Descent Into Insanity
by Powerfreak

As I enter, heavy metal music blasts into my ears. In the distance, someone is screaming… “One more ****ing rep.” From another corner I hear, “Add another plate you *****… That ain’t good enough.” Elsewhere a loud crash and a cloud of chalk, as a loaded deadlift bar hits the floor. This, a result of a missed attempt at a personal best lift. Some little pencil neck shoots by, ears covered, eyes bugged out of his head, looking for the nearest escape. He doesn’t belong here anyway. Where am I? Home… At least for the next couple of hours.

This is a real gym, a powerlifters’ gym. A no bull****, straight forward, in your face gym that only a few dare to venture into. This is where powerlifters give every last bit of themselves to make it to the next level. There are monolifts, competition benches, and if not an actual deadlift platform, a large enough open floor space to pull without knocking **** over. There are no stupid signs that read: “No Chalk”, “ Don’t Drop the Weights” or my all time personal favorite--“No Excessive Exertion Noises”. What the ****? Yes, I actually did see this sign in a “gym” in my old home town. I laughed so hard I almost pissed myself. Of course I’m sure there is a sign for that too.

I am on of the lucky few that has a real powerlifting gym to train in. That wasn’t always the case though. I used to drive three hours, one way, to train at a gym that had the equipment and atmosphere needed for powerlifting. Unfortunately, the majority of the population does not seem to want to accept us into their shiny little sissy gyms. We make too much noise, are scary, and apparently, we are intimidating to the “average” person. Well, the “average” person must have a ****ing complex because we don’t give a **** about them and what they are doing.

We are here for one reason: to train all out, balls to the wall. ****, I have been banned from just about every gym in my old town or they just closed down. I never really did anything wrong. Management just saw it in the best interest for everyone if the powerlifters did not continue to train there. I was actually told that they did not want “my kind” in their gym.

What exactly is “our kind”? I guess if they mean someone who pays their membership dues every month, who actually cleans up when the training session is over, who, more often than not, spends at least forty five minutes helping and answering questions from other members because the personal trainers don’t know their ass from a hole in the ground, well, then I guess I fit the bill. It only takes one or two complaints and you will find yourself with nowhere to train and a meet right around the corner. Just makes ya want to break ****. Well, I say **** em’ all.

I live for this **** and don’t give up that easy. Not everyone is cut out to be a powerlifter. Not just from a physical stand point, but also mentally as well. This is a sport of extreme intensity. You must have the ability to push it to the very edge of the envelope. Total determination, dedication and even a little rage are needed to go all out on every rep of every set. Nothing less will be acceptable. You either make the lift or get crushed in the process. This ain’t the sport for whining and crying. All out, all the time. If you can’t do it, ya might as well stay home. We have but one goal in mind: to win. After all of the blood, sweat, and the total body annihilation that powerlifting requires, nobody wants to come in second. After all, second place is the first loser.

Now, I have heard on the rare occasion, “I am just here to lift and do the best I can. Bull****. I ain’t buying it. Of course it takes a little time for someone to grasp the mentality of the competitive powerlifter, but if you do not currently compete or never have, you may never get it. Powerlifting as a sport has no huge financial payoffs. There are no multi-million dollar contracts like there are in other pro sports. Powerlifters do not become household names, except maybe in the powerlifting community if you are any good. It is just pure self-gratification to be the best at what you do, to win for yourself.

So, do ya think you have what it takes to be a powerlifter? Well let me tell ya, if you are not willing to give 110% don’t bother. Sure you can go to the gym and workout, get your “beach body” for the summer, but that ain’t powerlifting. Or maybe you haven’t been paying attention? Powerlifters don’t give a **** about what their abs look like, or how many striations are in their glutes. That, is a totally different sport.

Tell ya what ya need to do. Ya need to go to a powerlifting meet and see first hand what it’s all about. As soon as you walk into the venue, it will become quite apparent that some cool **** is about to go down. The smell of sweat and ammonia in the air. The sound of lifters grinding through their warm-ups. All of the time spent in the gym, blood, sweat, tears, torn muscles and strained tendons comes down to this one moment. Lifters have had thousands of dollars in equipment cost and food bills that were enough to rival a mortgage payment.

Everything comes down to this: meet day. You can feel the adrenaline flowing. You can see the intensity in every lifter’s eyes. Each one giving every last bit of energy to make their lift. Still giving 110%, down to the very last lift of the day, they want to come away knowing it has all been worth it, there is no other way.

So, now you have seen it. If you didn’t take off running from fear and disgust, you’ve taken the first step. If you are not chomping at the bit to enter your first meet, then this probably ain’t for you. Maybe take up chess or something a little less intense. I’ll tell you this--once you have competed in your first meet, there is no turning back. You can never get enough. It’s always one more plate, one more rep.

If you are still interested after all of this, do a little research. Powerlifting continues to grow year after year. There are federations for all types of lifters. Male & female, ages 8-80 and beyond. There are tested meets as well as non-tested. Amateur and professional. Check out your local gym or get on the internet. Some of the federations you may want to consider are: IPA (International Powerlifting Association), APF (American Powerlifting Federation), and even the USAPL. It all actually started there for me. So, pick the federation that best fits your needs and abilities. Until next time, get your ass in the gym and train insane.