Three days of screaming and yelling, some blood and lots of sweat. That pretty much summarizes the International Powerlifting Association's World Championships in Columbus, Ohio, Nov. 15-17, 2001. The strongest people in the universe were there, moving the cold steel. Only 12 men have ever squatted 1,000 pounds, and 10 of them were in Columbus competing to be named the world's strongest. Nearly a thousand lifters from all over the globe were competing for world records and personal records. Chuck Vogelpul, weighing only 220 pounds, squatted 1,000 pounds. It is more amazing to see guys like Larry Fagan, age 60, pulling a 600-pound deadlift at a 198-pound body weight; lifters as old as 80 competed at this event.
Chiropractic was there, keeping all the spines straight. Zahir Sherazee, DC (Life College), and myself (Palmer College) were the two exhausted physicians taking care of the athletes. (I'd also like to thank Chuck Price, DC, for his help.)
It is no easy task to adjust these behemoths, since doing side posture on most of these athletes feels like you are climbing on top of a large tree lying on its side and trying to rip the bark off of it. No doubt that adjusting upwards of over 200 patients a day can be quite physical, especially when most of the patients lift cars for fun (and you think I am joking). Take a second and draw an image in your mind of men who wear size 80 jackets and measure 50 inches shoulder to shoulder. Most people just stare, others just run away; I usually just laugh.
Being mindful of the size of these people, I think drop tables are nice. The major problem with most powerlifters is a sacral apex, a result of sitting down on a hard surface, commonly known as a box squat, with 600-800 pounds on their backs. I told you we're insane.
Chiropractic takes a major role in the lives of most powerlifters. An average lifting day involves lifting over a 100 tons of weight. All that weight takes a toll on the body (what do you think I am doing in this profession?).
If you want to work a powerlifting meet, you should first understand the sport. People ask me what it takes to lift these huge amounts. I always answer: "Hard, heavy lifting, lots of good food, lots of rest and lots of insanity." Let's face it, you have to be a little short of a full stack to climb under the kind of weights that we do.
If you treat a powerlifter, telling him not to lift is not going to go over very well. Learn to lift, listen to the lifter and they will work with you for life-long friendships. When working a powerlifting meet, make sure you are very comfortable in serious medical situations or, better yet, invite other medical personal to cover the event with you. You will have 90 percent of the athletes seeing you, and it proves to be a good lesson for the medical doctor. I had two orthopedics on call for this past event, and anticipate having over 150 MDs and DOs under my supervision during the Arnold Fitness Expo in February of 2002.
One last thing: Get a table that can handle the weight. Alan Gale from KMED, Columbus, Ohio was kind enough to donate some equipment to the event. Trust me, I have broken some portable tables. If you want me to endorse your table let me know.
It never ceases to amaze me how chiropractic is welcomed or banned, depending where you are. Powerlifters pretty much worship chiropractic. Lou Simmon's, founder of Westside Barbell and the most recognized name in the sport, freely wears his "Chiropractic Works" shirts everywhere. Powerlifting is a wide open sport and very thankful of chiropractic support.
If you are interested in helping cover a powerlifting event in your area, you can email me; I will be happy to connect you with officials in your area. You can also directly contact the World Powerlifting Conference/Association, International Powerlifting Association, American Powerlifting Federation, and a host of others.
Want more information? Try these links:
www.GotSportsDoctor.com
www.elitefts.com
www.westside-barbell.com
www.nasa-sports.com
www.nasa-sports.com - For our Canadian friends
http://worldpowerliftingcongress.com
http://usapowerlifting.com
www.cleanpoweronline.com
www.powermagonline.com
Powerlifting Magazines: PowerMag & Ironman are excellent.
Muscle and Fitness, Powerlifting USA, and Planet Muscle are also good magazines for those with a more general interest.
David Ryan,DC
Columbus, Ohio
dtrryan@aol.com
