Bodybuilder: “Eats tic-tacs, and sucks on a peanut all day.”
Power lifter: “See it, eat it.”

Okay, this isn’t entirely true. But it does hit a little closer to home than some would like to admit. While they train side-by-side using the same exercises, bodybuilders and power lifters are quite different. Likewise, at the dinner table, there are many differences as well.

Bodybuilders and power lifters have two very different goals. The goal of a bodybuilder is to put on a great deal of quality muscle while keeping a low level of body fat, and gaining/maintaining good symmetry between body parts. The goal of a power lifter, on the other hand is to lift the most weight, while weighing the least weight. Different goals require different methodologies.

It goes without saying that their training is different. Power lifters employ low-rep training on a few basic movements, and focus more on using form, tendons, and leverage to move weight. Bodybuilders, on the other hand, train so that their muscles can FEEL the weight. The weight does not matter - the mind/muscle connection which forces the most blood into an area - does matter.

Likewise, when it comes to nutrition, bodybuilders and power lifters are on two different pages. Off-season, bodybuilders consume more calories than power lifters, as they are trying to add muscle mass to their frames. During a pre-contest cycle, bodybuilders eat less food, as they are trying to remove fat from their body. In terms of foods selected, they both eat relatively clean. However, power lifters do have a bit more free reign with “junk” food. For them, having visible abs or symmetrical muscle groups doesn’t matter, so they don’t have to focus energies, lifting efforts, and calories in as many directions as bodybuilders.

The core lifts and foods are the same. But as the athlete becomes more and more advanced in his sport, the differences in training, and particularly in diet, become more apparent.

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