I'm sitting here listening to some pretty mellow music and I found myself wondering what in the HELL is going on with Powerlifting? When did this crap go sideways and every Tom, Dick and Harry decide they wanted to start their own federation?

I started competing in 1987 (I think) or so. Back then all I knew about was the ADFPA, USPF, AAU and some fledgling federation, the APF. I was going to college in eastern Nebraska, having moved from extreme western Nebraska 10 miles outside of a town of 350 folks, so I was probably a bit more sheltered than most.

Now I just read that yet another federation has sprouted up on the east coast, the EPF. What do folks NOT get about drowning this sport in federations. I usually just sit back, nod my head and not really care about it all. I can't do that anymore. I can't believe the fucking arrogance of yet another individual to start another federation. It's not like there aren't enough to choose from.

I could see the need to start one back in the day when there was only one show in this country, or two maybe. But there are around or just over 30 federations now in the U.S. Holy bat crap are you going to tell me that the EPF came up with something new and fancy so they had to start their own little group?

Let's break it all down. If you put all the federations in an excel spreadsheet and then compare commonalities between them all you come to this:

13 - Raw Federations

8 - Single Ply Federations

10 - Multi-Ply Federations

Now I know that adds up to more than 30 BUT a few feds have both, or all, raw/single/multi-ply divisions. I think it's absurd for these folks, in the last few years, to think they are so righteous that they had to create their own federation rather than lift in one that offered what they want. IT WAS ALREADY THERE. THE WHEEL HAS BEEN INVENTED, IMPROVED AND IT WORKS. Please, just leave it alone already.

Someone should get all the federation owners in the same room and start pulling some heads out of their asses so they can see the light and not a bunch of bullshit.

This discussion has been hashed, and re-hashed, on every forum out there. When will folks listen.

ATTENTION ALL LIFTERS!!!! If you want to stop the creation of new federations then................................ hang on cuz here it comes.......................... STOP LIFTING IN THEM!!

It works the same as in sales of any type. If your sick of the same product then stop buying the new products that mimic the old products. Stick with the old and the new will die. The AFPF is proof of this. They tried and it died.

I'm asking ALL OF YOU who compete. Please stop supporting all these bullshit federations and let's get back to where it used to be back in the day. Stay Strong, J.R. Bolger

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I say each to their own but my way is the right way!! LOL!!

We at RIP wrap knees my way and it seems to work. Many folks are content with just wrapping down and up. I am not and neither is RIP.

As a powerlifter I can tell you that I use gear to get bigger numbers. THAT'S IT! I don't use gear cuz it looks pretty and feels good. Cuz it don't!! Neither do I wear gear cuz it's so dang fashionable. I just don't see myself in Ace briefs and a Canvas suit being brought to the front of the line at the hottest club in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Knee wraps are gear. As such you want the most out of them that you can get. I don't care if it hurts, if it's ugly or anything else. All I care is that the way I wrap you get bigger numbers than you can any other way.

Since we are always going for PR's the wraps should reflect that goal. With that in mind here is my wrapping technique. I want you to know that I had to climb Mount Olympia and wrestle with the gods to get their secret knee wrapping technique BUT I'm willing to share it here for free. Stay Strong, J.R. Bolger

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As most of you may know by now I'm very big on the team concept. I built my team with friends and we are all stronger for doing so.

You don't need very many to have a solid team. A team can be a few folks getting together on a regular basis to achieve a common goal. For me, and us, it's getting stronger and hitting PR's on the platform.

It's very true that one person can be strong but many WILL be stronger. Team RIP is a bunch of nerdy, goofy, friendly, supportive, intense and eager group of lifters. We have a rocket scientist, a stock market dude, a teacher, a wannabe veterinarian, a doctor, a blue collar welder/foreman, an engineer, a marketing man and me. 

Our interests are as varied as our careers. Our goal is shared. Our failures are collective. Our PR's are TEAM victories. There truly is no greater feeling than watching a team mate hit a PR at a meet. You feel their joy, their pain and the taste is success is a sweet nectar to all of us.

Where ever you are look around and find someone, anyone, who shares a common goal and work towards that goal together. I promise you that success will come in many more ways, shapes and forms than you ever thought possible.

Good luck to you and YOUR team. Stay Strong, J.R. Bolger

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There are many more lifters out there who train alone than those who train with a team. For over a decade I trained by myself in a high school basement gym. At the time it was my Utopia, or so I thought.

I was never more content than lifting at any time I wanted with nobody to worry about except myself. Oddly enough my gains were tough and training was hard. I didn't realize this was a bad thing until I started training with a team.

In a team environment you ALWAYS have someone pushing you, helping you, giving you feedback and support. All of this is critical to growth and not just physical growth but mental growth. You will be more challenged by a team than by yourself. Goals are set and met by team members and by self that are higher than individual goals.

If you are lucky enough to be a coach the rewards are much greater than self. When one of my lifters does well that means I do well. When one of them fails I have failed them AND myself. The highs are very high but the lows are hell.

Today my team and I went to an L.A. Fitness for a training/recruitment day. We will start training at area gyms in the hopes that we can get one or two NEW team members. This team, Team RIP, was started in a very small garage by three; J.R., Bob and Heather. We are now about 10 or so strong. We have grown by over 300% in the last three years. We did this by word of mouth and recruiting lifters.

Growth, in member numbers, is critical when building a team. They won't come over night but they will come. It's up to me and my O-Coordinator, Bob (aka Puke), to build the team and make them better. We grow together and we grow bigger totals.

If you are new to this sport then find a team and learn. Be open-minded, keep your eyes and ears wide open. Be a vacuum for knowledge. Suck it all in but retain it and learn. Grow in self and grow in team. Stay Strong, J.R. Bolger

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My team, RIP, has a steadfast rule. WE TRAIN. It doesn't matter what holiday it is but rather is it a training day? Today is a training day. We will train and then feast as a team. These days build our team character and help develop a stronger bond between all of us.

When it's time to train there should be no excuses keeping you from the gym. You get your gear and you train. It really is that simple.

So today you must ask yourself is it a training day or are you using this day as an excuse to miss a training day. When you miss, there are others who don't. There are lifters/competitors who are hungry and train when it's time. They will win and YOU will lose if you don't keep to your schedule.

We train and THEN we feast. Stay Strong, J.R. Bolger, Team RIP

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