What is Powerlifting??

I never cease to be surprised by how many people don't understand powerlifting . I am not the sort of guy to wander around with a lifting shirt on outside of the gym, nor do I generally volunteer that I train. However if specifically asked I will mention powerlifting but with the understanding that I will then waste the next 5 minutes answering inane clarifications as we eliminate anything vaguely to do with weights. Generally it goes something like this....

Them: "So what training do you do"..
Me: "Ahh powerlifting"

Them: "Oh like with the posing oil and the tan"
Me: "(Sigh)..no that's bodybuilding, no its about how much you lift in powerlifting"

Them: "Ahh ok you are like those guys in the Olympics!"
Me: "no no that's Weight Lifting "

Them: "Um I don't understand..what kind of lifts do you do"
Me: " Bench press, squat, deadlift"

Them: "Deadlift...whats a deadlift??"
Me: backing away slowly... "Um... I think I can hear the phone...yes the phone that's it..I probably need to get going..."

I make my escape fairly quickly. Given how hard it was to try and explain powerlifting why will I even bother with deadlifting.

This brings me to my second gripe. Why oh why is both weightlifting and powerlifting always associated with the biggest fat fucks in the sport. Review any article on either and they show the super-heavyweights in both sports which invariably is a guy in lifting trunks that looks like Jabba the huts twin brother!! I secretly think this is the reason we get whacky offshoots like Cross fit. The average joe says eww don't lift weights I'll end up like that fat bloke on the Olympics.

Hey presto we end up with Cross fit where we can all have really really cool t-shirts and really really cool names for our workouts and recruit good looking athletic woman to fill our ranks. Oh and if you live in Perth you can join a cross fit gym for like $260 per month (saw this recently!!).

Enough said

Stay Strong
Thomo