Ohio State Rec Sports and the Ohio State Powerlifting Club are hosting the fourth annual Push-Pull competition on Nov. 20. Credit: Sara Stacy | Lantern reporter
Both veteran and novice Ohio State powerlifters will have the opportunity to show off their strength in the fourth annual Push-Pull Powerlifting competition on Sunday at Jesse Owens North. OSU Rec Sports and the OSU Powerlifting Club are hosting the event.
Unlike a traditional powerlifting meet, which has three events, competitors will be performing a deadlift and a bench press. Alycia Israel, adviser of the OSU Powerlifting Club, and Rec Sports personal coordinator said each participant has three total attempts at bench press and at deadlift to win the weight class. The overall results are calculated with a bodyweight coefficient, which compares the amount of weight lifted to the competitor’s body weight.
There will be awards for winners in each weight class and for the female and male overall winners.
The OSU Powerlifting Club also hosts a full powerlifting meet in the spring, which along with the deadlift and bench press, competitors also compete in the squat. Israel said the Powerlifting Club hopes competitors in this event participate in the event in the spring.
“We have the push-pull in the fall, and in February we have the full meet. And as you’re gaining interest hopefully you do both of those and then their actual meets and collegiate nationals kind of lead up until April,” she said.
Lifters do not have to be a member of the Powerlifting Club to participate in the push-pull competition or in the full meet in the spring, and registration is open to any Ohio State student or anyone with a rec sports membership. Registration will cap once it reaches 50 participants.
Matthew Casturo, a fourth-year in exercise science, has been helping run the event as a rec sports employee for the past two years. And he said his favorite part of the competition is the motivation and encouragement from all of the competitors.
“I like to hear whenever people are about to make a lift people get really amped up cheering people on,” he said. “Other lifters cheer each other on even though they’re in competition.”
Competitors can bring along friends or family members for support during the competition as well.
According to Casturo, lifters often return every year just to compete in a more fun, relaxed setting than a traditional meet.
“Usually once people do it once they stick with it until graduation, so there’s a lot of people that have been doing it for two, three four years,” he said. “There’s actually a lot of lifters that compete competitively and do this one just for a fun, practice kind of thing.”
The Push-Pull Powerlifting competition will take place Sunday, November 20th at Jesse Owens North and will begin at 10 a.m. Registration is on the Rec Sports website.
