POWERLIFTING AS A SPORT

PART I

By

Garrett Harper

Diablo Barbell Club

What is the definition of sport? Is powerlifting a sport in the traditional sense? According to Webster’s dictionary sport is defined as:

Physical activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively.

There are hundreds of different sports played throughout the world. Football, baseball, hockey, tennis, golf, jai alai and powerlifting. Yes, you read that right powerlifting is a sport. It’s seems that more often then not people in this country forget that. They see powerlifting as an activity, something that they do in the gym but never as a sport. It isn’t broadcast every Sunday afternoon in the fall, you can’t watch the highlights from the WPO Finals on SportsCenter but, like it or not, powerlifting is a sport.

Like all sports powerlifting had a beginning. Since that beginning it has evolved, just as all sports do, to it’s modern form. It stays true to it’s original intent, to determine which competitors can lift the most weight, but it has also changed quite a bit. Monolifts, squat bars, deadlift bars and specialized suits and shirts have all been introduced to the sport in an effort to increase the amount of weight lifted. Remember, this is the goal after all, to lift the most weight. Powerlifting is not about who can lift the most weight raw but who can lift the most weight, period. This aspect, lifting the most weight is the one most often forgotten about by a lot of modern lifters.

For some reason people think that if a lifter has great raw lifts but does bad in gear or gets little out of gear then he or she is still a great powerlifter. This is not true. The lifter in question is strong and is a good gym lifter but is a horrible powerlifter! The most important aspect of being a competitive lifter is to build tremendous strength in the gym and then be able to display it at a contest! What good does it do you to squat 700lbs in the gym with just a belt but only be able to do 733lbs in a contest wearing a suit and wraps? The same is true for the bench. I have heard from numerous people about how they bench 500lbs raw and yet only manage a low 500lb bench in a contest. If this is the case then guess what? These lifters are all good raw benchers but lousy powerlifters. A lifter must learn how to translate raw strength into huge lifts during a contest otherwise you will be left behind.

There are also a lot of individuals who feel that today’s lifters only lift huge weights because of the gear. Nothing could be further from the truth. The best lifters of today lift huge weights for the same reason the lifters of bygone eras lifted huge weights: because they are freakishly strong. Strong is strong. The strongest geared lifters are also the strongest raw lifters. The gear doesn’t make you strong it enhances your hard earned strength. If equipment were banned entirely the current top lifters in the world would still be at the top. Gear has evolved and become a part of the sport. It is allowed, in one form or another, in every major federation in existence. It only continues to get better and better. If you want to succeed in this sport you must accept this fact. You must continually upgrade your gear to the best that is available and you must master it. Failure to do this will leave you frustrated and injured.

It is also pointless to compare lifts done 10, 20, and 30 years ago to lifts done today. It is impossible to compare eras in any sport, not just powerlifting. If Babe Ruth were alive today I am convinced that he would dominate baseball just as he did 75 years ago but it is a waste of time to speculate how many more or less homers he would hit because the ball parks are smaller or the pitching is tougher. The same applies to lifters of other eras. I have no doubt in my mind that if Don Reinhoudt competed today he would be one of the premier lifters in the sport. I don’t know what kind of numbers he would put up but I can guarantee that he would be one of the best in the world. The same can be said for Garry Frank if he competed in the 70’s. The guy would still dominate but it is impossible to say what kind of numbers he would do. Leave the speculation to internet junkies who like to bash anything and everything about people stronger then they are. Focus on building strength in the gym and displaying that strength on the platform which is what this sport is all about.

Don’t ever lose sight of the fact that powerlifting is a sport. Accept that our sport will continue to evolve and change. We are already to the point where 800lb benches and 1100lb squats are a reality. As happens in all sports, the athletes in our sport are getting stronger, the equipment is getting better, new standards are being set and records are being shattered. Don’t get left behind!