Club Powerlifting at Pitt brings collaboration to an individual sport

Powerlifting is a sport that utilizes the squat, bench press and deadlift to measure an athlete’s strength. Despite its individualized nature, powerlifting has found a home at Pitt as a club. 

Club Powerlifting at Pitt is an official USAPL club and recruits new members each semester. 

Club President Al Nie, a senior neuroscience major, became interested in powerlifting in high school. 

“I started taking [powerlifting] seriously towards the end of high school,” Nie said. “I knew Pitt had a club before I came here, so pretty much as soon as I got here, I met the team, and I joined pretty much immediately.”

There are two practice times available for members to attend during the week, and a mandatory practice on Sundays, which promotes accountability for members, Nie explained.

“Every weekday, we have a practice from 8 to 10 a.m. and then 5 to 7 p.m.,” Nie said. “And then weekends, it’s 11 to 1. And this Sunday is mandatory, so the whole team is there on Sunday, but for the rest of the week, people basically go and when they’re able to.” 

Nie added that while the week is flexible, there is still a minimum number of practices undergraduate members are required to attend. 

“Although [Sunday is the] only mandatory one, we still require that you attend three during the week, and we can be flexible with that,” Nie said. “For example, if you have other obligations that prevent that from being possible, then we can accommodate that. Unless you’re a graduate student, then you can get by with just one practice [per] week.”

Claira Baldasano, a sophomore exercise science major, said that mandatory practices keep her accountable during the school year and that her teammates are there to encourage her. 

“I think specifically to attending morning practices, it gets me up and moving,” Baldasano said. “[A team member] drove me to practice this morning, and if he didn’t, I probably would not have gone until this afternoon, and I would have hated it.”

There are various competitions available to members throughout the season. Baldasano competed in nationals with another female member of the club and reflected on how camaraderie is beneficial in competitions. 

“It was just me and another girl competing at nationals in September,” Baldasano said. “Her being there, and having someone else and the local team that was spotting be there just to support you made you want to do better because you had your teammates there.”

Due to the competitive nature, Powerlifting Club requires members to do one meet per season, although there are exceptions for this.

“We require people do one meet per calendar year. But again, with the sport, injuries are an unfortunate reality that plagues a lot of people,”  Nie said. “So especially considering that, it’s not like a super hard requirement.”

The Powerlifting Club Instagram features goals the members have for the school year. These goals related to both powerlifting and academic. Sophomore political science major Matt Fagan said he believes this is a testament to the community of the team. 

“I remember one of [my goals] was lifting related, and one of them wasn’t lifting related,” Fagan said. “One of the goals that I put on there is I wanted to deadlift 500 by the end of the semester. And the other goal I had was the Dean’s List. And I think maybe that kind of speaks to another aspect of the team.”

”Because you have everybody from freshmen to seniors to grad students, not only do you get great powerlifting advice from people that have been in the sport longer than you, but you also get academic and life advice,” Fagan said. 

Club Powerlifting at Pitt provides resources not normally available to the average lifter. This includes equipment and coaching opportunities, which Nie argues attract students to the club. 

“One thing that I think is really nice about the team as well … is the team environment and also the equipment, because we have thousands of dollars of our own equipment,” Nie said, “But also coaching, because in the past few years, it’s become much more common for members on the team, like senior members on the team, or even younger members, to coach other members. And I think that has been one of the best developments in our teams.”

Baldasano said that coaching is an important aspect of the team. 

“I’ve had the same coach for a year, and I’ve seen dramatically my lifting increase, and I’ve also started programming for other people, and just being surrounded by both ends of it just makes you a more well-rounded lifter and also person,” Baldasano said. “Because you have to adapt to not only your own needs but also, if you’re coaching someone else, learn about their needs. And I think that just makes you a better person and makes you enjoy the gym experience and the sport.”

Nie believes teamwork is built through the team environment and special opportunities that Club Powerlifting at Pitt offers. Nie explained how coaching has improved the club in many ways since he joined.

“I’ve been here since I was a freshman, so I’ve been here quite some time. [Coaching has] been one of the best developments, because not only does it increase the cohesiveness of the team, but it also helps people get the guidance they need when they’re a beginner, and it helps the level of our club. If you look at the quality of lifters we have, [it] has increased very dramatically,” Nie said. “Part of that is the sport growing as a whole, but another part of that is every member on the team, with maybe a few exceptions of the new ones, has a coach, which is far superior to working on an online program.”