Kramers Ruben Springer

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July 01, 2007

From: Kramers, Ruben, Springer NL

Email: Ruben.Kramers@springer-sbm.com

Dear author,

Perusing the lifting forums of the world I came across a reference to your pamphlet "Choosing powerlifting". The read was entertaining to say the least, and it was astounding to see a short article with such a high frequency of falsehoods and misrepresentations. Thanks ever so much for that good 10-second laugh.

However, for your edification I would like to address the content. Do with it what you will -- which will almost certainly be nothing, as the extreme bias could only be due to sheer vindictiveness or utter lack of knowledge. But I see it as my duty as a powerlifter to make an effort nonetheless. (comments in square brackets)

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Choosing Powerlifting

If you live in a Western country you might have heard about Powerlifting or you might confuse it for Olympic lifting.
[TRUE. Oftentimes people do.]

Powerlifting has an enticing popular name yet its basic foundation is seriously flawed.
[FALSE. A foundation can only be flawed if the goal and the actual results do not correlate. Powerlifters DO get stronger and more powerful, so the foundation must be correct]

Powerlifters perform the Deadlifting, Squat from behind the shoulders, and the Bench Press.
[TRUE and FALSE. An average powerlifter's routine consists of anywhere from 6 to 25-30 different exercises. Squat, bench and deadlift are definitely the most trained, as they form the basis of competitions. But that hardly makes them the exclusive staple of lifters.]

The worst of all is that they believe that theses three styles are the ultimate boundaries of their world. You would not see a powerlifter jogging, doing aerobics, or swimming.

[FALSE. It is possible that you yourself have never seen a powerlifter jog, do aerobics or swim. But the vast majority do at least something to maintain their cardiovascular conditioning. As with so many other misinformed outsiders, you make the mistake of comparing all powerlifters to the heaviest superheavyweights. And obviously those will generally partake less in aerobic activity. But as the goal in competition is not simply absolute strength but rather relative strength (for all weight classes except superheavyweights) it becomes glaringly obvious that cardiovascular work is indeed worthwhile for a powerlifter. Not to mention the benefits that increasing one's GPP (General Physical Preparedness) will have on actual training. The most blatant example of this can be gleaned from what is considered by many to be the epitome of lifting science: the good people at Westside Barbell (www.elitefts.com ) ]

Limiting your training to such incomplete range-of-motion exercises is a grave mistake.
[TRUE. But as it has just been explained to you, this is not the case.]

Joints do not like to be left insecure in a portion of their range of motion. Sooner or later that insecure portion will incur injury. Ligaments shorten and harden when limited motions are practiced for long time with heavy resistance.

[TRUE. But again: this is all based on a false premise.]

The entire neuromuscular system does not fare well with limited mobility.
[FALSE. In fact the CNS can get extremely efficient within limited (and therefore mostly fixed) ranges of motion.]

If you cannot lift from the floor to above your head as often as you bench press, squat, or deadlift you set yourself for the troubles of immobility, imbalance, frozen joints, and life-long joint injuries.

[FALSE. Any athlete who does not lift objects overhead would thus be suffering from a lifetime of injuries. Only the minute portion of humanity that lifts weights overhead as much as they squat, bench or deadlift [sic] can therefore be healthy. Real-life experience conclusively contradict this, ergo: your assumption must be wholly incorrect.]

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Yours in lifting (including overhead lifting),

Ruben

Response

1- On the quotation of "A foundation can only be flawed if the goal and the actual results do not correlate. Powerlifters DO get stronger and more powerful, so the foundation must be correct"

Physical strength and power could cause more health problems if not supplemented by flexibility exercises in proportion to the overly tightened muscles and ligaments.

2- On the quotation of " In fact the CNS can get extremely efficient within limited (and therefore mostly fixed) ranges of motion."

Limited range of motion for long duration and with heavy loading freezes joints. Frozen joints are problematic to mobility. Thus, even if the CNS wishes to use such frozen joints, the joints would not comply due to the imbalanced damage by the partial range of motion. Reference: "Orthopedic Physical Assessment" by David J. Magee, 4th edition, 2004, ISBN: 0-7216-9352-0.

3- On the quotation of " I Any athlete who does not lift objects overhead would thus be suffering from a lifetime of injuries. Only the minute portion of humanity that lifts weights overhead as much as they squat, bench or deadlift can therefore be healthy. Real-life experience conclusively contradict this, ergo: your assumption must be wholly incorrect."

The majority of humanity has to deal with moving objects in their surrounding in order to sustain living. Powerlifting is an extreme sport that emphasizes strengthening body extension with total disregard to shoulder mobility. Overhead strengthening ensures the balance of the shoulder cuff rotators and constantly challenges the over-tightened pectoral and deltoid muscles.