Why can’t we all get along?
For whatever purposes, this is totally 100% about the POOL league.
Why do I want to abolish it? I don’t. But let’s get into the issues I have with it and maybe powerlifting as a whole. I promise I will play devil’s advocate here too and address equipped lifting so don’t get too bent out of shape right off the bat. This article is written more like a quick rambling of thoughts so I apologize if tone or topic shifts happen abruptly.
The shirts started out as a joke amongst my friend group, we had seen a similar idea online somewhere. I ordered one for myself off Custom Ink, of all places, then people saw it in a post online and asked where I had gotten it from. They then asked to me make more. It was truly that simple. This all happened back circa 2018. Since then I have done random runs of them when demand knocks on my DM’s enough to warrant me spending the time to do so. I have had many athletes compete in the “league” and continue to take on any clients who do.
I am happy the “league” exists. I want to say that first. It’s a very accessible place with a low barrier to entry. That’s awesome. It gets a lot of people involved in the sport. And while I truly do not think this sport is for everyone, I think everyone should be able to try it.
I think the biggest issue with the “league” is more so related to that side of the sport in general—there is a hard to define sect of raw powerlifting lifetime intermediates who seem to have really strong opinions and really weak totals. Not that strength levels dictate anything much other than placing but I cannot look beyond my inherent bias of trusting stronger people’s opinions more at face value. At the time, and maybe now too (I don’t pay attention much over there anymore), there was this constant air of pretentiousness as alluded to in the previous sentence. “I’m better than you because I compete in this fed” is a lame ass thing to say but that was the vibe. People thought, and maybe still think, their shit doesn’t stink. [No, not everyone. There are certainly always exceptions.]
In addition to that there was always a sense of “drug free is better”. And I don’t adhere to that. I say this in the nicest-I-am-happy-you’re-involved-way possible, I cannot spend an entire day watching supra-242 grown men squat less than 400lb. at a local meet. I’d rather eat glass. The litmus test I currently use is: did I tear my pec incline benching more weight than you are squatting? Yes? Okay, NEXT. Drug free powerlifting has some truly incredible things happening in in it. Oftentimes even more impressive than the untested side. But the top lifters aren’t sitting there with their noses in the air. They understand that hard work is hard work and getting to the top 10, 5, or even better, 1 percent is impressive no matter where it’s happening. It’s the bottom 75% who like to chirp the most though. [No, I don’t think the top tested lifters are sneaking by drug tests, I think they’re just freaks.]
Next, the spotting was regularly horrendous. Not just as local meets but even on the national stage back then. It’s still regularly subpar but it has gotten better—at least I think. Maybe, I just don’t pay attention as much. But back then it was truly egregious. And that cannot happen. Equipped powerlifting does have a pretty good lock on this side of things because sh*t can go wrong very quickly and meet directors understand that and actually plan for it. They don’t recruit local high schoolers to do the spotting either (see old guy in red shirt shrugging meme).
I think a greater issue with the safety is that we also have equipment that is now just inherently safer than a rickety ER rack but for some reason we can’t adopt and adapt that to help improve safety at these meets. It’s just kind of awkward that we are intentionally not tightening up the safety. It doesn’t change the bad spotting but having a setup with maybe safety straps or something as a secondary measure might be a good first step. Even the NFL pretends to care about player safety by loosely redesigning helmets every few years claiming that will be the thing that stops CTE. We’ve had this other equipment for decades. Let’s modernize our approach a little.
The “league” was also awkwardly expensive, probably still is but I haven’t had to deal with it since then so I’m not sure. It came with the normal membership fees (totally fine) and then that year I was traveling to nationals with a lifter and I had to sign up for a membership myself as a coach and also agree to possible drug testing as well at the time…? Just weird. And the people on the inside will say “that’s just how it always is!” Buddy, I don’t care. That’s doing too much. The featured picture above is from THAT nationals. I believe that was the same year a high level lifter tried a hardcore water cut, tried to recomp by drinking a bottle of soy sauce, and ended up in the hospital shortly after as a result. (See red shirt guy meme again). And while we’re here, don’t you dare wear an unapproved T-shirt or knee sleeves that haven’t paid the $$$$$$ fee to be “approved”. Stop putting up unnecessary barriers to entry.
I know you’ll have your counter arguments for these things, I don’t care.
The meets, at least all the local ones I’ve been to, have been the most docile environments in the world. That thing I said above about grown men squatting 400lb. or less, imagine you have to watch that AND listen to Jethro Tull all day now. Gouge my eyes out. And to clarify, that doesn’t make what they’re doing as athletes in the sport any less (or more) important than anyone else. It’s just boring and I am giving you my opinion. It’s quite literally the same reason I don’t watch golf. You mean I am supposed to just sit and watch grown men dressed in pastels walk around on grass all day?
It’s just a big mix of stuff that all sat funky with me then (and now, I just care less). Some of it has improved. The national level meets I’ve seen, and have happened to be at, have improved production value for sure. The spotting has gotten better but still continues to have hiccups (as expected anywhere though!)…see suggestion for better equipment above... That’s about it as far as I can see though. But I don’t get too close these days. “League” lifters tend to shy away from conjugate training and I have some very specific thoughts on why that I’ll share in another article sometime later. I have no need to get close and I’m okay with that but I will absolutely take on lifters in that “league” if they want!
Now, devil’s advocate time. Equipped powerlifting is not without its own issues. It’s the most ooga booga caveman part of this sport after all. You wanna feel good about yourself when taking to people who have no clue? Throw band shirt on and tell your coworkers that you bench 600lb. They will think you’re a god. Stolen valor! At least do it in poly.
Equipped lifting is pretty fractured. We have groups here and there and nobody seems to get along consistently enough for everyone to come together amicably. I thought when the WPO came back we almost had it but ego’s soared too high and shortly after so did squats. Now the equipped meet landscape looks oftentimes something like a Bumfights video. Mostly pseudo-backyard meets with wild or nonexistent standards, …but I’ll be honest. I’ll take that over the lackluster placid hospital waiting room vibe of the other side. The WWE-esque vibe of a bunch of dudes who hate cardio in Westside t-shirts who think they’re tough because they can handle a tight knee wrap is at least a fun thing to be around even if the liniment burns my eyes. (Side note: aside from powerlifting just generally being boring to watch to a spectator who has never competed, these people (the Westside cosplayers) are also probably a big reason why it will never be in the Olympics. They provide a Wild West in the sport that will never go away.) There are however really great meets being put on by really great people that span raw and equipped and I’ve found that the community that extends into these specific events has been the most wildly fun and supportive out of any corner of the sport I’ve experienced. Ohio may not have much going on but they DO have that.
The main point here is that nobody has got it totally figured out. The shirts were and continue to be a joke poking fun at an easy target. If you find yourself getting offended over it, remember most people who do this sport do it as a hobby and most of them won’t ever make it to meet #2. Don’t forget to laugh at yourself and train harder. I refuse to take myself too seriously and I suggest you figure out how to do the same.
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