Weight lovers and dumbbell enthusiasts, be ready: soon there will be a power athletics student association. This spring, association Prōfectus hopes to be a member of student sport association NSSR.

The initial Prōfectus board (Latin for success and progression) saw more and more people flood the sport center’s weight room lately, men as well as women. However, there was no association for power athletic sports. This is about to change. ‘Power athletics is an individual sport, but you can learn a lot from each other when you do it together’, says Frency Thijs, commissioner external relations.

Prōfectus will organize work-outs, lectures and seminars. The founders hear a lot of ‘broscience’ in the weight room – a term for tough talk coming from self-appointed experts, which is often taken seriously. ‘Especially at a university, there should be room for real sport science, to tell people how to work out right’, thus secretary Maarten van den Nieuwenhuizen.

Steroids
And that is no unnecessary luxury. A lot goes wrong in the gym. Prōfectus also sees the outgrowths of overambitious men using steroids, or ladies with an unhealthy obsession for sports and healthy food. ‘We do not close our eyes for that’, says chairman Desirée Michielse. ‘In most cases, working out goes well, but if we see something go wrong we will confront the athlete and disapprove what happens. Unfortunately, there is not much more we can do.’

Prōfectus focuses on three different elements: fitness, weightlifting and power lifting. Fitness is mostly focused on obtaining a muscular body, powerlifting is about showing brutal strength and weightlifting is a combination of technique, refinement and strength. ‘An can I point out the social aspect?’ asks treasurer Charlotte Gerrits. ‘We will of course also organize drinks.’ / Tim van Ham

Those interested in a membership can sign up using [email protected]. In September, the first training activities should start, before then, some meeting activities will take place.