I can't deny or suppress it anymore... I'm coming out as...

a POWERLIFTER.  No bodybuilder here. I don't want to cut, I don't want to do fat-burning cardio, I don't want to diet or have a 32" waist (yeah, as if  ).  Food rules!  I've been encouraged by two weeks of increased poundages in squats and deads. I mean, a jump of 50 lbs has got to say SOMEthing.
 
I want the strength and I want the size.
 
I could be another Scot Mendelson (it's just the bald head though, he's better looking).
 
Seriously, my plan is a basic 5x5 to start. The Big Three will be 5x5 starting with a moderate weight, and adding 5-10 lbs each week.
 
I prefer the big beefy look over the ripped bodybuilder look, as well as the strength to back it up of course. It's not that I'm copping out on dieting or cardio but after all these years of doing it, it's not paying off from a bodybuilding standpoint.
 
There's a mental element here too for me... I feel uncomfortable talking about the gym and my weightlifting because I certainly can't call myself a bodybuilder because of the image people have of bodybuilders. And I never felt right saying I was a powerlifter because I never put up (or trained for) the numbers. Now I will. And now I actually feel "right" in acknowledging that my preference is powerlifting.
 
The funny thing is, and I've mentioned this in other posts, last year I saw relatives for the first time in years. My aunt looked at me and told me I got tubby  but a cousin motioned to me and made a flexing gesture and said "You powerlift? you look good". THAT made me feel good.  Hey, at 5'5" I would LOVE to get up to 240-250, but still be able to wear size 40 pants. They're all new and I can't afford new ones.
 
I think the problem I had in the past is that I tried to gain size and strength AND lose fat at the same time. I just couldn't make a decision which way I wanted to go. That caused a lot of conflict and boredom. So the point is that my excitement is due in part to having made a decision and a commitment. Not to mention having set a goal and having a plan.
 
So, yeah... I'm a powerlifter, dammit! 
 

you know bro i think that you are a bro of mine that is long lost
at 5' 7" and 250 you are a long lost bro
got to be
puttin up 280 on bench and lovin it
will try to cut some bf but it is not a priority right now
i do believe we are a different breed

If weightlifting was easy, everyone would do it

You gotta lift BIG, to get BIG

Doesn't matter how much you lift but how you lift it

There's a mental element here too for me... I feel uncomfortable talking about the gym and my weightlifting because I certainly can't call myself a bodybuilder because of the image people have of bodybuilders. And I never felt right saying I was a powerlifter because I never put up (or trained for) the numbers. Now I will. And now I actually feel "right" in acknowledging that my preference is powerlifting.

That's all good, man! What's that the econ geeks always say? "Do what you do best and trade with the rest"?

But if you ask me, there are a lot of skewed perceptions about bodybuilders among the laity. The most obvious one pops right out at you: if you are exceedingly lean and muscular, you MUST be on steroids. There are other misconceptions -most people see an exceptionally muscular man or woman and instantly assume that they must be mind-bogglingly strong. Neither is necessarily true, but at some point, I have to ask myself whether I care what they think or not. I wrote a little something about perception on my blog a while back:

What a critic should really be asking is “Must an individual necessarily aspire to and achieve the freakishly huge appearance of today’s pro’s before calling themselves a bodybuilder?” The simple fact is that not everyone who takes an interest in maximizing their health and fitness aspires to be a Jay Cutler, or even a Bill Pearl. However, if you believe the only people who qualify for the label “bodybuilders” are 300-pound caricatures who bench press Volkswagens and have delts the size of basketballs, then your vision of bodybuilding is pathologically flawed. Here then, for the record, is my vision of bodybuilding:

Bodybuilding is a lifestyle, not a destination. That’s why there’s an “ing” at the end of it. It is a lifestyle characterized by eating nutrient-rich whole foods and following an aggressive yet sensible resistance training regimen, for the purpose of gaining quality lean mass and sculpting a more aesthetic physique. Following a bodybuilding lifestyle means planning your diet with a slavish attention to protein, carbohydrate and fat calorie balance, and applying proven supplementation methods to optimize your metabolic performance, and maximize anabolism.

