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My First Powerlifting Contest
Posted by: Pantherous
Hi all my first contest is only 2 weeks away. It's bench press only. I found out about this all of half an hour ago so I havent had time to make myself go through a heavy phase beforehand. Could someone please explian the finer points of competing like where are we suppossed to warm up? Also could you tell me what I should eat on the day? i eat pretty healthy in general but I'd really like some input their. Any tips for getting a good night sleep the night before as i know I am going to be really really really nervous. I am 19 weigh about 60 kg and hope to bench around 80 kg. I have been doing dumbell presses in trianing for the past while so this may not be too accurate. But how does am I likely to do if it's accurate? Seeing as I only have 2 weeks and need to readdapt to using a bar instead of dumbells how long should I rest before competing wish me luck.
Re: My First Powerlifting Contest
Get used to using your bench shirt and wrist wraps and elbow wraps, or whatever you are using for gear. When I was first lifting, a week before my first meet, I tried on knee wraps, found I couldn’t even do my 10 rep max in squats with them. Glad I found out then instead of in the platform, that would have sucked! If you aren’t already, use the same gear you are lift with, just for a few bench sets every upper body work out, you need to get used to the gear. And remember to keep your arms up when you are not lifting, that bench shirt can be a bitch in your arm pits and circulation. If you haven’t used mush gear at all, them I’d advise just using the Shirt for this meet.
Have a mock meet with your partner. If you are short, they will let you have plates at your feet. Practice perfect form with 50% of your 1RM. Have your partner push the weight out, hold it their for a sec or 2, till your partner tell you to go down, then lower to your chest, where the bar is touching your chest. Then tell your partner to call you back up when he feels you have come to a complete stop on your chest. Keep you feet still. That is pretty much how it will be in the meet the ref will tell you when to get down and up, so he can be sure you are using muscular strength, not momentum. If you can, get some guys on either side of you, keeping an eye out for you from those angles. At the meet, you will have one judge sitting behind you in the bench, and one on either side. Make sure your form is perfect from all 3 sides. Once this gets comfortable for you, move the weight up.
While your at the meet, if one of the judges red lights you, don’t storm off mad. Ask him why he red lighted you, they will normally tell you why, and sometimes give you some pointers. Even if it is one red light, and the lift counts, you should still show good sportsmanship and a willingness to learn. Especially if you are first starting out. When the judges know you are a newbie, they will go easy on you, so don’t blow it by acting like a jackass. Learn from their wisdom. You may think you are doing it perfectly, but there thoughts are the only ones that matter!
Be a good sport, cheer for everyone. I know this is a bench meet, but then you go to a meet with squats, and a guy has some wraps on, help his team slap his legs, unwrap him when he is done, congratulate them when they do a good lift, comfort them when they fail miserably. You’re a newbie, make contacts early, you never know when they might come in handily later.
What weight class are you planning on getting in? What is your current weight? Are you pretty comfortable with being able to get in that weight class without extensive dieting?
Don’t worry if you don’t place high in the meet, this is your first meet, you are still getting your bearings. Good luck, let us know how it goes!
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