Hi guys. First I want to apologize for this long pause. I’ve been very busy in the last few weeks so the Powerlifting Academy suffered by having no new articles during that time. I am back on track and will be eager to share some new stuff with you soon. I’m also preparing for the National IPF Championships in April. So stay tuned.

In the meantime I have some interesting stuff for you. I do not know who the author of these sentences is but these are definitely falling on your ass funny.

You might be a powerlifter if…

• The doctor tells you that you need more iron in your diet so you throw in an extra set of lock-outs!
• You check squat depth when using the john.
• When you work a desk during the day and you still have 1/2 inch thick calluses on your hands.
• You think baby powder on your thighs and chalk on your hands looks cool.
• Whenever a non-PL friend of yours moves house, or needs to move heavy things around the place, you are the FIRST person they call for help!
• You psych up before lifting your laundry basket off the floor.
• Most people in the gym don’t like you.
• You are NOT at a powerlifting gym when during your leg routine, you have all the 45’s in the gym on your own bar and a bunch of guys are watching you waiting for you to share.
• You dismount the toilet like doing box squats (to perfect that explosive power).
• You think torn track pants, an old, sweaty, filthy t-shirt advertising a garbage company, and SLIPPERS, are perfectly suitable gym attire.
• You can’t count above 5 but can multiply by 45 in your head.
• People at gym tell you someone is looking very “cut” and you think they had a terrible accident in the kitchen.
• When the word “gear” refers to squat suits, bench shirts, wraps, belts, suit slippers, salts and chalk, not STEROIDS.
• When you inhale ammonia instead of using it for cleaning.
• When the amount of weight you lift is more important than how cleanly shaven your legs are or how dark your tan is.
• When the gym owner kicks you out for bending yet another bar while squatting.
• You think a 16 oz. steak is a snack to have between meals.
• It takes 5 seconds for your spirit to re-enter your body after deadlifting.
• You think that creatine is a food group.
• You use a 1 kg plate as a paper-weight on your desk at work.
• You have baby powder in your gym bag.
• You take your weight belt off in between sets or while going to the water fountain or restroom.
• You develop “white lung” from the chalk and baby powder.
• You use the handicap stall at a public restroom for the use of the handrails on leg day.
• You are annoyed by someone using the power rack for curls, even when the gym is empty.
• You can’t understand why college wrestlers wear powerlifting uniforms.
• You have more garments in your gym bag made of polyester than is worn by the whole crew at McDonald’s.
• You think it is cool the Japanese named a national sport after your deadlifting style.
• The greeting “Good Morning” makes your hamstrings and lower back ache.
• You think of helping your neighbors move their piano as “a set”.
• You drop something, and go into a sumo stance to pick it up.
• You might be a powerlifting female if all heads turn when you squat.
• You might be a powerlifting female if you get more excited over squat shoes and new belt than you do over jewelry.
• You get accused by bodybuilders of taking steroids because you’re stronger than they are.
• You daydream of pushpressing aerobic instructors to see how high they will fly.
• You have ever used a Home Depot card to purchase “training equipment”.

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Baby Powder (Talcum Powder) for Reducing Friction During Deadlift

Gym Chalk (Magnesium Carbonate) for Drying Sweaty Hands and Stronger Grip

Talcum powder, also known as baby powder, is composed of talc mineral (hydrated magnesium silicate or H2Mg3(SiO3)4). It is used as a lubricant in sports like powerlifting for keeping the legs smooth and basketball for keeping the hands dry.

Baby Powder Use in Powerlifting

• Deadlift (Depending on your technique, at some point during the lift the bar will come in contact with your thighs. Sometimes your suit, sweat or leg hair will cause friction and make the raising of the barbell pass that area more difficult. Coating the quads in baby powder will create slippery environment pass which the barbell can travel up smoothly).

Do not confuse baby powder to magnesium carbonate (gym chalk) because these two have completely different effects. While both chalk and powder are used for absorbing perspiration, chalk is used for increasing grip strength and powder for making thighs slicker. Therefore, pay attention not to get any powder on your hands since it may reduce friction at the moment when a strong grip is needed. Also, avoid stepping into powder prior to lifting because it may cause your feet to slip.

Competition Rules

Each powerlifting federation has its own rules about accessories and apparel. IPF competition rulebook on personal equipment, for example, states the following about powder and related lubricating and drying agents.

• The use of oil, grease or other lubricants on the body, or personal equipment is strictly forbidden.
• Baby powder, resin, talc or magnesium carbonates are the only substances that may be added to the body and attire.

WPF federation, on the other hand, allows only block powder form since it’s less messy.

Talcum Powder Disadvantages

Overuse of powder by lifters became very common. Nothing can create a mess in the gym like using powder, especially the loose form. This is why in commercial gyms and meets it is usually forbidden due to the high clean up costs.

