Marilia’s Powerlifting Blog

I am still in Rio Grande do Sul, where the WABDL nationals have taken place. The competition was well organized and I confirmed my supposition that the Southern States is where most powerlifting talents are concentrated. The level is way beyond São Paulo and “the rest”. We still have a long way to go until the country reaches a minimum competitive level, but evidently the South will be at the forefront.

I am at the airport right now and will detail the events later, but the most significant event of the weekend may also be one of the most important landmarks in the history of Brazilian and South American Powerlifting: Gilberto Silva, from Rio Grande do Sul, scored 301kg (663.59lb), breaking the “300 (661,39) barrier”. We hope that with this he has opened a symbolic door for a faster evolution of our sport in the country.

As for me, everyone seems to be upset with my results: I repeated my last mark, 97,5kg (215lb). It hasn’t been 24 hours from the time I rose last rose from the bench and already I heard half a dozen times: “why in hell didn’t you break the 100??”. Well, the short answer is: I failed because I did something wrong. It is not like it is the end of the world or I did some real lousy weight – I just failed to improve from last month, right? So – gimme some time and I will get the bar to hit the right point at the chest and all and you guys will see a big light bench. 

I’m sitting here waiting for a sore throat and a cough to get better so that I can drive down to Praia Grande Beach town where the IPF national Bench Press Championship is being held. Several indirect warnings not to go have floated my way during the past weeks. IPF officials have been sending these messages through young friends who feel terrorized. After all, there is the eternal Olympic Blackmail, IPF is far the largest and most organized federation here and they fear they will be redbuttoned even before lifting just for interacting with me. 

That’s why I need to go: I must be there and show young lifters that this country may be backward, but still belongs to the civilized world. In a public event, all citizens are free to come and go as they please. And I will be there for my friends who still participate in that federation. 

I began powerlifting with the IPF, pretty recently. Right from the start I assumed a cooperative approach, translated their rulebook to Portuguese, designed a social project, worked at meets, provided equipment, among other things. Critical attitude, however, is a personality trait: you can’t just wish it away. And very soon I reacted to both local and international issues concerning IPF’s rules, administration and relationship with lifters. 

As I always do, I wrote about many of them in Portuguese. My writing was taken as personal offense by IPF officials and the association of new rules I found specially harmful for the Bench Press and a hostile atmosphere made me decide to stop participating in that federation. 

I firmly believe, however, that minimal civility guidelines must be followed in a country where powerlifting is practiced chiefly by underpriviledged people with no government or private support. Those of us who have been fortunate enough to be born in different social conditions and have a better economic and educational status have the responsibility to set the example. To act as they do, creating an atmosphere of terror, threatening other federations to sue them for having been granted sports scholarships, struggling for hegemonic power, is unacceptable. 

I take part in all other meets, from all other federations (CONBRAFA, WABDL, WPC). I help wherever I can. And I stand against dictatorships and manipulation at all levels. 

That is why I need to go to Praia Grande tomorrow. 

This is my workout buddy, Thiaguinho. He is also a good friend, accomplice in many declared and undeclared projects, bodyguard, patient listener and surrogate son. Thiaguinho is 21 yrs old, 1,95m high and weights 140kg. I am actually unaware that he is this big (or that I am this small), except when I look at pictures.
People stare at us wherever we go – big guy, small woman, both muscular, carrying a heavy bag and wearing training clothes. We are really stared at, though, when we eat together in public places. We eat quite a large amount of food, I guess. We’d say it is a satisfying amount, but I admit it is a lot of food.
We spent a few days at our friends’ place in Igarapava and came back yesterday. One of them is a bodybuilder. One day Thiaguinho asked me:
-          Ma, bodybuilders eat much less than us, right?
-          Well… not necessarily…
-          But Braulio doesn’t eat too much. On a second thought, neither does Caramello.
-          Bro, the fact is, I think, that WE eat too much. YOU eat too much because you are too big and I… well, because I have a big roundworm inside me that needs to be fed.
-          You’ve got a Power-Roundworm.
-          Yup.
Still at Igarapava, during a pretty scatological conversation, Braulio asked:
-          (Braulio) So, how many times do you use the bathroom?
-          (me) I’d say around six.
-          (Braulio) Per week?
-          (me) Per day.
-          (Braulio) Wow! I do it once a day.
-          (me) Ah… So, you have constipation?…
-          (Braulio) No, I’m normal.
-          (Thiaguinho) We are normal.
We are normal, for hard training powerlifters. We have a very active digestive life. We also have a very intense training regime. Besides the fact that Thiaguinho is involved in my new sports social project, our training style matches perfectly.
Loads are a problem, but we manage. Above 40% of his bench press load, I start having problems passing him the bar and then I ask for help.
We still don’t have our own training facility, which I think will be ready in the beginning of next year. Until then, we do most of our training at a gym nearby and for a heavy day, we go to Nautilus at Santo Andre. We have been avoiding the hostile environments that we left a few months ago.
We surprised everyone with our recent performance at meets. At the city of São Paulo, the few gyms with powerlifting teams and equipment are IPF and I want nothing to do with them after their backstabbing and hostilities against me. So my brand new team was expected to perform miserably – nowhere to train properly, small team, no team sponsorship. Yet, we not only won, but broke records and made very decent participations.
I owe that to both of them: Thiaguinho and Brisa.