Powerlifting is a strength sport consisting of the squat, bench press and deadlift. Often it’s confused with Olympic weightlifting (the snatch and the clean and jerk). These are very different lifts with powerlifting generally being a heavier more absolute strength based sport, and Olympic lifts being more explosive. Like Olympic competitions the powerlifter has 3 attempts on each lift, with the heaviest going towards a total weight which dictates the winner. The New Zealand Powerlifting Federation (or NZPF) is a member of (and governed by) the International Powerlifting Federation (IPF). You can find their sites at www.nzpowerlifting.co.nz or www.powerlifting-ipf.com respectively. You can find the full rules and regulations for each lift on the IPF site.
Competitors are divided into weight classes ranging from 52kgs to 125kg+ for the men and 44kgs to 90kg+ for the women’s competitions. There are also age groups from Sub-Juniors (14 to 19 years old) through to Masters (40+ years old) with the main competition being in the “Open” category (24-39 years). All NZ powerlifting is drug free and NZPF members are required to be on the drug testing register.
Many lifters gravitate towards powerlifting from other strength sports such as strongman and bodybuilding with many people competing in more then one.
Powerlifting Equipment
The IPF allow lifters to use single ply “gear” which can be a squat suit, and bench press shirt, or a deadlift suit, knee or wrist wraps (not straps for holding on to the bar), and a belt. This is also called “equipped” lifting. Not using gear is called lifting ”raw” and is usually only with wrist wraps and a belt, although the true definition of raw would be no belt or wraps. The IPF doesn’t currently recognize raw lifts as separate from equipped lifting, but this may well change in the future.
Gear will increase the weight you are capable of lifting, but raw strength must be developed first to avoid injury and burning out. Equipment must also be IPF approved. Some of the common brands of powerlifting gear are APT pro, Titan, and Metal. You can find a list of approved IPF equipment (for use in competition – you can train with anything you like) on this page : http://www.powerlifting-ipf.com/Approved-List.51.0.html
New Zealand Powerlifting
New Zealand has a number of powerlifting associations, with Eastside’s being the Canterbury Powerlifting Association. There are associations throughout the country – Northland, Auckland, Waikato/Bay of Plenty, & Central Districts in the North Island and, Canterbury and Otago in the South Island.
New Zealand Powerlifting Competitions
Each association holds their own club competition each year – a full 3 lift and a bench press only competition. Then each Island have their championships with lifters and association teams competing against each other. Following this are the National Powerlifting Championships and the National Bench Press Championships where lifters compete to find the national individual champion and the top association.
Places are awarded in each age and weight class, as well as an overall best lifter being awarded to the competitor with the highest points. Points are awarded based on the “Wilks Formula” which is based on a body weight, to weight lifted, differential. This formula is used world wide in all IPF sanctioned competitions.
Records are held in each weight class and age group (with the top being world records). National New Zealand records are also kept along with local association records and North and South Island records.
International Powerlifting Competitions
The International Powerlifting Federation run world championships for powerlifting, and bench press each year. There are also the Commonwealth Powerlifting Championships, and the Oceania Powerlifting Championships in which New Zealand powerlifters may compete. Junior worlds and Masters world champs are also held each year although in some competitions that age groups are included. To take part at these competitions you need to qualify by lifting the required weight (total for full 3 lift competition or single lift for the bench press). You can find the current New Zealand powerlifting qualification standards and classifications here.
The NZPowerlifting Community
One thing most people comment about when they first take part in or watch a competition is the amount of encouragement and support from everyone, even fellow competitors. On nearly every lift the crowd will erupt into cheers of support and encouragement. With a relatively small number of members NZ powerlifting is a close knit but welcoming community. New Zealand is growing to be a strong group of lifters and enthusiasts who are open and generous with their experience and knowledge. Eastside is a big part of that culture as we aim to support and empower people to join and enjoy the sport.
Joining the New Zealand Powerlifting Federation
Most people like to take part in a novice competition when they first start. Usually this involves joining your local powerlifting association and the NZPF. All this requires is filling out a couple of forms and paying the necessary fees to your local treasurer. The NZPF has a cut off date on April 1 for reduced membership prices. After this date you can still join but the cost increases (see the nzpf website for the current prices).
The Eastside Barbell Club here in Christchurch regularly hold club lifts which anyone can enter. These are usually free and run with a relaxed approach aimed more at helping people get a feel for what they can expect in competitions. Having said that there is generally some very good lifters who take part. These competitions are generally raw meets, but we do allow people to use equipment although they cannot set any Eastside club records.
Part of Eastside’s aim is to help make it easy and fun for people to become involved in powerlifting. We run free competitions that are open for everyone to enter. These are generally free of charge to take part. We also offer coaching and information you can use to get familiar with the various rules and regulations for powerlifting meets.
For more information or help on powerlifting in New Zealand
Look around on this site for more information on competing, training, lifting and so on. We have articles, videos and links to plenty of good information sources. We’re also easy to contact at esbarbell@gmail.com or by calling one of the numbers listed in our contacts page.
