I'd like to start off by saying, powerlifting isn't what many of you all think it is. Sure, years ago powerlifting was pretty much dominated by bald guys with goatees and tattoos. It was a hardcore sport. However, those days have changed.
I think a lot of it has to do with Crossfit, because more people are lifting weights than I can ever remember. I have seen a lot of these people crossover from Crossfit to powerlifting. Now, powerlifting meets are packed with men and women of all ages, sizes, and ability levels.
The point is, you don't have to look like a World's Strongest Man competitor or one of the guys from the "I pick things up and put them down commercials" to participate. If you can squat, bench, and deadlift, which should be the cornerstone of pretty much any training program in my opinion, you can compete in powerlifting.
So why should you want to compete in powerlifting and what does it have to offer people just trying to lose weight? First, powerlifting is based around lifting weights i.e., resistance training. The benefits of resistance training are incredible for both men and women.
Fist, laides, don't worry about getting bulky. It has taken many of us guys decades to get bulky and we have been trying really hard. So please stop insulting us with that comment. Hormonally, you are not set up to get bulky. So you aren't suddenly going to hulk out from a few days a week of weight training. If you are getting "bulky," it most likely has a lot more to do with the number of cinnamon buns you are eating and not the lifting you are doing.
Back to the benefits of resistance training. Very importantly, as you build more muscle, your body becomes much more efficient. So as you increase lean muscle mass, your body will burn more calories. That's why a lot of times you'll be really surprised at the amount of calories a lean person can consume daily versus someone carrying around extra fat.
There are lots of other great benefits to lifting. You will build bone density which will ward off osteoporosis down the road. It can reduce your risk of depression, heart disease, and diabetes. Plus, you'll get stronger. Stronger people are generally more useful in life and harder to kill. So you'll have that going for you.
For me, I already loved lifting so I didn't need those benefits to sell me. How powerlifting really helped my weight loss, was the weight classes. For men, the weight classes for the most part are 114, 123, 132, 148, 165, 181, 198, 220, 242, 275, 308, SHW. For women they are 97, 105, 114, 123, 132, 148, 165, 181, 198, 220, SHW.
When I started Operation Be Less Fat I was 328.5 lbs in the SHW (Super Heavy Weight) class. So I set my goal to get down to the 308 lb class. Not very daunting right, 20 lbs. It's like I have said before, had I started OBLF with the intentions of dropping over 100 lbs, I would have been to overwhelmed to even start.
After I made it to the 308 class, the next logical step was to get to 275. Slowly over eight years I dropped from the SHW class, to the 308, 275, 242, 220, and finally down to the 198 class. Now, I was only 198 lbs for a few minutes as I cut weight from 210 lbs that week, but weight cuts for a meet are a different story for a different post. However, for that short time, I was down 130 lbs. Not too shabby.
But don't just take my word for it. My wife Jessica who was not a powerlifter was struggling with her weight loss goals. We got her training the squat, deadlift, bench press regularly. She was doing an amazing job, but then hit a plateau. She was not reaching her weight loss goal. That's when we decided to get her registered for a powerlifting meet.
Jessica did not have an overwhelming urge to compete. What registering her for a meet did, was put a deadline on her goal. It was no longer an arbitrary weight she wanted to get to by some arbitrary day. She needed to be 148 lbs on a specific date. in addition you have to pay to participate in a meet which will run you around $100. I have learned over the years, having a financial stake in your weight loss makes a difference. Sure enough, she made it.
There you go, a number of great reasons to powerlift. So if you are struggling hitting your weight loss goals, give competing in a meet a shot. Just sign up and go. You'll really never meet a more supportive group of people.
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