Why Do Powerlifters Have Big Bellies? Beyond Aesthetics

If you have watched powerlifting competitions, especially the ones for the heavyweight or open class categories, there is one thing that you must have noticed- powerlifters with big protruding bellies.

This is something that often catches people off-guard because a person who is lifting weights as heavy as powerlifters do, there is no way they can be fat or obese. Despite this fact, most heavyweight powerlifters who are celebrated for accomplishing lifts needing superhuman strength, all seem to sport big stomachs.

The simple explanation for this phenomenon is that powerlifters have to consume lots of calories to fuel their strength training and thus they develop large and fatty bellies. But the real reason is not that simple. Let us have a look.

Key Takeaways

• Powerlifters often develop big bellies as a result of their substantial calorie intake, which is essential for sustaining their intense strength training.
• Genetics plays a significant role in muscle hypertrophy and determining powerlifting performance.
• The big belly gives powerlifters an advantage during certain exercises as well as helps them to go up in weight classes.
• Powerlifters have big bellies not due to laziness, but because they prioritize strength over aesthetics.
• Calorie cutting, cardio and abs exercises can help to manage the power belly of lifters.

Why Do Powerlifters Have Big Bellies?

A high-calorie intake is indeed the primary reason behind the protruding bellies of powerlifters. That and some other factors that contribute to the power bellies have been discussed below:

Huge Calorie Requirements

In order to build enough muscle to make their bodies fit for participating in competitions, powerlifters need to perform intense workouts to fuel which they need to consume huge amounts of calories and carbohydrates in particular.

Not having enough carbs to replenish the glycogen stores of the body can actually impair muscle development while carb loading before and after training can aid in muscle synthesis. ^[1]

Powerlifters may have to consume anywhere between 3000 to 4000 calories a day to sustain the muscles in their body and this more often than not leads to them having a large belly as their workouts focus more on strength training, rather than cardio or abs workouts.

Genetics

Muscle architecture seems to play an important role in powerlifting performance in the sense that greater fascicle ( a type of connective tissue) lengths were positively related to FFM accumulation. ^[2] FFM or Fat-Free Mass, according to research determines powerlifting performance to a great extent.

The surprising thing about this is that there is scientific literature to prove that muscle fascicle lengths are not related to muscle size and fascicle length does not increase with resistance training. ^[3] The implication in this is that this trait is genetic and cannot be developed by just anybody.

Thus, genetics play a huge role in muscle hypertrophy, how flexible your muscles are, or how much your body can respond to training.

Moreover, the mesomorphic body type that most heavyweight powerlifters have, accumulates both fat and muscle as well as longer muscle fascicles that increase their range of motion. The big belly is just a small sacrifice in the bigger picture for these athletes.

It Gives Powerlifters an Advantage

I know this sounds odd, after all, how can a large stomach help a Powerlifter in their sport? If anything, the extra weight is supposed to hinder them. But in some cases, it is seen that extra fat around the belly and chest can help during a bench press by acting as a natural cushion rebound for the barbell.

Similarly, having a big stomach as well as a layer of fat around the waist can help them during squats by acting as a rebound to stand up sooner.

The only exercise that can be potentially hindered due to the belly is a deadlift but with training, powerlifters can adjust their performance quite well in all three exercises. 

To Go Up in Weight Classes

There is a natural limit to how much muscle an individual can gain. Scientists refer to the maximum amount of growable muscles as the “ceiling effect” and it kicks in at different times for different individuals. Those who are new to lifting often gain lots of muscle in their first year of training but this amount dwindles gradually.

Since athletes might want to compete in higher weight classes, they substantiate their muscle mass by adding some body fat. It should be known that fat is not contractile tissue and does not aid in any way to perform well. ^[4] What it does however is limit the range of motion thus providing a stronger core and helping to maintain a better lifting stance.

Thus adding body fat results in a bigger belly that allows the athlete to go up a weight class as well as deal with the heavier weights that come along with it.

The Type of Training Can Be a Reason

It is widely recognized that powerlifters need to train their abs and core extensively. Since most movements originate from the core, it is essential for powerlifters to develop a robust core strength.

As part of their training regime, powerlifters perform heavy lifts with low volume, with weights ranging from 300-500lbs, depending on the athlete. This intense training not only targets the abs but also promotes the growth of the stomach muscles.

It is worth noting that powerlifters use a weight belt in a unique way. While most people use the belt for core stabilization and lower back support, powerlifters also use it to target their breathing.

During heavy squats, deadlifts, and bench presses, the athletes push their stomachs out as hard as possible against the belt to provide additional support. This technique is essential for powerlifters to execute their lifts with maximum efficiency and safety.

