It was cold outside but inside things were heating up as 11 women gathered at a \u2018mock\u2019 powerlifting competition at Huntsville\u2019s CrossFit Hatchet gym in mid-December.<\/p>\n
The event was organized by Mitch Friend of CrossFit Hatchet<\/a><\/span> and Ashley Bird of The BarBelles<\/a><\/span>, as a way of introducing the sport to more people in the community.<\/p>\n \u201cPowerlifting seems to be something that not very many people know about here,\u201d Bird said. \u201cIt\u2019s very, very popular pretty much everywhere else in Canada and the popularity is growing.\u201d<\/p>\n Bird is especially interested in introducing women to the sport as it is a great way to gain strength and change body composition. But it\u2019s also more than that for her. \u201cIt\u2019s a really great way, especially for women, to really feel empowered.\u201d<\/p>\n A powerlifting competition includes three events: the squat, bench press and deadlift. The amount lifted in each event is combined for a total.<\/p>\n\n\t\t