Rock Climber VS Powerlifter: Who's Stronger?

If you know me you know I’m BIG into full body workouts and calisthenics.

I find there’s no better way to stretch more muscles responsible for athleticism and flexibility than with calisthenic exercises.

Exercises like pull ups and pistol squats just straight up supercharge your flexibility, dexterity, and maneuverability.

Of course I also like to lift heavy multiple days a week as well to build muscle mass, so you could say I take a bit of a hybrid approach by combining the heavy lifts with more high rep calisthenic stuff.

But if I HAD to choose between calisthenics and something like powerlifting, it would be a pretty tough decision. They both have so many benefits.

They both of course have different applications and uses, the obvious one being the ability to climb a mountain for the rock climbers.

But who’s superior in “overall strength”? Like if there were some kind of zombie apocalypse…who do you think would be the toughest MF in the wasteland? A super swole powerlifter, or a lean mean rock climber?

The Powerlifting Build

Powerlifting, as a sport and training discipline, represents the epitome of absolute strength.

It focuses on three main lifts: the squat, bench press, and deadlift.

Each of these exercises targets key muscle groups, leading to the development of immense strength and significant muscle mass.

A powerlifter will primarily use a combination of heavy compound lifting and specific accessory work that aims to strengthen the muscles involved in each lift.

Their muscle fibers also grow thicker and more robust, allowing for greater force production. 

This hypertrophic development is often coupled with an increase in body weight, as the added muscle mass contributes to a higher body mass index (BMI), which is often beneficial in this sport.

One of the strongest powerlifters in the world is this guy Jesus Olivares, who recently squatted 1036 lbs, benched 600lbs, and did a 904 lb deadlift. The guy is a literal beast. 

Injury prevention is another key aspect of powerlifting training. Because these guys are lifting some MASSIVE weight, they also do specific exercises to strengthen their joints and spine.

The Rock Climber Build

Now let’s talk about calisthenics, more specifically, rock climbing. 

Climbers like Alex Honnold who free climbed the 7,000 foot high vertical wall of El Capitan have absolutely insane builds. 

I don’t do much climbing myself, but I know it is NOT an easy task.

Rock climbers typically exhibit a lean physique with a relatively low body fat percentage. 

This lean body composition is crucial for maintaining a high strength-to-weight ratio, essential for efficient climbing.

And instead of developing muscle size or maximum strength output, they instead focus on developing lean, strong muscles, particularly in the upper body, fingers, and core.

They’re constantly gripping and pulling their weight up, that’s why you’ll see most climbers with absolutely shredded forearms. In fact, most climbers actually have a 40% stronger grip strength than the average person.

But aside from strength and dexterity, these dudes also have some of the craziest levels of stamina and endurance. You wouldn’t want to fall off the side of a mountain after all.

Studies have even shown that climbers have a higher capillary density in their forearm muscles to allow better blood flow and oxygen delivery so they can climb longer.

Who’s Stronger?

In this video from Magnus Midtbo you can see that Magnus, the rock climber, can actually go toe to toe for pulldown reps with these much bigger powerlifter type guys. 

Sure, he lowers the weight to level the playing field, but in terms of reps, he can practically do these pull downs all day. 

His endurance is just unmatched, which helps his rock climbing significantly. 

So although he might not be able to move as much weight as the other guys, he can keep his muscles working for much longer. 

The Exercises For Each Build

For powerlifters, the top exercises recommended for building strength and mass primarily revolve around the big three lifts and their variations, alongside accessory exercises that support these lifts. 

Key exercises include: 

• Squat

• Pause Squat

• Front Squat

• Leg Press

• Good Morning

• Bulgarian Split Squat

• Leg Extension

• Bench Press

• Feet-Up Bench Press

• Close-Grip Bench Press

• Dumbbell Chest Press

• Dumbbell Chest Fly

• Tricep Pushdown

• Deadlift

Each of these exercises targets the crucial muscle groups necessary for powerlifting, such as the quads, glutes, lower back, chest, and triceps. 

For rock climbers, exercises focus on building grip strength, upper body and core strength, and endurance. Try some of these for a rock climber build:

• Pull-ups

• Hangboard workouts

• Campus board workouts

• Dead Hangs

• Wrist Curls

• Reverse Wrist Curls

• Planks

• Leg Raises

• Squats

• Lunges

• Push-ups

• Muscle-Ups

• Handstand Push-ups

• Dips

• Human Flag

• Front Lever

• Back Lever

• Planche

• L-sit

• Pistol Squats

The Real Question: Who Would Win In A Fight?

For anyone who’s watched Game Of Thrones, you know that if The Mountain gets a hold of you it’s all over.

So my money’s on the powerlifter. 

But…these climbers are like ninjas. If they outlast you in endurance until you’re all smoked out, then they grab you with that 40% stronger grip strength…I don’t know man, it’s a toss up. 

The BMM Takeaway 

I highly recommend climbing and other forms of calisthenics to increase your dexterity, endurance, and flexibility.  

If you’re new to calisthenics, start with the basics. Pushups, lunges, dips, etc. Also look into mobility training too, I like to think they go hand in hand. 

As to which type of build is stronger, powerlifter or rock climber, it all depends how you define strength. 

If you’re talking sheer strength and how much weight you can move, of course the powerlifter is stronger. 

But if we’re talking how many times you can move a weight, then the rock climber wins all day. 

Think about what you want to achieve and what you want to look like and find what training style fits you best.