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First Powerlifting Competition


Dr Squat

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Its a good read but I dont know why it recommended you go totally raw (apart from a belt) even in your first novice comp. Surely in training you can get all the practice you need, with and without straps and suits, and then competition time is the time to try everything and get the real feel of all your equipment.

Just my opinion and I`m sure there many thoughts for and against here but sprinters,skiers and cyclists etc dont seem to forgo gear in their first comps.

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but sprinters,skiers and cyclists etc dont seem to forgo gear in their first comps.

Ever seen someone try ski without skiis or cycle without a cycle :? :pfft:

My understanding is that there'd be a lot of pressure and nervousness during your first comp, so you'd want to keep it as simple as possible. Less gear = less things to think about/could possibly go wrong?

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Well I will be entering my first power lifting comp, single lift bench, in Northland, Raw. Keeping it very simple. I will probably do 1 lift raw so I get a decent weight recorded. Then put on a bench shirt and get some practice out which I will have to drop my weight for.

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but sprinters,skiers and cyclists etc dont seem to forgo gear in their first comps.

Ever seen someone try ski without skiis or cycle without a cycle :? :pfft:

My understanding is that there'd be a lot of pressure and nervousness during your first comp, so you'd want to keep it as simple as possible. Less gear = less things to think about/could possibly go wrong?

Um, probably not.

I'd have thought it'd be better to "train like you fight, fight like you train" - I know that I wouldn't train for a competitive ride in old-fashioned toe-straps and ten-speed gears when my race-bike's got step-in cleats and 27 speeds....

I can see, however, that learning how to lift with knee wraps or a suit would really require you to be adept at the basics first, before getting into refinements about how a suit changes your style. The penalties for not knowing the basics can be quite a lot worse when you get stapled!

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Its a good read but I dont know why it recommended you go totally raw (apart from a belt) even in your first novice comp. Surely in training you can get all the practice you need, with and without straps and suits, and then competition time is the time to try everything and get the real feel of all your equipment.

Just my opinion and I`m sure there many thoughts for and against here but sprinters,skiers and cyclists etc dont seem to forgo gear in their first comps.

There are a couple of things which drive my opinion:

1. Equipment is often a barrier to competiton;

2. Learning to use the equipment effectively is difficult and becoming more difficult as technological advances occur.

That said, I am not opposed to novices using equipment. It is just not preferred approach.

Note also that a dedicated raw division is pending.

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Note also that a dedicated raw division is pending.

...hee hee hee, you need to get in a suit you monster! Forget about the RAW stuff, its bad for your knees... :pfft:

Good article Doc and I totally agree with novices lifting RAW at their first comps. Lifting strict in the gym is no comparison to when you lift on the platform while facing the crowd and have 3 judges scrutinising your lift. Not only that but lifting RAW as opposed to in equipment is just one less thing to think about besides all the other distractions that are going on.

Get the first one under your belt and set it as a goal to gain experience and gather information and probably the most inportant thing, build confidence. Dont try and lift max weight straight away because unless you train with a powerlifting ref or lifter who is dead against 50/50 lifts (depth, pause, lockout, hitching etc)...I assure you, you will leave the comp disappointed and your ego shattered.

Good luck to all the forum members who are considering doing their first competition. The first one is always the hardest because the nerves will be at an all time high. I wish you all white lights and PR's!

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Its also best to build up enough strength in able to use the gear effectively. No point using a squat suit if you only get 5kgs out of it.

I certainly agree with all the comments. I`ve probably watched Cool Runnings too many times.

I`ve found though, at 50, the squat suit holds the body together well and allows me to use strength that I would otherwise have to hold back on due to various niggles.

The difference is night and day and almost seems like two different sports.

I guess as far as the novices go they need to keep their head in check as far as this goes. You could, for example, have the haves and the have nots fronting up at their novice comp and the have nots getting their arses badly kicked and getting disillusioned if they werent aware of how much advantage the "haves" had over them.

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...and this can put some novice lifters off.

Getting youre arse kicked can ...for some...can put a dent in the ego. I try to get our new lifters to ignore the drug users and more experienced equipped lifters and to focus on fighting the battle of themsleves.

