A Beginner’s Guide To Competing In Your First Powerlifting Meet
There are many benefits to powerlifting training, and the main one is becoming stronger. The pursuit of strength makes everyone hungrier to accomplish greater things, even if it may take months and months of work to see an incremental gain. The joy one experiences of hitting the mark and the frustration of putting in tons of work but falling short is what actually pushes people to compete.
However, it is essential to be prepared for your first meet as they can run for over eight hours or more. To educate beginners on the journey of competing in their first powerlifting meet, the experts at Spartan Barbell have prepared a beginner’s guide to competing in your first powerlifting meet in order to give you helpful tips and advice to make your first meet a successful one.
Getting Started
Hire a professional: Hiring a professional/coach will benefit a client/athlete because it gives them the necessary direction, allows them to focus on the task at hand (getting stronger), and also remain objective through the process. A professional will also be able to help you calm the storm and chaos of the people around you and help you execute your plan seamlessly.
Bring all the essentials: Do not forget to carry important things such as an extra T-shirt, singlet, membership card (USPA, USAPL, etc.), a program/plan, and other things. Carrying specific gear/equipment is optional but can be helpful (belt, knee sleeves, wrist wraps, etc.). It is important to stay hydrated to remember to carry water.
Next Steps
Be consistent: Stick to the plan/program you or your coach laid out. There were always be small adjustments to be made, but barring small details, being consistent and sticking to the plan is your best chance at a successful first meet. It is important to follow the plan and not get too excited and lift too much or throw in extra workouts.
Be prepared: Each federation has its own set of rules, and they can vary. It is essential to know this ahead of time so you can train appropriately. Research the rule book for the organization you plan to compete in for standards on how the lifts will be judged, what equipment you can and cannot use, etc. The last thing you want is to show up at the meet and be surprised.
Advice From The Pros
Take your training one day at a time: It is easy to get excited and want to rush the process or theorize about how things will go in the future. DON’T!. Remember to rust the process and give your all to the present day. This almost goes without saying, but a severe enough injury can completely derail your meet prep process. Some things are inevitable, but control as much as you can, focus on proper warm-ups, technique, and recovery. Focusing on these variables with significantly decrease the risk of injury and will also help to increase overall performance.
Remember to have fun: The training process for a competition can be a little overwhelming but remember to have fun, be present, and take in the whole process. Weights will obviously be lifted at the meet, but there will be an opportunity to interact with lots of like-minded people that also want to see you succeed. Take advantage of that. Manage your expectations, be open to trying/learning new things, be consistent, and have fun.
As a leading powerlifting gym in Colorado Springs, CO, we at Spartan Barbell hope to educate, equip, and empower our athletes to succeed and achieve their goals. While we often train and compete as a team, powerlifting is an individual sport, and our coaches play to that fact. We use innovative and individualized programming and coaching to give our athletes the tools they need to train, gain, and conquer the platform. Our services include gym membership, virtual powerlifting and strength coaching, virtual powerlifting and strength coaching + gym membership, powerlifting coaching, strength, and conditioning training.
Visit our website to learn more or contact Spartan Barbell today!