Powerliting is a great sport. It is a perfect balance of primal physical aggression and a strong mental state. It is a thinking man’s sport requiring well thought out training routines and knowledge of biomechanics, recovery times, etc. but it is also somewhat of an extreme sport involving unbridled intensity and borderline insanity on the platform. Currently, this great sport is at a crossroads and it’s future seems bleak.

For those who don’t know me, my opinions stem from 17 years of competitive powerlifting. I began lifting at age 16 in 1990 and was lucky to catch the tail end of what I consider to be the greatest era in powerlifting history. The USPF was going strong, the lifting gear was a definite part of the sport but hadn’t yet become the most important part of the sport, monolifts had yet to enter the picture and lifting legends like Ed Coan, Steve Goggins, John Ware, OD Wilson, Gary Heisey, Dave Pasanella, etc were all still active on the platform. In 1992, I lifted in the first meet to ever use a Monolift squat rack, the APF Teenage and Masters Nationals in Columbus, Ohio. No one had ever used one or trained on one so all of us adapted; I’m still not sure that the Monolift was a positive addition to the sport and I own 3 of them!!! As the years went on I experienced my first denim Frantz bench shirt, the Marathon Deadlift Supersuit, multi-ply polyester gear, my first Frantz canvas suit, 2.5 meter knee wraps, velcro backed bench shirts, the open backed bench shirt, Titan Boss gear, Inzer Leviathan Suit and many other “advancements” in the sport of powerlifting. Like a kid in a candy store, I bought them all and excitedly integrated them into my training. I recall the USPF going from the biggest organization in the sport to barely being remembered in 2007.

The ADFPA became the USAPL as the avenue for the drug free lifter and about 100 other splinter federations popped up to water down and illegitimize the sport. I’ve supported the APF for most of my lifting career because, ever since it’s inception in 1986, it’s seems the greatest and certainly the strongest athletes have been on APF platforms. Ernie Frantz’s American Powerlifting Federation motto was “by the lifter, for the lifter” and bypassed some of the political turmoil that was so present in other parts of the sport at that time. Judging was fair, equipment use was lenient and the APF policy was not to drug test as to not infringe on a lifter’s personal rights. Basically, the APF was about the strongest guys lifting the biggest poundage’s; I’m not exactly sure the APF/WPO of 2007 under Kieran Kidder is still following in the footsteps of it’s forefathers. Anyway, the sport has changed a lot in my 17 years on the platform, as does everything, but it perplexes and saddens me because the changes do not appear to be for the good of the sport.

I’m not sure what is best for the good of the sport. Just today I read about the UPA, the United Powerlifting Alliance, another new powerlifting federation. I really think fixing what’s wrong with the current federation is a better choice than starting another federation from scratch. When I look back, I think Kieran Kidder might be the single worst thing to happen in modern powerlifting. I actually like Kieran Kidder as a person and think he passionately loves powerlifting as much as any of us. Kieran lives and breathes the sport. Unfortunately, one man can’t control the sport and one man can’t rule a federation and this is the course of the APF/WPO. I lifted at the first ever WPO meet in Daytona and the idea was fantastic. He had tight equipment standards (which guys were already figuring ways around), equipment checks, the judging was on par and fair, and he was really trying to take a segment of the sport in a new, more professional direction. The Arnold Classic was a great idea. BUT, somewhere his desire for huge, monster lifts overtook his good ideas. His “freakshow” became just that…a show. He has been able to bring lifting greats like Joe Ladnier and Craig Tokarski out of retirement as well as get some of the unbelievable Russian, Ukrainian, and Finnish monsters to compete in the same arena but, rather than make this the single greatest feat in powerlifting history he has managed to destroy the sport as we knew it. 48 hour weigh ins make it difficult to compare apples to apples and lifters have been able to obliterate 165 class all-time world records weighing 195. This is certainly not fair. Equipment checks went out the door years ago and some of the most ridiculous, binding apparel has appeared in any thickness possible. Though I have been guilty of this myself, it is only in the last 10 years that guys have become equipment “technicians”, mastering the squat suits and bench shirts by wearing them each and every training session. The original concept of powerlifting was to find the strongest lower body (squat), the strongest upper body (bench) and the strongest core, grip and back strength (deadlift) for a combined total to prove who the strongest man was. Having to “learn” a shirt to bump up the benchpress doesn’t figure in the original equation; a guy with a weaker upper body can now buy a stronger upper body by getting the latest and greatest shirt and learning how to use it. In 2007, it is possible to find powerlifters with 1100 pound squats and 750 pound benchpresses who can’t deadlift more than 700 pounds; this would not be possible without mastery of lifting apparel. Lastly, and most importantly, the WPO introduced the era of nearly comical judging.

I’m a realist and I actually believe than a great many of the greatest lifts in powerlifting going back 40+ years have been argued to be “gifts”. There has always been a critic saying Jon Cole hitched his deadlifts or Don Reinhoudt’s benches were uneven. The Hawaii Record Breakers were shrouded in controversy claiming squats were high. This will never change. BUT, the WPO began the judging that caused one’s jaws to drop in disbelief. Sometimes it hard to find even one squat on the WPO heavy weight stage where the hip crease goes below the top of the knee as stated in the APF and WPO rule books. The lifters themselves can’t be blamed because they are just adapting to the accepted standards and, since they’re not judging their own lifts, the judges and the federation president/promoter must take responsibility. As the WPO has matured and lifters have adapted to these looser rules the records and totals have skyrocketed. Jon Cole totaled the first 2300+ total in the early 1970’s. Don Reinhoudt broke 2400 almost ten years later. It took another 20+ years for Garry Frank to come along and crack the unheard of barrier of 2500 pounds. Thanks to Kieran Kidder and his desire for a lifting “show” rather than maintaining the sport as it had existed for decades, the total record has catapulted another 300 pounds in under 7 years to an unbelievable 2800+. This would not have been possible without Kidder’s WPO.