Role of Steroids

The use of steroids is known to have an impact on the physical appearance of individuals. One of the most commonly observed effects is the development of a big belly. This has been attributed to a condition known as “palumboism”.

Although this is more common among bodybuilders, it can affect powerlifters too.  Palumboism occurs when the oblique muscles thicken and exert pressure on the rectus abdominis muscles, pushing them outwards.

However, it should be noted that steroids are not the only performance-enhancing drugs responsible for this condition. Other drugs such as insulin, human growth hormone, and anabolic peptide hormones have also been implicated.

On the other hand, certain steroids have been found to increase metabolism and total daily energy expenditure, leading to the burning of calories and body fat. This can also improve recovery, allowing individuals to train harder and cut fat.

However, this increased calorie burn can be problematic for powerlifters who need to maintain a higher calorie intake to fuel their workouts. As a result, powerlifters may find themselves in a cycle of higher calorie consumption leading to increased body fat.

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How Do I Get Rid of My Powerlifter Belly?

It is natural to want to get rid of the power belly or the lifter’s belly. It kind of ruins the aesthetics and if you have no plans of increasing your weight class but seem to be stuck with a big belly that does not go down no matter how hard you train, then here are a few tips to deal with the situation:

Rethink the Calorie Intake

There are two main questions that you need to ask yourself:

1. How long have you been at this level of weight and conditioning?
2. Do you have to burn more calories or take in fewer calories?

If you have been at the same level for more than a year by maintaining a specific calorie amount, then you have reached the maintenance mode of your body. This means that the calories you are eating are being used up perfectly by your training. You are neither losing nor gaining any weight. This brings us to the second question.

Ask yourself, which you are more likely to continue doing. It can be more convenient to lessen the calorie intake for some while others may find adding extra workouts easier.

For the second option, adding as much as 10-15 mins of metabolic conditioning exercise at the end of your workout will do the trick as you are already sweaty, with depleted muscle glycogen level and with an elevated heart rate, the fat stores will be reached faster.

Make Proper Use of the Belt

When engaging in strength training, using a belt and pushing out your abs against it can quickly thicken your torso from the waist to the sternum, even with a moderate food intake. To avoid overuse, it is recommended to use the belt only when necessary, such as during box squats when wearing suit bottoms, ME full gear squats, some rack pulls, and benching in a shirt.

Deadlifts, except in a meet, as well as GMs, warmup squats, and overhead pressing, should be performed without the belt. Additionally, incorporating vacuum exercises for your abs, performed without any added weight, can be beneficial for low back recovery.

If you desire to maintain a high food intake, it is recommended to include 30-60 minute hikes and strongman-style conditioning exercises such as tire flips, sled/truck drags/pushes, farmers walks, stones, etc. Alternatively, KB/db snatches can also be added to your workout routine.

Add These Exercises to Your Routine

Adding certain bodybuilding-type exercises can really benefit your efforts to lose some extra fat. But since we are focussing on the stomach fat, here are some exercises that might help in that area in particular.

• Burpees
• Jump Squats
• Kettlebell Swings
• Medicine Ball Swings
• Russian Twists
• Hanging Leg Raises
• Planks

However, it must be stated that it is up to the body to decide which area will shed fat first. There is no scientific evidence to suggest that you can localize fat loss.

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Final Statement

There is a general belief among powerlifters and powerlifting enthusiasts alike, that these athletes do not need to focus on aesthetic bodies as long as they build up their core strength. But the truth of the matter is, that body fat will only hinder performance, and more often than not the best powerlifters have a huge muscle density and very little body fat.

That being said, belly fat is almost always inevitable when consuming that many calories and is a small price to pay when you consider performance in powerlifting.

Reference

1. Ivy, J. L. (1991). Muscle glycogen synthesis before and after exercise. Sports Medicine, 11, 6-19. https://doi.org/10.2165/00007256-199111010-00002
2. Brechue, W.F., Abe, T. The role of FFM accumulation and skeletal muscle architecture in powerlifting performance. Eur J Appl Physiol 86, 327–336 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-001-0543-7
3. Fukutani, A., & Kurihara, T. (2015). Comparison of the muscle fascicle length between resistance-trained and untrained individuals: Cross-sectional observation. SpringerPlus, 4(1), 1-6. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40064-015-1133-1
4. Coelho, M., Oliveira, T., & Fernandes, R. (2013). Biochemistry of adipose tissue: An endocrine organ. Archives of Medical Science : AMS, 9(2), 191-200. https://doi.org/10.5114/aoms.2013.33181