By Aaron Wolf |Staff Writer|

CSUSB will be hosting it’s annual powerlifting competition on June 2.

The event will take place from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m.

The event will take place at the CSUSB Strength and Conditioning center.

Sign up at the CSUSB Recreation and Wellness Center by June 2 at 4:00 p.m., but walk-ups are still welcome day of event.

According to Chris Saracho at the Rec Center, “I think anyone can sign up, this competition is open to basically whoever wants to come do it. We are going to be having some fun, lifting some weights, it will be cool.”

“It’s just for fun, I mean there will be a winner, but everyone is just going to come out and see whatever the best they can do is,” continued Saracho.

A powerlifting competition is made up of three parts.

The first part is the bench press. In the bench press, the participant presses weights away from their chest, using their chest and arm muscles.

The second event is the deadlift. The most basic explanation of the deadlift is an exercise in which weights are lifted off the ground to the hips, then lowered back to the ground. This exercise focuses on the shoulder muscle groups.

The third event is the squat. Squats focus on the quads, gluteal and hamstring muscles at the same time. In this exercise, just as it sounds, the participant squats towards the ground while supporting a weighted bar on their shoulders.

According to the Rec Center, “each participant will be given three attempts on bench press, deadlift, and squat to accumulate the most weight and a chance to be the Coyote Power Lifting Champion.”

According to powerliftingwatch.com, the current world record squat is 1,047 pounds.

The current world record holding bench press is 738 pounds.

The world record deadlift is 1,015 pounds.

Classically, lifting records are kept as “assisted” or “unassisted” by the use of a belt.

An unassisted lift is more impressive than an assisted one. Another way to refer to unassisted lifts is as “raw.”

The use of “assistance” such as a bench-skirt, knee wraps or a squat suit can allow a competitor to lift more weight, and it also protects them from injury.

However, this protection offers extra support making the lift easier to perform.

The roots of weightlifting competitions can be traced as far back as B.C. Greek and Roman times. There, the strength, speed and agility of the greatest warriors from the known world were tested.

Competition groups are often set by weights of competitors, with the highest weight class simply being deemed “open.”

Powerlifting is actually very popular. Former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger was once a powerlifter.

His powerlifting and bodybuilding exposure led him to roles in small budget films.

Although no formal prizes have been announced, the winner will be known as the “Coyote Powerlifting Champion.”

Contact the Rec Center at (909) 537-BFIT (2348) for more information.