While it may be true that the general public might have a hard time believing your claims to be a bodybuilder because you don't look the part, that does not negate your claim. The same goes for claiming to be a powerlifter (unless, as you stated, you can put up the numbers and shut your critics up). I know a lot of guys who call themselves golfers, but they're no Tiger Woods. I know lots of guys who call themselves cyclists, but they're not Lance Armstrong. If you walk your talk, and you stick to it, that's all that matters.

My home away from DBB

good point

If weightlifting was easy, everyone would do it

You gotta lift BIG, to get BIG

Doesn't matter how much you lift but how you lift it

Yep, I hear you.  I got to e-mailing with another guy about two years ago who fits our description too... 5'6" 240 lbs.  I never asked him what kind of numbers he puts up, though.  I have goals in mind, and I plan to achieve them.  Maybe I'll lose some fat, maybe I won't.  As long as I don't gain too much more, it will be good.   

Yes, those are all good points.  And now this is why I'm doing this for me.  Oh, I've enjoyed all the weight training that I've done.  But it's taken me 12 years to find a focus, now that I've filtered out the noise. 
 
Most people in general have no idea of what is muscle, what is fat, what is strong.  Though some do.  I get compliments and comments at work.  One funny story...
 
A couple of weeks ago at work we got computer system upgrade components. One of the components is a tall (6.5') system tower and is quite heavy. The IBM reps came to inspect it preparing for installation. 

The tower had to be rolled from the loading dock to the second floor computer room. As my boss and one of the other guys rolled and guided the tower down corridors, to the elevator and up the computer room ramp, I held the doors open.

After they push the thing up the computer room ramp and through the doors, breathing hard, my boss motions to me and says to the other guys... "There's something wrong with this picture... the guy with the muscles is holding the doors".  I said to one of the IBMers "I worked out last night... can't risk overtraining".  

Oh man... strongman is great.  That would be the next step if I were bigger and younger. lol
 
Thanks for the encouragement... and best of luck to you too. 

Veggeep said:

 Following a bodybuilding lifestyle means planning your diet with a slavish attention to protein, carbohydrate and fat calorie balance, and applying proven supplementation methods to optimize your metabolic performance, and maximize anabolism.

 
I would argue that this seems refer to an active training/competetive BB lifestyle, and that there are many of us out there who ascribe to the "BB lifestyle" while still eating the occasional bagel (gasp) and knocking out some deads periodically.
 
Personally, I don't like to limit myself.  One day, I may be a bodybuilder.  Next, I may be a 6 rep to 1 max wonder.  My diet is sometimes "good" and sometimes "bad" but the cardio after "bad" sure kicks butt!
 
I guess my point is that we all, regardless of the "church" we go to, should be doing a bit more visiting.  I  think my body needs the challenge of more than one discipline.  Or maybe I just like it that way

F, 155lbs., perpetually off-season, 5'6''

"A hard woman is good to find"
-The Valkyries

Yeah, on a second read, it kinda sounds a little severe, but that wasn't really my message.  By "Slavish attention to protein, carb & fat calories balance", I mean to imply that we tend to think about it with a lot greater frequency and attention to detail than non-bodybuilding types.  Surely, I would never chisel a tablet of commandments that would deprive me of my thrice-weekly pizza, Ha ha ha   What would bulking be without it?

My point is that although there are obvious examples of exceptional bodybuilding success, one shouldn't think themself less of a bodybuilder just because they haven't yet achieved "the look".

My home away from DBB

I'm with all the powerlifting, I could lose and get down to like 200..but who wants to do that. I lift heavy and hard every day, I dont eat to bed except high protein and carbs.....I love the strength side of everything.
 
The way I see it is....from a guy ur size and everything.....that if ur gonna be big and like being big, why not compete in powerlifting for sumthing to do.

    Well if you enjoy lifting heavy weigfhts and breaking records go for it!  My cousin is a chiropracter and power lifts he squats 700 something now i belive.  I've probably said that like 4 times now lol...  But it is very reachable and hes young 30's i belive, so your not too old.

youre never to old to be the best. look at ronnie coleman 41 and still doing what he does best.

Bench:300
Squat:350
Deadlift:425
Total:1075