My partner (the LTR) is a competitive powerlifter. In fact, he won the silver in his weight class at the Gay Games in Chicago last summer and set the bench press record in his weight class in Virginia last year. Yes, I'm proud!
He's gearing up for a competition later this winter and I'm reminded of the first competition I went to with him in Savannah, GA.
To say that testosterone is ozing off the walls would be no exaggeration. The competitors sniff amonia before a lift (at first I thought everyone was doing poppers). After a lift they lunge up to their buddies and they thump each other's chests as they shout "huh!" Because their singlets are so tight they have to put talcum powder on their bodies to get them on so as they chest-thump clouds of "smoke" seem to smoulder off their bodies.
The LTR doesn't engage in any of these theatrics (although he has a whole "bench positioning ceremony" he employs before a lift). So here I was witnessing all this unabashed male cockiness at this first competition. I was on the edge of my seat as the LTR was disqualified for his first two bench press attempts (for bad form). If he missed his third he would be out of the competition. But, on his third try, he nailed it!
He came sauntering up to me in the bleachers, and I stood to greet him, puffed my chest out and made ready to chest thump and get thumped. Instead he walked up to me, and eyes welling up, said, "Honey, I just feel so emotional."
So, the gay powerlifters get hugs, not chest thumps, after a lift.
More on gay powerlifters here.
Chris Morgan, a well-known Brit powerlifter, has a great website, chunky muscle.
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