• Keep up to date with Ausbb via Twitter and Facebook. Please add us!
  • Join the Ausbb - Australian BodyBuilding forum

    If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact contact us.

    The Ausbb - Australian BodyBuilding forum is dedicated to no nonsense muscle and strength building. If you need advice that works, you have come to the right place. This forum focuses on building strength and muscle using the basics. You will also find that the Ausbb- Australian Bodybuilding Forum stresses encouragement and respect. Trolls and name calling are not allowed here. No matter what your personal goals are, you will be given effective advice that produces results.

    Please consider registering. It takes 30 seconds, and will allow you to get the most out of the forum.

Weight/Height/Strength

PTC

Member
Sean recently alluded to the fact that some of my lifters were going to move up in weight classes. He is correct.

Firstly, this information is not for those that want beach bodies, 6 packs showing, veins popping etc. This is purely powerlifting orientated, 100%.

Its not even for gym lifters that have no intention of ever competing, its about maximizing your potential in the sport of powerlifting. Its not for women either. A "husky" guy is excepted in society, an overweight girl is not. This is wrong, but I cant fix societies problems, thats Kyles job.

As you guys know, I had Adam Coe come over from Perth last weekend. We had an interesting conversation. He said that the late Lenny Wilson had told Adam to get out of the 90kg class and into the 110-125kg class. Adam eventually went up to 100kg and has set the best ever total in Australian Powerlifting History. Adam was strong enough to win Nats at 90kg, but he was unbeatable at 100kg. He would have been frightening in the 110's.

Now Adam was only 5'10", so not a giant, but still way too tall for the 90's. Steve Pritchard is 5'10" and lifts in the 125kg class.

Anyway, Adam told me that Daryl would be unbeatable at 82.5kg or even 90kg. Daryl lifts at 67.5kg, and after our little talk, is already 71kg. He totaled 460kg at 67.5kg, as a teenager he will go well over 500kg at 75, and if he gets to 82.5kg by the next Nats, could do anything.

The same applies for Max, Adam said anything lighter than 90-100kg for Max at 173cm will be a waste.

Now while these boys are eating their way out of weight classes, their Glossbrenner score will suffer and they wont win comps. Big picture. Max could easily have lifted at 75kg on the weekend and totaled 500kg, neither he nor Daryl made any effort to reduce weight for the comp. They both have a single minded approach to get heavier and keep increasing their totals.

I know Michael weighed 72.5kg on Wednesday and lifted at 67.5kg. Max and Daryl could both have done the same, dropping 5kg each would of had their Glossbrenner score soaring. Big picture.

Fat Dave struggles with keeping his weight down. Three months ago at the Vics he got down to 98kg, and he totaled 485kg. That was less than Max. This time around, I had him eat as much as he likes, he came in at 106kg and totaled 520kg. A 35kg increase for an 8kg bw increase. Thats a fair trade off for me. In 2 years he has shown he obviously doesnt care about his appearance. He may even lift at 115kg next year, and total well over 550kg.

I spoke to Mitch at the Nats. He lost a lot of weight and strength to compete at 88kg at the Nats. He is very tall and looked too skinny. He is a 110kg class lifter at the very least, the same goes for Scott. Michael would be awesome at 82.5kg.

Increasing bw is not for everyone. Some are happy to stay at their current weight. I totaly understand that, just be aware that there is a correct bw for a lifter at every height. If you want to maximize your potential in the sport, increase your weight to match your height.

Larry Pacifico - 5'6" @ 90kg - 56 WR
Bill Kazmaier - 6'3" @ 150-160kg
Ed Coan - 5'6" @ 110kg

You guys get the idea
 
I like competing, but as my squat depth may suggest, I go to the comps for fun. As long as my total improves by around 30kg at each comp ill be happy.

But I will slowly make my way up to 100-110kg. My skinny ass gets to cold :D

EDIT; re dave. While my total was less than his, I put an extra 37.5kg at 1kg less.
 
Last edited:
The rebound was pretty amazing though. I must've had some serious glycogen and in general water depletion going on. I'm happily sitting at 95kg again with ab's called and accounted for. But you're definetly right Markos, if the best say 5"11 @ 90kg is still on the small side, then I'm pretty certain 88kg @ 6"3 is malnourished in Powerlifting standards. I'll be aiming for 110kg absolute minimum by next years Nat's and beyond that in the future. A 465kg Total was a little depressing.

Thanks again Markos, you're a gentleman.

-Mitch.
 
if the best say 5"11 @ 90kg is still on the small side, then I'm pretty certain 88kg @ 6"3 is malnourished in Powerlifting standards.
Not even by powerlifting standards, any sport where strength matters at all.

James Cracknell, rower, 192cm, 100kg - and look at him, you'd call him well-built, but not huge.

Jamescracknellwithbaby350x350.jpg


Artur Taymazov, wrestler, 189cm, 112kg

0,1020,523533,00.jpg


My 1.90m guy who started at 165kg was shocked when I said a healthy athletic bodyweight for him would be 110kg.
"That much?" he said in surprise.
"Probably more. But we'll see."
 
