In the SQUAT, 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 (unless competing in a federation using a
"monolift", a device which supports the bar in place until the
lifter is ready), and squats down until the upper leg at the hip
joint is lower than the top of the knee. Although the bottom
position is sometimes described as having the thigh "below
parallel" to the floor, the top of the leg may not necessarily
appear to be beneath parallel. The lifter then stands up again, and
carefully returns the weight to the rack. Disqualification results
from the bar making any downward movement after the lifter has
started upwards, if the spotters touch the bar in any way, if the
upper legs do not break parallel, or if the lifter makes no effort
to rerack the weight under his own power.
In the BENCH PRESS, 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 with the aid of a "liftoff man", lowers it to the
chest or upper abdomen and then presses it up to the full extension
of the arms and carefully returns the weight to the rack.
Disqualification results if the bar is placed too low on the body
(varies by federation), if the bar does not rest on the chest
before being lifted upward (in some federations, an explicit
"press" command is given, and the athlete cannot lift upwards until
it is given), if the bar fails to touch the chest, if the bar hits
the uprights of the rack on the ascent, or if the bar makes any
downward motion during the ascent. In addition, the lift is
nullified if the feet move during the lift, if the buttocks lift
off the bench, or if the body makes any extraneous movement during
the lift.
In the DEADLIFT, a loaded barbell is placed on the floor. The
athlete squats down and lifts the bar until the legs and back are
straight, and the shoulders pulled back with chest proud. 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).
[edit]
Organizations
Although powerlifting always uses the squat, bench press and
deadlift as events, different federations have different rules and
different interpretations of the rules, leading to a myriad of
variations. Some federations, such as the ADAU and 100% Raw
Federation, allow NO protective gear to be worn by the lifter.
Some, such as the IPF and AAU, only allow a single-ply tight
polyester squat suit, deadlift suit and bench shirt, wraps for
knees and wrists, and a belt. Other federations, such as the IPA
and WPO allow for: opened or closed back bench shirts, multi-ply
gear, a wide awray of gear materials such as canvas, denim,
polyester etc.
In an IPF bench press, the barbell can go as low as the xiphoid
process and no further in the lift, whereas in other federations,
the barbell can touch the abdomen. (This shortens the distance in
which the barbell is moved and is an advantage to the
lifter.)
With the advent of the latest high-tech gear, powerlifting gear
usage has become somewhat controversial. For instance, equipment
has enabled some gargantuan lifts such as Gene Rychlack's 1005
lb/456 kg bench press and Jeff Lewis's 1201.5 lb/540 kg squat. Yet
some argue that allowing equipment that can give 220 lb/100 kg+ of
assistance to the lift lessens the point of a purely limit strength
sport. However, bench shirts help to prevent pectoral tears and
shoulder injuries when lifting very heavy weights by removing much
of the load stress from the pectorals and shoulders.
The multiplicity of federations and rules, the behind the scenes
politics of Olympic certification, and the use and/or abuse of
competition gear makes the inclusion of the sport in the Olympics
unlikely. There is no recognition in the Olympics for powerlifting
at this time. Powerlifting is, however, a part of the International
World Games Association (IWGA)[1] which is patronized by the
International Olympic Committee (IOC). The International
Powerlifting Federation (IPF) runs worldwide events and aims to
standardise an international competition, and is at the forefront
of these kinds of efforts. The IOC recognizes the International
Powerlifting Federation as the 'official' world powerlifting body,
although other federations maintain a worldwide presence.
above is bodybuilding bench press, aim more at the pecs.
this is powerlifting benchpress, more tricep strength.
More pics soon
