# Triple Threat: get the benefits of Bodybuilding, Powerlifting, and Olympic Li



## BrotherIron (May 31, 2020)

Think back to the first time you heard the word weightlifting. The term probably brought to mind images of curling dumbbells, bench pressing, and pumping iron until your veins popped out. But take a little time to flip through our workouts and you'll realize that there are all kinds of ways to lift weights, for any number of end goals.

The term weightlifting is very specific, and if you want to sound intelligent in a room full of athletes or strength and conditioning coaches, you should know that it technically refers to the kind of lifting done by those guys you see wearing singlets in the Olympics. Olympic-style weightlifting involves every muscle in your body to move the bar at high speeds--usually lifting it from the floor to above your head--and it's one of the best training methods there is for building sport-specific strength and power. A more popular weight-training style, is powerlifting, in which a trainee works to lift as much weight as he possibly can on the squat, bench press, and deadlift. Finally, there's bodybuilding, in which guys train for maximum muscle size and leanness and then step on a stage in little more than a banana hammock. Bodybuilding training involves blasting each of the body's muscle groups with ever-changing workouts to develop a muscular, aesthetic look.

While most guys lifting iron utilize just one of these methods, we don't see any reason you can't have your cake and eat it, too, combining all three for an athletic, strong, and awe-inspiring body. The following program is designed to deliver just that--the best results the whole of weight training can produce.

*BODYBUILDING*
Except for the banana hammock, it's what most of us start doing intuitively from the moment we first pick up a weight. Well, sort of. Mindlessly repping out curls with a dumbbell can yield some decent size gains for a beginner, but to develop well-proportioned muscles, a true bodybuilder must train his whole body with a variety of exercises and intensity levels. Bodybuilding requires short to moderate rest periods between sets, and moderate to high rep ranges. You also need a good number of sets and a slow lifting tempo to exhaust the muscles and see that they repair themselves to become larger. It should be noted that in our program, you won't be isolating any muscles (as many bodybuilders try to do). One reason is that, despite what our forebears on Muscle Beach may have thought, you can't isolate a muscle--even raising one eyebrow requires a coordinated effort from several muscles. So why waste time trying? Another reason is that research has shown that the more muscle you work with a single exercise--and in one training session overall--the greater hormonal response you generate within the body that tells muscles to grow. That means greater gains and shorter workouts.

*POWERLIFTING*
The point is to develop maximum strength, so you'll need to use very heavy weights and longer rest periods (up to five minutes). As a result of the intensity of each set, you won't be able to do many of them, so three sets will suffice. You'll get plenty of work in on the squat, bench press, and deadlift, but since we know you're not likely to start competing as a powerlifter, we're not going to train you to peak in these lifts--we've tailored this part of the program to develop overall strength. However, notice Exercise 6 in Workout B (powerlifting day), as it will be the only exercise on that day that you won't want to load up the bar on. This move is designed to develop great strength and stability in the hips and quads, which will improve your performance in all three styles of lifting. It will be particularly effective in preparing your body for the posture and core strength you'll need to be a good Olympic-style weightlifter in Workout C. Start with an empty bar, and make sure you complete all your reps without losing your position.

*OLYMPIC WEIGHTLIFTING*
If you played high school football or basketball, you're probably already familiar with the barbell clean or one of its variations. It's among the best exercises for total-body power, and it has been used for decades to make athletes more explosive in a number of sports. It's also one of the first steps lifters take in preparing for the clean and jerk and the snatch--the two lifts contested in weightlifting competitions. The goal for the clean, as well as every other exercise in Workout C, is not to lift heavy but to lift with maximum speed, ripping the weight off the floor and/or thrusting it overhead. We're serious about lightening the weight here, as too heavy a load will reduce the power you can generate. Ideally, you would use bumper plates for this kind of training. Nevertheless, we've modified certain weightlifting exercises so that you can still reap the benefits of all-out explosive training without risking injury to yourself, those around you, or the gym floor. (You'll make good use of a medicine ball, which you can fire into the floor without incident.) Because you're moving so fast with these exercises, you won't be able to do many reps; you should end your set when you can no longer maintain your rep speed. 


