iM
Powerbuilding
Going To Waist
By Tucker Loken
Do heavy squats and deadlifts make you thick through the middle ?
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’ ve heard this question from a lot of male and female competitors over the years : “ Will heavy squats and deadlifts make my waist big and thick ?” They are afraid to get under a barbell and do squats with any significant amount of weight , and especially afraid to do deadlifts , because they think it will throw off their lines and make them look blocky .
The thinking is that because it takes a lot of core strength to move big weight in the squat and deadlift , low reps and heavy weight will stimulate the muscles in the core and waist and cause them to hypertrophy beyond what a normal competitor would want . People look at powerlifters and see they all have big thick waists , and so they assume it comes from doing heavy squatting and deadlifting .
Chicken Or Egg ? Noticing that powerlifters tend to have wide waists and are also very strong is just seeing a pattern . Good basketball players tend to be tall , but does that mean that playing basketball makes people grow taller , or is it just that people who are tall tend to have an advantage shooting hoops ? If you take that and compare it to powerlifting , you ’ ll notice all the different body types that are attracted to lifting weights and that each one gravitates to what they are naturally good at . A naturally lean person with a slim build is most likely going to have a hard time competing with their stocky and thick friend in powerlifting , but they could be very competitive in a physique or bodybuilding competition . The same logic goes for people with the opposite body type . Physique and aesthetics are not going to be where they shine , but if they are naturally robust and strong , then powerlifting would suit them well . Just like how a small bone structure with a narrow waist and wide shoulders will help a bodybuilder create the most muscle-popping appearance possible , thick joints and big bones will help people move heavy weights .
Secondly , core muscles don ’ t grow like biceps . The core can be stimulated and developed , but the majority of the muscle fibers found in the core are the slow-twitch variety . Slow-twitch fibers are mainly used for endurance and don ’ t have the same explosive strength or propensity for growth as fasttwitch fibers . Bodybuilders want to work their muscles and all the fiber types as thoroughly as they can , but someone could do just as many sit-ups as they do barbell curls , and their arm muscles would grow much faster than their ab muscles . Because of the endurance nature of the core muscles , often the biggest culprit of waist growth is bodyweight
Photo : binais begovic ; Model : JereMy buendia
82 april 2017 | ironmanmagazine . com