Olympic Weightlifting vs. Powerlifting
Olympic Weightlifting vs Powerlifting: Details
Wanna know the difference between Olympic Weightlifting and Powerlifting in a nutshell? Well, here it is. Olympic weightlifting vs powerlifting is an age-old discussion in the iron game, with adherents having genuine opinions on one or the other. Some swear by Olympic lifting's athleticism and movement benefits, while others feel nothing beats heavy squats for adding muscle to your overall frame.
The debate appears most heated when people claim certain lifts are better for adding size. And, while anecdotal evidence is offered to support both sides, who's to say for sure? Maybe it all boils down to your goal. In this post, we'll look at Olympic weightlifting vs powerlifting in terms of muscle growth and help you decide the best lift for your physique goals.
Differences between Olympic Weightlifting and Powerlifting
With Olympic weightlifting, you're training your fast-twitch muscle fibers, which are responsible for explosiveness. And since the movements require you to move quickly under loads that are heavy enough to challenge your speed and coordination, Olympic lifting also improves neuromuscular efficiency, or the body's ability to coordinate movement with minimal energy expenditure. While on the other hand, powerlifting is all about lifting the maximal amount of weight at any cost. Powerlifting builds muscle, but the primary goal is to increase raw strength.
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Powerlifting
Powerlifting consists of the squat, deadlift, and bench press. In each activity, you lower the weight to the chest or below the chest and allow it to rise back to lockout with slightly bending knees, hips, and elbows. The goal is to lift as much weight as possible for one rep in any variation of the three lifts.
The squat is performed by placing the bar on your upper back, slightly below the shoulder blades. With your feet between hip- and shoulder-width apart, you push your knees out to lower yourself until your hips reach below your waist (or at least below parallel), then stand back up. The deadlift involves lifting the bar off the ground by fully extending your hips and knees to stand up straight. As its name implies, the bench press is performed while lying on your back on a flat bench with feet planted firmly on the floor. You lower a bar to touch your chest, then bring it back to the full extension over your face.
Olympic Weightlifting
Olympic weightlifting is a competitive sport involving two lifts: the snatch and clean and jerk. You lift the bar from the ground to overhead in one fluid movement in the snatch. The clean and jerk involve jerking or pressing a bar from your chest to an overhead position with your arms completely straight at the bottom of each rep.
Benefits of Olympic Weightlifting
#1. Olympic Weightlifting Will Make You Stronger
As mentioned, powerlifting is about lifting the heaviest weight possible. While Olympic lifts are different variations of this goal, their training benefits can also help you achieve an overall more muscular physique.
#2. Olympic Weightlifting Can Increase Muscle Mass
There's no denying that both types of training will make you bigger and stronger, but if your sole concern is building muscle mass, Olympic lifting may get the edge.
When combined with a proper diet, Olympic weightlifting provides several benefits to increase muscle size. One advantage is that both the snatch and clean and jerk require explosive power movements similar to plyometrics. The explosive movements recruit many muscle fibers, stimulating an increase in size. In addition, Olympic lifts work multiple muscles at once to improve your overall strength, which results in greater control over heavy loads and thus bigger muscles.
#3. Olympic Weightlifting Increases Bone Mineral Density
The load you place on your bones while snatching and cleaning, and jerking will increase bone mineral density, leading to greater bone strength.
#4. Olympic Weightlifting Helps Prevent Injuries
Since injuries are often the result of muscle imbalances or poor movement patterns, Olympic weightlifting can help correct these deficiencies while increasing muscle mass at the same time. By improving neuromuscular efficiency and increasing muscle mass, Olympic lifting can reduce the risk of injury.
#5. Olympic Weightlifting Provides More Functional Strength
Lifting a bar from the ground to overhead is more functional than heaving it off your chest. The ability to quickly lift an object off the ground and into position is essential in sports like football, wrestling, and rugby. For this reason, strength coaches often prescribe Olympic lifts to athletes who need better functional strength.
Benefits of Powerlifting
#1. Powerlifting Will Make You Stronger
Powerlifting is a strength sport where competitors strive to squat, bench press, and deadlift the most weight possible. The goal is to lift as much weight as possible for one rep in any variation of the three lifts.
#2. Powerlifting Allows For Greater Muscle Growth
Olympic lifting may provide a more significant anabolic effect than powerlifting because you can train heavier loads. The increase in muscle growth resulting from training is due to lifting more weight, which produces more significant amounts of tension, metabolic stress and muscle damage.
#3. Powerlifting Provides More Variety In Your Training
Many people choose to lift weights because of the variety of exercises available. This variety provides you with many options, so if one exercise becomes uncomfortable or no longer compelling, there are plenty more from which to choose.
#4. Powerlifting Provides Access To Lower Weight Loads
Powerlifting allows for lower weight loads than Olympic lifting. If your goal is to train with a lower weight load, powerlifting will enable you to lift a heavier weight for fewer reps.
#5. Powerlifting Can Improve Performance In Other Sports
Many people choose to lift weights to improve their athletic performance. Lifting heavy barbells can help increase muscle strength and explosiveness and decrease the amount of time it takes for your muscles to contract. As a result, powerlifting can provide benefits to other athletic endeavors.
In Conclusion
Olympic lifting can provide a more significant anabolic effect than powerlifting when increasing muscle size. However, suppose your goal is to increase strength without improving muscle mass. In that case, powerlifting will be more beneficial because you can lift heavier weights, resulting in greater tension, stress, and damage within the muscles. In addition, powerlifting has more variety in exercises that can provide comfort if needed, but Olympic weightlifting offers more accessible access to lower weights. For this reason, you should choose the lift appropriate for your goals.
