Getting extreme strength whilst avoiding excessive hypertrophy.

[kbTrainer]

I am currently pursuing 2 sports, one is big wave surfing and the other is weight lifting. I am mostly doing kettlebells, and I know these won't ever get me 'too' big. But I've lately been getting into powerlifting as well, due to doing a course in Pilates inland. Without too much training into it specifically, I've quickly been able to deadlift 370lb at 205lb bodyweight. This was fairly recently, using a bar with kettlebells hooked on to it, and I felt like I'd be able to do more, but stopped there for the day. I'd probably get it up to 388lb on Monday (next weight up if I'm using KB's) I can tell you now that it's also a whole lot more difficult with kettlebells hooked onto the bar, dangling, than with a plated bar. I don't have a squat rack (and train at home) so I can only squat using kettlebells. The heaviest I have is a pair of 70lbers. So I do weighted pistol squats, with up to 88lb. (Haven't done them in quite a while, having focused on thrusters and bodyweight pistols... I should train them again, I'm sure I'd be able to get them over 100lb quickly.)
Doing pistols with kettlebells in rack is a serious challenge, I must say... I kinda wonder how they would translate into back squats, after a bit of training doing the specific movement pattern.

Now, here is the thing, I'd like to work my way up to 700lb-800lb deadlift. I'd also like to get into a powerlifting gym and start doing back squats. Bench pressing does not make sense to me outside of the sport of powerlifting (I just don't see where any sportsperson other than MAYBE a football player will have the need for an horizontal press exceeding his own body weight, a-la push up.) but I'd like to do those too for the sake of the sport of powerlifting.

Now, here is the thing. I don't want to EVER get heavier than 220lb, and would actually like to stay at around 210lb. I also cannot afford to lose range of movement or overall agility. I want to be able to operate at an athletic level, and I cannot afford to get even a little muscle bound. I know to get 'ugly big' I'd have to go on oversized diets and do steroids, but I cannot even afford to get nearly to the level that my body would allow naturally. (I'm genetically gifted when it comes to this.) So, basically, I want to know if it is possible to deadlift 800lb and also have competable sized lifts with bench and squat and have a body no bigger than, say, Steve Cotter?

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[CrazyOldMan]

I trained for power without weight gain for years and did fairly well at it.
Rep ranges were 6 and below or drop sets if wanting higher reps. These are great for power but not brilliant for building mass, ideal for you.
These need to be at rep max though so if doing 555s each 5 rep set is at your 5 rep max. It does work well.
Goldfish is our current power lifter here and I think he would agree that you need to get into a gym with bars and plates to get into the intensities needed for powerlifting. Kettles are good but you need a bar and rack set up.

 

[Goldfish]

In a man's first year of training, he can potentially gain about 10kg/20lb of muscle if he does everything right for it. In his second year, that amount halves to 5kg/10lb. In his third year, that amount generally halves again to 2-3kg/5lb. By the sounds of things, you've already gained plenty of muscle mass, so I don't foresee you unintentionally gaining more than you want. If you get to beyond 220lb, it's probably excess body fat rather than excess muscle mass that's pushing you over the edge. Eat sensibly for your goals and you'll be fine.

In saying all that, you're not going to get "muscle bound" from powerlifting. There are few people in the history of the world who have legitimately become muscle bound (I heard of one Olympic weightlifter once who needed to atrophy his biceps in order to rack his cleans, and that's literally the only example I've ever heard of). Generally, the stereotype only comes from those who don't lift through a full range of motion and don't practice appropriate mobility work for their needs, or who are injured. That means that they aren't muscle-bound: they're hurt or inflexible. So prevent injuries, rehab them properly if they arise, and stay flexible.

The powerlifting bench press will actually teach you to brace your entire body to move heavy objects and will strengthen your core and back, not just your chest and arms. Whether or not it directly carries over to specific athletic tasks, it does generally carry over. More general strength = better performance potential.

To directly answer your question, here's a guy competing in the 198lb weight class, easily getting 775lb, but missing 800lb at the knees. So yes, it's possible to deadlift the amounts you're talking about without being any heavier than you currently are, although it will take a lot of time and practice to get there. Regardless of bodyweight, few people achieve such high numbers, so you can expect a long road ahead to get there.

[video=youtube;-jtRa40SZrA]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jtRa40SZrA[/video]