Related Posts

Gym Chalk (Magnesium Carbonate) for Drying Sweaty Hands and Stronger Grip

The Deadlift Exercise Form and Technique Guide

Magnesium carbonate acts as a drying agent for hands by absorbing sweat. This ensures reliable and strong grip and prevents slipping of the equipment from your hands.

Note that chalk used in sports is different than the one for drawing on sidewalks and blackboards (sidewalk chalk or blackboard chalk). Also, chalk is not the same as baby powder. Although baby powder does absorb the sweat from your hands it will do quite the opposite to your grip than chalk; reduce the friction between the bar and the hands and as a consequence weaken your natural grip strength.

Gym Chalk Benefits in Powerlifting

• Squat (Use chalk on your hands to ensure stronger grip on the bar. Spread it across the back to hold the bar in place and remove pressure to your wrists. It can be used on knee area underneath knee wraps for an extra measure of hold. Some people even chalk the floor to prevent slipping).
• Bench Press (Chalking hands strengthens the grip on the barbell. You can apply it on your shoulder blades and butt to prevent sliding from the bench during the lift).
• Deadlift (Deadlifting strength is limited to the grip strength on the bar. A lot of people can’t hold the weight they can actually lift, which prevents them from achieving the peak performance. Also, concentrating on holding the bar instead on lifting it will definitely throw your technique off course. Gym chalk should be heavily spread across the entire palm and fingers to surpass this problem. This may help you add even up to 100lbs (45kg) to your grip strength).

Common Magnesium Carbonate Forms

• Chalk Powder (Powder is the most common form used. But there is a certain drawback to it; it creates a mess in the gym. So be careful if you have a strict gym policy about the usage of such chalk form).
• Chalk Blocks (Chalk block, also called chalk soap or chalk ball is more efficient than powder because it wastes less during use and therefore lasts much longer. You can store it in a plastic zipper seal bag (sandwich bag) or a chalk bag which is more commonly used in rock climbing. When you want to use it just put your hands inside the chalk bag, roll the block around them a few times and it will coat your hands nicely).
• Liquid Chalk (Available in lotion and spray forms it is ideal for commercial gyms where chalk is not allowed or you have a gym manager who gets angry when you make a mess by using it. Apply it across the area you want and it will transform in solid chalk in few seconds. Liquid chalk is legal for use in all competitions).

Related Posts

Baby Powder (Talcum Powder) for Reducing Friction During Deadlift

The Deadlift Exercise Form and Technique Guide

The Squat Exercise Form and Technique Guide

The Bench Press Exercise Form and Technique Guide

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Powerlifting Magazine Subscriptions

Speaking of promotion, I have something new for you. A week ago I was contacted by Mark, a fellow that started a brand new site on powerlifting called powerlifting report.

His plan is to gather and display both powerlifting and strongman important news reports and articles. Its design may not be flashy but his site can certainly be useful to people. Additionally, he has another interesting idea for a site that is coming soon but let’s leave that for another article.

Anyway, I hope you rested enough during holidays and stood away from crappy foods. Now it’s time to get back on track and start serious preparing for the upcoming meets. I wish you a good training and competition year!

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Subscribe to Bodybuilding Magazines

To gain broader perspective and see whether vegetarian protein can substitute protein derived from animal sources with the same efficiency when it comes to strength training in powerlifting or any other sport that requires strenuous physical activity let’s first define vegetarianism and its forms.

• Lacto-ovo vegetarians eat everything but animal flesh.
• Lacto vegetarians eat everything but animal flesh and eggs.
• Ovo vegetarians eat everything but animal flesh and dairy.
• Vegan vegetarians (vegans) eat everything but animal flesh, eggs and dairy. They also refrain from processed foods containing these or other animal-derived ingredients, for example, gelatin. Many vegans also do not eat honey.

Important Protein Facts

Intake of complete protein foods should be an imperative to anyone trying to build muscle seriously. Since complete proteins are mainly found in foods derived from animal sources, this is a problem for vegans and vegetarians who only eat plant foods like vegetables, fruits, seeds, grains or nuts which are mainly built from incomplete proteins. Initially, it was suggested that vegetarians should eat both plant foods that contain incomplete and complete proteins so that the proteins inside them would combine to a complete form. The same person that suggested this theory, Frances Moore Lappé, changed her opinion in the 1981 edition of Diet for a Small Planet, by stating the following:

“In 1971 I stressed protein complementarity because I assumed that the only way to get enough protein … was to create a protein as usable by the body as animal protein. In combating the myth that meat is the only way to get high-quality protein, I reinforced another myth. I gave the impression that in order to get enough protein without meat, considerable care was needed in choosing foods. Actually, it is much easier than I thought.

