In the sport of Powerlifting, lifters will talk a lot, call other lifters, and do everything they can to be the strongest dog on the block, but in this sport it’s the numbers that really count. This also applies when it comes to respect. Many of the younger, inexperienced lifters come into the sport with a lack of respect for other lifters. Maybe because of their inexperience or maybe because of their age or because of the drive they have to make a name for themselves.

In August of 2007, I was preparing for a meeting when I was asked to come over and help out with the 2nd Annual Byrd Memorial Powerlifting & Bench Press competition being held in Lake City. I told the competition coordinator that it would help, but that I needed to do my last day of squats before my own competition. He said it would be fine for me to squat with his competitors while they warmed up for their flights, as long as I helped him out after he was done. I agreed and did exactly that.

The Byrd Memorial meet was an American Powerlifting Federation (APF) sanctioned meet, which meant they were using a monolift to squat and multi-layered lifting gear was allowed. Even though monolifting and multi-layer equipment was allowed, Buddy Duke, a trainer and gym owner in Adel, Georgia, assembled a team that comprised all single-layer lifters, most of whom were they were between 20 and 30 years old and new. to Sport Buddy is the Georgia State President of the United States Powerlifting Federation (USPF) and every year he hosts the Southeastern Cup in Adel. The USPF is a single layer team federation that does not use a monolift, instead carrying the weight of the squat. My team and I had been competing in the Buddy competition for years until we started multi-layer gear. Even though the Byrd Memorial meet was an APF meet, he brought his team so they would have some experience of the competition. All of his lifers dropped their weight and wore their single-layer gear.

In the warm up room, we had some lifters wearing the jumpsuit and some walking with the weight. As for me, I was lifting raw (not equipment) only working up to middleweight because it was my last day of squatting before my next meet. All the other lifters were teaming up and competing so I did squats in between each of their warm ups and when I wasn’t squatting I was working on the monolift to help them out. It became too hard to tell who was doing what, so I would ask each lifter as they went up to warm up if they were walking or needed me to go up the monolift level.

One of Buddy’s younger lifters came up to the bar to do his last warm up, around 365 lbs., when I said, “Do you need me to pull…” I stopped and looked at him realizing he was one of Buddy’s and quickly said, “…no, that’s right, you’re losing the weight.” His response to me, with the biggest chip anyone could have on his shoulder, was “I’m a one layer lifter, I walk with my weight.” I was about to reply, but luckily I was calm enough to stop myself: “You little idiot, who do you think you’re talking to? My lighter squat days are heavier than any weight you can imagine putting on your back.” most of Adel’s lifters had the same splinters on their shoulders. For whatever reason, single-layered lifters, especially younger ones, have an attitude of superiority when it comes to multi-layered lifters. What they don’t realize is that most experienced multi-layer lifters started out just like them with single-layer gear.

I told my friends what had happened and the attitudes Buddy lifters had. Rather than have words with his lifters, my friends said there was a better way to get the splinters off these guys’ shoulders. We decided to go to Adel for the Southeast Cup and let our numbers knock on the door. It was decided that three of us would don our single-layered gear again and prepare for the match. It was the first single-layer meeting we’d done in at least four years. It was actually a nice change of pace from what we had been doing. Sure our numbers wouldn’t be the same, but the point of the meeting was to show these guys a thing or two.

At Buddy’s meeting, his team was there and our guys were ready. We reached numbers that these guys had never seen in the gym or in competition. By the end of the meeting, we had achieved what we had set out to do. They were humble to say the least, but to our surprise, we did a little more than throw chips and straighten egos. We had done something we didn’t expect, WE WERE INSPIRED! The guys who had their most powerful attitudes, just two months earlier, were so impressed with our uprising that they started congratulating us, asking us questions, shaking hands, and in some cases, wanting photos with us. I must add that I was the youngest and least experienced of our three lifters at the age of 39 with nine years competing in the sport.

It’s funny how your numbers can speak for you. That day, numbers from some older, experienced lifters showed a group of younger, inexperienced lifters the meaning of respect.

Also all the younger inexperienced lifters; don’t be disrespectful to others just because they don’t compete with the same lifting team or federation as you. You don’t know his background in the sport and you might be surprised how Adel’s team did. For all experienced lifters, it’s your job to help develop, inspire and motivate younger and less experienced lifters to do their best.

And for everyone, being good at what you do also means being humble and respectful. That’s the only way to earn respect in this sport.