*THE PAYOFF*
Here are the specific benefits you'll reap from working all three types of lifting into your overall fitness training


BODY BUILDING | Apart from greater muscle size and leanness (we can probably stop right here, can't we?), you'll increase your capacity for maximum strength, as increased strength is partially correlated with gains in muscle size. You'll also prevent injuries and ensure muscular balance, since bodybuilding allows you to focus on weak points and the proportional relationship between muscles.

POWERLIFTING | You'll develop great strength, and, if you're eating generously, appreciable gains in muscle size. Powerlifting also hardens up bones, tendons, and ligaments, making you more resistant to injury and aging. Want to be the guy in the gym who can lift the most weight on any given exercise? This is the way to get there.

OLYMPIC WEIGHTLIFTNG | You'll improve speed and, ultimately, strength. You'll be able to jump higher on the basketball court, get off the line quicker in football, and hit harder when you block guys on the other team. With the exception of the heavier weight classes, weightlifters also tend to be very lean--a testament to the fat-burning properties of the training.


*WORKOUT A BODYBUILDING*
1A DUMBBELL OVERHEAD SQUAT
SETS: 4 REPS: 8-12 REST: 30 SEC. TEMP: 302

1B SWISS-BALL PISTON ALTERNATING CHEST PRESS
SETS: 4 REPS: 8-12 (EACH SIDE) REST: 60-90 SEC. TEMPO: 302

2A ALTERNATING BACKWARD LUNGE W/ ROTATION
SET: 4 REPS: 8-12 (EACH SIDE) REST: 30 SEC. TEMPO: 302

2B SINGLE-LEG DUMBBELL DEADLIFT W/ROW
SETS: 4 REPS: 8-12 (EACH SIDE) REST: 60-90 SEC. TEMPO: 302

3A ALTERNATING FORWARD LUNGE W/ROTATION
SETS: 4 REPS: 8-12 (EACH SIDE) REST: 30 SEC. TEMPO: 302

3B SWISS-BALL PISTON ALTERNATING ARNOLD PRESS
SETS: 4 REPS: 8-12 (EACH SIDE) REST: 60-90 SEC. TEMPO: 302


*DIRECTIONS*
FREQUENCY: Perform each workout once per week. resting at least a day between each session.
HOW TO DO IT: Follow the specific instructions for each workout below.

WORKOUT A (BODYBUILDING): Perform each pair of exercises (marked A and B) as alternating sets, resting 30 seconds after the first exercise in the pair and 60-90 seconds after the second one. (So you'll do one set of 1A, rest 30 seconds, then one set of 1B, rest 60-90 seconds, and so on for all the prescribed sets for that pair.) Afterward, move on to the next pair.

WORKOUTS B (POWERLIFTING) AND C (OLYMPIC WEIGHTLIFTING): Perform each exercise as straight sets, completing all sets for one exercise before moving on to the next.
WEIGHT: For Workout A, use the heaviest weight that allows you to complete all the prescribed repetitions, plus one. for each set. Be careful not to go to failure. For Workout B. use the heaviest weight that allows you to complete all the prescribed repetitions. For Workout C, be conservative and start every exercise with a weight that you're sure allows you to complete every rep with maximum speed. You may want to start with an empty barbell, or a five- or 10-pound plate on each side.

TEMPO: The first digit is how many seconds you should take to lower the weight. The second digit is how long you should pause at the bottom (when your muscles are under the most tension). The third digit is how long you should take to lift the weight. A "O" means to move right to the next digit, and a tempo of "X" means to complete each rep as quickly as possible while controlling the weight.

