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When are you considered as being a Powerlifter?

Traps59

Traps59

New member
Sup guys. I'm new to the forum and I was just wondering what everyone's opinion are regarding my question. Can you refer to yourself as a powerlifter if you don't compete or as someone who just does powerlifting routines? When can you or someone else label you as a powerlifter?

I'm obsess with strength but I don't compete. I incorporate westside training into my routine and I train all 3 lifts. I don't have any squat suit or bench shirt simply because I don't compete. I lift with wraps, belt, and chalk though. Poeple can physically tell that I lift weights but I do have quite some bodyfat on me so they always ask me if I'm on a bulking phase. I tell them that this is how I always look and that I'm not going for the ripped look. I'm not a bodybuilder and I don't feel comfortable calling myself a powerlifter since I don't compete so I always have to refer to myself using a long description like I'm a person who's only interested in gaining as much strength as I possibly can. Well, what do you guys think especially those of you who compete. By the way, cool forum.
 
Devastation said:
when you compete in a 3 lift meet
Click to expand...

Just curious. Are you saying that guys like Scott Mendelson and Ryan Kennelly aren't powerlifters since they don't compete in all 3 lifts?
 
People have called bench press specialists "half men."
I say you are a powerlifter once you have competed in any sort of meet. :chomp:
 
Traps59 said:
Just curious. Are you saying that guys like Scott Mendelson and Ryan Kennelly aren't powerlifters since they don't compete in all 3 lifts?
Click to expand...




they are bench specialists
i'm sure they both train their other lifts in the gym, but they do not compete in full power meets. they might in the future and they may have competed in a full meet sometime in the past too, not sure tho
 
When you stop shavin your hairy ass, greasing down and tanning up :0

Don't know if your ass is hairy, but if you train to gain strength and train your lifts or lift in the hopes of eventually competing in some sort of meet, then I guess you can be considered a powerlifter.
 
Once you get to a certain size you have to decide whether it's strength or looks which concern you most. It's probably around there that you start to dislike being called a bodybuilder.

I reckon I'll not be a powerlifter until I've worked out with some powerlifters and they've suggested I should compete.

Maybe you could settle for 'PowerBuilder'?
 
When you drop the words "ripped" and "six pack" from your vocabulary, and realize that you dont really care how Arnold used to do some particular exercise...
;)
 
I think that when you train like a powerlifter, don't worry about being lean, and worry only about lifting more weight then you are a powerlifter. Then next stage is to become a competetive power lifter. As long as you squat, dead, and bench heavy you're on your way. Power lifting is a life style the same as any other dedicated activity must become. I consider myself a power lifter even though I have only competed in one bench comp so far, but I am training to compete in a three lift hopefully later this year. I also do strongman which encorporates many aspects of power lifting and power training.

Cheers,
Scotsman
 
Chambewy20 said:
When you stop shavin your hairy ass, greasing down and tanning up :0

Don't know if your ass is hairy, but if you train to gain strength and train your lifts or lift in the hopes of eventually competing in some sort of meet, then I guess you can be considered a powerlifter.
Click to expand...

my ass was hairy even in a speedo LOL

PL or BB who cares..it seems like you train more PL..maybe youll compete somewhere down the road..

To me a BB'er is somene who sculpts their body and is inot image if doing sets of 30 with pink dbells will get a bb'er to 20 inch arms thats what they will do..

A PL'er is concerned with his total..and trainng the 3 lifts and working sticking points as well as hitting the posterrior chain with assist work..if putting on some suit that crushes his nut sack so he can squat more thats what he will do.. :)
 
I say you are a powerlifter when you compete in a PL event.. be it specific or all 3 lifts......

And if you want to know how serious of a powerlifter someone is.. ask them about their worst surgery.. if they tell you they've never had one.. I guarantee they are not a serious powerlifter.
 
Phreezer_Machine said:
I say you are a powerlifter when you compete in a PL event.. be it specific or all 3 lifts......

And if you want to know how serious of a powerlifter someone is.. ask them about their worst surgery.. if they tell you they've never had one.. I guarantee they are not a serious powerlifter.
Click to expand...

yes, when you compete you are a p/l. if you don't you just train like one.
 
my view changed on this after i competed the first time.
 
pwrlftrscott said:
so now you agree with me? you have to compete in p/l meets to be a powerlifter?
Click to expand...

:p
mmmmmmaybe.
i'm torn now cause i haven't competed in all three lifts so i'm still not a powerlifter by definition, only a 'bench specialist'.
since i bench more than i squat, thats probably more accurate though.
 
