Strength Training Is Not Powerlifting

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There are heaps of new trainees and lifters joining the “online strength training communities” — it’s fantastic. However, there are some terms that are thrown around that are often misguided, confuzzled, or plain wrong, so let’s clarify them.

 

 

“I’m doing the powerlifts.”

This is almost always said by someone coming from CrossFit, but I’ve seen it in some general populations as well. Squatting, benching, and deadlifting does not mean that you are powerlifting. This is like saying that tossing a football around is “playing football”. Powerlifting is a specific sport with specific demands and powerlifting, at the very least, requires that you enter a competition. Many athletes will strength train to augment their physical capacity for their sport, but it doesn’t mean they are powerlifting.

Instead, just say that you are “strength training”; it will solidify the distinction. It’s sort of ironic that powerlifting includes the word “power” since there isn’t a lot of power developed (speed is relevant in high power production). I just refer to squatting, pressing, deadlifting and other slow movements as “the strength lifts”. It helps me sleep better.

Let’s be fair to “weightlifting” too. 

As an extension, we could say that you aren’t doing “weightlifting” if you’re snatching and clean and jerking. This misnomer isn’t as common (probably because weightlifting isn’t as accessible to the average trainee), but saying “I am doing the Olympic lifts” is more accurate. Oh, and Glenn Pendlay hates when you say “Oly”.  It’s a CrossFit thing to use certain lingo, but when it’s incorrect it alienates certain people.

“Should I do Wendler?”

I bet he’d fucking like that a lot, assuming you have the required equipment (a vagina, I’d assume). Jim named the program “5/3/1”, and it’s pretty simple, so let’s just say that. There’s no need to rename stuff, especially because it makes you seem like a hipster. And everyone hates hipsters.

“High hang super power balls snatch”

Everything above is just nitpicking semantics (IT MATTERS, OKAY?), but this is more of helping new people with the definitions. The Olympic lifts have variations, and I will help you know them. In a biblical sense.

If the movement is named by itself (i.e. snatch, clean), then it’s done from the floor to the fully squatted position (i.e. overhead squat or front squat to receive the bar). 

If the movement is preceded by “hang”, it’s held in the hands while standing straight up, lowered to ‘second position’ or the thighs, then the lift is completed as normal (fully squatted). The presence, or lack thereof, of “hang” tells you how you start. 

If the movement is preceded by “power”, it is not caught in a squat position, but at least above 90 degrees in the knees (i.e. it is caught high in the ‘power position’). The presence, or lack thereof, of “power” tells you how you finish. 

If the movement is preceded by “hang power”, then you not only start with the bar (hanging) in your hands, you also finish in the ‘power position’. 

There are some other variations, but if you’re having trouble with these, then let’s not worry about those. We don’t like their kind anyway. These variations can be used in weightlifting programs or complicated strength and conditioning programs. I say “complicated” because it’d be easier or more efficient to just say “do power cleans” instead of “hang power boner cleans”. Or something.

 

60 thoughts on “Strength Training Is Not Powerlifting”

  3. I love your work big man but… who gives a fuck what Glenn Pendlay does or doesn’t hate?

    Maybe he shouldn’t say he coaches the Olympic Lifts as he can’t even get his athletes to the Olympics.

    Oh yeah, that’s right. His don’t do ‘roids so they can’t compete.

    • This post kinda blew up to mean more than it is. I just happened to read/hear CrossFit people say that they did “powerlifting” and I wrote a note down. I had no clue what I was going to write yesterday, saw that note, and just rolled with it.

      There isn’t copious amounts of hate. This time at least.

  6. Who fucking cares? I mean honestly? Oh god lots of people that have no idea what theyre talking about are saying theyre doing things they’re not actually doing! Gosh take that feeling and multiply it by a gazillion for any spec ops guy that has some fucking retard try to tell him about all the sweet black ops shit he did with his big army unit. But then it doesn’t fucking matter because well, it doesn’t fucking matter.

    And another thing. I like hipsters. The only thing I dislike about hipsters is A) it is more acceptable for them to wear tank tops. I realized recently that I look kinda like a douche in tank tops because I’m not a skinny piece of shit hipster kid. People think im some asshole meathead because I look strong. I commented on this phenomena to my girlfriend. She explained the only places its okay for me to wear a sleeveless shirt is to the beach or the pool. This logic unfortunately makes sense to me. But I digress.
    Seriously this is silly. Who cares?

