How come there are more short people and women in powerlifting than in strongman?

[24skiddidle]

i doubt it's because of atlas stone (for short people)... i know i'm coming across as an idiot but i'm curious why short people and teh wiminz are more likely to be powerlifters than strongmen/ women...

[Black_Spit]

I think powerlifting just has a lot more overall competitors, so it's more likely to have average people competing in it in general.

[Heavy_Beats]

i doubt it's because of atlas stone (for short people)... i know i'm coming across as an idiot but i'm curious why short people and teh wiminz are more likely to be powerlifters than strongmen/ women...

Weight classes. /end thread

[Kemo1990]

define short?

[Black_Spit]

Weight classes. /end thread

I thought there were weight classes in strongman?

[racketteer]

Weight classes. /end thread

there are weight classes in strong man though. not nearly as many but they are still there. I think height and the leverage it provides for strongman style lifts is probably a bigger factor.

[GuinnessStrong]

Stones suck for us little guys but I think an issue may be that lightweight doesn't get a lot of press so there aren't many people my size competing. We all picture Strongman being for Brian Shaws etc not thick little people. I actually thought it was awesome that the guy who won heavies at my first comp was only a few inches taller than me (but like 100+ lbs more). Gave me hope.

[csday924]

Weight classes are the only reason. Stones suck too but it is mostly weight.

[Nikonguy]

I'm gonna go with: "Because there are more people interested in competing in, and able to train for powerlifting". Strongman is more fun to watch but powerlifting competitions are more accessible to most people.

[MattIsBored]

I'm gonna go with: "Because there are more people interested in competing in, and able to train for powerlifting". Strongman is more fun to watch but powerlifting competitions are more accessible to most people.

^ Exactly my reason. I'd personally love to fool around with Strongman lifts and exercises, it's just not feasible due to lack of resources.

[Nikonguy]

I forgot to mention that powerlifting has actual midgets who compete which is kind of cool. Strongman=giants.

[allergic2rice]

lulz can't imagine a manlet doing stones

[Ka0s]

same reason basketball has more tall people than powerlifting

[austin.j.taylor]

I believe it comes down to access to training. Areas of the country that have strongman style training facilities or implements have a lot more strongmen. You can train powerlifting at any gym that has a squat rack, bar, plates, and a bench.


There is a midget on this site who does both and he is pretty good at both styles of lifting.

[BIG_FAT_SLAPPER]

...because short people have less ROM making the lifts easier for powerlifting due to less work.

In Strongman you pull a truck for a certain distance all doing the same amount of work. Same for pretty much all events. The tall guys dominate events where everyone has to do same amount of work. Plus deadlift is always in Strongman events and rarely squats.

IMO powerlifting should be done by height rather than weight to make it more fair. Then again I think powerlifting has been messed with way too much as it is.

[24skiddidle]

lulz can't imagine a manlet doing stones

he can lift it above his head

i remember there was this blond english strongman who was 5'8" or 5'9" (can't remember his name) who would lift the atlas stones above his head to complete them, twas very impressive

I believe it comes down to access to training. Areas of the country that have strongman style training facilities or implements have a lot more strongmen. You can train powerlifting at any gym that has a squat rack, bar, plates, and a bench.

yeah that makes sense i guess

but i think anyone who's dedicated enough to compete in powerlifting meets and take the sport seriously can be equally dedicated to fashion a makeshift yoke or log don't you think...

...because short people have less ROM making the lifts easier for powerlifting due to less work.

In Strongman you pull a truck for a certain distance all doing the same amount of work. Same for pretty much all events. The tall guys dominate events where everyone has to do same amount of work. Plus deadlift is always in Strongman events and rarely squats.

IMO powerlifting should be done by height rather than weight to make it more fair. Then again I think powerlifting has been messed with way too much as it is.

sorry i don't understand your argument... why would a tall guy dominate an event where everyone has to do the same amount of work... and why should powerlifting be classified by height rather than weight... for some powerlifts being tall sucks whereas for others it's advantageous but being heavy is advantageous for all the powerlifts... so in that vein it's my opinion that it's fair that it's classified by weight rather than height... also being tall or short isn't always relative to your limb length although it usually is...

