Ever wondered what the differences between bodybuilding and powerlifting are? Both are sometimes confused and used interchangeably, but are two very different sports that have specific outcomes.
This blog will explain some of the differences between the training and programming approaches for powerlifting and Bodybuilding.

The Basics of Powerlifting

Powerlifting is about lifting the most weight possible, which requires as much muscle recruitment as possible. The only thing that matters is overall muscle growth, not a specific goal of aesthetics. Most powerlifting exercises are designed to maximize power and minimize travel.
On a bench press, for example, keep your feet grounded and maintain a tight back arch while pushing your glutes into the bench to create a base. You can maximize your weight by taking a wide grip, with elbows in the prime position and chest raised. Low-bar squats and sumo-stance deadlifts are also similar techniques that increase mechanical advantage.
Powerlifting training is based on closed-kinetic chains and compound movements. Powerlifting athletes will usually work in blocks of 1-5 reps. Click here to access a useful NASM resource that will help you estimate your 1 rep maximum (1RM) as well as the number of repetitions.

These blocks are generally run for 3 to 5 weeks, with the personal records (PRs), which are re-assessed each week at the end to determine the reps and load for the following weeks. The resistance is gradually increased by 2.5-10 lbs per week, depending on the progress. The training is intense, but the volume of exercises is much less than in bodybuilding.
It is not uncommon to perform powerlifting three times per week, followed by ancillary exercises. It is because of the large amount of muscle damage caused by exercising in the 80-100% range of 1RM and the time required for recovery.

The Basics of Bodybuilding

Bodybuilding, on the other, is a high-volume sport with an aesthetic goal, a body composition and more specifically, skeletal muscle development. Bodybuilding has a much more specific goal than simply putting on weight.
The key difference lies in isolating certain muscle groups and developing them according to divisional criteria. The emphasis is on body composition and overall conditioning, as well as health, balance and muscle separation. Due to these factors, bodybuilding usually uses moderate loads in NASM Phase 3 and focuses on hypertrophy. To isolate specific muscle groups, there are more single-joint movements and open-kinetic chains.
The weekly/daily volume of training is much higher, ranging between 4-7 days a week and 18-30 sets. For optimal hypertrophy, a good general rule is to do around 20 sets per muscle per week. There are exceptions. It is common to use undulating periods and alternate between phases 2-5 throughout the week for hypertrophy and strength endurance.
Combining this with progressive overloading will allow an athlete to remain in a training program for a much longer period of time without hitting a plateau. In order to maintain a low body fat percentage, cardiovascular exercise and diet is also important.

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The Overland: Power-Building

You might be thinking "wait, aren't even bodybuilders strong? Ronnie Coleman did he not squat over 800 pounds and deadlift it? !"
Yes, the answer is YES. Powerlifters are usually stronger and have a higher peak strength than bodybuilders. This is not always true. In terms of lifts like the deadlift and bench press or squat, there is a great deal of overlap. These CKC compound exercises are often incorporated into bodybuilding programs, especially during the Improvement Phase. This helps to build muscle mass.
Power-building, while sharing many similar lifts with powerlifting, is structured differently. It will have higher set volumes and rep ranges.
You might begin a leg workout with five sets of squats that are progressively heavier before adding 3-5 other exercises, such as quad extensions and hamstring curls.

How Clients Struggle with Old Habits

Various personal reasons can explain why clients are unable to make lasting changes in their lives. You can easily fall back into old habits which do not match your intentions, whether it is sedentary behaviour, poor eating habits or lack of sleep. There may also be environmental and relationship factors that make it harder to change.
Lack of support, social or environmental factors or obstacles can hinder their progress. Ineffective goal-setting can hamper client efforts on an intrapersonal basis. Even clients with a high motivation to change may not know the best goal-setting techniques.
The goal is either too specific and/or too general, or it is not SMART.
Mindset is also a factor when clients struggle with their old habits. Firstly, the client may not have an attitude of growth and become discouraged. It takes time to change and you need to know what works or doesn't work along the way. It can be difficult to see challenges as opportunities for learning if someone doesn't have a growth mind-set.
It can be much easier to continue with the old behaviors than to do the hard work required to change behavior for good. A client's mindset can be affected by negative self-talk and low self-efficacy due to previous unsuccessful attempts at changing their behavior. Self-efficacy refers to a person's confidence in their ability change their behavior.
According to the Self-Efficacy theory, people often try things they think they can achieve and will not attempt anything they don't believe they are capable of. Clients can also "get in the way", which will derail their efforts. Personal trainers and coaches are able to intervene, regardless of the barrier. This can have a positive impact on client outcomes. This can be achieved by using behavior change concepts when working with clients.

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INVITING CLIENTS TO CHANGE THEIR BEHAVIOR

Start small when introducing behavioral change to your clients. Open-ended, discovery-oriented questions will help you gain more insight about the motivations of your halth. What do they hope to achieve by taking part in personal training? It is important to ask clients additional questions to help them narrow their focus on specific actions.
This is a great way to get the client to identify specific behaviors they'll start or increase in frequency to achieve their goals. This action could be to walk three times per week, do weight training twice a month, or engage in mobility exercises every day to reduce back pain. Before training, as a trainer we want to assist our clients in personalizing these specific actions.
After identifying the details of your client's goal, you can help them set a SMART goal (specific, measurable and attainable realistic time-specific goal). Set this goal in collaboration with your client to make them feel like they are part of the process. This will help to increase buy-in and accountability. Consider the baseline of your client's current habits when setting these SMART Goals. Help them set a realistic and attainable step forward. Make sure you meet the person where they are.
It is important that you help your client understand any barriers before working with them. Plan how you will help them identify and overcome these obstacles. Remind your clients to remember that relapses are part of the process. Help your clients understand that relapses are a tool for learning and they can use the information they learn to improve their behavior change plan.
Perhaps an environmental cue or factor needs to be changed to support the newly adopted behavior. Or perhaps more supportive relationships are needed to support them.

How to implement behavior change techniques in training

It is also important to incorporate behavior change concepts during training. Transtheoretical model, developed by James Prochaska, is one of the many theories that can be used to help with behavior change.
This model sees behavior changes as dynamic cyclical phases (pre-contemplations, contemplations, preparation, actions, and maintenance). The stages are not linear, like a staircase. Clients can change dynamically between them at any time. Understanding TTM helps trainers to understand the readiness of their clients for change, and at what stage they are.
Listen to the way they describe their goals, or change talk. Also, pay attention to previous attempts to change behavior. Below are some examples for each of the five stages of change: