Why powerlifters are better than pro athletes

[oldlifter50]

OK, I first started getting disgusted with the pro a couple of years ago. Cowboys receivers Terrel Owens during camp on sidelines riding a bike because of a hamstring strain. Terry Glenn out with bruised toe.

These guys get paid millions.

That same year in the USAPL women's nationals. Regina Hackney competed in all 3 lifts and did great at age 62 and with a broken foot. That summer Johnny Graham won the masters 3 242 class at national masters on a broken foot.

Sunday in the 242 class at USAPL National Masters Bill Helmich benched 418. He is 63 and had a torn bicep. Then in my session 62 year old Will Morris a 279 lb superheavy competed. Had a great day too in all three lifts He did not look good though so I spoke to him. Since I noticed his belt way up in the deadlift. He had it on his lower chest since he was competing with a broken rib. Wondered why he kept his squat suit on for benching. He was also having pains from 2 bullet wounds he received in the line of duty. Because of location they left the slugs in.

Then Gary Grahn in the 198 class 50-54 age group. He squatted 467, benched 319, and pulled 475. Not too bad for a guy who had a massive heart attack a year and a half ago. They did single bypass surgery, he showed me the scars too. He was benching the bar when they still had the staples in, he said that felt funny.

Powerlifters compete for love of the sport and the masters might be the toughest bunch of cusses in sports. These guys fire me up and I will be back too stronger, more powerful, and sexier than before.

[Blut Wump]

Uplifting stuff. You can't beat a good geriatric.

[Hidngod]

Dang. I'm such a wuss.

[Iron God]

Not ot be the pundit here, this is Good stuff and alot of these guys are tough

But to compare any powerlifter to an athlete playing in the National Football League is silly.


Trust me when I tell you the OLs and DLs in the NFL are the most agile and powerful athletes on the planet. All are tough as nails and ruthless or they dont last

I could pretty much take any any 1st string Offensive linemen in the NFL and within a year he would be top 3 in WSM.

[DrewDog]

those are definitely some impressive feats.

not to take away from them, but you can't go comparing some pussy "pro athletes" vs some hardcore pl's.

there are plenty of athletes who go out and compete night in and night out with broken this and torn that

[bigdamray]

Very inspirational Al!! Thanx for sharing!!

[getjacked]

sorry man i have to agree with iron god here. the strognest athletes in the US are in the NFL. a lot of PL are former college players who didn't have the skill neccessary to get to the big leagues.

not to mention if my ass was making millions per year and i had a hamstring strain that could, if i push it, turn into a tear and put me on the bench for real.. hell yeah id sit out a strain.

but very motivating stories!

[IliekFude]

I was gona say for our good looks and sexy physiques but competing with fuckin bullet wounds is up there too i suppose!

[getjacked]

I was gona say for our good looks and sexy physiques
werd

http://asp.elitefts.com/images/upload/qa/Day2-134.jpg

[oldlifter50]

sorry man i have to agree with iron god here. the strognest athletes in the US are in the NFL. a lot of PL are former college players who didn't have the skill neccessary to get to the big leagues.


not to mention if my ass was making millions per year and i had a hamstring strain that could, if i push it, turn into a tear and put me on the bench for real.. hell yeah id sit out a strain.

but very motivating stories!

Actually I think we powerlifters have a lot in common with hockey players. Still remember Mike Modano a few years ago getting a puck to the head that opened his head. They took him to the clinic in the Arena sewed him up with 7 stitches and he went back out and played.


I forgot about Tony Harris. He competed and this after he chopped the tip of his pinky off on his right hand. He was squatting in a power rach and put the bar in the hooks and saw his finger tip go across his face.

[Iron Island]

There are tough guys and gals in both powerlifting and sports. Sean Avery from the rangers played almost a full game with a laceracted spleen. That is crazy! I remember when Julie Scanton (sp?) Pulled 55lbs with a broken arm so she would total.

[Iron God]

This whole post just makes me think about my favorite player of all time and the toughest man to ever touch the pigskin ....#42 Ronald Mandel Lott

[rmexico]

This whole post just makes me think about my favorite player of all time and the toughest man to ever touch the pigskin ....#42 Ronald Mandel Lott

Any guy who cuts his pinkee off so that he can play a playoff game is a badass.

