been going well over the last several weeks, so squatting 270 was a gym PR at this body weight. My previous meet PR was 259@165, and 165@148. This meet gave me a 77lb PR at 148lbs.

Bench Press

1st attempt: 115. Easy. Three white lights. We're in!

2nd attempt: 126. Two white lights! One red for up/down movement. This was a major grinder.

3rd attempt: 132. Three reds for up/down movement. Locked it out, though!

I've had a bone to pick with the bench press for quite a while now. I was so stoked to get all of these lifts in, even though I got redlighted on my last attempt. To be honest, that second attempt should definitely have been redlighted as well, since there definitely was up/down movement looking back at the video. But sometimes the judges make unfair calls that go both ways. It was such a grinder that I didn't even want to take my third attempt, but surprisingly, the third went up way smoother. This was an all time bench press PR of 11lbs at 148.

Deadlift

1st attempt: 319. Three white lights. Went up like buttah.

2nd attempt: 336. Three white lights! Form was way off, but I completed the lift.

3rd attempt: 348. Three reds. Failed lift. Sadface!

Looking bad at the footage, my deadlift form was way off, which is something I'll need to be working on in the upcoming months. 336lbs is an all-time meet PR for me, but I was really hoping to get that 348 which would have been a CA state deadlift-only record.

At the end of the meet, I got 5/9 successful lifts. I learned a lot, and got to see some really strong people push some incredible weight! I finished it out with a 705 total, which has been a long term goal of mine.

In the next several months that I take off from powerlifting, I will be working toward becoming a better lifter and smarter competitor before stepping on the platform again.

Until next time!

Powerlifting & Figure Competitions!

Since the Camp Pendleton Open, I had decided to focus my efforts with my diet and training toward bodybuilding so I can get down to a weight that will help me be stronger pound for pound, as well as give me the opportunity to step on stage as a figure competitor some time in late 2014 or early 2015.

But as always, once you're bit by the iron bug, it's hard to shake it, so I am now officially 9 days out from my third powerlifting meet. This time we're back at Metroflex in Long Beach, where I started my journey.

I felt a bit obligated to do this meet so that I could have a sense of closure from this year's training. I didn't even break 600@148 at my first meet, so it would be nice to close off the year by breaking 700@148, which is a decent amount to have added to my lifts in these past 9 months. My main goal is going to be to hit all of my lifts. Nothing fancy, just going in, getting the experience, and enjoying myself. I'm not planning to compete in powerlifting for a very long time after this meet.

One thing I've been trying to do leading up to this meet, is to really hammer in bench technique. My bench press is my weakest lift, so it's been really important to get in and just press over and over until I found my groove.

It's been really tough, but what I found to help was to use my leverages to my advantage, try to get a deep arch, and set my grip wide so that I have a shorter range of motion. This way I'm moving the weight a shorter distance, for less time under the bar, which will help put weight on the bar.

As always, I'll post an update after the meet with the numbers I put up, and hopefully I'll have some videos to go along with it.

Until next time.

Camp Pendleton Open

Strength Society

My crew had been working hard for four months leading up to this meet in Camp Pendleton. Everything had gone according to plan, except for the fact that I was fifteen (15!) lbs over my competition weight, and I got deathly ill the week leading up to the meet, all the way through meet day.

But that wasn't going to stop me.

I had decided early on that I was going to go up a weight class, but that I was going to go into the meet as light as possible. After losing only a pound in the sauna the night before weigh-ins, I decided it would be healthier for me to be sipping on pedialyte so that I would have some chance against whatever flu has been going around.

At a body weight of about 156, I entered the competition excited to hit some PRs.

I was one of the first flights up. There were two competition platforms, so a few of the guys were also up first on the next platform over. The nerves were getting the best of me. I was pale as a ghost, nauseous, and could not focus on my lifts, so after a not-so-successful final warm-up set, Tyler, who had been helping me all the way up to the meet, decided to drop my opener down a bit to get my first lift in.

Squat

1st attempt: 225. Redlighted for depth

2nd attempt: 225. Two white lights. Knees not fully locked out at start of squat

3rd attempt: 259. Three white lights. Woo!

So then we waited around a bit, grabbed a bite, found a change of clothes. I told the guys to give me a call once warm-ups started for bench press. Somehow we lost track of time, and I found myself walking into the gym as they were calling me up. No time to warm-up, had to drop my opener down.

Bench Press

1st attempt: 110. Three white lights. We're in!

2nd attempt: 132. Three reds. Couldn't get it up.

3rd attempt: 132. Three reds. No lift. 

Without a proper warm-up, I realize now I should have been a bit more conservative with my attempt selections on the bench, especially seeing as that's always been my weaker lift, and I wasn't doing so well in the health department. Still in the game, though! Waited around for deadlifts, decreased my opener once more. Better safe than sorry.

Deadlift

1st attempt: 297. Three white lights. Phew!

2nd attempt: 325. Three white lights! Time for a PR...

3rd attempt: 341. Two Reds. Hitched at the top. No PR. Sadface!

At the end of the meet, I got 5/9 successful lifts. I learned a lot, and got to see some really strong people push some incredible weight! I finished it out with a 694 total which got me 2nd place in the 165 class, which isn't bad after such a giant screw up on the bench. I was a bit shy of my personal goal of 700, but I know I'll get it. It's just a matter of time. There's still a lot of room for improvement in my methods as well as my attempt selection. 

I'm really proud of my team. We came in strong and took home four medals. After all this hard work, we've gotten a lot closer, and we've become like family. 

...But Winter will pass, and Summer will be here before we know it, so it's time to get shredded. 

