Written by Matt Dawson
As a strongman and a powerlifter the vast majority of my training over the past 9 years has been all about moving the weight; simply getting the weight from point A to point B as quickly and efficiently as possible. Does this get you strong? Absolutely. Does it get you jacked? Maybe, but probably not like you want it to.
I hear bodybuilding coaches going crazy over people doing pullups in a crossfit style manner. Again, they are moving weight from point A to point B as quickly and efficiently as possible…they don’t care what muscles are involved (or not involved) as its not the point of crossfit. The point of crossfit is to PERFORM a certain way…the same as in powerlifting, strongman, and olympic lifting.
If you want to get jacked and really make your musculature grow then you need to slow it down, and feel the muscle work. There is a reason why bodybuilders look how they do and why powerlifters look the way they do. Are powerlifters stronger? Most of the time, yes. Do bodybuilders have much more muscle on their frames? Most of the time, yes.
Here is something I recommend to help get the hypertrophy most of us want. Train like a bodybuilder for all your accessory or auxiliary lifts. Slow it down and truly feel the muscle work. Contract and squeeze the muscle at the top of each rep and perform a three second negative on each and every rep. You will use much less weight then you are typically used to, but the blood that rushes to the muscle group and the pump you will get will be unmatched. Do this for 3-4 weeks and watch the hypertrophy magic happen.
Remember: A bigger muscle has the potential to be a stronger muscle.
Matt Dawson is a professional strongman based in Cleveland, OH. This High School teacher, has earned All-American honors in the shot put before earning his professional status in Strongman. The owner of an 810 pound raw competition deadlift, Matt now has his sights set on the bodybuilding stage Facebook, YouTube
