Why do weightlifters have big stomachs? (Here are the reasons)

The appearance of larger abs in weightlifters, rather than a muscular appearance, can be attributed to their higher intake of carbohydrates and calories. This nutritional strategy is essential to provide the energy needed to lift exceptionally heavy weights throughout training routines.

It’s all about calorie consumption

I think it’s fairly obvious that “getting big” for the body usually occurs through calorie consumption.

you have to Eat a caloric surplus if you want to get bigger and stronger.

So, if you are wondering why you are not building muscle, even though you are training like the devil, it will be because of your diet and nutrition.

Weightlifters care about muscle and strength, so it makes perfect sense that they should eat a large amount of calories.

The fact is that they are almost in a state of constant inflation.

The heavyweight divisions in powerlifting and Olympic weightlifting, as well as the competitors in World’s Strongest Man, usually reveal some pretty big bellies.

The difference between weightlifters and bodybuilders

When you think of a bodybuilder, they will initially go through a bulking phase as well.

This involves training at a high intensity and eating a lot of food.

Basically, do everything they can to develop as much muscle as possible.

Unfortunately, fat comes as part of the deal with all the extra calories.

However, the bodybuilder usually goes through a cutting phase.

This involves following a very strict diet in order to get rid of fat.

In fact, I’m sure you’ve heard a lot Bodybuilders live on chicken, broccoli, and rice.

However, even an ingredient like rice is likely to take a back seat during a bodybuilder’s cutting phase.

They will also back off on their training, but still do enough to maintain as much muscle mass as possible.

However, the cutting phase will also drain a lot of the athlete’s strength.

In essence, they become much weaker.

Now, if we look at things from a weightlifter’s point of view, the last thing they want is to lose strength and become weaker.

Powerlifting is about building as much raw strength as possible.

This allows you to lift the heaviest loads within your capabilities.

Therefore, a weightlifter will not go through a cutting phase, especially when training for competition.

It’s a given that changing a significant amount of weight will burn an enormous amount of calories.

The solution again is to consume more calories.

You must remember that you can eat as “clean” as you want.

But extra calories are just that. If it is not burned during your normal daily activities, it will be stored as fat.

However, this is not a major concern for weightlifters.

More body mass means the ability to move more iron mass.

Weightlifters train with less volume

Another thing to consider is the total amount of work the weightlifter is doing during the session.

Well, I already mentioned that changing weight frequently will burn a significant amount of calories.

However, this does not work in the same way as high volume training.

In addition, let’s not forget that it is impossible to pinpoint the location of body fat reduction.

But the same cannot be said when it comes to adding body fat.

For the vast majority of us, excess calories usually make their way straight to our stomachs.

If you’ve changed your training protocols, you’ve probably noticed the same thing yourself.

Let’s say you’ve had a real focus on inflation and adjustment for a few months.

You then decide to shift your focus to pure raw strength training.

Even though you are lifting the same amount of intensity, if not more, you will usually notice that you are becoming fatter.

You’ll likely end up eating more calories because your energy levels are severely depleted from training.

Additionally, even though you are transporting much heavier loads, the overall volume will decrease significantly.

The type of training can produce a big belly

Now, when I talk about the “type of training” a powerlifter does, it doesn’t have so much to do with a lack of cardio and muscle training.

In fact, weightlifters are sure to train their abdominal muscles and core muscles.

Almost every movement we make comes from the core, so it is essential for a weightlifter to have a very strong core.

In fact, weightlifting exercises form part of a weightlifter’s training regimen.

Oh yeah, even though weightlifters are in a constant state of bulking up, they are still training their abs.

But these are not regular weighted exercises.

Depending on the athlete, you could be talking about performing sets of 15 repetitions with 300-500 pounds.

Yes, this will work your abs, but it will also build big panels of abs.

You’ll also need to consider how these athletes use their weight belts.

While most of us use a belt for core stability and to protect our lower back, a weightlifter also uses it to target breathing.

During very heavy squatsDeadlifts and bench presses, where athletes push their stomach out as hard as possible.

The goal here is to press the stomach as hard as possible onto the belt to provide additional support.

If you do this several times a day, for weeks, months or years, you will end up with a bigger belly.

Former weightlifter and current strength coach. Louie Simmons“If you want a small waist, weightlifting is not your sport,” he once said.

The role of steroids

Steroids can play a role in producing a big belly.

In fact, there is a term known as… “Good Slowly”although this is more prevalent among bodybuilders than powerlifters.

It is actually known as palumboism.

This occurs when the oblique muscles thicken and force the rectus abdominis muscles out.

In fact, it is not steroids that cause this “big belly”, but rather other performance-enhancing drugs.

These include insulin, human growth hormone, and various anabolic peptide hormones.

However, the opposite can also be said about some steroids.

In fact, there are some stimulants that will raise your metabolism and increase your total daily energy expenditure.

This will actually burn calories and body fat, while also improving your recovery so you can train harder and longer.

So, from a weightlifters perspective, in order to combat “calorie burning” the obvious solution is to eat more.

Then we’re back where we started – higher calorie consumption equals more body fat.

Key learning points

• Weightlifters are required to eat a large number of calories to support their training.
• It is not surprising that weightlifters eat during their training sessions.
• Weight training involves sticking the stomach out a lot. The stomach is usually “pushed” into the weightlifting belt so that the lifter can target his or her breathing.
• Abs training for weightlifters involves using huge weights which will build large panels of abdominal muscles, making the stomach appear larger.
• Steroids may play a role, whether due to paralysis or the need to consume more calories.

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