In this week’s episode, Ranson Lee joins us and talks about balancing bodybuilding with being a competitive powerlifter at a high level. We discuss hypertrophy and bodyfat levels for powerlifters, balancing specificity for either type of training, and whether the best bodybuilders in the world could also be the best powerlifters in the world. The idea of “powerbuilding” has been a hot topic the past few years, and this episode is sure to be informative for anybody who wants to be jacked, huge, and strong 

Ranson is a competitive bodybuilder and powerlifter pursuing his IFBB pro card in bodybuilding. His best lifts in powerlifting include an 848lb squat, 518lb bench press, and 766lb deadlift for a 2132lb total at the 220lb weight class (raw with knee wraps). You can find him on Instagram at @ransonlee.

Timestamps

0:00: Intro

1:00: Lifters of the Week, Stan Efferding and Ben Pollack

7:14: Why should powerlifters be lean?

14:53: How much bodybuilding work is too much for a powerlifter?

24:21: How Ranson was introduced to powerlifting

28:18: Has powerlifting taken away from Ranson’s goal of becoming an IFBB pro bodybuilder?

32:12: Should powerlifters compete in bodybuilding?

33:50: How Joplin and Ranson have incorporated bodybuilding into their clients’ programs

41:19: Could the best bodybuilders in the world be the best powerlifters in the world if they wanted?

1:05: Outro

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