I just want to use this first post as a way to express my newfound respect for what powerlifters do. I’ve always done some kind of weight training since I was 14 (today I’m 23) but most of the time, without pushing myself too hard. Well, the point is this: Ever since my first year of college, when I quit baseball, I’ve felt my competitive fire burning and kept holding it off 'till now. I decided to enter a novice competition in Feb. '07 and give myself quite a lot of time to prepare(at the same time I just entered law school so it’ll be interesting to see how I schedule things). I’m doing one lift a day: squat, row or romanian dl, bench, deadlift ( my best lift). I decided to do 10 sets of 5 at 75% 1rm for the first week. When I did it with the squat,I didn’t feel well for at least another 4 hours. My sister had to drive me home, and I didn’t feel like eating. I feel like a girly man just cause it didn’t sound too hard. Now I know just how pathetic my previous 9 years of toying with weights have been. Congratulations to all of you. I hope I can call myself a powerlifter in a few months.
Welcome to the dark side…
Don’t worry. You’ll get used to the new work load soon.
The more you do it, the better it will feel.
Just grabbing near your 1RM and tearing it off the floor, or driving it up from your back, or pushing it off your chest feels incredible.
Especially when it’s a weight you never were able to lift before.
As far as meets are concerned, make sure you go to a few before your first one and watch.
It’s also a good idea to compete in them, even if you’re not 100% ready.
Best of luck. It’s a great sport!
Don’t worry it’ll get harder from there! Good luck and remember to stay tight.