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The bodybuilding training pendulum seems to swing, every few years, from “power” training to “pump” training. For a few years, you’ll have the classical, Zane-like physiques winning top bodybuilding shows, and everyone in every gym in America will be training with isolation exercises, completing high-rep sets, and trying to “pump” their way to a symmetrical physique. Then, a few years later when most people have tired of the swimmer look, powerful physiques will return to the forefront of magazine covers and bodybuilding stages. Soon, you’ll have every kid in America squatting, benching, and dead lifting their way through 3-rep sets in attempts to be the biggest guy in the gym. Though the pendulum swings every few years, it appears we are certainly currently entrenched in a “power” phase, where the bigger man is considered better, and the better man wins, of course.
Professional bodybuilders used to train using the compound movements to attain a certain level of muscle mass, then “cruise” much of the time they were a pro, attempting to hold the size they had, but more importantly focusing upon finishing movements to refine the mass they already had to emphasize their strongest attributes. However, as the weight of the athletes onstage has increased over the last decade (mostly due to changes in sports pharmacology) many bodybuilders have found it imperative to keep training for power, even after winning the pro card with what used to be considered adequate size.
The result of this power phase is that many of the top physiques in the world have a near-identical look to them. You have the top guys using the same power exercises, following the same diets and drug regimens, and ending up looking the same when they take the stage. Those finishing movements, which bring out the spectacular unique aspects of bodybuilders, are being bypassed, as the guys complete the same mass-building exercises to keep up in this size game. Also, injuries are more rampant than ever before. Despite the improvements in surgical technology, 2 or 3 Top Ten bodybuilders seem to incur a career-threatening injury each year as a result of a torn lat, pectoral, biceps, or triceps, muscle groups which do tend to be vulnerable to heavy training after 10 or 15 years of continual mass training.
Given time, the trend will swing the other way. Bodybuilding fans will tire of seeing the same identical monsters onstage, and marketing efforts (and therefore trophies and covers) will return to the smaller yet more symmetrical arms of the “pump” bodybuilders. All we can do in the meantime is realizing that no one bodybuilding physique is most pleasing to all groups, as bodybuilders come in every shape and size.
About the Author:
Dane Fletcher is the world’s most prolific bodybuilding and fitness expert and is currently the executive editor for BodybuildingToday.com. If you are looking for more bodybuilding tips or information on weight training, or supplementation, please visit www.BodybuildingToday.com, the bodybuilding and fitness authority site with hundreds of articles available FREE to help you meet your goals.
Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Power Vs. Pump Training Philosophies
21 year old female bodybuilder Hayley McNeff posing at the 2009 Delaware State competition
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#73 Weight Lifting Powerlifting Bodybuilding Sculpture Trophy $275.00 Large Male Overall (#73) 27 Inches tall, Very tall and EXCELLENT. Does not ship INTERNATIONALLY. These Niels Andersen Sculptures / Trophies are high quality Artist grade and not toys. Each sculpture is made per order and there is a 3 week delay in their shipping. Molded from a poly resin and not cheap plastic and each sculpture is hand painted and hand detailed to perfection. If you are into weigh… |
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#63 Weight Lifting Powerlifting Bodybuilding Sculpture Trophy $49.95 Male Deadlift Up Powerlifting (#63) 14 Inches tall. These Niels Andersen Sculptures / Trophies are high quality Artist grade and not toys. Does NOT ship Internationally. Each sculpture is made per order and there is a 3 week delay in their shipping. Molded from a poly resin and not cheap plastic and each sculpture is hand painted and hand detailed to perfection. If you are into weight lifting thes… |
