Powerlifting: The Sport & Its Roots
Three lifts. One total. Decades of people pushing what strength can become.
Powerlifting gives strength a clear test: the squat, bench press, and deadlift. But the sport is more than a scoreboard. Its story includes small gyms, ambitious lifters, competing ideas about training, and communities built around the barbell.
At Iron Brotherhood, that history matters. Understanding where the sport came from gives our training context—and reminds us that every new lifter joins a tradition of effort, discipline, and earned progress.
From Odd Lifts to an International Sport
Before powerlifting had a settled identity, lifters competed in assorted “odd lifts.” The familiar three-lift format emerged from that broader strength culture. In Britain, the deadlift replaced the curl in 1965, and the first British championships followed in 1966.
The 1970s — A Common Platform
A 1971 world event in York, Pennsylvania brought American and British lifters together. The International Powerlifting Federation was founded in November 1972; its first world championships followed in 1973. International competition began giving the sport a shared structure.
The 1980s — More Lifters, More Opportunities
Powerlifting appeared at the first World Games in 1981. The IPF introduced world championship drug testing in 1982, followed by junior and masters world championships in 1983.
The women’s world championship results archive begins in 1980. Women’s competition belongs at the center of this story: its athletes helped establish what the sport could become, rather than simply following a men’s tradition.
The 1990s — Equipment and International Reach
The IPF approved bench shirts in 1992, the year of its first single-lift bench press world championships. Eastern European participation helped reshape international competition; Ukraine hosted the 1998 world championships in Cherkasy.
Read the IPF historical review → · Explore the women’s results archive →
The 2000s — Training Becomes Part of the Conversation
To understand this era, look beyond individual records. Training systems, specialist gyms, equipment choices, and coaching philosophies became important parts of how lifters identified themselves. The useful question for today’s athlete is what those approaches were trying to solve: building strength, managing fatigue, improving technique, or preparing for a particular competition.
The 2010s — Classic Lifting Gets a World Stage
The IPF held its World Classic Powerlifting Cup in 2012 and World Classic Championships in 2013. Classic competition gave lifters a distinct international platform alongside equipped lifting. These are related branches of the sport, with different equipment demands and preparation.
2012 Classic Cup results → · 2013 Classic Worlds results →
The Sport Today — Know the Context Behind the Number
Meet databases, training footage, and accessible coaching resources make it possible to study the sport in detail. They also demand context. A total means more when you know the lifter’s bodyweight, division, federation, equipment, and the rules used to judge the lifts. A training clip and a competition result answer different questions.
People Who Helped Shape Powerlifting
This is a starting collection, not an all-time ranking. Champions, pioneers, coaches, and historians contribute in different ways. The sport’s story deserves more than a single greatest-lifter debate.
Terry Todd — Athlete, Historian, Builder
Todd connected competitive strength with its history. An early powerlifting champion, writer, and promoter, he helped preserve the people and ideas behind the numbers. His work with Jan Todd at the Stark Center gives future lifters a place to study strength culture instead of relying only on gym folklore.
Terry Todd at the Stark Center →
Jan Todd — Expanding What Was Possible
Jan Todd was a pioneer of women’s strength sport and a record-setting lifter. Her contributions also included coaching and organizational leadership. As a Stark Center cofounder and scholar, she helped preserve strength history while participating in it. Her career shows why athletes’ influence should be measured beyond their best total.
Larry Pacifico, Lamar Gant & Hideaki Inaba — Names to Know
All three appear in the IPF Hall of Fame. Studying lifters from different weight classes and countries broadens the picture of competitive strength. Their careers are invitations to explore the results archives, watch available competition footage, and learn how the sport looked in earlier eras.
Bev Francis & Cathy Millen — Women in the Sport’s Record
Francis and Millen are also recognized in the IPF Hall of Fame. Include women’s results and careers whenever you study powerlifting history. A complete account of the sport needs its women champions and pioneers alongside its men.
Explore the IPF Hall of Fame →
Ed Coan — A Career Worth Studying
Coan is recognized in the USPF Hall of Fame, and his competition record is available through OpenPowerlifting. For a newer lifter, the value of exploring a long career is seeing the progression across meets and years. Use actual results to anchor your understanding rather than treating every circulated gym story as a documented achievement.