Sugarplum said:
:p
mmmmmmaybe.
i'm torn now cause i haven't competed in all three lifts so i'm still not a powerlifter by definition, only a 'bench specialist'.
since i bench more than i squat, thats probably more accurate though.
Click to expand...

if you have competed, and i know you have, you have won some local bench meets. you are a p/l er. the bench is a powerlift, you compete in it, so you are a p/l er. i know some say you have to do all, but i don't agree, by definition you compete in a powerlift, so you are a powerlifter, and a pretty hot one at that :)
 
pwrlftrscott said:
if you have competed, and i know you have, you have won some local bench meets. you are a p/l er. the bench is a powerlift, you compete in it, so you are a p/l er. i know some say you have to do all, but i don't agree, by definition you compete in a powerlift, so you are a powerlifter, and a pretty hot one at that :)
Click to expand...


lol, thank you goofball.
 
I don't think mendy ever hit a grand squat, but gene did. I think the video is around. Most of the specialists i beleive started out as 3 lift guys and then started chasing records.
 
If you haven't competed don't call yourself a powerlifter. Strength trainer would be a better description. I met a guy once who said he was a powerlifter when he really meant strength trainer. I started asking him about squat suits, shirts, meets, etc. and he just looked at me puzzled. He had no idea what I was talking about. I'm not sure this guy knew that powerlifting referred to a specific sport.
 
guess i'll be officially a powerlifter on the 2nd april then!
i've never been this focussed in the 11 years i've been "strength/weight training"...hit 2PB's on wednesday on squat and deadlift, 6 weeks to go, week1 of my cycle :doublefi:
 
I'm by no meams a world beater, far from it, but am good enough to compete, even though I haven't done so yet. I don't understand the "compete to be a powerlifter arguement" - a powerfliter does powerlifting training and concentrates on improving the big 3. There are weak guys that go along to powelifting comps for the experience. I went to a meet to see my friend compete once, and a joker guy maxed out at 60kg for bench press! Now if he's a powerlifter and I'm not, even though I can dead 230 and squat 210, then that seems crazy.
 
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im down if someone wants to call themselves a powerlifter yet doesnt compete, but there is a difference to what you can lift in the gym and what you can do on the big day infront of loads of people and with judges to tell you whether your technique and form is a pass or not. i train with a big crew of people, most of which compete some are world champs. i dont call myself a powerlifter (yet) as it would make a mockery of them and their acheivements, however, i do powerlift.
 
IMO HumanTarget hit it on the head.

You do not have to compete to be a powerlifter. You only have to compete to be a competing powerlifter.
 
Personaly, I make sure my form is perfect, to do anything else is just cheating yourself. I think another thing that makes a powerlifter, is someone who trains to percentages of their max. Not only do you make the best progress this way, but it distinguishes you from those only interested in showing off, by maxing out and going to failure on every lift. With all due respect to you, suk1979 (great to see women doing powerlifting), who cares whether you enter a competition or not. I do powerlifting for the intrinsic reward of gaining strength. That is your motivation. If you use correct technoque, train wisely and don't show off too much (because it retards your training) then you are a powerlifter.
Something I forgot to mention, I train for olympic lifts as well (the clean and jerk translates amazingly well into squat and deadlift gains)- so what does that make me? A Powerlympic lifter?
 
I understand where someone who competes want's to draw the distinction between power lifting, bodybuilding, strongman training, olympic lifting, and any that I left out, but for me I just train. I take a little from most of the different forms, and try to put together an all around program.
 
sports scientist,
my motivation is purely personal. "who cares whether you compete or not" surely the point of competition - even for those who dont compete, is to set some sort of measuring standard..if not how do you define strength?
without being full of myself, thats one of the reasons i "give a fuck" about competing, cos i think i can raise the standard of my weight class. and i do if i compete cos then maybe someone else will think - "i can do that" beat my lift and we continuosly raise the standard. especially important from a female perspective i think.
i'd have thought most people who are interested in strength training realise the importance of competition and support it?
 
suk1978 said:
sports scientist,
my motivation is purely personal. "who cares whether you compete or not" surely the point of competition - even for those who dont compete, is to set some sort of measuring standard..if not how do you define strength?
without being full of myself, thats one of the reasons i "give a fuck" about competing, cos i think i can raise the standard of my weight class. and i do if i compete cos then maybe someone else will think - "i can do that" beat my lift and we continuosly raise the standard. especially important from a female perspective i think.
i'd have thought most people who are interested in strength training realise the importance of competition and support it?
Click to expand...