[mlong]

Not ot be the pundit here, this is Good stuff and alot of these guys are tough

But to compare any powerlifter to an athlete playing in the National Football League is silly.


Trust me when I tell you the OLs and DLs in the NFL are the most agile and powerful athletes on the planet. All are tough as nails and ruthless or they dont last

I could pretty much take any any 1st string Offensive linemen in the NFL and within a year he would be top 3 in WSM.

Agreed. Not even close to comparison. Like your Ronnie Lott guy too. What about some of the crazy players from the 70-80's.

To TO's point, he is making millions of dollars why should he risk an injury where he loses a lot of money (potentially). The guy also worked his ass off getting back for the playoff game when he was with the Eagles. Everyone has their moments, sitting out of practice doesn't make you bad ass or a pussy.

[Nate]

Not ot be the pundit here, this is Good stuff and alot of these guys are tough

But to compare any powerlifter to an athlete playing in the National Football League is silly.


Trust me when I tell you the OLs and DLs in the NFL are the most agile and powerful athletes on the planet. All are tough as nails and ruthless or they dont last

I could pretty much take any any 1st string Offensive linemen in the NFL and within a year he would be top 3 in WSM.

agreed 100%...

i respect anyone who steps on the platform and competes, but this post is simply ridiculous. "why powerlifters are better than pro athletes?" give me a break. you obviously havent been around the game of football, at least at a high level. average collisions on sundays register at forces between 50g and 100g... these forces are equivalent to wrecking your car into a wall at 25-30mph. how do you think these guys feel monday morning?
your first paragraph is comical at best. how can you compare powerlifting, where at all times you are affixed to the ground or a bench, to football where an enormous amount of biological power is required and actual human movement is taking place? of course someone who needs to play at high velocity, time after time, for 4 quarters (60min) isnt going to rush returning from a strain, as this would just lead to greater injury. there are no squat suits & bench shirts in professional sports.

[Iron God]

All the points in this post are valid.. It just a matter of perspective, life beats everyone up and most dont overcome, anyone who rises above the everyday bullshit to do something special in life is to be commended.

Again its all perspective you make decisions and opinions based on experience (hopefully).

I personally have done PLing, Strongman, BBing, MMA, by far the most brutal in terms of longterm and short term pain is Football. To play in the NFL is to me the zenith of athletic indeavor.

If you guys want a good story of sheer grit and no quit determination check out Wes Welker

[GTLifter]

I'd rather play in the NFL then lift at the Arnold Classic or be top 3 in the WSM.

[oldlifter50]

Any guy who cuts his pinkee off so that he can play a playoff game is a badass.


True Lott was tough, but did you ever see the Madden show on tthe toughest all time. Johnnie Unita brakes his nose in a game and instead of coming out, he shoves mud in it to stop the bleeding and plays on.

Or Kellen Winslow against the Dolphins.

I still remember watching Tommy Nobis sitting on the sidelines with a dislocated finger. He pulls it and pops it back into place.

There are some tough guys even today but so many............

For tough give me powerlifters, hockey players and special teams players.

[Evidence]

I respect everyone on this board who powerlifts, but i strongly disagree that powerlifters are "better" than professional athletes. It's something i think is like comparing apples and oranges to on surface. But I will say I feel that the elite lineman in the NFL would dominate the powerlifting world if they didn't play football and that's what they did. Powerlifters would not be able to make it in the NFL and Donnie Henderson is the closest to this example as he played football in college and then played in the Arena League for a few years. I have even read where he has said the guys in the NFL are just so athletic and stronger most people realize. But I do feel that the guys in the NFL could make it in the powerlifting world if sport wasn't something they were preparing for.

You guys questioned the toughness of the athletes for not playing through injury but then praised the powerlifters for competiting with injuries. That is a hard thing to do in anything you do, participate while injured. But again, guys in the NFL have such a different range of motion, different motor patterns all together and athletic movements involved that it's hurting their team if they can't compete their assignments or routes at a high level. That's why their is a depth chart and that's why there are back ups and practice squad rosters. Plus injuries can be helped with gear, like briefs, squat suites, bench shirts, etc. You can't go run a pass route wearing a suit or run block with briefs on. I mean there are guys in the NFL benching between 500 and 600 lbs raw without even weight training that often. Most of these guys want to recover and relax in their free time from their football regimine, they aren't in there pumping weights till the sun goes down. Ask Buddy Morris when he was in Cleveland with the Browns, he had to beg guys to weight train serious becasue they make so much money and put their bodies through hell, they aren't ever fresh or willing to do max effort benches or squats. And still got guys who are repping 315 like most of us would rep say 185. They are the elite in the genetics lottery. They have it. Plain and simple. Whatever they chose, they would be the best. In terms of combining strength and speed.

