[chrispghmuscle]

Powerlifting is a competitive sport that is also used to develop the body and help athletes prepare for other sports. Powerlifting allows you to strengthen and perfect your body, test your abilities and help you feel good about yourself. The sport of powerlifting was developed to test the strength of its competitors
in three events; the squat, the benchpress and the deadlift.

The Squat:
In the squat, the barbell is positioned horizontally across the back of the shoulders; the hands steady and balance the bar. From a standing position, the lifter bends the knees and lowers the body until the top surface of the legs at the hip joint is lower than the top of the knees. This defines a correct squat depth; few people in the gym squat to this depth. From this lowered position, the lifter returns to an upright, standing position. Contrary to popular belief, the squat is not unusually tough on the lower back or knees. If done properly - straight, upright back, knees in lignment with feet - you should experience only the soreness indicative of a good workout.

The Bench Press:
Most people are familiar with the Bench Press -- lower a barbell to your chest and push it up, right? Well, there's a bit more to the technique in competitive powerlifting. First of all, there's a pause at the bottom. After you've lowered the bar to your chest and it is still, you are given the command to "press" it up. No bouncing the bar off your chest. Also, your head, shoulders, and buttocks must remain on the bench and the feet must be flat on the floor. These contact points cannot move during the lift. Sometimes you see lifters get an arch in their back between the buttocks and shoulders.

The Deadlift:
The deadlift involves lifting a loaded barbell from the floor (the bar is actually about 10" off the ground) to a standing position. There are two general styles of deadlifting: conventional and sumo. With conventional style, the feet are fairly close together, and the hands grasp the bar outside of the legs. The knees and hips are bent and do the majority of the lifting; the back must remain as straight and upright as possible. Sumo style uses a very wide stance and the arms grasp the bar in front of and between the legs. In some cases, the stance is so wide that the toes almost touch the plates at either end of the barbell. From the lowered position, the knees and hips are used to drive the body upward. This style is favored often by taller people with longer arms. The deadlift is probably the easiest lift to judge - it goes up or it doesn't. However, sometimes a lifter will "hitch" or ride the weight uphis or her legs. This is not allowed. The lifter must "lock out" or be in a full standing position, not hunched forward.

Chris

[Beefcake]

I thought this was basic knowlege, but great post none-the-less.