For us getting a new PB and or a clean round of white lights, is as good as winning at this level and we find if we can keep this theme going in training and on the platform we build good character and focused athletes. This sport is as much about the indivdual as it is about winning your class or event.

Drug cheats dont get far anyway as they are screened out as they progress and progression isnt normally that far and the sport is an equipped sport. There are plenty of equipped lifters hitting 800+ totals but not many raw eh...

No big flashy sponsorship deals and bulging sacks of prize money up for grabs here...so you might as well enjoy it as an individual cos the training is hard (if you're doing it right :twisted: ), the hours long, the weight classes to make (for some :lol: ) and risk of injury is high.

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I think you made the crucial point there D.

Something Ive got from OB, PB's first and trophies second. In powerlifting the person who lifts the most gets as much respect as the person that leaves it all on the platform and grinds out a 2.5kg Pb yet may come last in his class. I dont think powerlifting is about being the strongest, its more about bettering yourself. Lets face it, not everyone has the potential to total 1000kg. Everyone has the potential to be better.

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of course its about winning! its a competition and you are competing against others in your weight class. you gotta have that winning mentality to get better. if someone beats you and you are focused on beating them next time then want it more and you will most likley do better.

if i dont have the highest total for my novice weight class in the march comp and at the bbro i will be fucked off with myself, if that means dropping my weight to the next class and sacrficing a few kgs off my total coz ill have better chance of winning id rather do that than have a higher personal total but come 5th in class.

"why be the best you can be when you can be better than everyone else."

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I se where Toms coming from and having played competitive team sports when I was younger I can remember pretty much every coach drilling this stuff into us. It helps to have the "killer attitude" in most cases but...

The sport of powerlifting wouldnt exist if it wasnt for people wanting to be the best they could first and in competition with others. TinyTraps' point that not everyone has the potentional to reach the staggering numbers of the worlds top lifters, nor to run as as fast as Usain Bolt etc etc but there are still others in the race even though they have little show of winning.

Powerlifting is about the individual. Many comps have classes filled with lifters far from the standard of the top lifters but the overall feeling is one of support for anyone who steps up to lift regardless of the weight.

I have trained with the 2 top lifters in Australasia (and many other extremely strong lifters) and not once have I been looked down on, ridiculed or had the pox poked at me for the meager weights I shift....in fact, as mnay here can testify when you get the chance to train with these top athletes ther is nothing but 100% support, comradere and well wishes..many of these encounters have evolved into friendships too.

You'll see this Tom when you do your first comp (which with your current numbers will probably win or at least do very well) but one thing you also notice, if you take the time, will be that even the smallest numbers will get applauded...sometimes more than the biggest lifts.

and Tom...remember...somewhere in Russia a young girl is warming up with your maxes :nod:

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...sometimes more than the biggest lifts.

I`m not disagreeing with the healthy encouragement bit, but...it reminds me several years ago when some clown from Equatorial Guinea fronted up at the Olympics in a swimming event and finished about 20 lengths last in a time which wouldnt have even got him into the special Olympics. This guy got a standing ovation which totally drowned out the celebrations of the winner.

I personally thought this guy should have been taken and beaten up in the car-park for allowing things to detract from the eliteness of what the Olympic Games stood for.

Whoops getting off the topic here as usual.

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Having said all that, from my experience strongman and powerlifting events are amongst very few sports where your opposition are also your biggest supporters.

Its understandably a sport where newcomers have a reluctance to participate because they have they wrong perception of what they will encounter on the day.

The reality is totally the opposite and from the time you front up until finishing your last lift everyone (including organisers,judges)will offer advice, assist, and make you feel welcome and put most of your nervousness and fears at rest.

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Having said all that, from my experience strongman and powerlifting events are amongst very few sports where your opposition are also your biggest supporters.

Its understandably a sport where newcomers have a reluctance to participate because they have they wrong perception of what they will encounter on the day.

The reality is totally the opposite and from the time you front up until finishing your last lift everyone (including organisers,judges)will offer advice, assist, and make you feel welcome and put most of your nervousness and fears at rest.

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