The human body contains over 650 separate muscles. Making sure those muscles each get worked is an important part of staying fit and healthy. Powerlifting is one of the world’s rising strength sports, and if you know what you’re doing, is a fantastic way to train your body or compete. That being said, there are some necessary things to know before diving into this sometimes-intense hobby. Here are some of the most common questions concerning powerlifting, safety, and (what else?) powerlifting socks.

What Is It?

Powerlifting is a form of weight training that is made up of three different types of activity: bench press, squat and deadlift. It can be done on one’s own as a form of fitness and strength training, or done competitively in one of many worldwide events. All three categories have their own sets of detailed rules, as well as several variations,, but here is a basic breakdown of each:

The squat is an exercise consisting of holding a weighted barbell or dumbbells behind your back while squatting, building muscle in the glutes and quads. The addition of a spotting partner or proper equipment such as powerlifting socks can be helpful in the exercise.

Bench pressing consists of pressing a weighted barbell or dumbbells up from a lying position, ideally on specifically-made bench press equipment. Again, a spotter should be utilized, especially when dealing with heavier weights than what you are used to.

Finally, a deadlift consists of lifting a weighted barbell up from the ground with no momentum. Special equipment such as a deadlifting suit, knee wraps or powerlifting socks can be useful to have when practicing this intense exercise.

What Are The Benefits?

By the time you reach 80 years old, people who don’t regularly exercise will lose half of all their muscle mass. By training with weights, you can stop that muscle deterioration in its tracks, leading to a long and healthy fit life. A study found in 2016 that weightlifting or calisthenics can decrease your chance of death through any means by 31%. Staying in shape has obvious benefits, and powerlifting is a great way to do so, as long as you know how to do it. It can be easy to push yourself too far or too hard, but with the proper know-how, you’ll be lifting in no time.

What Equipment Is Necessary?

Well, you’ll need access to a gym, first of all. Most standard fitness gyms have space for powerlifting, or if you have access to a home gym or private gym, those should work as well. If you’re outfitting the gym yourself, you’ll want to do extended research on exactly what equipment you want.

If you’re like most people, however, you’ll just be lifting at the regular old gym. Powerlifting without supportive equipment is not recommended, so you’ll want to pick up at least a few items. There are powerlifting socks, shirts, knee wraps, full-body suits, briefs and more, so you’ll have a lot to choose from.

If you plan on powerlifting competitively, you’ll want to look up the specifics of what is and isn’t required, along with things that might not be allowed by the organization in charge.

Are you an aspiring powerlifter? Or just curious? If you have any thoughts on the subject, share them with us down below in the comments section! Happy lifting!