The strongest men in the world don't constitute the best athletes in the world. The best athletes in the world don't constitute the strongest men in the world. Some of the strongest guys on teams sit at the end of the bench. But guys who are better athletes have a better chance at becoming stronger than the guys who are stronger trying to become better athletes.

[getjacked]

i agree that the strongest athletes around are in the NFL. i have heard 500-600 raw, even some 700+ benches are common amongst NFL players and this is while not training to just bench. they have skill work, conditioning, games, etc.

i also think if a DT or something similar went over to strongman they'd do great. there are some former NFL guys (benchers) that are competing in SM now and the stories they have regarding some of the weights theyve seen even smaller guys are doing in the NFL is insane

[lesarin]

werd

http://asp.elitefts.com/images/upload/qa/Day2-134.jpg

please tell me he is natty? LOL. would be a shame to use AAS and look like that.

[lesarin]

i agree that the strongest athletes around are in the NFL. i have heard 500-600 raw, even some 700+ benches are common amongst NFL players and this is while not training to just bench. they have skill work, conditioning, games, etc.

i also think if a DT or something similar went over to strongman they'd do great. there are some former NFL guys (benchers) that are competing in SM now and the stories they have regarding some of the weights theyve seen even smaller guys are doing in the NFL is insane

Look at the great pick-up the vikings made last month. DT, 15 sacks last year. Admits benching 350 raw. Squat,push press,military press,deadlifts are what you need to be a great DT. LEGS<LEGS<LEGS< BACK<HANDS.

alot of use lying on your back and pressing does.

[GTLifter]

please tell me he is natty? LOL. would be a shame to use AAS and look like that.

That is Jeff Lewis, he has squatted 1200+ and pulled 800+ while weighing 500+. I know he competes in drug tested meets (USAPL Nats, etc) so he might be drug free.

[rmexico]

Look at the great pick-up the vikings made last month. DT, 15 sacks last year. Admits benching 350 raw. Squat,push press,military press,deadlifts are what you need to be a great DT. LEGS<LEGS<LEGS< BACK<HANDS.

alot of use lying on your back and pressing does.

Agreed. When Warren Sapp came into the league, he was benching 365.

[DrewDog]

I'd also submit the tough of motorcycle racer's. take a look at the second video (the first one)

Axis Of Oversteer: Sometimes it's better to Just Go Home. (or not) (http://axisofoversteer.blogspot.com/2008/05/sometimes-its-better-to-just-go-home.html)

he ended up breaking both ankles and tore a ligament in his left leg (right used for breaking, left for shifting gears) on fri and still managed to qualify 4th the next day and finish 4th on sun...after having to push start his bike after it stalled starting the warmup lap

[Nick]

I think maybe some of you guys misunderstood the nature of OL's post. When he says better he means not in natural talent or natural strength... but in the sense of effort and dedication to the sport vs. the amount of financial reward gained from it.

If there was no NFL, no t.v. contract, no fame, no six and seven figure contracts, what % of athletes would still dedicate their lives to making it there?

Probably a respectable percentage regardless. Still, 99.9% of all PLers and Strongmen take some incredible health risks and work through injury to be the best they can be at the sport they love.

[TheSuaveOne]

There is no way to know who would be dedicated if there was no money in the professional sports. At this point the OP is merely inserting his opinion. Others have inserted theirs. There is no way to prove either side of the issue.

[Nick]

There is no way to know who would be dedicated if there was no money in the professional sports. At this point the OP is merely inserting his opinion. Others have inserted theirs. There is no way to prove either side of the issue.

Nor should anyone try to prove a side. I think most posts in this thread are just celebrating those who bust their ass for the love of it, which is great.

The OP was not trying to say that PLers are physically superior athletes to "pro athletes" however, just making that clear.

[IliekFude]

lol.. no shit right?

must refil motor oil reserves.. must lubricate titanium joints.. meep meep .. click.. whir

GOOD TALK!