To Shirt Or Not To Shirt submitted by Shawn Lyte of BMF Sports
I was going through my blogs and found this entry from May 23, 2005. I thought I'd share it with my fellow Iron Warriors.
To Shirt Or Not To Shirt....
If external gear is your preference, use it.
If internal gear is your preference, use it.
Who gives a crap? The name of the game is powerlifting, PERIOD!
If you like something, like it and be happy.
If not, simply leave it alone.
Isn't it typically stated that powerlifting is you competing against yourself or your previous numbers? Then worry about your own lifts, not the next guy's.
Can I bench what Kennelly does? No, and I don't care to.
Can I squat what Goggins does? No, and I don't care to.
Can I deadlift what Bolton does? No, and I don't care to.
Similarly, can they excel at the things at which I excel? I doubt it and doubt that they even care to.
I'm 37 and have been lifting raw since age 11, and I have no lifting or training related joint degradation or other problems. None of my trainees, training partners, teammates or athletes have developed or acquired joint or other disorders or anomalies from raw lifting either and we range in age from 13 to 72. Appropriate and comprehensive training and nutrition are mandatory and it's no secret that many Powerlifters do not observe and/or accept that protocol.
Just because injuries happen to some who've lifted raw doesn't mean they will happen to all. We're not flies on one another's walls to see how the other trains, eats and lives. Likewise, none of us is going to offer a detailed autobiography (complete with authentic psychological profile performed by a panel of qualified and unbiased professionals) to explain, clarify and staunchly support our respective positions and beliefs.
Powerlifting is something I do. Powerlifting is not who I am. It is merely an activity within one's life, not life itself or the defining or dominant significance therein. If it is, then one really needs to step outside their ego-shell and examine their mind, emotions, spirituality, motivations and reasons for continuing their existence.
There is life when the gyms are closed, no events are in progress, no one is around to try and impress in misguided efforts of capturing glory or mothers' or fathers' approval that one may feel was denied in their younger days.
If external gear is your preference, use it.
