People might think powerlifting is an easy sport, but how easy is it? Powerlifting season starts in the beginning of spring semester of Graham Highschool, but recruitment starts at the very end of fall semester. Powerlifting is a strength sport where you try to lift as much as you can while being the least amount of weight you can be.
Powerlifting consists of three lifts: squat, bench press, and deadlift.
You get three attempts to do the lifts. If you successfully finish the lift on the first attempt you keep adding weight each attempt unless you fail it. The unfortunate thing is that you can’t go down in weight from the previous lift.The judges check for your suits being on right or if you have any jewelry on. They can even count off you having a hair tie on your wrist. Then the judges check on the form of the lift and proper execution of the lift. Then if you end up failing all the lifts it is called “bombing out” or “bombed out”. When lifting if at least two of the judges find a flaw in your lift it can be deemed as a no lift. Then in powerlifting if you go under the weight you can lift or you go easier it is called “sandbagging”.
The suits are probably the worst of it. There are two different suits. The bench press and the squat suit. The bench press suit is very tight on your arms and chest; the suit is meant to treat your bench press as a row as you struggle to pull your arm apart and drive your arms up to complete the bench press . The squat suit helps stabilize your hips, lower back, and helps reduce the risk of injury.. Along with squat suits they use knee wraps to stabilize the knee. Then with your squat suit comes your lifting belt. Your lifting belt helps to stabilize your spine and the surrounding muscles which helps you lift a more neutral spine posture. So at the cost of struggling to get them on they help with numerous amounts of things to reduce the risk of injury
The great thing about powerlifting can be enhancing your overall strength. With enhancing your strength you can carry many ease as when you could not before. Some people have also said that I can help you bend over easier and improve your posture. Then one of the best things is that it can help boost your confidence and overall self esteem throughout physical accomplishment. Then it helps your balance, bone density, and mobility.
The down side of power lifting can be the risk of injury. Risk of injury can be strenuous movements of heavy weights, which can strain joints and muscles. Improper technique or not following safety can increase the risk of injury. Then one of the main problems is training frequency, which is when you train too often which can also risk the chance of injury. Some of the downsides that can really affect your body are decreased mobility, imbalanced muscle development, inefficient use of energy, and lack of specific training. The most used muscles are clutches, hamstrings, quads, and lower back. The least used muscles are the upper chest, biceps and triceps. Then with all of the muscle training it has the risk of tight muscles.
Some good advice for a few days before your powerlifting meets is to drink water and to make sure you have all the nutrients you need. For some people this can help a lot if they don’t already do this on a daily basis. During the day of your meet some people like to not drink any water or food so they can meet their desired weight class. It is a very good idea to get a day of rest before your meet or lift light if you do decide to lift. Power lifting helps push your boundaries and lets you choose how good you want to be. Then with pushing your boundaries it helps with stronger mental health. Many people would love the idea of continuing in the realm of powerlifting or even strong man.
