iM
Powerbuilding
Going To Waist
By Tucker Loken
Do heavy squats and deadlifts make you thick through the middle?
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’ ve heard this question from a lot of male and female competitors over the years:“ Will heavy squats and deadlifts make my waist big and thick?” They are afraid to get under a barbell and do squats with any significant amount of weight, and especially afraid to do deadlifts, because they think it will throw off their lines and make them look blocky.
The thinking is that because it takes a lot of core strength to move big weight in the squat and deadlift, low reps and heavy weight will stimulate the muscles in the core and waist and cause them to hypertrophy beyond what a normal competitor would want. People look at powerlifters and see they all have big thick waists, and so they assume it comes from doing heavy squatting and deadlifting.
Chicken Or Egg? Noticing that powerlifters tend to have wide waists and are also very strong is just seeing a pattern. Good basketball players tend to be tall, but does that mean that playing basketball makes people grow taller, or is it just that people who are tall tend to have an advantage shooting hoops? If you take that and compare it to powerlifting, you’ ll notice all the different body types that are attracted to lifting weights and that each one gravitates to what they are naturally good at. A naturally lean person with a slim build is most likely going to have a hard time competing with their stocky and thick friend in powerlifting, but they could be very competitive in a physique or bodybuilding competition. The same logic goes for people with the opposite body type. Physique and aesthetics are not going to be where they shine, but if they are naturally robust and strong, then powerlifting would suit them well. Just like how a small bone structure with a narrow waist and wide shoulders will help a bodybuilder create the most muscle-popping appearance possible, thick joints and big bones will help people move heavy weights.
Secondly, core muscles don’ t grow like biceps. The core can be stimulated and developed, but the majority of the muscle fibers found in the core are the slow-twitch variety. Slow-twitch fibers are mainly used for endurance and don’ t have the same explosive strength or propensity for growth as fasttwitch fibers. Bodybuilders want to work their muscles and all the fiber types as thoroughly as they can, but someone could do just as many sit-ups as they do barbell curls, and their arm muscles would grow much faster than their ab muscles. Because of the endurance nature of the core muscles, often the biggest culprit of waist growth is bodyweight
Photo: binais begovic; Model: JereMy buendia
82 april 2017 | ironmanmagazine. com