The POWER of LIFTING

Rick Durbin and a friend were planning to compete in a masters national wrestling tournament when they came to a revelation.

“We decided we didn’t want to keep losing weight,” Durbin said. “We wanted to be fat and happy, and powerlifting made the most sense.”

It also made sense because weightlifting was part of Durbin’s training as a wrestler at Post Falls High some three decades ago. Durbin became the Trojans’ first state wrestling champion in 1987, winning a state title at 112 pounds. Two years later, as a senior, he won a state title at 125.

These days ... well, look at the photo accompanying this story.

“I’ve matured,” Durbin, 47, said with a laugh.

He got into powerlifting in 2005.

“The irony is, I have to cut weight for powerlifting,” Durbin said.

When he started powerlifting he weighed 230 pounds “and I figured, I better get healthy,” Durbin said.

He currently competes at 183.

Most recently, at the USA Powerlifting national championships in Orlando, Fla., Durbin placed fourth at 183 pounds in the Male Master 1 class, based on a combined weight lifted in the squat, bench and deadlift.

He did 450 in the squat and deadlift, and 350 in the bench.

“Definitely not my best,” Durbin said, but with good reason.

He underwent an appendectomy about eight weeks prior to the competition. As you might expect, he wasn’t able to train as aggressively as he would have liked, but the doctors gave him the thumbs up to compete.

“It was enough to make the platform,” he said.

It was also enough to set state records in all three lifts.

He also holds the 174-pound state record in the bench press (375).

That weight class was recently “retired” amidst a rearranging of weight classes.

Durbin said he hopes to compete in the new, 173-pound weight class at a tournament in August, and set state records at that weight in all three lifts.

Durbin, a financial advisor in Coeur d’Alene, has been powerlifting off and on for the past 12 years.

Once a year he competes at the state powerlifting meet in Boise, but his recent trip to Orlando was a rare foray into national competition.

“What I’m trying to do is help promote the sport,” Durbin said. “Competing at a national level helps us promote the sport at local level.”

He became a certified powerlifting coach through USA Powerlifting in February, and is hoping to start a powerlifting club in North Idaho.

“There’s clubs in southern Idaho and western Washington, but not here in the Inland Northwest,” Durbin said. “So we’re hoping to start one.”

Durbin has spoken with local wrestling coaches, as a way to introduce powerlifting as a form of offseason training.

However ...

“It would be applicable to all sports from a strength training program,” he said.

Well, maybe not all.

“Maybe not chess,” he said.

Information: Rick Durbin, 755-3098