Women competing in powerlifting and strongman training

I recently read an article on Elite Lifts that focused on women in the sport of powerlifting and strongman training. For those that are not familiar with these types of training, here is a little rundown. The sport of powerlifting consists of three lifts: the squat, dead lift, and the bench press. Strongman training consists of exercises that include: tire flipping, the "farmers walk", atlas stones, and the log press. In sports that are almost completely dominated by men, women are not usually looked upon as being the strongest weightlifters. With that being said, many women, such as Cathy Marsteiner and Harriet Hall, were both inducted into the USA Powerlifting's hall of fame in 2010. Both of these women held over 16 world records in their weight class and have a deadlift over 500 lb's, a squat over 600 lb's, and a bench press over 300 lb's. More than half of the guys in the world can't even fathom lifting that much weight! Many women have also recently been competing in strongman competitions, or correctly said strongwomen competitions. Despite the fact that these sports have been associated with masculinity, many women love the athletic challenge as well as the satisfaction to be competing in such challenging lifts and events. It mentions in the article that women want to be seen as strong, capable individuals rather than just pretty, fitness models lifting a weight a five year old can lift with two fingers.

Brian Montano

Kin 332I (tu-thurs) 12:30-1:45