Powerlifting???

[rainjacktx]

I'm probably going to stir up a storm, but oh well. Powerlifting can be great, but it should not be a catch all program. Lifting, without running and plyo's etc., does nothing for an athlete. If that were the case then why was Arnold Schwarzenager and some of the other strong men not in the NBA, NFL, NHL, etc? Because they are strong, but not athletic. HUGE DIFFERENCE!!!!

Some of you are making the case that it builds confidence, self-value, etc. So do other individual sports. These all work the same way as powerlifting. Might make you faster or quicker (track), better footwork (wrestling) but this doesn't automatically make you a great athlete. Again, then why aren't all olympians in professional team sports. They can run! That's not an automatic qualifier for being a great football player.

This said I like powerlifting. I think it has its place. But too much bulk and no running is bad. Better for 11 man than 6. Kids that can run but aren't strong aren't ideal either. You must strike a balance somewhere. Any sport, if done right, can help in other sports.

Personally I think that a lifting program incorporating strength lifts, plyometrics, agility drills, and running are much superior to any individual sport. Just my opinon.

WIth a properly designed resistance training program, a lifter (especially a new one) should expect to surpass what he did last week every week. Plus, weight lifting fits within the time constraints of a highschool student much easier than track or golf.

I won't disagree that there needs to be a balance with respect to cross training in cardio, plyo and sgility. But you say too much bulk is a bad thing? Some of the most incredible physical specimens on the planet compete in strongman. Many are ex-PLers and/or ex-Oly lifters.

 

[Leivable]

I lifted under Coach Crumpton when he first got into PL'ing, literally his first two years. I was one of the 148lb lifters who took home golds until the regional meet, where I got bronze two years in a row, getting beaten by two great athletes from Lubbock Roosevelt and Roscoe, both years. I love and loved powerlifting. Rising Star isn't exactly the cat's meow in the team sports department, so to compete against talented athletes in 1-2a schools, and actually beat said athletes was an extreme confidence booster. I ended up liking powerlifting much, much more than football. That being said, through the gains in strength I achieved from my sophomore-senior years (210lb sophomore, 320 senior), I could definitely tell the difference on the field, as a J-bird/Veer fullback. Being only 148lbs, it was possible to fight off guys up to twice my size at the point of contact. Carrying the ball, one YAC can mean the difference between a turnover and 6 points. Having the blessing/curse of being only 5'1-2, (useful low center of gravity, but have to stand on a chair to reach the tin foil and despising sixflags height requirements) I had a distinct advantage in powerlifting in that my arms are about 2-4 inches shorter than your 5'8 to 6 footers. I really enjoyed powerlifting, even if it gave me a broken heart two years running.

Now, just like football can cause long term body injuries, don't expect powerlifting to exempt a competitor from long term hardship. I'm 22 years old now, and have knee / back problems that a 22 year old shouldn't have. I can't guarantee that my cold day aches or my early morning machine gun back pops were caused by PL'ing, but I also can't say they didn't play a part. 145 pound kids bodies aren't really supposed to support 450-500lbs on their shoulders during workouts 3 days a week and meets on Saturday.

Just like any sport, PL will challenge you to better yourself. Unlike most team sports or even some individual sports, the weight of failure rests solely on the lifter's shoulders (pun intended). There is no opposing tennis player to beat you, no weather factor between you and meeting and exceeding your goals in PL'ing. Wraps, chalk, sweat, blood (yeah buddy you'll bleed!), technique, and hard work will become a lifter's best friends. Saturdays, waking at 3AM for the long bus ride, eating tuna and wearing sweat suits, eating oneself silly after weigh-in, beautiful yellow callouses from Mr. Deadlift.. Some of the best memories I have. My favorite memory about powerlifting, though, was meeting all the lifters from the other schools. Especially the ones in your weight group that you competed for the top spot with. I never remember wishing a fellow lifter would fail. I always strove for gold, but if I took silver and a friend had the day, it gave all the more reason to train hard through the week and beat him the next week.

