Pumping Iron

What a way to spend a Saturday afternoon...in a gym full of sweaty, muscle bound men! My middle son Josh, has recently taken up power lifting so we went to his competition to take pictures and give him some moral support.



This is from his first competition. Josh's girlfriend Maryia made this sign to support him during the competition....isn't she cute?












He won first place in his age group for curling. I love this sequence of pictures as it shows the detemination and skill that is used in power curling. There are 3 judges who make sure that the lift, curl or press is done the correct way...if it's not you get redlighted. You can get one redlight and it's still good lift and counts.







You have 3 attempts in each event....most increase their weight with each attempt. Everyone has their own mental preparation that they do before each lift...it's interesting to watch.




Many pace the floor before a lift...many place rosin on their hands to control the sweating.....my Josh clicks his fingers and taps is thighs....I guess it's all that nervous energy he has stored up.


Josh was able to curl 160 pounds in the power curl event.

He goes to the gym everyday for at least 3 hours to work out. He's stopped eating junk food, which is amazing as he was the king junk food eater in my house! My food bill has decreased in that area but has increased in the fruits and vegetables and healthy food area.

Josh entered all 3 events...but missed winning in the bench press event. Of course safety is of a paramount importance when power lifting. The head judge makes the determination during the lift as to whether the contestant is in any danger and can call off the lift at any moment. There are always spotters with any lifting event. Some lifters wear support belts around their waist to support their backs.










He also won first place in his weight class for dead lift....he was able to dead lift 450 pounds...Wow!




Josh and Charlie with their trophies


There were many power lifters at this event. Their ages ranged from 13 yrs old up to and into the 70 yr old age range. There also were a few women who participated in the event.