Ronnie Coleman dominates the deadlift.

Competing in bodybuilding is a full time gig. It requires the kind of patience and dedication that a trained soldier might have. But instead battling against hostiles, the real enemy is fat and your ultimate ally is muscle. To get to your shredded best you’re going to need to eat right, rest, and undoubtedly move some serious weight.

Though many people will want to tell you that bodybuilding and powerlifting are two different sports, more like cousins than identical twins, the truth of the matter is that both have a great deal to do with each other. Bodybuilding is as much about lifting heavy-ass weights as it is about following the right macronutrient diet plan. It takes more than just a good diet to pack on some serious muscle and no matter what anyone says, lifting ten pound weights are not going to build massive muscle.

For that reason alone it’s always been the best notion to focus on building strength before even focusing completely on your physique. Sure, everyone wants to be shredded, but if you’re not building your strength as well then what’s the point? Everyone has to start somewhere and powerlifting isn’t a bad place to start.

If you don’t think so then just ask 8 time Mr. Olympia champion Ronnie Coleman. Before he was dominating the bodybuilding scene, Coleman was a competitive powerlifter who looked to have a pretty promising career on his hands before making the switch to the posing stage. People have always said that Coleman was an extremely strong man even for a bodybuilder. It perfectly explains why the all time great was so damn huge during his competition days.

For all those that may have doubted Coleman’s strength, take a long look at this video from his first powerlifting competition. Pro tip: stick around for the middle of the video when an older man deadlifts like a damn boss.

How often do you for strength in the gym? Let us know in the comments or discuss on the forum and be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook and Twitter.