Here is a vlog update on what I think of the strength program I followed leading up to the meet, and what my training will look like in the future. 

Until next time!

Setting Goals for Success

These last several weeks and months have been incredibly eye-opening for me as an individual, a competitor, and a lover of the sport of powerlifting. Every single experience brings me one step closer to understanding myself, and giving me the capability to use what I learn to help others achieve their goals. Here are a few key ideas to keep in mind when aiming for success.

Figure things out

Pick a goal. Are you competing in bodybuilding, powerlifting, strongman or are you simply working out to be healthier, to lose fat, or to gain muscle? Whatever it is, you need to decide on it. Be reasonable, but don't limit yourself. Aim high! Create a timeline and set small mini-goals to keep you motivated in the long run.

Keep your eyes on the prize

When you have a goal in mind, focus all your efforts on the best possible way of achieving that goal. If your methods to attaining a goal conflict with one another, you will be spinning your wheels. One example of this is eating at a caloric deficit while running a strength-training program. You will get negligibly stronger if at all, or you won't be able to adhere to your plan and  you will drop a negligible amount of weight, if any. Be efficient with your methods to achieve optimum results. Time is the limiting factor, make sure you use yours wisely.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it

Stick to what works. Many of us over-complicate things trying to optimize them, when what we need to do is just stay consistent with training and nutrition methods that have consistently given us the results we want. What works for one person may not work for another, so once you find a program or protocol that works for you, your search is over. That's not to say that you shouldn't...

Keep learning about what you love

Your program may work well for you, but it's always fun to try new things if you have the chance. Learn, grow, challenge yourself, and keep yourself in the loop! Some of the most rewarding aspects in lifting isn't in just moving the iron around, but in the relationships that you can build and the discussions you can  have with those in the field. There are always opportunities to network and connect with people who can really open your eyes to techniques that you haven't yet stumbled across, and at the very least, people who have been successful doing what you love can motivate you to pursue your dreams as well!

But most importantly

Follow through and never give up! There may be bumps on the road, but you have to dust yourself off and get right back on track. Your success is in your hands.

Countdown to Camp Pendleton!!

COUNTINGDOWNTO.COM

Bryce Lewis, Barbell Brigade, & Training Updates!

The meet at Camp Pendleton is officially one month away!

Yesterday the team and I went to a powerlifting seminar at Barbell Brigade hosted by elite powerlifter Bryce Lewis. We got a chance to learn quite a few things about form and mobility, and Bryce gave everyone a chance to ask questions and get his help on their form. This was pretty awesome because most of the guys who attended didn't have much training under their belts, which made all the information that much more invaluable. I know if I had that kind of coaching, I would have been a lot better off at my first meet.

Seminar selfies

One of the important things I learned from the seminar was about bracing instead of arching during a lift. It's something that Dean (pictured, far left) had been telling me to practice, but until I saw Bryce show us the exaggerated version, I couldn't grasp what exactly my body looked like and how I was setting up improperly on my squat. My lower back is arched at the beginning of my squat, which is terrible for my spine and results in lower back soreness that tremendously affects my other lifts. Here is a good article on the subject that sums up what it is, and how to fix it.

Aside from minor tweaks in form and programming, I also need to dial in my diet over the next few weeks so I'll have less water to lose during peak week. I've noticed that a more controlled diet helps with my training as well as my mental well being during these weeks leading up to the meet. My OCD and anxiety goes through the roof without having a really strict game plan. I've even made charts and calendars, it's pretty ridiculous. My nutrition is structured so that I'm in a slight caloric deficit while carb cycling, which will help me shed weight while maintaining my performance during training days.

The plan is all laid out, all that's left is to execute it. Until next time!

Aesthetics vs. Strength: Battle of the Gawds

Ah, the never ending debate between bodybuilders and powerlifters.

Bodybuilders train for aesthetics. They want to look good, so their programs consist of mainly hypertrophy training with lots of repetitions at relatively low weight. Once they attain some mass, they diet down to lose excess fat so they can show off the muscles they've worked so hard for. During the dieting process, it's not out of the ordinary to lose strength or to stall on lifts because the body cannot support as much of a load at a caloric deficit for an extended period of time.

Powerlifters train for strength. Their programs consist of heavier weight for less reps, and in order to fuel their workouts, they eat. Powerlifters just care about having enough energy to push as much weight as possible, which often means loading up on carbs for fuel. It's not uncommon that they put on plenty of fat mass along with muscle mass, especially at the competitive super heavy level.


So which is better? Training for aesthetics?

Always make your bed before selfies, shredu.

Training for strength?

Strongman. Photo Credit: http://crossfitfringe.com

Powerlifter. Photo Credit: http://www.howtofightdojo.com/

There will always be arguments and debates between the two sides. Bodybuilders claim that powerlifters don't have the discipline to diet down, and powerlifters claim that bodybuilders are weak, and that it's pointless to be shredded when you can't deadlift three times your bodyweight.

But why not have both? I think the tides are turning, and that more people are becoming aware that both are important if you want to be a well rounded athlete. You definitely don't need to give up one for the other. Olympic lifters are a classic example of both strength and aesthetics, combined into a functional athlete who is also not too bad to look at.

Ivan Stoitsov

Dmitry Klokov

Not bad at all.

So let's put these debates to rest and become the strongest, most shredded versions of ourselves. Jacked and shredded. Don't limit yourself. If you're a powerlifter, enter a bodybuilding competition. If you're a bodybuilder, participate in a powerlifting meet. You'll be a well rounded athlete at best, and a more humble athlete at worst.