The gym that am currently training has a full court basketball room. There are games going on all day with different groups of people. The only possible basketball players might be an occasional high school basketball player that joins in a pick up game.
What if somebody does not use such a system? And competes using 5/3/1 for example?
Last time I recall, you had to rely on a heavily modified variation of 5/3/1 (BBB) in order to claim that 5/3/1 is not a powerlifting-style program. When Wendler said that 5/3/1 is not a powerlifting program, what he meant was that it wasn’t one in the sense of making you peak for a meet. He wouldn’t deny the fact that his 5/3/1 is centered around powerlifting methodology though.
And you seem to think there’s easily definable powerlifting methodology? And using that methodology makes you a powerlifter?
So why progressively running (and trying to improve it) does not make me a marathon runner?
5/3/1..The program that a powerlifter developed after he stopped competing for purposes of general strength training based off powerlifting methodology?
While progressive overload is universal, the way it’s applied: through specificity to the squat, bench, and deadlift, and through submaximal, cyclical strength training, is what makes it powerlifting-style methodology. You can train like a powerlifter without being a competitor, just as you can train like a boxer without ever entering the ring. The methodology defines the style of training; competition defines the sport.
Could you excactly define this methodology.
As a guy who has done PL and know several powerlifters, I’m unsure what it involves.
And I was on a work trip to Pittsburg and went to a local bar. A guy sat next to me and asked how we expected the next season to go. I asked what he meant and he said aren’t you a Steeler. He thought I was a football player, and even a NFL player, but I never played football.
Powerlifting methodology is a structured system aimed at maximizing performance in the squat, bench, and deadlift. It emphasizes specificity to those lifts, progressive overload, submaximal periodization, accessory work for weak points, and proper technique. That’s just what powerlifting coaches say
Here we agree.
You can train like a powerlifter. That does not make you one though.
You know these do not apply to every powerlifters training?
Yep. Does not apply to everybody competing.
I get the story, and it’s amusing, but the key difference is intentionality and structure . Being mistaken for a Steeler based on appearance is purely superficial, it reflects how you look, not what you’ve practiced. In contrast, people assuming I’m a bodybuilder isn’t about looks alone; it’s about the consistent, deliberate methodology behind the physique, the disciplined training, volume, and progression that follow bodybuilding principles.
You can train like a powerlifter, or not train like a powerlifter. Or something in between.
And you can compete in meets, or not compete.
Two separate things. First one does not define you as a powerlifter more than my basketball throws define me as basketball player.
Training like a powerlifting without competing makes you a non-competitive powerlifter. I don’t know why we are not allowed to make a distinction between competitive powerlifters and non-competitive powerlifters. The only thing I can think of is that people have egos where they don’t like the idea of being surpassed by a guy who doesn’t compete, that’s all. There’s no other rational explanation behind the gatekeeping.
And exactly, not every competitor follows the methodology perfectly, but that doesn’t mean the methodology itself is invalid. Powerlifting methodology defines a framework for training the big three; individuals may deviate, skip accessory work, or mess up periodization, yet the system still exists and provides a coherent approach.
For everyone to see:
I don’t know why we are not allowed to make a distinction between competitive powerlifters and non-competitive powerlifters. The only thing I can think of is that people have egos where they don’t like the idea of being surpassed by a guy who doesn’t compete, that’s all. There’s no other rational explanation behind the gatekeeping.
The system.
You think there’s same rules in every powerlifters training, and those rules are distinct to general strength training?
I’ll say it one more time. The participating to the sport is the most clear way to define if somebody is a representative of that sport.
We can of course go to your route, but then we can not say obectively who is a powerlifter or a bodybuilder.
It’s not terrible if we would choose to do so. But then these words would have no common meaning. Saying ”I’m a non-competitive powerlifter” does not mean anything.
Pre social media, I cannot think of a single lifter who considered themselves as a Powerlifter who did not actually compete in Powerlifting meets. No, not a single one. And I cross paths with many lifters.
Maybe this social media influenced generation has altered a person’s perception of themselves.
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Of course we can still objectively say who is a powerlifter or a bodybuilder without competing because powerlifting training or bodybuilding training are objective training styles.
No they are not.