Paralysis by Perfect Form

I've been on both sides of the wall—training for strength and training for pure bodybuilding purposes. Although they're part of the same family, the methods differ greatly. Last year, I put myself on a conjugate program, starting with elitefts™ Basic Training Manual. I was meticulous with my form. Heck, I even got my bench up to 360 pounds by the end of the summer!

I know that 360 is peanuts to most of you, but it was a heck of a lot of weight for me compared to what I had done in the past. I was also doing quite nicely on the squat and deadlift, although on the deadlift I had to use the Trap bar because of an already temperamental back. I got my box squat up to 600 and my deadlift up to the mid 500s. It was by far the strongest I've ever been in my life.

Bodybuilding

This past fall, I decided that I might step on to the competitive bodybuilding stage once again (I haven’t competed since 2008). It was time to get back to a more traditional method of hypertrophy training. The problem I had was making the mental shift to time under tension and realizing that as long as I could do that safely, all would be good.

Well, the problem was that I had been so focused on form, as one should be when lifting maximal weights, that I had temporarily become unable to perform a normal bodybuilding routine, particularly for the lower body. Any time I started higher rep squats or deadlifts, I stopped when my form became less than optimal, meaning I could never fully stress those muscle groups the way I knew I had to and maintain tension for longer.

Perfect Form?

Then I spoke with two of my friends who also happen to be two of the best natural bodybuilders on the planet—Tim Martin and Shiloe Steinmetz. Both of these guys lift super crazy heavy weights as far as bodybuilding goes, and they didn’t seem concerned at all that their form may not have been perfect on the squat or the deadlift. Safe of course but not perfect. As long as their low backs were protected and braced, the rest would take care of itself.

I've seen Tim deadlift 405 for over 20 reps, and Shiloe has squatted well over 600. They both look like they have T-Rex legs. I know that Tim had dabbled a bit in powerlifting a few years ago, but neither he nor Shiloe had become ‘paralyzed by perfect form.’ They both lift hard, they both lift heavy, and they both don't have any fear of getting injured while lifting.

If hypertrophy is your goal, watch a video or two of these guys (or Ronnie Coleman for that matter). You'll immediately see that bodybuilding lifting and powerlifting are two different animals. Both require their own mental skill set, and both require a different style of lifting. Don’t become paralyzed!