“With three important exceptions, there is little danger of protein deficiency in a plant food diet. The exceptions are diets very heavily dependent on [1] fruit or on [2] some tubers, such as sweet potatoes or cassava, or on [3] junk food (refined flours, sugars, and fat). Fortunately, relatively few people in the world try to survive on diets in which these foods are virtually the sole source of calories. In all other diets, if people are getting enough calories, they are virtually certain of getting enough protein.”

Side-Effects of Vegetarian Protein Diet

As you can see, vegetarian protein and vegan protein foods are beneficial for the body of an average active person but I’m not going to explain why, since the Internet is full of such information. But what I will do is tell you why I think such way of eating would not be good for people active in powerlifting and other strength sports. In my opinion drawbacks to such nutrition are many but two of them stand out as the most prominent.

• Fat Gain (Vegetarian protein foods are mainly high in carbohydrates. To ensure a sufficient intake of protein and achieve desired sport goals you need to handle a lot more carbohydrates than you normally would with eating animal-derived meals. Serious calorie management should be done on high protein vegetarian diet to avoid the accumulation of body fat. Also, learn how much protein per day you need to eat, depending on your activities).
• Low Testosterone (Testosterone is the hormone responsible for development of muscle mass and strength, regulating cholesterol, energy production and libido. Consuming animal products is the best way to increase its levels in the body. Depriving yourself from such diet can set you back and apart from other athletes that consume animal based foods and not to mention health issues this situation might cause).

Vegetarian Protein Sources

• Milk, whey, cheese, yogurt, eggs (Lacto-ovo vegetarians only).
• Milk, whey, cheese, yogurt (Lacto vegetarians only).
• Eggs (Ovo vegetarians only).
• Soy (Beans, tofu, cheese).
• Nuts (Walnuts, pistachio, cashew, almonds).
• Beans (Black, garbanzo, hummus, kidney, fava, winged, mungo, lima).
• Legumes (Lentils, peas, peanuts, peanut butter).
• Seeds (Sesame, flax, pumpkin, hemp, sunflower).
• Grains (whole) (Oats, brown rice, quinoa, granola, wheat, whole bread).
• Vegetables (Broccoli, asparagus, spinach, kale, collard greens).

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The Best Sources of Complete Protein

What Are Proteins and How Much Protein Per Day Do You Need?

Before giving you a list of best sources of protein you need to understand that eating complete protein is far more important than eating incomplete protein. First of all, let me differentiate between the two. Previously, in how much protein per day article, I have explained what proteins are and how they are built from two types of amino acids: essential (can’t be produced by our own body and must be taken in through food and supplements) and non-essential (can be produced in the body). Complete proteins are built from both of those. Incomplete proteins on the other hand don’t have all the essential amino acids and are therefore considered to be of lower biological value which reflects poorly on muscle building.

Most of the foods that contain complete protein structures are derived from animal sources. Therefore if you were wondering how to build muscle, eating a lot of animal proteins is the way to go, which includes: meat (chicken, turkey, beef, pork, and lamb), fish, dairy products, eggs, etc. This can be a problem for vegetarians and vegans since they don’t eat animal foods. But there are vegetarian protein sources that can be used as an adequate substitute.

Best Sources of Protein

• Poultry (Chicken, turkey).
• Fish (Fresh tuna or canned in olive oil or water, salmon, mackerel).
• Meat (Beef, veal, pork, lamb).
• Dairy (Low fat milk, whey powder, cottage cheese, low fat yogurt).
• Eggs (Egg white boiled or powder, yolk 1/day at most).

It would be best to vary sources from which you are getting your proteins. Besides ensuring intake of all crucial amino acids this is also important for getting necessary range of vitamins and minerals, which are especially present in plant foods. While rich in protein you should also select foods that are low in fat.

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What Are Proteins and How Much Protein Per Day Do You Need?

Vegetarian Protein Sources and Strength Training in Powerlifting

Amino Acids and Protein Synthesis

To synthesize (build) proteins in these structures, the body requires 20 amino acids. Only 12 of them are produced in the body: Alanine, Aspartate, Cysteine, Glutamate, Glutamine, Glycine, Proline, Serine, Asparagine, Arginine, Histidine, and Tyrosine. The remaining 8 can’t be manufactured by our own body so they must be a mandatory part of our diet (food and/or supplements). For that reason they are called essential amino acids: Valine, Leucine, Isoleucine, Lysine, Phenylalanine, Methionine, Threonine, and Tryptophan. We need both essential and non-essential to synthesize proteins, or in other words, to build muscle. To ensure intake of all necessary amino acids you need to know what foods are the best sources of protein. This is especially important if you are a vegetarian solely relying on vegetarian protein sources.

How Much Protein per Day?

