ORLANDO, FLA -- With chalk clapped on his hands, a superhero cape and 240 lbs on a barbell, Chris Hankins is ready to go to work.
"Oh yearh," he yells during a warmup set. "This is going to be a good day."
The day is August 3. The gym is Orlando Barbell on the east side of town. The competitoin lift, deadlift.
- Deadlift competition at Orlando Barbell
- Lifters seeking donations for CECO
- More than $1,500 was raised from the event
Inside a packed neighborhood gym, ten powerlifters individually step up to the bar with one goal in mind; lift until you get move.
Most are dressed in workout clothes, both Chris and fellow lifter Katrina Silva are decked out in jawnty, red superhero capes.
“It empowers you a little bit more so it actually makes it a little easier I guess," Hankins says. "For some reason getting up in a costume gets the adrenaline pumping a little bit more."
This contest isn't about brute strength.
“Most powerlifting competitions, you’re competing for yourself so this is a better opportunity to compete for somebody else,” said Orlando Barbell co-owner Brian Schwab.
Somebody else is setting right across from the gym's strongest men and women, counting their reps while counting on them.
"“I want them to see oh she’s super strong, then maybe I can be like that strong too," Katrina said. "It could motivate them to work even harder than they already do.”
Both Chris and Katrina are instructors at the Conductive Education Center of Orlando (CECO), a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of children and adults with motor disabilities like cerebral palsy.
Created by Joe and Vicky Raymond, CECO merges conductive and special education methods to gain a better quality of life.
“The amount of effort they put in everyday completely dwarfs anything most people do," Chris said. "These kids are learning to stand. That's like a max effort deadlift to us."
In an effort to increase fundraising, Chris and Katrina merged their two passions, lifting and CECO, into one with Lifting CECO Superheroes.
Lifters gained flat pledges or pledge-per-rep donations with all proceeds going towards CECO. Of course their students were in the front row cheering them on.
With 240 lbs resting on the platform, Chris powers out 29 reps. But it's Katrina who stole the show.
Gripping 135 lbs, Katrina makes 50 reps look easy. After a brief pause she muscles out 75. The cheers grow louder. With each rep she closes in on the unthinkable mark of 100 reps.
Kicking and mustering every ounce of energy she has, Katrina finishes at an astonishing 94 reps.
"Pain," she says an hour later,"butt was great."
Together nearly 500 reps were completed by the group. They raised over $1,500. The capes worked.
“You actually feel like a superhero," Chris said. "I can’t explain the feeling when you get on the platform and start pulling it with kids from CECO cheering you on. It’s amazing.”
So amazing, even a few of the students grabbed some weights and joined the fun.
Not all heroes wear capes.
“Anything is possible," Katrina said. "They’ve been told they can’t do this, they can’t do this. They come into CECO and they can do it. They can do so many more things than people think they can do.”
This was the third year of Lifting CECO Superheroes. For more information on various programs offered by CECO, click here.