Lifters compete in the first meet of the season on Jan. 24.

With the beginning of the new powerlifting season, Legacy powerlifter junior Caleb Waugh and his teammates practice each weekday from three to four to prepare themselves for the competition they will face in 2013.

Lake Ridge hosted the first powerlifting competition of the season on Jan. 28.  The competition served as practice to get the Mansfield teams prepared for this year.

“I’m feeling good about it,” Waugh said. “All the veteran lifters lifted more than usual and that’s always a good sign.”

Powerlifting consists of three events: bench press, deadlift and squat. The three events each require a different set of muscles. Bench press works the shoulders, the triceps, the abdominal muscles, and the biceps. The deadlift strengthens the back muscles and squatting works the leg muscles the most.

“I don’t have a favorite event, but pound for pound I’m weakest in dead lift and strongest in bench,” Waugh said.

Each competitor is placed against other lifters in their weight class. When a certain weight mark is passed by a competitor, they move up to a new weight class and take on new challengers. Each lifter is weighed at the beginning of every meet. Those who threaten to pass the limit weight class take part in procedures in an attempt to manipulate their weight.

“We stand people on their head for a minute to make them weigh less,” Waugh said. “But don’t ask me how that works.”

Waugh and other competitors compete in powerlifting practice at the beginning of the season, Mon.-Thurs. after school. Lifters who compete in other sports usually lift year-round in order to keep in shape when the season starts.

“Theoretically, I’m practicing all year,” Waugh said.

Waugh practices often in order to achieve a goal set by his father, Legacy science teacher and coach, Richard Waugh.

“My dad wants me to bench press 450 pounds by the end of the year. I’m at 335 pounds right now,” Waugh said, “So I’ve got a lot of work to do.”

With these goals in mind, Waugh continues to acknowledge the infinite challenges lying before him that can be achieved through powerlifting.

“You can never be perfect at it,” Waugh said. “No matter what you can lift, there’s always bigger weights.”