Q&A: Powerlifting for Muscle Growth? - Over-60 Hypertrophy Training - Big and Strong Series for High Reps?

     This is my 2nd Q&A article.  If you want to read the first one, click HERE.  Here are some random questions that I received of late.

Question: Can I use the 3 powerlifts as the only exercises in my program but do them for higher reps in order to build muscle?

Answer:  Maybe.  (I know readers don’t care much for it, but as I pointed out in our 1st Q&A piece, the answer to a lot of questions is “maybe” or “it depends.”)  So, also, it depends.

     I think the squat and the bench press should be mainstays of all hypertrophy programs, or at least the squat and the bench along with some iterations.  Ultimately, you wouldn’t want to just do squats for your legs or bench presses for your chests.  But squats along with front squats and lunges would be about all you need.  Bench presses along with dumbbell benches and incline bench presses, both the barbell and dumbbell version, would also be about all you need for your chest.

     I like the deadlift.  I really do.  However, I don’t think it’s the only thing you should do for your back if you’re interested in hypertrophy.  Also, as I’ve argued before, I don’t think it’s, overall, just that good of a “muscle builder.”  Take a look at the physiques of a lot of deadlift-only competitors.  Some of them you would mistake for marathon runners, or, hell, “joggers,” instead of powerlifters.  Of course, part of that has to do with the fact that a “long, lean” physique is the body type that can excel at deadlifts (but not squatting and bench pressing).  Lifters who just do deadlifts as their only “lower body” movement end up with flat glutes and almost non-existent leg muscles.  Also, I think the deadlift has other “issues,” such as the fact that you can’t train it as frequently as you need to (probably) do in order to get some hypertrophy gains out of it.

     Please keep in mind that I write all of that as someone who is also a great deadlifter.  I deadlifted 3 and a ½ times my bodyweight in competition.  But I also squatted and did plenty of other back work along with other pulls, such as power cleans and power snatches.

     I would prefer, if you only wanted to use 3 lifts, that they were the bench press (or maybe the incline barbell bench press), the front squat, and the power clean.

     Having written all of the above, yes, you could use the 3 powerlifts, and only the powerlifts, to build muscle if, as you wrote, you did them for higher reps.  I think 5x5 (and its variations) along with 8x5 would work well.  You may want to apply one of the methods to them that I wrote about in “Skill Training as Size Building.”  You can also do 6x6, 8x8, or even 10x10 and get good mass gains, assuming you’re using the correct load and getting adequate rest, recovery, and you’re eating enough calories and protein each and every day, the same as you need to do with all hypertrophy-focused programs.

Question: I just turned 60 years old.  I want to start lifting weights again after taking off from training for a few years.  I trained on-and-off during my 30s, 40s, and early 50s.  Will it be possible for me to still build muscle?  Also, what kind of workout program would you recommend someone my age use?

Answer: First and foremost, let’s get this out of the way.  Yes, you absolutely can still build muscle in your 60s (and beyond).  Now, having just written that, understand that you can’t train as hard or as heavy as you may have trained in your past.  Also, muscle growth is a little slower as the years pile on.

     You don’t want to train with as much “intensity” as you age.  By that, I mean “intensity” in the way that it’s used by bodybuilders, as how close they take their muscles to “momentary muscular failure.”  Don’t push your sets to failure or beyond.  It just doesn’t work as well as you get older.  (Actually, I’m not a fan of it at any age, but I’ve covered that in many other essays, so we’ll leave it alone for now.)

     My advice to older lifters is to do more full-body workouts or a two-way split at the most if they insist on using split training.  Probably the best way to lift at 60 and beyond is to use Bill Starr’s sagely wisdom.  He advised—he also utilized it himself—older lifters to train their entire body 6 days per week, using compound movements but for really high reps.  You can still do squats, bench presses, overhead presses, deadlifts (I like dumbbell or kettlebell versions for the older athlete), and curls.  Just do them for sets of 20 to 50 reps.  Train for about an hour and then take a long walk when you’re done.  Or train in the morning and walk in the evening (or vice-versa).  You want to keep your heart and cardiovascular system healthy as you age.  Walking, as long as it’s for long enough of a distance, is really all you need.

     If you don’t want to do high rep workouts, you can still use lower set/rep combos such as 5x5 as long as you are not training with a weight that is too heavy.  Use a weight that is, perhaps, just 90% of your 10-rep max and do 5 sets of 5 reps with that weight.  Stay at that weight for a few weeks and only increase the weight when everything feels “easy.”  That’s also good if you can only make it to the gym 3 days a week.

     If you absolutely insist on still training heavy, then consider using my “Easy Strength for the Older Lifter” program.

     Make sure you’re getting enough protein and calories on a daily basis.  You should still aim for around 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight on a daily basis.  Consume about 10x your bodyweight in calories each day, but get your calories from “clean,” wholesome food.

Question: I’m fascinated by your workout suggestions in your new “Big and Strong" series, but I have a question.  Can I do the same workouts but just do them for higher reps?  So, instead of doing 8x5 or 10x3 can I use 8x10 or 10x15 or something like that, assuming that I’m using weights that are light enough that I’m not pushing my sets to failure?

Answer: You could but you would need to make a few changes.  Generally, when using higher reps, I don’t like the really high-frequency that I recommend in that series coupled with the high-sets.  The overall volume is just too much.

     If you’ve read much of my material, then you should know that one of the “cornerstones” of my methodology is that a program will work (any program) if 2 of your training variables are high and the other 1 is low, the 3 variables being “frequency,” “volume,” and “intensity.”  If you do, say, a 10x10 program but use the frequency I recommend in my series, you risk everything being “high.”

     Now, if you insist on trying that, you have a couple of options.  The first is to simply reduce the frequency of the workouts.  The 2nd is to reduce the number of sets.  I prefer the 2nd, since I think high-frequency training (HFT), when it’s programmed correctly, is one of the best forms of training on the planet.  So, instead of 8 sets of 5 reps do 5 sets of 8 reps.  Instead of 10 sets of 3 reps, do 3 sets of 10 reps.  “Inverting” my set/rep recommendations is probably your best option.

     If you have any questions that you want answered, then send me an email.  It sometimes takes me a few days to get around to answering them, but I (typically) answer my mail in 1 or 2 days.  Most of the questions I’m asked won’t make it to one of these Q&A articles, but if you don’t mind me posting your question on the blog, let me know, and if I think enough readers have similar questions, I may include it here.

     Until our next essay, stay strong, stay at it, and good lifting!