The beginner’s guide to powerlifting

Powerlifting is an individual sport that is concerned with lifting as much weight as possible in terms of competitions. They have to be in one of the required positions. Although it sounds simple, powerlifting has many peculiarities.

Exercise

The powerlifting competitions consist of several events including squat, deadlift and bench press. They all follow a particular order. The championship starts with squats, then sportsmen compete in bench press. The final stage of powerlifting competitions is the deadlift.

Squat

At first, a sportsman is to stand erect with the bar with weights lying on their shoulders. Then they need to bend their knees and get their body into a squatting position. The hip crease must be below the top of the knees. At the command of the referee, they must return to the initial position and put the bar on the rack.

Sometimes sportsmen get disqualified for the following reasons:

• They do not follow the referee’s commands and signals.
• They move backwards of forwards laterally.
• They fail at returning the bar to the rack.
• They accidently drop the bar.
• They touch their legs with their elbows.

Bench press

The exercise starts with lying on the bench. Having put the body into the correct position, the sportsmen needs to take the bar at arm’s length. At the referee’s signal the competitor bends their arms until the bar touches their chest. Then they press the bar. When the referee says ‘Rack’, they return the weight to the rack.

Again, there are several reasons for disqualification:

• Not following the referee’s commands;
• Lateral movements of the hands or breaking the contact with the bench;
• Contacts between the lifter’s shoes and the bench.

Deadlift

The last event is the deadlift. Initially the bar is lying on the floor. Sportsmen have to pull it off the platform and assume the so-called ‘erect’ position. Then they lift the bar and, as soon as the referee commands, they put the bar back.

Here are the mistakes that are often made by sportsmen:

• Lowering or uplifting the bar without the referee’s command;
• Lateral movements of the feet;
• Not being able to stand erect;
• Moving the bar downwards before it has reached the final position.

Equipment

There are some things that are essential for any powerlifter.

• A pair of flat shoes that have stick bottoms. They are perfect for sportsmen competing in powerlifting as they prevent them from slipping.
• High socks will come in useful because those who do deadlifts regularly often have bloody shins. Most federations have already included high socks in the list of their requirements.
• Lifting belts are aimed for decreasing risks of injuries. In the same time, they can improve the performance greatly as they make it possible to lift more weight.
• Wrist wraps are used quite often as they are aimed for stabilizing the joint to prevent it from being injured.
• A singlet is a must for those who want to compete in powerlifting as it is required by all federations.

Rules

According to the rules established by the International Powerlifting Federation, all competitors are divided into several groups. Men and women of different weight and age compete separately. It is possible to take part in powerlifting competitions since 14 years. It is possible to do every exercise three times. The winner is the one who has scored the biggest amounts of points. Here are the basic rules of powerlifting.

• If a participant fails in one exercise, they still have an opportunity to compete in the others.
• If two sportsmen of the same weight have scored an equal amount of points, he who has scored them earlier becomes the winner.
• Each exercise should be started after a command; otherwise, the attempt will not be taken into the account.

Training

To succeed in powerlifting, sportsmen train hard. The training process consists of several elements. First of all, it involves a lot of lifts that are aimed for improving the performance. Although powerlifting is often told to be similar to bodybuilding, it differs a lot from this kind of sport. The differensces are concerned with the training process, too, as powerlifting doesn’t focus on volume of the muscles so much. Secondly, sportsmen use aerobic exercises to to increase their strength. Finally, some cardio exercises are also widely used by powerlifters as a supplement to their regular routines.

Benefits

There are several reasons why people choose powerlifting as their favorite sport.

• It helps to build a strong and beautiful body. Through the system of individual training, one can easily lose some weight and turn it into muscles.
• It boosts one’s immune system and helps to lead a healthier life. It is true that people have to reorganize their eating habits and daily routines in order to succeed in this sport.
• Self-development will also be affected by regular exercise. Not only will you become more motivated and hard-working, but also you’ll have all the chances to win prestigious championships.

History

Although people have been lifting heavy objects since the humankind appeared, powelifting is a rather young kind of sport. It started about 70 years ago in the USA. Back in 1950s, there weren’t any restrictions or rules. Sportsmen would simply lift weights to show they are strong. This is how the competitions used to look back then. In 1971, the very first championship was held. The most well-known federation called IPF was set up in 1972. Since then, powerlifting has been developing rapidly.

That’s what powerlifting is like. As you can see, it is not simply lifting weights. It requires a lot of persistence and will to compete in it successfully.