The only measuring standard I need is personal improvement. It sounds like you're pretty good if you have ambitions to raise the standard of your weight class, good luck. If you are that good, then go for it. What I am saying, is that in my weight class, I wouldn't stand a chance of doing anything meaningful in any serious competition. I can appreciate the fact that people enjoy competing , and I admire them for going for it. My point was that as a "powerlifter" who doesn't compete. I train just as proficiently, maybe more so as most of those that do. I am stronger than some pound for pound and have all the motivation and perservereance I need without competition. Maybe I might enter a competition in the future, but I don't have the tIme at the moment. I probably would have been better off a year and a half ago, when I was the same strength naturally. I had a l1 year ay off, did a couple of cycles and got back to the same strength. - The competition in non drug tested divisions are much stronger, so I wouldn't stand a chance.
p.s. I am English, my friend was sponsored by Maximuscle when he was younger. Perhaps, given your drive, you should contact them once you have done something meaningful in competition. I'm sure you could get good sponsorship as a decent female powerlifter.
Good luck.
 
This might be slightly off-topic in the PL/not-PL discussion but competing against others in any activity will raise the level of focus of any naturally competetive person. This extra focus will drive you through sticking points and enhance motivation and drive. It'll help you to re-evaluate your goals as you gain direct comparison with your peers/age group/weight class.

Choosing to compete is a step which redefines your emotional commitment as you pit yourself against others who are there to defeat your best efforts. I think we, as humans, are at our best when we face an opponent we believe is slightly better than we are but is within our grasp. Discounting life-threatening situations, that is the time we produce maximal effort and maximal involvement.

I have to respect the courage of anyone who is prepared to put their egos and efforts on the line with the intention of coming out a winner, whatever they compete at.

Good luck suk1978. Train your balls off (or whatever the female equivalent is) and do your best on the day.
 
I don't have much to add regarding the definition of a powerlifter, but I do want to add that no matter how much you lift, if you take lifting for strength seriously you should compete in a PL meet. It is a great experienced and can almost garauntee you'll be hooked after your first meet.

Off topic: Anyone competing in the Maine State APF meet on the 19th-20th?
 
Yea, I kinda know that competing is a great experience because I've been to competitions as a spectator before and I can almost feel what the competitors must be feeling. I know I will never have that feeling until I compete but I do sorta have an idea. For now, I'm happy just lifting my ass off in hopes of seeing new gains. In a way, I feel that I do compete because by trying to get a new PR every time, I'm competing against myself. Whether or not people refer to me as a powerlifter, I'll leave that up to them but I just refer to myself as someone who lifts for strength.
 
In english, the suffix -er means one who does whatever the verb preceding the suffix is. A driver is someone who drives a vehicle, not just people who compete in NASCAR. A golfer is someone who golfs, regardless of whether or not they have competed in the masters. A powerlifter is someone who powerlifts. Period.

Similarly, a bodybuilder is someone who builds their body for aesthetic purposes with resistance training. They don't have to compete to be a bodybuilder.

A friend of mine is a personal trainer who weighs 150 lbs soaking wet at 5'11". He struggles with 185lbs for the bench. He goes to multiple meets and competes, and loses. He pays to go to every powerlifting seminar he can. I have not competed, but at 5'10" bench 315 raw, dead 405, squat 405. I train westside. To say my friend is a real powerlifter and I am not is ridiculous. I intend to compete and have picked out meets to attend in my area. I am training for those meets as best I can. I am a powerlifter now though. I have just not experienced the taste of competition. I know my nerves will get to me. I know my form will be judged very strictly. I know my lifts will drop a little under pressure. There are therefore some aspects of the "game" not yet open to me now, but I powerlift. I am a powerlifter -- one who powerlifts.

Another friend was state of texas champ with a 703 squat pr at 220lbs. A few years later he had a bad car accident and injured his c-spine. After recovery, he still powerlifts. His lifts are cut in third. He cannot compete. But he is still a powerlifter. You can't take that away from him. Did he stop being a powerlifter, although following the same routine in the gym, because he can't compete?

I used to do bodybuilding and prepping for shows. I had friends who didn't want to compete or used to compete but now don't. All my friends who cared about weight training with seriousness were my fellow bodybuilders. And I also knew losers who "competed" who never earned from me the privilege of being called a bodybuilder.

A powerlifters is one who powerlifts, or trains for strength in the three big lifts with legitimate form. A competitive powerlifter is a powerlifter who is currently competing.

A lot of these distinctions are made by people with weak egos who need artificial supports to their low self-esteem. They need to engage in this hair splitting and immature clique-forming behavior like school children, because they are not yet grown men and women. I was really enraged the other day when I read an interview with a champion in a tested, low equipment federation. He said that westside and metal militia were not real powerlifters because they were untested and used denim. The fact is that he is sad and westside would crush him like the bug he is. He made a basketball analogy and said that he was like the NBA (real basketball) and westside was like the Harlem globetrotters. Dave Tate's response (which I will paraphrase) sums it up: Weak people will always need excuses as to why others are stronger than they.
 
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