disabled athletes benching 500!

[silver_shadow]

i was watching the commonwealth games on tv today. this is the first time i've seen disabled athletes compete in regular games - kudos to the aussies for thinking this up... the other day they had sprinting events for these guys and today they had powerlifting which was basically a benchpress comp.
these guys all had some problem with their legs, i'm guessing polio for a number of them, some were on crutches, some in wheelchairs and some could walk but on thin deformed legs... you get the picture. so they had a special bench - under the torso, it was the regular width and from waist downwards it was wider and longer so that the lifter would be entirely flat on the bench. then they were strapped down around the waist. bear in mind these guys can't use leg drive, nor can they train legs. no DLs, squats, powercleans, high pulls etc. there was this canadian lifter at a body weight of around 80 kgs (176lbs) who benched 185 kgs (407 lbs). he attempted 192.5 kgs (423.5lbs). the bar went up - if he was benching in the gym that lift could have been counted, but it was disallowed. there was this aussie who benched 227.5 kgs (500.5 lbs) at a body weight of 119 kgs (262 lbs). this guy won the silver medal.
those numbers are pretty fucking impressive....

 

[deeder]

That's pretty awesome.

 

[b fold the truth]

Been watching a lot of the games there. Saw the swimming the other day. A guy with one arm one his division and there was a blind guy in his class as well.

I train kids in the gym with both mental and physical dis-ABILITIES. They crack me up a lot but their progress is both challenging and amazingly rewarding. I have one 13 year old who brings a key with him every day to "start" the stationary bicycle. It wouldn't be so funny if he didn't make the "vroom vroom" sounds when it "starts". They work hard though. Front squats, bench, overhead press, pull downs, pulley rows. All heart...