The Sport Of Powerlifting

In any sport, many things are needed to achieve. The sport that asks a person to literally go beyond what they can do is powerlifting. To do this, a person has to know the sport called powerlifting. He or she must learn to adapt a new way of physical and mental training, breathing, and way of life. Since the first professional competition in 1964, powerlifting has shown great feats of strength, power, legends and dreams that have changed, "How strong are you," actually implies (Hatfield 5).

What is Powerlifting?

What is powerlifting? Powerlifting is an invigorating sport of strength, power, and speed. Unlike most sports, powerlifting gets at the heart of the most basic of all athletic qualities-strength.

Over the years before the first competition, odd-lift competitions were put on. Some of the odd-lifts were the bench press, chin-ups, deadlift, curls, squats, and push-ups (Hatfield 5). At first, the 3 main lifts to get a total were the bench press, curl, and squat. Furthermore, in 1964, the three lifts that tested overall strength and made up a competitor's total are the bench press, squat, and deadlift. A year after the first powerlifting competition, the IPF(International Powerlifting Federation) was born and now represents over forty nations from all over the globe(Hatfield 7). Your total weight lifted is determined on your best lift in the bench press, squat, and deadlift. The winner.

does not have to be the strongest in just one or two lifts. He or she has to just be good overall in each lift.

Just as every other sport, it had to start somewhere and powerlifting has a few rules that imply, as well. To start, with the bench, a competitor must lower the bar to his or her chest. Once motion has stopped, the head judge will say, "LIFT!" The bench presser must then press the bar up in full upward motion and with both arms locking out at the same time. The competitor's feet must stay still, not lift off the ground, nor can his or her butt come off the bench. Also, he or she can not bounce the bar off their chest (Hatfield 152).

On to the squat press rules, the competitor must squat down with their legs parallel to the floor and must have no stopping of motion on the way up. The side judges and head judge will determine if the powerlifter was parallel or not (Hatfield 154).

Final rules, ending with the deadlift. In this lift, it's easy to make a mistake. The lifter must walk up to the bar, squat down, grab the bar, keeping his or her back straight. Next, the lifter stands/pulls upward, keeping the upper body from any motion. Then, he or she must lock out their knees and make their back erect. Finally, the head judge will say down once all motion has stopped. Disqualification will occur if the competitor shrugs his or her shoulders, does not lock out their knees and stand erect, or if their feet move or come off the platform (Hatfield 156).

Early Legends

A few strength legends of the early times were Eugene Sandow and George Hackenschmidt. First off, we start with Eugene Sandow who is known as an early strongman and the first actual bodybuilder. Eugene sculpted his body to look exactly like the Greek God sculptures by famous artists; even imitating their poses. He was a strongman on stage shows put on by Florenz Ziegfeld (Anderson 1). Sandow put on strength performances, some of which included him walking across the stage with a 350 pound pony held over his head in only one arm, with his neck and shoulders supporting the length of the specimen! Eugene could also raise a 265-pound barbell over his head with just one arm. A spectacular display of strength and gymnastics was shown by Eugene doing a back somersault off the ground, holding 56-pound dumbbells in each hand (Anderson 2).

Another early legend was George Hackenschmidt. He too, could raise a barbell over his head with just one arm, except this barbell weighed 290 pounds! Also, in a body bridge, supported on his neck and feet only, George could bench press 369 pounds for repetitions (Nardo 69). Hackenschmidt was known substantially for his thick, muscularity and as a professional wrestler who won over 300 matches without a loss. These features earned him the name "Russian Lion."

Powerlifting Legends

Every great thing has its legends. Here are some from this great sport. The first great legend is a man known as Fred "Dr. Squat" Hatfield. Hatfield made history throughout the sport of powerlifting, being known best as the first man to squat over 1,000 pounds in a competition. He achieved 1,014 at a bodyweight of 255 pounds (American Strength Legends 2). He did this at the age of 45, as well. Even more so, he could bench press 573 pounds and deadlift 766 pounds. All through his life, Fred was an athlete, excelling in soccer, track, and gymnastics. He received many degrees associated with fitness and sports training, now owning one of the largest personal training organizations in the world; the International Sports Sciences Association. He has also trained the U.S.A. powerlifting squad and many other world renowned athletes. Some other huge achievements of Dr. Hatfield were winning three world powerlifting championships and setting thirty world and national records in five different weight classes, something never done by any other lifter. Fred competed from the '70's to this very day at the age of almost sixty (American Strength Legends 2).

Bill Kazmaier, another idol of the sport, was a huge beast at six feet, three inches tall and weighing between 320-350 pounds of muscle, he was untouchable in his career. He was a powerlifter and a strongman that dominated both worlds all through the 1980's. His best lifts were 925 in squat, 661 in bench press, and 887 in the deadlift. Today, that deadlift still ranks quite high in the super heavy weight class(over 308 pounds) at 8th in the world. His dream was to one day become the top powerlifter in the world. Bill achieved his goal by becoming just that in 1979, the year he won the American Powerlifting Championship and International Powerlifting Federation World Championship in the superheavyweight class at the age of 25 (American Strength Legends 1). Today, both men live healthy lives, promoting the sport and acting as outstanding ambassadors.

Dreams/Opinions of Powerlifters

All athletes have their own opinion, dream, or definition for what they compete in. Starting, with a man named Gus Rethwisch, he is the President of W.A.B.D.L (World Association of Benchers and Deadlifters) and has noted a 865 pound deadlift, 523 pound bench press, and a 905 pound squat in competition in the superheavyweight class. Gus says, "This is the healthiest