UWG’s First Powerlifting Competition

This year the University of West Georgia will be hosting its first ever powerlifting competition Oct. 28 at 9 a.m. in the UWG recreational center. Registration will close Oct. 26. The competition will include three different segments of lifting; squats, bench press, and deadlifts. Participants will have three separate attempts for each portion of the competition.

            “Whoever lifts the heaviest weight for each individual exercise will receive an award regardless of their other weight attempts,” said UREC faculty member Drew Powell. “The best lifter is the overall total female and male with the Wilks formula, which uses their body weight.”

The Wilks formula is used to compare strength of power lifters against each other regardless of their body weight. Participants are broken up into different weight classes. For example, the male weight class ranges anywhere from 159.9 to 265 plus. The female weight class ranges from 119.9 to 180 plus.

“If people ask me what they should open with, I tell them whatever they can do a set of five for,” said Powell. “You don’t need to open with your personal record (PR).”

The reasoning behind this strategy is for the participant to work their way up to their PR considering there are three set attempts for each portion. This strategy will also help the participant preserve energy for their heaviest lift attempt.

            Rules for the competition are based off of the the International Powerlifting Federation (IPF). The general rules of the IPF typically breaks down the competition into age and weight categories. However, this particular competition will mostly follow bodyweight criteria and less of age qualification.

The competition will be run by the Fitness and Wellness (Fitwell) staff at the U-rec. The Fitwell staff includes personal trainers and group fitness instructors. “I have previous experience in Olympic weightlifting which requires me to do lots of squats and deadlifts in my training but not in competitions,” said Goad. “However, I do not work on my bench much, so I have been focusing on it a little in preparation for the upcoming meet.”

The University of West Georgia encourages students and faculty to come out and support those participating in the competition. The only requirement for participants is they are an active UWG student. UWG staff is excited to see the turnout of this year’s first powerlifting competition and the results of each participant.