USPF Hall of Fame → · Ed Coan’s competition record →
Louie Simmons — Training Ideas That Traveled
The founder of Westside Barbell in Columbus, Ohio, Simmons helped develop and spread the Westside Conjugate approach. His coaching and writing brought exercise variation and methods such as bands and chains into the wider training conversation. Study the purpose behind those tools before copying a session designed for someone else.
Louie Simmons at Westside Barbell →
Larysa Soloviova — Ukraine on the World Stage
Soloviova belongs in an international account of powerlifting. The IPF celebrated her third-place finish in the World Games’ 2021 Greatest Athlete online vote—a public recognition of her sporting career. For Iron Brotherhood, her inclusion also creates a meaningful connection to Ukraine’s place in strength sport.
The IPF’s recognition of Soloviova →
One Sport, Different Competitive Paths
Raw / classic: Generally describes lifting without supportive squat suits or bench shirts. It does not mean no equipment: belts, wrist wraps, and permitted knee support may still be part of a lifter’s setup.
Equipped: Supportive suits and shirts change the demands of the lifts. Using them well requires specific technique and practice; the equipment does not remove the need for strength.
Federations and divisions: Equipment permissions, testing policies, age categories, weigh-ins, and judging details vary. “Raw,” “classic,” and “equipped” are useful labels, but the rulebook tells you what they mean at your meet. Compare results within their actual competitive context.
Para powerlifting: This is a distinct bench-press-based discipline. It has its own competition framework and athlete eligibility; it should not be confused with a three-lift powerlifting meet.
Learn about Para powerlifting →
Three Lifts. One Total.
In a standard three-lift meet, athletes compete in the squat, bench press, and deadlift. Under IPF rules, each lift has three attempts; the best successful attempt in each contributes to the total. A lifter needs a valid result in every lift to earn a three-lift total.
Illustrative total: 150 kg squat + 100 kg bench press + 180 kg deadlift = 430 kg. Missed attempts add nothing. The goal is to demonstrate strength within the rules, not simply move the bar somehow.
The Squat — Strength Through a Full Movement
The lifter supports a barbell across the upper back, bends at the hips and knees, and stands back up. The movement develops coordinated strength through the legs and trunk while demanding balance and control under load.
On the platform: In the IPF, the hip crease must descend below the top of the knee. The lifter follows “Squat” and “Rack” commands.
Start with: A stable stance, a deliberate brace, and a depth you can control consistently. Learn to use a rack’s safeties and appropriate spotting. Build repeatable movement before chasing a maximal attempt.
The Bench Press — Pressing Strength Under Control
From a bench, the lifter lowers the bar to the chest or abdominal area and presses it back up. A useful bench setup creates stability through the whole body: your upper back, legs, grip, and bar path all contribute to a controlled press.
On the platform: IPF commands are “Start,” “Press,” and “Rack.” The bar must be motionless before the press command; contact, depth, and lockout requirements also apply.
Start with: A secure grip, a consistent touch point, and controlled lowering. Practice with safeties or a capable spotter. Learn the competition pause early if you plan to compete.
The Deadlift — From the Floor to Lockout
The lifter raises the bar from the floor to a standing position. Conventional and sumo setups use different stances, but both require the lifter to coordinate the legs, hips, back, and grip to complete the lift.
On the platform: IPF rules require an erect finish with knees locked and shoulders back. There is no start command; wait for “Down” before lowering the bar under control.
Start with: A repeatable setup, a strong brace, and a bar path close to the body. Reset between practice repetitions when needed. Choose the stance you can perform and progress consistently.
Competition examples here use IPF rules. Always read your own federation’s current rulebook before entering a meet. IPF technical rules →
Turn the History Into Your Own Training
You do not need a champion’s program to begin. You need a plan you can follow, equipment that supports safe practice, and a way to track progress. Learn the lifts, train consistently, and let your starting point determine the next step.
Choose a manageable program. Match training frequency and workload to your experience and schedule.
Record useful information. Track sets, repetitions, load, and how the work felt. Film selected sets when it helps you assess consistency.
Practice the standard. If competition interests you, train depth, pauses, commands, and controlled finishes—not only heavy weights.
Respect the long game. The best next session is one you can recover from and build upon.
Build your equipment foundation →
Strength with purpose. Know the roots. Learn the lifts. Earn your progress.