FIRST MEET POWERLIFTER: WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?

Like a bad relationship, here I am coming back to powerlifting for reasons I myself don’t completely understand, but now you get to suffer.  This is once again about a phenomenon I observe constantly both on and offline: the almost powerlifter.  The guy that has been training for YEARS, has read every book (read: watched every youtube video[read: viewed every Instagram story{read: scrolled through every tweet}]) on the subject, has favorite lifters in the sport of powerlifting, owns a 13mm belt, squat shoes, Kevlar knee sleeves, every variation of the slingshot…but has never competed in a meet before.  And when asked why, they say “I want to spend a little more time training to make sure I’m ready.”  HUH?!  What insanity is this? How could you possibly get more ready than this?  Seriously: what are you waiting for?!

Seriously, if you own one of these but don't have a total, just start over

Once again, I feel the need to explain what powerlifting is in the context of other sports to understand how truly crazy this is.  In powerlifting, the “game” is the powerlifting meet.  The meet IS powerlifting.  All the time spent in the gym is simply time spent training to play the game.  Understanding that, what other sport on the planet has a following of people who dedicate themselves diligently for YEARS studying every aspect of the sport, buying all the gear, and training before they ever actually play the game?  Before the first time you ever played a pick-up game of basketball, did you train for years, practice your freethrows and strategize how to play defense, or did you and a bunch of friends just grab a ball, find a court, and figure it out as you went?  And you were awful at it.  And it was fine!  It was fine, because you were LEARNING how to play the game.  It’s the same for football, soccer, baseball, or any sport that can be played by 5 year olds.  Hell, my very first wrestling practice in high school, I was taught a double leg takedown and 6 minutes later we were wrestling.  And I sucked at it.  And it was fine!  First you play, THEN you learn.

Why is the play first part important?  Because you have to figure out if you even LIKE the sport in the first place.  Can you imagine what a letdown it would be if little Jonny first picked up a basketball at age 5, dedicated himself for the next 5 years to becoming the best player he could be, diligently practicing and sweating and drilling, only to play his first game at age 10 and discover that he didn’t really find basketball fun and he was more a baseball fan all along?  That can happen with powerlifting!  I’ve competed in 3 meets, and after the third I was done with the sport.  I just didn’t find it interesting.  I didn’t enjoy spending 10 hours to do 9 reps.  I didn’t enjoy how much focus was on form rather than just getting from A to B.  It just didn’t jive with what I thought a strength sport would be.  Thank god I figured that out at age 27 and had time to transition to strongman, where I found something I enjoyed.  Imagine if I had just kept waiting before taking the plunge into a sport I didn’t like.

I also think I'm going to take a pass on the javelin

And powerlifting IS a sport that you can just jump into.  All you have to be able to do is squat and bench a 45lb barbell to compete in a meet.  I honestly have no idea if they can support deads lower than 135lbs due to plate diameter, but whatever, you get the point.  It’s not like strongman, where the loads are determined by the promoter and you can be too weak to participate.  You can find out VERY early in your training career if you even LIKE the sport of powerlifting before you dedicate years, if not decades, “preparing” for your first meet.  And meet experience is invaluable in any capacity, because there is an immense difference between lifting in a gym and lifting in a meet.  Getting THAT sorted out early will only benefit you in the long run. 

So why do people delay?  Let’s be real honest here folks: because they want to win their first meet.  The sheer idea of coming in any other place than first in a competition is so upsetting to people it can cause serious emotional trouble and turmoil.  They will wake up in the middle of the night in a coldsweat fearing coming in second place.  Well hey, here’s some good news for you; the sport of powerlifting is so fractured (at least in the states) that you have a VERY solid chance of coming in first in your first meet…as you may be the only person in your weighclass and division.  If trophy hunting is so important for you, just sign up for 181lb liftetime natural left handed Methodist division and you’ll be set.  Probably set a record too.  However, IF your ego can possibly spare to do bad at something the first time you do it, you may find out that powerlifting is your thing.

I'm serious: EVERYONE will get a medal

Or you might not!  And that’s the point!  Get that sorted out NOW so you can actually vector your training towards A goal.  The amorphous sorta powerlifter hangs around many locales and spends a good amount of time accomplishing nothing, as they truly have no real goals.  They train “like a powerlifter” and they care about their “total”, but with no meet to peak for, no records to chase, no competition to defeat, they just spin their wheels for years.  Someone with a real deal meet on the horizon start transforming their training, things start to matter more, and growth start to happen at rates not previously observed.  When something is actually on the line, you start caring more, and it’s reflected in your training.  When the only thing that’s on the line is your ego in a not for real possible future meet, you’ll end up sandbagging your training so that you never actually ARE “ready” to compete, as that is the only way to truly ensure your feelings are spared.

Go do a meet and see if you even like powerlifting.  What are you waiting for?

I know my regular readers were waiting for this photo

And once you’re done with that meet and you find out powerlifting is boring, go compete in storngman.