Ed Coan is 5'6"?

Now I feel so skinny at 171cm 80kg. Should abandon my cutting down to 75kg plan and go up to 90!
 
Young guys find out WAY too late that calorie reducing or cutting during your peak testosterone producing years will impact the amount of muscle you carry later on.

The older you get, the harder it is to build muscle. Guys younger than mid 20's cutting up may look better now, but they eventually will hamper their ability to get big later. Obviously taking steroids can reverse this.

I remember Steve saying he went to the Worlds weighing 110kg and 5'10", and he was the tallest guy in the class.

Think about that. At the Worlds you will find the best lifters, it will give you a good guide as to how much you should weigh if you plan to get the best out of yourself.
 
So what about people that are overweight.

For example myself. I now weigh around 107kg at 190cm/6'2 after originally weighing 147kg. Should i still continue to lose weight or should i be taking advantage of only being 22 and up the calories and worry about cutting down more later?

Is me continuing to eat under maintenance going to effect potential muscle gains?
 
Good point Kyle and something I'll admit. The problem is constantly being around people that are a lot smaller than you and either don't train at all or are just getting into. I constantly get told I'm "Huge!" when in reality, I'm not even close to it. I guess I just got a bit too comfortable being the "bigger" guy and got a real nice and welcome reality check at the Nats. I'm now endeavouring to be the guy who scares children off when he walks into a room!
 
James, health comes first, always.

This advice is more for competing PL who want to lift the most possible weight they can
 
In saying that markos how high shoudl a 67.5kg lifter be,., Im only 165 and enjoy being athletic also.. 2 weeks before the comp I was 71.8kg without water retention etc and I still had fat on me... the week leading into the comp I actually increased my caloires a bit which is why i got up to 72.5. I think I can still imrpve 50kg + to my total each year in this division.
 
If you want to maximize your potential, get heavier, not lighter, thats a no brainer Michael.

If you care about how much fat you have rather than how much you lift, keep cutting.

Max just said no one has ever asked him his bodyfat % after he told them how much he lifted.

This thread is purely about getting stronger, not body composition.
 
Just because you are bigger doesn't mean you can not also be athletic. I would say 10 extra kgs of muscle on your frame would not be a problem. Talk to Fadi is about your height and was around 90kg he could give you some info on how he felt with the changes.
Posted via Mobile Device
 
Good point Kyle and something I'll admit. The problem is constantly being around people that are a lot smaller than you and either don't train at all or are just getting into.
Yep, I know how it is. At my gyms, so far as I can see only one* of the trainers is stronger than me - and not by a huge amount, since he is all about the frantic half-reps rather than genuine full range of motion solid reps. Makes motivation hard.

But that's not a big deal for me, at the moment I'm focused on training others, not myself. As Markos said, this thread is about people who want to be competitive lifters. Not ordinary dicks like me ;)

*Actually a second one is a pretty big guy, so should be stronger, but last I saw he was doing Smith machine squats and leg extensions, so I can't say for sure... Anyway, point is made I reckon.
 
Last edited:
Here is another example that's close to home.

Michael Dovek is the best raw teenage lifter in Australia in my opinion. He beat Max at the Vic titles, lifting in the 90kg class.

He totaled 562.5kg, then on a 4th attempt deadlift pulled 250kg, giving him 572.5kg.

At the Nats, he dropped his bodyweight to 80kg, lifting in the 82.5kg class.

He totaled 530kg, leaving him in 3rd place overall. He had an attempt at a 230kg deadlift, getting it around 6" off the ground only. Three months earlier at 89kg, he pulled one of the easiest 250kg DL you would ever see. He finished with a 220kg DL at the Nats from memory.

Michael is short, the heavier he is, the better his leverages. I asked him why the weight drop. He said he wanted to look more muscular. He accomplished that, as well as throwing away a National Title.

I understand that no one has the right to tell someone how they should look, I am simply using Michaels example of how weight affects strength.

Max gained 12.5kg on his Vics total, if Michael had stayed in his 90kg class and added the same, he couldve totaled 585kg total @ 90kg as a teenager, lifting raw.

Pretty much unbeatable. Interestingly, the boy who beat him, went up from the 75kg class where he totaled 480kg @ 75kg at his NT titles.

At the Nats he lifted in the 82.5kg class and totaled 532.5kg, a 52kg increase.
 
Young guys find out WAY too late that calorie reducing or cutting during your peak testosterone producing years will impact the amount of muscle you carry later on.
.

Interesting, this sounds like it is related with the stories of guys going through cutting stages and reporting loss of boldess, energy and confidence which by the sounds of it is their testosterone plummiting.
I thought your test would actually go up with the less bodyfat% you have but that appears to not be the case.
 
Fat is a VERY anabolic nutrient.

Its the first thing young guy eliminate from their diet when reducing.
 
Top