    I found the comment about pendlay not coaching Olympic lifts humorous.

  9. I just throw weights so I can tone out and work my core. Then I go home and shave my hair off my body and photo myself in front of a mirror with my iPhone in one hand and then subsequently post this as an avatar on a variety of message boards. Oh I take my aminos too, bro.

  11. I have a asshole fatass coworker that always tosses crumpled up paper at the recycle bin from across the room. He misses every time. Then he says, “That’s why I play football.” He hasn’t played football in like 10 years. He wears his highschool Texas State champs ring around and shit, always talking about his glory days. Shit’s annoying.

  13. I do like the term “lifting weights” for what I do, because “weight lifting” sounds too much like “weightlifting”. I also tell people I’m focusing on “the main lifts” or “the compound lifts”. I may have gotten these terms from “beyond brawn” by Stuart McRoberts. If I am talking to a knucklehead, I will say “barbell stuff” to differentiate from “machines and stuff.”

  15. I just don’t communicate with people on a regular basis about lifting unless they know what they are talking about. And if some reason I have too, (i.e. someone asks) I simply take 2 minutes to correct their errors as noted in the post. I am sure some folks think i am a douche that has no clue what he is talking about but for the most part, if you are bigger and stronger than someone, they get it. Then they either forget all about what I just said cause they don’t care or simply don’t understand, then next time we talk I tell them again. Soon enough they get it or at least make an attempt to have it viewed as they understand. Either way, I really don’t care.

  19. I’m in the “who gives a shit” camp. Who am I to say because I’m doing ATG heavy squats I can tell some guy doing partial curls what to call his workout? “No, man, you not WEIGHLIFTING, your curling, big difference, bro.” We know what we do, why attempt to alienate other people by trying to categorize what THEY are doing? The curler guy usually looks more swolz than me, anyway.

    • Why would you do that? This is a post for people already in the community. When have I suggest you go act like a dickhead? Or talk to people you don’t like?

  20. I usually just say “I like to lift weights.” Most people couldn’t effectively communicate the procedure for taking a shit, so I don’t really worry about nomenclature when talking to most people. But when talking to people who actually lift barbells in their spare time as I do, I say I “am presently training for powerlifting” or “I’m really just trying to get a pump today.” The root of the “problem” is the names of these damn sports. Powerlifting should be called weight lifting and weight lifting should be called powerlifting.

    • After a dozen of the following conversations:

      (Somehow subject came up) Me: “I’m training for powerlifting.”
      (Skeptical look) Other guy: “You’re a bodybuilder?”

      I try to avoid talking about lifting at all unless I see someone wearing an Inzer shirt or something.

      • One time Chris had a pic of him in his singlet up from his first meet. One of his sister’s friends posted and goes, “I DIDN’T KNOW YOUR BROTHER WAS A BODYBUILDER”

  22. “The greatest feeling you can get in a gym, or the most satisfying feeling you can get in the gym is… The Pump. Let’s say you train your biceps. Blood is rushing into your muscles and that’s what we call The Pump. You muscles get a really tight feeling, like your skin is going to explode any minute, and it’s really tight – it’s like somebody blowing air into it, into your muscle. It just blows up, and it feels really different. It feels fantastic. It’s as satisfying to me as, uh, coming is, you know? As, ah, having sex with a woman and coming. And so can you believe how much I am in heaven? I am like, uh, getting the feeling of coming in a gym, I’m getting the feeling of coming at home, I’m getting the feeling of coming backstage when I pump up, when I pose in front of 5,000 people, I get the same feeling, so I am coming day and night. I mean, it’s terrific. Right? So you know, I am in heaven.”

    – His Holiness The Dalai Lama

  25. Pingback: Sunday 8.19.12 « Crossfit South Bend blog

  26. Like the article, could not agree more. Crossfit might be bearable if the cult following went away and I didn’t have to hear about who did what metcon today bro. Yeah I actually powerlift and do not care. I also occasionally grow a mustache.

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