I started posting these on my Facebook past shortly after the first of the year. After a dozen or so I was asked if I would repost them as a blog. At that point, I began collecting them. These are not all of them but the ones I started collecting after asked.
Since 1983
I've been in and around the sport of Powerlifting since 1983. That's a lot of time in the gym, hundreds of meets and thousands of hours talking to lifters. The sport of Powerlifting provided me with the closest friends I will ever have, memories that will last a lifetime and has been and will always be a sector of the market elitefts represents.
Since day one the target market for elitefts has been those who place training as one of their top four priorities. With this said all Powerlifters are not the same. We get to see unique perspectives from some of the grossly insane things some will do to lift five more pounds to those who just hit the gym to socialize.
When I post these Then and Now's, they are the far ends of each spectrum allowing everyone to see the humor in what we do or may not have done.
Powerlifting Meets
- This one is rarely discussed but was one of the biggest game changers in the sport.
Then - Round Robin
Now - Flights
Those who fell toward the end, (the strongest) often would have to follow themselves with only a handful of minutes to rest.
Powerlifting Training Sessions
Then: Do your own fucking warm up and meet us over at the rack.
Today: Group Mobility and Warm Up Drills and then head over to your own rack to Squat.
Powerlifting Squats
Then: SQUAT, back, back, back, back, UP Rack
Today: script - act one, scene one
Camera - on
{time stamp 0.00-.0.10} dance to squat rack
{time stamp 0.10-.0.15} wiggle
{times tamp 0.15-.0.17} squat face on
Skwatt
{time stamp 0:18-0:19} cue: fade in background music
{time stamp 0:20-0:21} wink butt {time stamp 0:22}
cue - #beastmode on
{time stamp 0:24} cue “ungh” sound effect
(time stamp 0:24-0:25} rack bar like a boss
{time stamp 0:25-0:28} walk crotch to camera and turn off
Camera - off
Powerlifting Music
Then: I did my first meet the year National Lampoon's Vacation came out and I remember listening to Black Sabbath, Ozzy, and AC/DC while we trained.
Now: In 2015 Vacation was remade and lifters are still listing to Black Sabbath, Ozzy and AC/DC when they train.
Powerlifting Gym Logo's
70-90's - Logo's featuring bent loaded Barbells
90-10's - Jacked up animals with loaded barbells
Now - Food & crossed barbells
Powerlifting Bench Press
Then: Up, hold, hold, hold, hold, GO, tuck, tuck, tuck, tuck, BELLY UP! BELLY UP! tuck, HEALS DOWN! BELLY UP! tuck, BELLY, BELLY, BELLY, PRESS!up, up, FLAIR, FLAIR, hold it, hold it, hold it, RACK
Now: up, START, press, RACK IT. — Then (when the gangster denim shirts entered the scene)
Bonus:
Back sporter to side spotter, "watch that shit", to other side "stay close", "no listen! stay really fucking close"
Ready?
Ready?
UP, hold, hold. "take it low" "low" "LOWER" "LOWER" "to your belly"
Roll your shoulders off the bench like a crunch sit up.
Lower, Lower, Lower
Belly ? up?
PRESS
shoulders down, head back!
Press - press - press
Hold
Rack
* at any time and I mean anytime you could hear....
TAKE IT - TAKE IT - TAKE IT
Fuck! "Was that pop the shirt or me"?
Many pecs, triceps, shoulders and teeth were sacrificed during this phase of the bench press. Perhaps the only time where benching was scarier than the squat.
Powerlifting Shirt Work
- As we embark into spring & summer, it's getting close for shirt work to be on point.
Then:
Train with the shirt on and deal with caked chalk, dripping sweat and pulling your shirt away from the skin. After training, in the parking lot, remove and drain shirt to toss in the back of the truck to dry out. Shirtless drive home with windows down and AC angle just right to blast face and balls.
Now:
Drive to the gym with the shirt on. Once in the gym, remove shirt and position camera for the best angle. Create "content" and use the shirt to keep phone dry, so you don't finger slip the trim slider. Upload - put the shirt on, go live and drive home watching the hearts go verticle as you talk about how your pre-workout rocked.
Powerlifting Deadlift
Then:
Silent warm up room, exhausted lifters and the sound of plates hitting the floor. Little to no warm ups followed by a couple of whiskey shots and perhaps and a jolt of adrenaline.
Fists were made and pounded into the chest of their "helper" as they wrapped wrists so hard the lifter could barely open their hands. Some baby powder on the lats, triceps, quads and shins, followed by pulling suit straps up creating a front wedgie from hell.
Open handed smack in the face and the competitor charged the bar with fury and force. In victory with blood streaming from their noses, they would look from side to side as to say "fuck you." The bar would be set down, and the lifter would disappear behind the curtain, where their training partners waited (so they could finally leave and get something to eat).
Now:
Room engulfed with tripods, cameras and face time phone interviews. Warm ups of shared donuts and dry pre-workout powder shots for all.
Dozens of Barbells spread throughout the entire room to avoid the chance of any photo bombing of others warming up. Team singlets abound ensuring costume regulation requirements. Ammonia hit hard, and socks pulled high the lifters enter the lifting area of celebration.
With one foot in, and one foot out, they approach the bar and shake it all about. They pull with mighty force as their heads begin to morph into the deadlift face warrior of today (click: screen shot, deadliftface.jpg). PR's by all as the day winds down and they disappear behind the curtain so the uploading and likes can begin.
End Note
The Powerlifting community is the best it's ever been allowing for us to joke around about the stupid shit we all do and have done. You will all agree this is better than the backstabbing. Judging issues and federation hoping of days gone by.
To be continued...
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