I do not think a new federation will ever solve the problems that exist in powerlifting. It will be hard to reverse all that has happened in the last 8-10 years. Some extremists say that eliminating lifting gear is the answer and they push a RAW powerlifting movement. Unfortunately, all the raw federations are drug tested and none of the really strong top lifters will ever cross over. These groups also always seem to attract very whiny and weak lifters who are very negative and anti-gear/anti-drug. I don’t think this will ever work. The drug-free federations such as the USAPL have well organized meets and a solid infrastructure but also have the negativity about drug use and lifting apparel. They are sometimes some of the most hypocritical individuals and, oddly, I’ve experienced an air of superiority and a near arrogance at some of their local contests. Besides accusing anyone who can lift more than themselves of being on steroids these folks tend to wear some of the most sophisticated lifting apparel on the market and then cry the ‘ol “single ply” cry. Their gear is skin tight and perfectly tailored and, even though it is truly “single ply” it is made of special fabrics and isn’t much different than other gear on the market. I think the USAPL and others will continue to exist but are not the future of the sport at all.

This leaves the APF, the IPA, the APC, this new UPA or some other governing body to extend the timeline of powerlifting into the future.

We must face the fact that the sport will never again be unified under one organization with a single set of records, one national championship, etc. IOC recognition of powerlifting and the chance to win an Olympic medal is also an unrealilistic goal. It seems the records of each organization mean less and less as more federations spring to life each year. Similarly, being a “champion”, whether state, national or world, means less and less as well. Some have suggested that only the “all-time” records in each weight class have any real meaning but, with the extreme difference in judging standards, weigh-ins, rules, etc., there is no real uniformity there either. This being said, the sport of powerlifting has seemingly reached a point of nearly no return. I guess someone could do what was done in Olympic lifting and start over with new weight classes and new records from scratch but this would only work if several other changes such as gear restrictions and tighter judging standards preceded this. Of course, if there were still 40 or 50 different federations this would just create greater confusion and more separatism and add to the already existing problem. The direction and future of the sport seem clouded.

As I stated at the beginning, I’ve seen powerlifting change a lot in my 17 years in the sport. I’ve had a lot of fun lifting at the state, national, world and professional level and I’ve met lots of great people who share my passion and devotion for the sport. In fact, nearly every choice I’ve made in regards to my relationships, career, etc has been dictated by my dedication to training and my love for powerlifting. I’ve racked up countless hours in the gym training, thousands of dollars in expenses related to the sport and I’ve lifted in more competitions than I can honestly remember and I still have no answers to any of the issues I’ve discussed. I have ideas and thoughts on what direction powerlifting should go but I really do not see a clear and definitive future for the sport. I guess North Georgia Barbell and myself will continue to train as we always have and focus on personal records and becoming better individually in the three disciplines. We’ll just continue to support our fellow lifters and hope someday, when the smoke and confusion clears, we still have a sport to compete in and be proud of.

PLANET RAGE: THE REVOLUTION
i found this piece in PLwatch.com and i also agree with the points involved but mostly an "answer" to Jon Grove's article...

(excerpt from DONNIE THOMPSON'S ARTICLE )

DONNIE THOMPSON WROTE:

"Like it or not, powerlifting is here to stay. However, inconsistencies exist among powerlifters, meets, and the promoters who run the meets.

...My point is that since powerlifting is more popular than ever, let's get more involved with the sport than just lifting in it. Offer to help in meets near your area as a spotter/loader. Supply equipment that may be needed. Be a part of the meet and make it memorable. Many lifters are in small meets for the very first time. You'll be part of their first contest experience. We need to think of how to improve meets instead of just bitching about them.

At the national level, lifters should have questionnaires to fill out and turn in upon completion of the contest. The questions should address everything from how they were treated to the organization of the meet. Their overall experience can be evaluated so that the meet director can make improvements for the next contest. At the professional level, it's a whole new ball game. The professional meets need to be defined. Who qualifies as a pro? What governing body should be considered professional only? Professional means that you get paid so who's paying you and do they have the monies in escrow? When professionals are invited to a competition, who will pay their expenses? This hasn't been done since Gus Rethwische's meets in Hawaii in the late seventies and early eighties.

One federation's creed is "lifters for lifters." It's about time that we lifters get together and define powerlifting meets to an acceptable standard, no matter what federation we belong to. Once we set the standards, we can define our goals at every level. The powerlifting meets of the future will grow in a positive direction.

In addition to getting involved in the meets, we need to start recruiting new blood for powerlifting. It has to start at the high school level. Many of us have gone to high schools and performed lifting demonstrations.

...It's up to us to initiate change and strengthen the sport of powerlifting. If we actually pull this off, everything concerning powerlifting will progress exponentially. And I mean everything!"

...that we as lifters must move and change the sport...not the politics. WE must initiate the change. that's what planetrage.com is doin now. lifters supporting lifters...and together the lifters can change the sport. everyday, i try to get more and more invovled in this great sport because its the best above the rest! its the one sport where your tested constantly and making this sport a bigger and stronger brotherhood than ever. i say the more barbell clubs the better! that's where it begins. again...WE must initiate the change...and what are the changes...jon has already pointed them out. the revolution begins at planetrage.com...

initiate a revolution!
TB