Get stronger, fitter, achieve your goals

For many, lifting is about personal goal-setting, product endorsement, medals, rankings, records, a career as a personal trainer or owning a gym, while for others it is about fitness, coaching new lifters, growing the sport and running competitions.

The reality is that powerlifting is not the same as weightlifting, crossfit, tough mudder, or strongman competitions. Powerlifting is not a commercial sport, it is a sport which just survives on the kindness of a small handful of unpaid individuals who volunteer this time to run competitions, referee at competitions, and spot and load at competitions.

So who is making money from powerlifting? A select few such as facilitators of coaching courses, coaches, and gyms.

Next time you attend a powerlifting competition, spare a thought for the volunteers, officials, referees, and spotters and loaders who give up their weekend and risk their lives to spot and load. Yes – spotters and loaders have been injured quite severely in Australian competitions when lifters, most commonly in squats, have failed or let go of the bar and then left it for the spotters to take it.