[KodiakClaw]

It makes sense to me, diet and training can let you lose/add weight at will. Height is out of your control. A 6' tall stick doesn't *have* to be a 6' tall stick, any more than a 6' tall obese man has to be obese, its ****ty diet that make you skinny as hell or fat as hell, change the way you eat and train and your mass changes with it.

On the other hand, you can't get taller or shorter with diet and training.

[csday924]

There is a midget on this site who does both and he is pretty good at both styles of lifting.

lol I'm gunna find this midget.

[24skiddidle]

It makes sense to me, diet and training can let you lose/add weight at will. Height is out of your control. A 6' tall stick doesn't *have* to be a 6' tall stick, any more than a 6' tall obese man has to be obese, its ****ty diet that make you skinny as hell or fat as hell, change the way you eat and train and your mass changes with it.

On the other hand, you can't get taller or shorter with diet and training.

what the hell are you on about...

[DanielEver]

bigger = stronger.

that's about it.

[BIG_FAT_SLAPPER]

My point is, a 6ft 8 person does more work than a 5ft 8 person in powerlifting...for the obvious reason of that he is taller, plus generally the taller you are the longer your limbs are compared to your body.
Work = f x d...f obviously being weight in lifting.

Now when you pull a 20 tonne truck for 50m's...everyone does the same amount of work, same for stone lifting, tyre flipping, dragging the lot.

So when the amount of work done is equal for the athletes(which is most strongman events), the taller guys dominate because they are stronger.

Powerlifting is a short stocky guys sport really considering the work advantage and plus having weight classes.Then to add to that the manlets realised the tall guys was still beating them in deadlift and their less ROM wasn't enough, so we will cut it out even more by allowing sumo(which isn't allowed in strongman). If you did it by height everyone would basically do the same amount of work. But I do agree it makes it a more closely competed comp when in weight categories. But for being a fairer comp, height is better.

[untranslated]

Weight classes. /end thread

This is why i dont compete.... and im not gaining to 100kg just to i can.... I heard they are starting new weightclasses in USA for 74kg i believe... But yeah atlas stones at kinda hard to lift if you as essentially having to military press it. Also Strongest man thing is just that, people are more interested in the maxes, 70kg guy military pressing 140kg, vs 140kg guy pressing 250kg... its definitely more a crowd sport for the average joe.

[untranslated]

My point is, a 6ft 8 person does more work than a 5ft 8 person in powerlifting...for the obvious reason of that he is taller, plus generally the taller you are the longer your limbs are compared to your body.
Work = f x d...f obviously being weight in lifting.

Now when you pull a 20 tonne truck for 50m's...everyone does the same amount of work, same for stone lifting, tyre flipping, dragging the lot.

So when the amount of work done is equal for the athletes(which is most strongman events), the taller guys dominate because they are stronger.

Powerlifting is a short stocky guys sport really considering the work advantage and plus having weight classes.Then to add to that the manlets realised the tall guys was still beating them in deadlift and their less ROM wasn't enough, so we will cut it out even more by allowing sumo(which isn't allowed in strongman). If you did it by height everyone would basically do the same amount of work. But I do agree it makes it a more closely competed comp when in weight categories. But for being a fairer comp, height is better.

....This.... im some of what you say is true but i hate tall guys always bitching how hard it is for them to lift weights compared to us "short limb" short guys. Like you said we stocky.... why ???? maybe its cuz we train our ass off to become that way i was 60kg with very little muscle and 15% bodyfat, so i trained my ass off now im 70kgs with 11%. And my tall friend did the same and we pressing about the same when you factor in our bodyweight. And as for strongman, the weight is equal for the athletes ? I think youll find that a 130kg guy pulling a 13 Ton truck is pulling 100 times his bw, a 70kg guy will be pulling 200 times. They dont scale down the weight for a 120kg Strongman if hes competing against a 140kg strongman, they use the same weights ?. So a taller man also generally will have a higher total muscle mass, since hes muscles are bigger and stronger. Or have you seen a 5'4"| guy that weighs 130kg without being morbidly obese.