• The RDA or Recommended Dietary Allowance (average daily dietary protein intake level that is sufficient to meet the nutrient requirement of an average adult person) for protein is 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight or approximately 0.36 grams per pound of body weight.
• NSCA or National Strength and Conditioning Association advises 0.88 to 1.32 grams per kg (0.4 to 0.6 grams per lb) of bodyweight for physically active people and up to 1.76 grams per kg (0.8 grams per lb) of bodyweight for serious athletes.
• In professional bodybuilding recommended protein intake numbers go even higher, as much as up to 4 g/kg, depending on the specific training cycle.

So, as you can see, there are various schools of thought, respectable or not, and each of them has its own opinion on this matter. You are probably wondering which to believe. Unfortunately there is no straightforward answer because it all depends on your level of preparedness, intake of other nutrients, and training intensity and volume (endurance, speed, strength…). Essentially, the more and harder you exercise, the greater daily protein intake you will require. However, high protein diet (taking too much protein) will not help you build muscle additionally.

Conclusion and Recommendations

I have experimented with various protein intakes and my answer to the question of how much protein per day is needed is as follows.

• 0.8 – 1.5 g/kg (Inactive people are well settled with the RDA standard).
• 1.8 – 2.2 g/kg (Active people engaged in either endurance or strength training, like powerlifting, to build and recuperate muscle, require around 2 g/kg of bodyweight per day. I want to stress this out one more time for those who don’t believe that such small protein intake can produce the best results. This amount is more than enough, although it needs to be accompanied by proper carbohydrate intake to prevent the protein being used for energy).
• 2.2 – 2.5 g/kg (Active people who are looking to maintain or gain muscle while losing fat at the same time, may require up to 2.5 g/kg of bodyweight per day, but no more than that)!

Besides figuring out how much protein per day do you need, an important thing is to maximize the utilization of it by choosing proper foods and knowing when to take protein.

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The Best Sources of Complete Protein

Vegetarian Protein Sources and Strength Training in Powerlifting

In Women’s division, Potselueva Galina (67.5kg) from Russia took the gold and WR with her 164kg bench press. Karpova Galina did the same thing in the 90+kg class with 320kg squat and 745kg total. Scoring second in the same class, Hugdal Hildeborg, set new WR with 201,5kg bench press. As with men’s division, Russia won the tournament with 72 points in front of Chinese Taipei with 50 and Ukraine with 49 points.

IPF World Championships was held on November 1st to 7th, 2009 in New Delhi, India. Videos are, as usual, gathered into playlists and sorted by body weight categories. This way you can easily browse through the whole competition. Use the menu bellow to easily navigate through the playlists. You can also read reports on other competitions.

Body Weight Categories

Opening Ceremony

www.youtube.com/watch?v=933277786ABD0C68

Men 56 kg ( menu )

www.youtube.com/watch?v=E451D3CF9C8D5F2A

Men 60 kg ( menu )

www.youtube.com/watch?v=6810D575AF2964DE

Men 67.5 kg ( menu )

www.youtube.com/watch?v=4506035C52A57050

Men 75 kg Group 1 ( menu )

www.youtube.com/watch?v=A44227A6D1B27B60

Men 75 kg Group 2 ( menu )

www.youtube.com/watch?v=84A985DA9C62C61E

Men 82.5 kg ( menu )

www.youtube.com/watch?v=4114ACE510445694

Men 90 kg Group 1 ( menu )

www.youtube.com/watch?v=406998D98A316849

Men 90 kg Group 2 ( menu )

www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3DB8B9CA477FD9E

Men 100 kg ( menu )

www.youtube.com/watch?v=C88C86D3A3F100A9

Men 110 kg ( menu )

www.youtube.com/watch?v=75102CA23A1C0590

Men 125 kg ( menu )

www.youtube.com/watch?v=2A49046F6171CC1B

Men 125+ kg ( menu )

www.youtube.com/watch?v=CD9E6EBF55529923

Women 48 kg ( menu )

www.youtube.com/watch?v=413F84FB9B365ED5

Women 52 kg and 56 kg ( menu )

www.youtube.com/watch?v=171AD6B1997C63B9

Women 60 kg ( menu )

www.youtube.com/watch?v=4B9FE3B9EAB59C96

Women 67.5 kg ( menu )

www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EA8433EA2092395

Women 75 kg ( menu )

www.youtube.com/watch?v=30E9AADE0A36589C

Women 82.5 kg ( menu )

www.youtube.com/watch?v=437B60CC7FEAE33C

Women 90 kg ( menu )

www.youtube.com/watch?v=44296275100AC60D

Women 90+ kg ( menu )

www.youtube.com/watch?v=91185F0134405B6B

Other Reports

• IPF World Powerlifting Championships 2009
• IPF World Powerlifting Championships 2008

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IPF World Powerlifting Championships 2008 Competition Report and Videos