Site Sponsors: Cool Christian Apparel from Virtue Clothing.
Powerlifting is comparing to weightlifting and bodybuilding relatively modern origin, and is very popular in Western Europe and North America. First formal competitions occurred in the mid 1960s, and is just as weightlifting and bodybuilding open to both men and women; it also just like weightlifting offers weight categories allowing athletes to display relative strength: however, powerlifters do lift over five times of their own body weight.
Powerlifting is also about weightlifting and it is about strength. Comparing to weightlifting powerlifting movements are shorter. Powerlifting is consisted of three events: the squat, the bench press, and the deadlift; and then the maximum weight lifted in each event is totalled for a final score.
In squat athlete stands under a racked barbell which is loaded with weight; than grabs the bar from behind, the bar is put onto the top of the back and rests on the trapezius muscles. Than the athlete walks clear of the rack and squats down (until the top of the thigh at the hip joint is lower than the top of the knee).
In bench press the athlete lies on a bench, while loaded barbell rests on racks above the eye level of the powerlifter. The athlete removes the bar from the racks with the help of one or more spotters. Powerlifter lowers barbell to the chest, pauses and then presses up to the full extension of the arms; and then carefully returns the weight to the rack. There are some additional rules that vary between states; however the powerlifter is disqualified if buttocks lift off the bench, the feet move during the lift or if body makes any extraneous movement during the lift.
In deadlift athlete grasps the barbell from the floor and lifts until the legs and back are straight and upright, and the chest proud. Athlete then returns the barbell to the floor: athlete's back have to be straighten and knees locked in a balanced position. Athlete is disqualified if dropping the bar to the floor after the lift is finished.