[DanielEver]

....This.... im some of what you say is true but i hate tall guys always bitching how hard it is for them to lift weights compared to us "short limb" short guys. Like you said we stocky.... why ???? maybe its cuz we train our ass off to become that way i was 60kg with very little muscle and 15% bodyfat, so i trained my ass off now im 70kgs with 11%. And my tall friend did the same and we pressing about the same when you factor in our bodyweight. And as for strongman, the weight is equal for the athletes ? I think youll find that a 130kg guy pulling a 13 Ton truck is pulling 100 times his bw, a 70kg guy will be pulling 200 times. They dont scale down the weight for a 120kg Strongman if hes competing against a 140kg strongman, they use the same weights ?. So a taller man also generally will have a higher total muscle mass, since hes muscles are bigger and stronger. Or have you seen a 5'4"| guy that weighs 130kg without being morbidly obese.

honestly, i don't understand what's your problem.

strongman doesn't have weight classes (mainstream federations), any scaling is against the very idea of such competition. besides, weighing more doesn't necessary indicate being stronger as any additional weight might turn out to be fat.

in some limited exercises it's true that lifting is easier for short guys at some point but if we take a look at all time recodrs, the vast majority of them are set by tall guys (not the tallest of all) and there's a reason for it.

[untranslated]

honestly, i don't understand what's your problem.

strongman doesn't have weight classes (mainstream federations), any scaling is against the very idea of such competition. besides, weighing more doesn't necessary indicate being stronger as any additional weight might turn out to be fat.

in some limited exercises it's true that lifting is easier for short guys at some point but if we take a look at all time recodrs, the vast majority of them are set by tall guys (not the tallest of all) and there's a reason for it.

So i guess you have the same problem as me, since you are agreeing with what im saying. Tall guys complain that short guys have it easier, when they dont. Read again. And scaling isnt against the idea of strongman comps. Only against 'Worlds Strongest Man" comps, which is a competition to find the strongest man on earth...... no per kg of bw.

[Kharvok]

My point is, a 6ft 8 person does more work than a 5ft 8 person in powerlifting...for the obvious reason of that he is taller, plus generally the taller you are the longer your limbs are compared to your body.
Work = f x d...f obviously being weight in lifting.

Now when you pull a 20 tonne truck for 50m's...everyone does the same amount of work, same for stone lifting, tyre flipping, dragging the lot.

So when the amount of work done is equal for the athletes(which is most strongman events), the taller guys dominate because they are stronger.

Powerlifting is a short stocky guys sport really considering the work advantage and plus having weight classes.Then to add to that the manlets realised the tall guys was still beating them in deadlift and their less ROM wasn't enough, so we will cut it out even more by allowing sumo(which isn't allowed in strongman). If you did it by height everyone would basically do the same amount of work. But I do agree it makes it a more closely competed comp when in weight categories. But for being a fairer comp, height is better.

This exactly. It is this reason that i was able to beat people in strongman who had been lifting for years and had much higher raw lifts than me.... and repped

[Doollas]

OP: "Women do not equal people."

[lhprop1]

i remember there was this blond english strongman who was 5'8" or 5'9" (can't remember his name) who would lift the atlas stones above his head to complete them, twas very impressive

If he was blonde, it was probably Darren Sadler. Stumpy Raynes was even shorter. He was 5'5".

[BIG_FAT_SLAPPER]

Stumpy Raynes has got utterly ridiculous calves.

[lhprop1]

Stumpy Raynes has got utterly ridiculous calves.

He also has little t-rex arms that don't fit around the Husafell stone.