Ok, i know… I’m not a powerlifter, but since i got serius on strength training (about 1 year ago), i’ve been a fan of this sport.
My country have never hold a meet, and in about a month is going to hold his first one, so i decided to give it a try (just for fun).
I’m going to the 165lb/75kg class, although my lifts are not impressive at all:
B/S/D=200/285/365
I’m just posting this so you guys can give me any advice regarding my preparation for the meet? (I know i’m not going to get any stronger in less than a month, but anyway, any type of advice is good)
If you are taking this meet seriously, you should be training close to your one rep max on each of the big three lifts close to two or three weeks away from the meet. You should then have a back off week of training, and then you should not train at all in any form for like 5 days or so before the meet. You should be bouncing off the walls with energy at this point.
You want to compete and do well, but try to think of the first meet as a learning experience. Talk to the more experienced lifters, and look for their advice. They will have a lot to offer.
don’t worry about your lifts its your 1st meet your not suppose to be breaking World records, after the weigh in EAT like there is no tomorrow ( no junk though ).
As i said, it’s gonna be the very first meet in my whole country, not just MY first meet, also the first meet for everyone who’s going to compete. It’s absolutly raw ( only a mid quad shorts and a tight shirt are allowed.)
I think there’s no prize money, but there will be gifts for the top benchers, squaters, deadlifters and totalers (?). And the main idea of the meet, is to build a national team which will go to the mundials in kali-colombia.
Also a supplement company is going to look for talented lifters to sponsor.
I belive my only chance is to max out the deadlift, try to go conservative on the bench, and try to not screw it up on the squat.
Funny thing, is that my buddy, ( a kid who trains judo in my class; 14 years old) is going too, that kid is also in the bodybuilding thing, is going to kill it.
He just weights 52kg( he is very very short), has little limbs, and also some kind of hypergonadism (did i say that right?), well, he produces more testosterone naturally than the averrage , and his maxes are S=285/B=210/D=285 (yeah, he bench more than me lol)
Going back to the topic, any special thing to remember during the meet?
One big thing is nutrition. Since this is a first for the country and yourself, the meet will be longer than normal. Bring plenty of fruits, protein shake if you use it, energy drinks or supplements and some chocolate because it will be a long day and try to relax while waiting. If you are excited and figity you will only expend energy and that can be energy needed for a max effort.
Plan your lifts ahead of time and have idea of how your body reacts to certain loads. For example, my first attempt on the bench was 320 and that doesn’t do too much to my CNS and I have plenty of gas in tank and it is a pretty easy lift. Then judge accordingly. I went from 80%, 90, to a PR. because I know that I would have gas in the tank for a max effort.
Finally, remember as it was told to me when I asked for advise and it was very true. Your 1st good attempt gets you into the books in order to compete in the next event. So pick a weight that you know you can do in order to get into the books and then progress from there.
You also want to find out and practice the proper depths and commands.
I almost missed my first squat attempt in my first meet because I stood there holding my breath too long waiting for my command, but the judge was waiting for me to lock out my knees.
Thanks!, i just have sent message asking about the depths, etc. (BTW, “cheating” or lifting the bar by doing small jumps in the lockout portion of the deadlift is ilegal isn’t it?)
Since i’m dieting right now, i’m considering to the 67.5kg weightclass, only if i’m less than 75kg (i’m ~76.5kg in the morning nowadays), if i’m over that, that’ll mean that i would be cutting more than 10% of my BW, which is not good at all, even with 24hours from the weight-ins to the start of the meet. I have plenty of experience cutting weightclasses BTW.
Hey if it’s any help I had my first real meet about 2 months ago at Supertraining gym in Sacramento. A Powerlifters Guide to Attempt Selection (linked above) was what I used when considering my opening and subsequent lifts. It seriously helped my confidence on the platform opening light, and using a ‘stepping stone’ approach for my third attempts.
I went 8/8 that day and didn’t attempt my third bench, that pause on chest must take off 15 pounds!
Anyways, I advise opening conservatively and following that advice by Matt Gary.
Your opener should be what you can triple in the gym. My second attempt is usually my gym max, and then my third attempt is ~15-20 lbs heavier than my 2nd. Make sure you understand what the commands will be, so you don’t rack the weight too early or start the lift before the command. I start wrapping my knees as the lifter two ahead of me starts his squat. You may have to alter this depending on how long it takes you to wrap. Most importantly, remember you are only competing with yourself and HAVE FUN.