By Chris Saur | Enterprise staff writer | January 16, 2008 15:01

 

Individual sports have their appeal to some people - the cyclist who likes to take long solo rides or the golfer who doesn't have to rely on anyone to win or lose a tournament. For other athletes, however, much of the appeal of sports is the camaraderie and knowing their teammates always have their back.

For the past two decades, Woodland powerlifter Mark Bell has been looking for a way to fuse those ideas together in the sport of weight lifting. A year ago, that dream became a reality when he started Super Training, a Sacramento gym where powerlifters learn and lift together as a team.

'Ever since I stepped into a commercial gym, I've had the idea to make a powerlifting gym,' Bell said. 'The people that go to commercial gyms don't want a bunch of power lifters making noise dropping weights and sweating everywhere.'

For a gym designed specifically for powerlifters, the proper equipment is available and everyone has similar or the same objectives.

'This isn't a place where you go to work out; this is a place where we train for a common goal, to get stronger,' Bell said. 'At Super Training we get the effect of being in a team environment. We all help each other. While I am training, I am teaching other people and I am learning from them as well.'

Introducing the team concept to an individual sport has had immediate results for Bell and his training partners. At the top of their list of accomplishments is what Bell did in a meet on Dec. 1 at Diablo Barbell in Concord. Bell lifted a total of 2,502 pounds to win the United Powerlifting Association's California State Championship in the 308-pound weight class.

The lift also was a state record and was good enough for eighth all-time in the world.

Bell squatted 1,003 pounds, benched 793 and deadlifted 705 and said he couldn't have done it without the help of his team.

'Twenty-five hundred pounds is historical in powerlifting and that was what I was working for in my training,' Bell said. 'It means a lot to our team because we were all part of that training and when it is your time to compete, the team is with you the whole time. The team is there to make sure that the lifter is taken care of and doesn't have to think about anything else, except the lift.'

Bell trained for this meet for 12 weeks, but the journey began 18 years ago in upstate New York. As a 12-year-old boy, he became interested in powerlifting as a way to get stronger for other sports. He quickly realized this would be his sport.

Because of the huge amount of weight involved, powerlifting can be a tough sport to start without the right people helping out, something Bell has never forgotten.

'I lifted for about two years and then started competing because I was pretty strong right off the bat,' Bell said. 'I was fortunate enough to run into people who knew what they were doing. I learned a lot from them and because of that, I really like to pass on my knowledge to people who want to get into powerlifting.'

Bell moved to Los Angeles in 1998 but found that the lifestyle there was not conducive to his interest in starting a team-oriented powerlifting gym. He found it difficult to locate consistent training partners as well.

'In L.A. there are a lot of things to do, a lot of distractions,' Bell said. 'It was like pulling teeth just to get people together to lift.'

In 2004, Bell moved North, settling in Woodland and realized that Northern California was the right place for his vision to come together. Still, it was tough to find a way to get all of the specialized equipment he wanted to open up a proper powerlifting gym. So Bell did what he does best - he trained even harder.

'When I benched 600 pounds for the first time about two years ago, Elite Fitness Systems sponsored me,' he said. 'They pay for me to go to meets and pay for my equipment so in a way I'm a professional powerlifter. That was a big stepping stone in my career and being sponsored by Elite I was able to get a discount on the equipment I needed to start the gym.'

Bell writes a training blog on EliteFTS.com to pass on his knowledge of power lifting around the world. And he hopes to expand his gym from more than 30 members up to 50 or even 100 powerlifters in the near future.

The team concept and emphasis on working together for a common goal should help that expansion as more and more lifters realize the benefits.

'You can't really power lift on your own, you can to a certain point but after that your going to hit a wall,' Bell said. 'If you look at the way our culture is going these days you have Curves for women and then you have Gold's Gym and 24 Hour Fitness who are starting to get away from having the big meatheads. Super Training is a place where powerlifters are able to go and know that there are other people who are just looking to get stronger.'

- Reach Chris Saur at csaur@davisenterprise.net or 747-8059. To comment on this story, visit www.davisenterprise.com