 

[weebles_wobble]

Rainjack,

I won't disagree with either of your points. My point was more directed at how PL helps or affects football players. I think lifting us great. I don't think PL makes you a gret athlete. It just makes you strong. Body builders are phenomenal but in high school bulky generally means slow. I will take a combo of speed, strength, and agility over a strong man any day.

 

[kbjoe1]

my son had a bucket handle tear in his shoulder caused during a football game . the doctor said if he didnot have well developed muscles supporting his shoulder he would have torn it up completely and dislocated the joint

 

[kbjoe1]

my son had a bucket handle tear in his shoulder caused during a football game . the doctor said if he didnot have well developed muscles supporting his shoulder he would have torn it up completely and dislocated the joint

 

[rainjacktx]

Rainjack,

I won't disagree with either of your points. My point was more directed at how PL helps or affects football players. I think lifting us great. I don't think PL makes you a gret athlete. It just makes you strong. Body builders are phenomenal but in high school bulky generally means slow. I will take a combo of speed, strength, and agility over a strong man any day.

Bulk does not necessarily mean strong, and strong does not necessarily mean bulk.

To prove my point - If you go to a HS PL meet, the strongest guys, not just in relation to their BW, but many times in raw poundage, are found in the 165 - 198 pound weight classes. The SHW class (+275 lbs) almost always shows the lowest strength to weight ratio.

Body builders train for one thing. To build as much muscle as humanly (and/or chemically) possible. Most of them also gain stupid amounts of strength, but that is merely a side benefit of their main goal. There is not a single BBer who can look you in the eye and tell you that they give a rip about speed or agility in relation to their main goal. The one thing that most people ignore when referring to BBers is their diets. 10, 12, 15K calories a day. Elite BBer's literally eat sleep crap and train 24/7 for the singular purpose of maximizing muscular hypertrophy.

But I digress.

Given that the 165 - 198 classes are usually the strongest lifters. And given that 175 - 180 pounds (rough mid-point range between 165 and 198) is a fairly lean weight for an active high school athlete - powerlifting is not a hindrance in any way to developing agility and speed at the same time.

But I think to effectively improve all three, you should be focusing on only one at a time, and use the other two as supplemental training.

Geez. I could write a book on this stuff.

Short version:

1. Strength does not equal size
2. Size does not equal strength
3. PL training does not limit ones ability to gain speed and agility.

 

[weebles_wobble]

We agree more here than you think. I just don't think power lifting is an end all be all. Any weight training program that is well managed will result in huge benefits. Is it a great sport? Yes! Absolutely necessary? No!

 

[rainjacktx]

We agree more here than you think. I just don't think power lifting is an end all be all. Any weight training program that is well managed will result in huge benefits. Is it a great sport? Yes! Absolutely necessary? No!

My statement that it should be a required course for graduation was a bit tongue-in-cheek. Being that 98% of HS kids have very little to no weight training experience, the very basic compound lifts in PL will provide the quickest and most effective benefits.

It's way easier to teach a kid to bench, squat, and DL than it is to teach them a a technical movement like power clean, push press, snatch.

PL is only the be all and end all if you want to be a powerlifter. But I don't think you can build a successful training program without at least starting your kids on the basic PL lifts.

IMO, the be all and end all would be a combination of PL and Oly lifts. The power clean and the squat could be the only two lifts employed in a very successful strength program.

 

[weebles_wobble]

Well stated. I agree. Oly lifts and your PL lifts are a great foundation. No arguments from me here. But I still like track more than PL.

 

[rainjacktx]

Well stated. I agree. Oly lifts and your PL lifts are a great foundation. No arguments from me here. But I still like track more than PL.

I hate track. Always running into the spring panhandle wind and puking my guts out at the end of the race. If I wanted to puke, I'd just gargle a spoon.