Highland Powerlifting Club to host open lift Test Day’ March 23

March 13, 2013 · 0 Comments

The Highland Powerlifting Club near Orangeville has been growing steadily since forming in July 2011 and a number of its members have enjoyed success at the regional, provincial and national levels of the sport.
Currently its lifters hail from Dufferin County, as well as Peel and York Regions.
Highland Powerlifting will be hosting an open and informal “Test Day” for lifting enthusiasts (men and women) who are interested in discovering their strength levels in any or all of the three official power lifts: The squat, the bench press and the deadlift. It will be March 23, between 1 and 4 p.m.
This event will take place at the ACTS Athlete Institute (AAI), a world-class athletic training facility at Highway 9 and Heart Lake Road, and prior competitive experience is not required. Participants will have an opportunity to improve their lifting technique via feedback and coaching from Highland Powerlifting’s seasoned member lifters in a fun, safe and non-competitive environment.
There is no cost to participate for ACTS and AAI members, however non-members are obliged to pay the AAI’s drop-in fee of $15.
Powerlifting is a sport that tests total body strength. Athletes compete in three separate events to achieve a combined three-lift total:
The squat requires the lifter to first stand with a weighted barbell across his/her shoulders, then squat down until the hips are below the tops of the knees before standing back up.
In the bench press, the lifter lays on a bench and lowers a weighted barbell to the chest and holds it until the referee gives the command to press it back up to arm’s length.
For the deadlift, competitors simply bend over and lift a weighted barbell, which is resting on the floor, until they stand completely straight with the shoulders back.
In Powerlifting competitions, all lifts must comply with a strict set of rules and at least two out of three judges must agree that the lift has been properly executed for it to be successful. Competitors are given three attempts to register their highest successful lift in each event, which are added together to record a three-lift total. Final results are determined by ranking the three-lift totals from highest to lowest in each weight division.
The Highland Powerlifting Club also holds open training sessions each Saturday and Sunday between 1 and 3 p.m. at AAI. All are welcome to participate and no prior competitive experience is required.
For more information about the Highland Powerlifting Club, or the March 23 “Test Day,” contact Charles Banfield at charles.banfield@sympatico.ca