The Night of the Living Deadlift competition took over court one of the Center for Physical Activity on Oct. 24 as competitors tried to out-lift each other to win trophies, prizes and bragging rights.
The Night of the Living Deadlift competition was co-sponsored by the CPA and All-Star Nutrition. Deadlifting is when a bar is loaded on both sides with weights. The competitor then lifts the bar from the ground with both hands and raises it to hip level.
“There is a certain criteria they have to meet for their lift,” said Judah Smith, a judge of the competition and a member of ETSU’s Power Lifting Club. “If they fail these criteria, then the lift is not good. They can’t have it drop down at any point. When the bar is coming up, if they drop down with the bar it’s a failed lift. They can’t soft-lock their knees, they can’t hard-lock or overextend, they can’t sit [the bar] on their knees. Basically, as long as the bar passes straight and they’re coming up [with the bar] and they don’t stop coming up, the lift is good.”
Competitors were separated by weight class and gender and each given three attempts. With each attempt they were allowed to choose the amount of weight on the bar. Of the three attempts, the competitors heaviest lift was the one that judges considered during scoring. The competitors with the heaviest lift in each weight class won trophies, while the male and female competitor with the heaviest lift overall, or pound-for-pound, also won trophies and a prize from All-Star Nutrition.
Rex Okpeyen won both his weight class and the men’s pound-for-pound competition, despite having only been training for a short time.
“I only started lifting about a year ago,” Okpeyen said. “I played soccer for most of my life. After I quit soccer, I needed something. Lifting just had a very good outlook, you know, and less injuries. I was shocked. I thought I was gonna get hurt a lot more.”
Okpeyen says the main reason he enjoys lifting is because it is a great way to relax and destress, but that he doesn’t mind bulking up through the dietary aspect of the sport either.
“What inspired me to lift is…” began Okpeyen.
“Food,” a friend of Okpeyen added.
“Food,” said Okpeyen. “You’re right. He is not wrong.”
