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WHO IS Keith Banner?

6/13/2013

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This is the first feature of a blog series called "WHO IS".  The "WHO IS" series will periodically profile Canadian drug-free athletes who don't necessarily get the credit they deserve in popular media outlets.  I have written a more broad rationale for starting this series in a previous blog post called Powerlifting: A Sport of Meatheads. 

Today features Keith Banner. 

If you try and find Banner on the internet, it's almost impossible.  Unlike many lifters, Banner doesn't post videos or numbers to personal websites or blogs, nor does he engage with any social media networks.  This is not to say Banner is a complete lone wolf in his powerlifting endeavors, as he has a local training group that supports him.  Rather, Banner simply lets his performance speak for itself, and doesn't have the need to tell others.  For him, powerlifting is a personal pursuit. 

Banner has been competing in the Canadian Powerlifting Union (CPU) since 1999.  Now in his 50s, Banner continues to dominate the powerlifting platform and boasts the strongest raw squat in the history of Canada at 340k/748lb.  As well, Banner holds the third highest raw Wilks score in Canada across all weight classes at 461.41 points, and won a bronze medal at the 2003 World Master Powerlifting Championships. 

Banner conducts himself with complete humility.  In fact, when I was trying to learn more about Banner, I asked him what some of his past lifts were, and he couldn't tell me without looking them up.  In other words, he didn't know his personal records.  It's not about numbers for Banner, it's just about doing the best you can do every time you step on the platform. 


Outside of his incredible lifting career, not much is known about Banner.  However, friends tell me that he lives in Devin, Alberta, and works for the City of Edmonton.  He is also cat lover. 

I was able to get a hold of Banner through email to ask him a few questions. 

What motivates you to compete? 

Adrenaline and endorphin addictions...just kidding but they are a factor. I’m not that competitive by nature, but I do challenge myself to do the best I can no matter what the task (perfectionist), therefore it is more of a personal challenge that motivates me.

What advice would you give to athletes just starting? 

From a training standpoint: Learn proper lifting form and technique before adding weight. This is the biggest mistake I see in this sport and is crucial to big lifts and longevity in the sport. Also,  If you are interested in the sport seek out other lifters and don’t be afraid to step onto the platform, it doesn’t matter what level of lifting you are currently at.  From a  philosophical standpoint: It is like anything else in life, you get out of it what you put into it.

What are you goals in powerlifting? 

My goals change as I get older. Currently, I just try to bring my best performance to the platform every meet.

What has been your most memorable moment in powerlifting? 

Probably my first meet, I was so overwhelmed I left the meet when it was over not realizing I had won my weight class, didn’t find out until someone told me the next day. Second most memorable would have to be representing Canada at Master World’s in Regina 2003.

Below is a video showcasing some of Banner's lifts.  Most of Banner's heaviest lifts were never caught on video, and so the footage below is only what was retrievable through some of his training partners.  Thank you Keith for being a great model of drug-free Canadian powerlifting. 

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Powerlifting: A sport of meatheads

5/27/2013

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I'm upset with how powerlifting is portrayed in the media, with the proliferation of meatheads, the blatant use of drugs, and lack of Canadian content.  There is an overflowing amount of powerlifting images and videos on the internet that don't represent what actually happens on the ground level in regular gyms with regular people.    For some reason the most popular media images of powerlifting are those showcasing meatheads.  I'm not sure if this is because meatheads are more saavy with social networking, and therefore gain more exposure to broader audiences; or if the public enjoys consuming garbage information, like a tabloid magazine; or if there is a general naivety surrounding the world of powerlifting.  Regardless, there is a vast majority of athletes who don't get the credit they deserve because they are shrouded by perpetual images of the meathead powerlifter.

The truth is that the majority of powerlifters are not meatheads.  Unfortunately, though, the majority of powerlifters lie beneath a minority of low-browed, big-headed, and drugged-up losers.  Using an iceberg as a metaphor.  The tip, which is visible to the public, represents the culture of meatheadedness, the drugged-up uncultivated loser.  On the other hand, the base of the iceberg represents a diverse group of talented drug-free athletes that are just as strong, if not stronger, than the meathead, but receive little recognition.  In fact, to find the most elite drug-free powerlifters on the internet takes an incredible amount of digging and searching. The sites pumping up the meathead character as the ideal form are almost always the sites that include any content resting outside the purview of the International Powerlifting Federation (IPF); the premier league for competitive drug-free powerlifting.  Unless someone is a seasoned competitor in powerlifting, and has witnessed the various shades of the sport, it is hard for the general public to know what is or isn't good information, or to be able to discern who is or isn't a good ambassador.  

Although I'm speaking broadly, because there are many great role models in powerlifting that are drug-free and lack meatheadedness, I am still concerned about the minimum amount of exposure these athletes get in the mainstream.  As a result, I am starting a blog series called "WHO IS", where periodically I will showcase a drug-free Canadian athlete that has achieved sporting excellence and may not have been recognized with the attention they deserve.  At the end of the day, the real unsung heros don't get fame, glory, or money.  They don't gain prestige, status, or popularity.  They simply do it because pursuing strength is not a means to an end, but sufficient in and of itself.

Please stay tuned for the first "WHO IS" spotlight on Alberta's Keith Banner.  Banner is veteran in the sport of powerlifting, and at the age of 53, he is one of the greatest raw squatters in the history of Canada and can stand toe-to-toe with the best in the world.  Where is he on the internet?  Other than right here, virtually nowhere. 
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