Events
Equipment
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Powerlifting is a sport that was conceived as a pure test of strength. Powerlifting consists of three events: the squat, the bench press and the deadlift, all of which are routinely performed in fitness centres and gymnasiums around the world. The maximum weight lifted in each event is totalled for a final score with lifters competing in bodyweight classes. Powerlifting is of relatively modern origin, with the first formal competitions occurring in the mid 1960s. It is open to both men and women.
In contrast to classical Olympic-style weightlifting events, where an athlete raises a barbell from the floor to over his head, powerlifting movements are shorter and less technically oriented. While both disciplines demand high levels of force production, powerlifting focuses more directly on limit strength, olympic weightlifting on the ability to exert force rapidly. Powerlifters compete in measurable events that are standardised worldwide, so that performances can be reasonably compared.
All things considered, no single organised sport best demonstrates limit strength like powerlifting and thus is regarded as the "strongest sport in the world"!
Events
In the squat (Figure 1), the athlete stands under a racked barbell
which is loaded with weight. Grabbing the bar from behind, the bar is put
onto the top of the back, resting on the trapezius. The athlete walks clear
of the rack, squats down until the upper thigh at the hip joint is lower than
the top of the thigh at the knee and then stands up again, carefully returning
the weight to the rack. Disqualification results from, amoungst other things,
the bar making any downward movement after the lift has started upwards, if
the lifter doesn't squat deep enough, if the lifter fails to follow referee
signals, or if the lifter makes no effort to rerack the weight under his own
power. For full details on lift rules refer to the IPF
technical rules.
Figure 1. The squat
In the bench press (Figure 2), the athlete lies on a bench. A loaded barbell rests on stands built into the bench above the eye level of the lifter when lying supine on the bench. The athlete removes the bar from the supports, lowers it to the chest, pauses, then presses it up to the full extension of the arms. The bar is then returned to the rack. Disqualification results if the bar is placed too low on the body, if the bar does not rest on the chest before being lifted upward, if the bar fails to touch the chest, if it the bar is ascended unevenly, or if the bar makes any downward motion during the ascent. In addition, if the feet move during the lift, the lift is nullified, as it is if the buttocks lift off the bench. For full details on lift rules refer to the IPF technical rules.
Figure 2. The bench press
In the deadlift (Figure 3), a loaded barbell is placed on the floor. The athlete squats down and lifts the bar until he is standing erect with legs locked and back straight. The bar is then returned to the floor in a controlled manner. In competition, the top of the movement is finished by 'locking-out', which means to straighten the back and lock the knees into a balanced position. Disqualification results from the athlete failing to stand completely upright, for using the thighs to assist the lift (hitching), etc. For full details on lift rules refer to the IPF technical rules. top
Figure
3. The deadlift
Equipment
Modern sports have benefited from advances in science and technology and powerlifting
is no exception. Training techniques have evolved, nutritional and physiological
knowledge has increased and equipment advances continue to boost athletic
performances. Debate still rages in all sports (especially powerlifting) that
utilise equipment to improve performance. How would sprinters perform by running
in bare feet? Time moves on and so does equipment.
Equipment for the squat includes tight elastic wrapping around the knees, a tight fitting support suit to reinforce the hips and trunk and a thick belt to assist in stabilising the midsection.
In the bench press, the main supportive equipment is the bench shirt, sometimes coupled with a belt and wrist wraps. The bench shirt is a tight fitting apparatus that reinforces the shoulder girdle. Wrist wraps are used to stabilise the wrists.
For the deadlift, a version of the squat suit is worn again to offer reinforcement of the midsection. Again, a belt is worn to further reinforce the trunk.
It should be mentioned that support equipment is not essential for powerlifting competition. It gives improved performance for sure but is not required in order to lift. In fact our club advises novice lifters to compete with no equipment in their first few competitions!
Advanced or intermediate lifters vary in the type of equipment used and the extent to which they utilise it. For example, IPF world deadlift record holder Tibor Mezaros deadlifts without a belt pulling over 400kgs! top