A strength sport consisting of three competitive lifts - squat, bench press, and deadlift - where athletes attempt to lift the maximum weight possible in each movement, with the goal of achieving the highest total.
Compound from 'power' (Old French 'pooir' meaning ability) and 'lifting' (Old Norse 'lypta'). Powerlifting emerged in the 1950s as a distinct sport from Olympic weightlifting, focusing on pure strength rather than explosive technique, with the first official championships held in 1964.
Powerlifting is nicknamed 'the purest strength sport' because unlike strongman or Olympic lifting, it strips away all variables except raw strength - just you, the bar, and gravity, testing the absolute limits of human muscular force!
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