275 IPA Pro Junior Division
Best Total 1790
Best Squat 725
Best DL 700
Best Bench 435
Current stats puts me at master category, i am 23 yrs old, 6’2, 262lbs
Steve what kind of similiarites?..BIg Martin
sull is my hero…620 at 165 is sick.
my best was 640 at 275. i did do 600 at 198 though…
That is a helluva squat at 165, Sully. Awesome.
Thanks for the praise but like I said it was 15 years agoand not exactly “clean”.
I wonder what I could have done if I had learned about good mornings, reverse hypers and GH raises at that time. Looking back on it my Hams were way way too weak. note the wimpy dead sumo style
Now at almost 40 I can still get 410 for 4 sets of 5-sqautting naked.
Powerlifting is great fun but it takes a lot of dedication and time to do it correctly.
This forum will help a great many people achieve and surpass their goals quicker and safer.
Was searching the forum for this sort of post. Still my questions remain partially unanswered. Just like Whetu I am a total ignoramus when it comes to PLing. I am wondering what being in a certain weight “class” actually means?
I mean say I’m in class III or class II- how many others do I share this distinction with? Does this determine who I compete against?
What I’d really like to know is, if I decide to compete, what sort of level am I at now without any specific PL training, if I am training totally raw, and my totals appear to place me in the class III-class II range. (This is currently the case). Should I compete? If so, at what level (e.g. my local garage gym or the world championships :-)) should I throw my hat into the ring? Is there like a rough percentile of the PL population who fit into the different categories?
Thanks,
ART
If are are III and especially II, you can manage medals at local & state meets, it always depends on the meet…and fed. As always, check in the back of PLUSA for meet results.
BUT, I wouldn’t lift raw in an equipped meet as you will be pissed when you get out-totalled by 30lbs. by someone who is decked out.
Oops, I looked at III totals…maybe no medals. It always depends, unless your at a popular or national meet and then well…
37 years old, 260#
squat-576
bench-436
dead-601
total-1613-class 1
going for master in a meet in june
ART,
Here is how it works. You go to a meet, and there you compete in a weight class. If you way 207lbs, you will compete in the 220lb weight class, which pics up where the 198’s left off (198-220). Your age can also determine who you compete against. Teens generally just compete against teens as well as Juniors and Masters (generally 40 and over or something like that).
So after everyone gets divided up against their own age and weight class, everybody lifts. You get a total at the end of the day (squat + bench + dead). Then you take this total, go look at the appropriate chart (there are different ones for different federations as well as for teens, women, etc.) and see where it fits on the chart. You will then find out what you are - Elite, Master, Class I-IV. Just think of this as nomenclature describing your level of sports’ mastery.
way, weigh, what’s the difference? 
OK, so I think I understand- my actual estimated “class” IV–>elite when it comes to the total I can lift has nothing to do with who I lift against- So theoretically (!) I could be a supposed class IV lifter on a (very) good day, and get the chance to compete, and beat, an elite lifter on one of his (very, very) bad days?
One more question- where do I start? I mean do I just look at the relevant federation websites for a local meet and just turn up?
Thanks guys and sorry for my ignorance again. ART
You could very well be pitted against elite athletes as only a class IV lifter - it all depends on who shows up. This is why picking an appropriate meet is important. It might not be as fun for you first meet to be a national one.
To find powerlifting meets, first try the magazine Powerlifting USA, as they have a pretty complete listing of meets. Also go to www.totalelite.com and check out their links to other feds (they have two sections - one for records and one for rules. These will get you to the feds’ homepages at least.) Before you ever compete, go to watch a meet first and make sure you understand how everything runs.