*WORKOUT B POWERLIFTING*
1 SQUAT
SETS: 3 REPS: 3-6 REST: 3-5 MIN. TEMPO: 212

2 DEADLIFT
SETS: 3 REPS: 3-6 REST: 3-5 MIN. TEMPO: 212

3 DUMBBELL ALTERNATING LATERAL LUNGE
SETS: 3 REPS: 3-6 (EACH SIDE) REST: 3-5 MIN. TEMPO: 212

4 BENCH PRESS
SETS: 3 REPS: 3-6 REST: 3-5 MIN. TEMPO: 212

5 WIDE-GRIP SEATED ROW
SETS: 3 REPS: 3-6 REST: 3-5 MIN. TEMPO: 212

6 CROUCHING BARBELL SNATCH PRESS *
SETS: 3 REPS: 3-6 REST: 3-5 MIN. TEMPO: 212

* For the crouching barbell snatch press, perform a squat, and then, from the bottom position, press the bar overhead for three to six reps. That's one set.

*WORKOUT C OLYMPIC WEIGHTLIFTING*
1 BARBELL CLEAN *
SETS: 2-3 REPS: 3-5 REST: 4-5 MIN. TEMPO: X

2 SNATCH PULL *
SETS: 2-3 REPS: 3-5 REST: 4-5 MIN. TEMPO: X

3 PUSH PRESS
SETS: 2-3 REPS: 3-5 REST: 4-5 MIN. TEMPO: X

4 ALTERNATING MEDICINE-BALL PLYO PUSHUP
SETS: 2-3 REPS: 3-5 (EACH SIDE) REST: 4-5 MIN. TEMPO: X

5 MEDICINE-BALL DIAGONAL SLEDGEHAMMER *
SETS: 2-3 REPS: 3-5 (EACH SIDE) REST: 4-5 MIN. TEMPO: X

6 PRONE MEDICINE-BALL SOCCER THROW
SETS: 2-3 REPS: 3-5 REST: 4-5 MIN. TEMPO X

* For the barbell clean, begin as you would to perform a deadlift. Then explosively stand up and shrug the bar, coming up onto the balls of your feet. As the bar rises to chest level, flip your wrists over so that your palms face the ceiling and your upper arms are parallel to the floor. Allow your knees to bend as you absorb the force of the bar at your shoulders. Reverse the motion to return the weight to the floor. That's one rep.

* For the snatch pull, set up as you would for the barbell clean, but use a double-shoulder-width grip. Explosively stand up and shrug the bar. Reverse the motion to return the bar to the floor. That's one rep,

* For the alternating medicine-ball plyo pushup, explosively push up off the ball so that your body rises in midair, and land with the opposite hand on the ball. That's one rep.

* For the diagonal sledgehammer, step into a lunge position and throw the ball diagonally across your body--from over one shoulder into the floor behind you. That's one rep. Pick up the ball and repeat for three to five reps. Begin with your weaker side.


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## CJ (May 31, 2020)

Starts off with DB Overhead Squats. I'd bet that 99% of people can't do these appropriately because of mobility issues. :32 (18):


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## German89 (May 31, 2020)

CJ275 said:


> Starts off with DB Overhead Squats. I'd bet that 99% of people can't do these appropriately because of mobility issues. :32 (18):



one little fuk up, pop. dislocated shoulder.


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## BrotherIron (May 31, 2020)

German89 said:


> one little fuk up, pop. dislocated shoulder.



No... If you don't have the mobility you would drop them forward.  You wouldn't dislocate your shoulder.  Like CJ said many won't have the ability to perform the lift.  You could sub in Barbell OH Squat and perform them in a cage so you place the bar against the cage to make the lift a bit easier.  

The movement in the article where you squat down and then in a squatted position perform a OH press is called a Sott's Press and was commonly used in Soviet training. I used to do them when I was Oly lifting.

This is more of a think outside the box article than you MUST follow this to a "T" article.  If you notice I perform SM movement for my conditioning which is not the norm especially when talking to bbers and just gym rats.  Yet, this form of conditioning not only burns tons of fat, it also build muscle and strength. I want people to expand their thought process when creating their programs and not be close minded.  Try something new and get outside your comfort zone.  So many fall prey to just doing what they are good at and never delve beyond... to think about the box.


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## Jin (May 31, 2020)

I OH B.B. squats last training cycle. Very challenging. I also needed wrist wraps. Too painful otherwise.


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