SO YOUR CLIENT WANTS TO BE A
BODYBUILDER OR POWERLIFTER ?
Many factors need to be taken into consideration when assessing a client ’ s suitability for a bodybuilding competition or powerlifting meet – as well as your suitability for training them .
WORDS : SUSY NATAL
E very client we train differs from the last .
Not only do they come in all ages , shapes and sizes , clients also have differing goals and preferred styles of training . Importantly , they also vary in how much they are willing to push themselves . It ’ s nothing new to have a client who chooses to tackle a large event as a personal challenge – a fun run , half or even full marathon are fairly common choices . However , in recent years two new trends have emerged among members of the general population who are striving to push to the next level : the desire to step on stage in a bodybuilding competition , or to enter in a powerlifting meet .
Image courtesy of @ jamesjoel
What ’ s the difference ?
To the outsider , both disciplines appear to have many similarities in the training – both require dedication to a large amount of weight training and an athlete ’ s physique will experience extreme stimuli and so undergo rapid changes , but the end goal and judging criteria differs by being judged on looks versus performance . Bodybuilding competitions judge physiques based on the contestants ’ ability to gain muscle and shed body fat to present varying lean and athletic looks , depending upon category requirement . Other factors that are judged include symmetry , posing and general presentation at the competition . Powerlifting , on the other hand , is strictly about the ability to lift the heaviest weight in the squat , bench press and deadlift on the day of the competition – there is no judgement of the aesthetic .
NETWORK SUMMER 2016 | 11