Hey Spanish Learner… Are you a Powerlifter or a Bodybuilder?

You may be wondering, “Now in the world does this apply to me as a Spanish Learner?” Well stay with me, it’ll all become clear after this post.

Ever notice how the biggest guys in the gym aren’t always the ones lifting the heaviest weights? That’s not a fluke — and it says a lot about why so many people struggle to speak Spanish even after years of studying it.

Follow along with the video for best results:

The biggest guys in the gym — the ones with those crazy muscles — aren’t always the strongest. You’d think they’d be the ones lifting the heaviest weights, but a lot of times, they’re not.

If you’ve ever watched a powerlifter train, they might not even look that big, but they’re moving serious weight — way heavier than most bodybuilders. Meanwhile, bodybuilders are focused on something totally different: not lifting heavy, but building muscle.

And believe it or not, that’s a perfect analogy for how most people go wrong when they’re trying to learn Spanish.

Powerlifters Train for Strength — Bodybuilders Train for Growth

Here’s the difference. Powerlifters care about numbers. They lift low reps, super heavy weight, and measure success by how much they can move.

Bodybuilders, on the other hand, train for growth. They use moderate weights, more reps, and focus on “time under tension.” They’re not trying to prove how strong they are, they’re trying to feel the muscle working and make it grow.

So a powerlifter might bench 400 pounds, but a bodybuilder might only do 225 — and still look twice as jacked. Because they’re not training for performance, they’re training for transformation.

The Same Thing Happens With Spanish

When it comes to Spanish, a lot of people take the powerlifter approach. They want to “lift heavy.” They grind through tons of Spanish vocabulary lists, crank through grammar lessons, and chase streaks and levels.

It feels like they’re doing a lot, but in reality, they’re just lifting heavy without building much muscle.

Real progress in Spanish — like in bodybuilding — comes from controlled, consistent reps. From getting time under tension in the language. Talking. Listening. Thinking in Spanish. Struggling a little.

That’s where the real growth happens.

Time Under Tension = Time in Spanish

In the gym, “time under tension” means how long your muscle is actually working during a set. The longer you keep it working, the more it grows.

In Spanish, your “muscle” is your brain — and “time under tension” means how long you’re actually using Spanish. Not just studying it, but using it.

When you’re listening to a podcast, having a conversation, or thinking through what to say next in Spanish — that’s time under tension. That’s where the muscle really grows.

Don’t Just Train to Be Strong — Train to Grow

So here’s the takeaway: don’t just train to know more Spanish. Train to use more Spanish.

It’s not about how many words you can memorize or how many grammar rules you know. It’s about whether you can express more thoughts this month than you could last month. Whether conversations feel a little smoother. Whether you’re starting to think in Spanish, even just a little.

That’s your Spanish muscle growing.

Your Defining Question as a Spanish Learner

Bodybuilders and powerlifters might train in the same gym, but they’re chasing different results.

So, as a Spanish Learner, ask yourself: Are you lifting heavy? Or are you growing?

Because if you focus on time under tension — staying in the language, using it, feeling it — you’ll start to see results that go way beyond vocabulary lists.

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