Ever since mankind inherited the Earth there have been individuals who have wanted to prove their superior strength. in fact it is an in-built desire of Man to be strong.
Feats of strength were a popular spectacle with the Ancient Greeks & Romans and the winners of strength contests were treated with great respect.
It is recorded that in the year 684 B.C. a Greek athlete named Milo of Crotona used to train by lifting a young calf. The theory was that as the bull calf got heavier Milo would get stronger. Unfortunately, the calf grew heavier faster than Milo gained strength and so this first experiment in progressive resistance training failed.
In more recent times we have seen old time strong men tearing books in half, breaking six inch nails, twisting horse shoes, bending iron bars and pulling railway trucks with their teeth but they have all been reviewed with suspicion and have been relegated to the music hall act.
With the advent of the modern Olympic Games in 1896 however, with it's strict rules and properly qualified officials the sport of weight-lifting took on respectability and is as popular now throughout the World as many of the other Olympic sports.
The principle off-shoot of weight-lifting is modern Powerlifting. It is very difficult to discover exactly how, when or why it all started or who was behind it... probably by men who had tremendous strength but no desire or ability to perform on the Olympic lifts yet nevertheless wanted to compete on equal terms with other lifters. The lifts themselves were basic body building movements selected to demonstrate a man's strength to his best advantage. These were: the 2 hand curl, the bench press and the squat chosen by the British Association and formed into a set for competition.
Strength lifting was still in its infancy, however, the first big breakthrough came in 1966 when the lifts were changed by dropping the two hand curl and making the squat the first lift followed by the bench press and adding the deadlift as the finale.
The first World Championships were not officially recognised until 1973 when the International Powerlifting Federation was formed, although two International Championships took place in the USA in 1971 & 72. In 1977 came the formation of the European Powerlifting federation and since 1979 women have competed at all levels.
Coaches in other sports are already beginning to understand the value of Powerlifting and one thing is certain, the sport of Powerlifting is going to grow until it is as popular as some Olympic sports.
The sport today is controlled by the I.P.F. and competitions are held at World, Continental, National and Regional level for men and women of all age groups. In these competitions the athlete is permitted only three attempts at each of the lifts, Squat, bench Press & Deadlift and the best result achieved on each of these are added together to give a total. The competitor with the highest total is then declared the champion.
This may sound simple but to achieve the highest standards the athlete must follow strict training programs that will develop great strength and determination.