Tips for your First Powerlifting Competition

I have talked with several people lately getting ready for their first powerlifting competition. This is great to see as it means the sport still is attracting new competitors. The people I have spoken with have had many of the same questions and concerns about what they should be doing for the competition and a few even asked me for advice on the lifts even though I’ve never seen them lift. It flooded me with memories of competing myself and also helping all of the different lifters we had at Showtime. While something can always go wrong, it’s very beneficial to map your day out to give yourself the best chance for success. 

Prior to the Competition

• Stop training hard 10-14 days out. As you gain strength and experience you’ll want to back off even further out from competition. You can’t get any stronger in the last two weeks, but there’s a lot you can do to get weaker. 
• Don’t cut weight. You’re likely not going for an All Time World Record at this meet. Cutting weight is additional stress and trying to rebound from a weight cut is a skill learned over a long period of time. Your risk of messing this up is much higher than any potential reward. Weigh in at whatever you weigh and just go there to lift weights and compete with yourself. 
• Set openers lighter than you think. In public speaking, people have a tendency to talk faster than normal. The same goes for lifting at a competition. This could lead to a missed lift or lack of focus. Set your openers to a weight you can achieve on your worst day. The stress of a missed opener is awful. 
• Check the rules far out from the competition. Are there equipment rules, or specific lift commands? Not knowing these things and practicing for them is a recipe for disaster. When I competed in meets with a Squat or Bench command, I would purposely wait an extra 1-2 seconds on lifts in training to mimic the competition. 
• Make a checklist, double check it, and then have someone else check it. You don’t want to forget something simple like socks and add a ton of stress to your day. 

During the Competition

• Bring extra food, water, fruit, candy, gatorade, and anything else you might want to eat that day. 
• Don’t over stimulate. Your adrenaline will be running full go. You won’t need pre workout and to listen to your headphones for 4 hours before your first warm up. Be as relaxed as possible until it’s time to let it go. 
• Don’t change anything that day. If you see someone in the warm up room using a different style of lifting than you, observe and take notes but don’t mimic their style that day. I’ve seen a ton of people change something the day of competition and it has never worked in their favor.
• Have a handler. A handler is someone who takes care of you all day at the competition. For me, this was Josh Gutridge. He picked my openers, reported next attempts to the table, hand outs on bench, and just made the day simpler. All I had to do was lift weights. To me, your handler or handlers are the most important part of your day. This isn’t a cheer crowd. Being a handler is physically and mentally exhausting so pick wisely. 
• Don’t worry what anyone else is doing. There will be people there stronger than you. Observe their habits and in the down time of the meet, pick their brain. Just don’t think they’re caught up on what you’re lifting. Most competitors are just happy that enough lifters showed up to prevent the meet from getting cancelled. 
• Build your total. You should go 9/9 at your first meet. You just need an established baseline to build from. You’re establishing your meet PRs which are always more valuable and different than training PRs.
• Hydrate Hydrate Hydrate. Nine max effort lifts and the stress of competition is much more stressful than people imagine. The last thing you want is to be cramping going into deadlifts. 
• Don’t watch your lifts. Your girlfriend will want to film your lifts. That’s fine, but watch them after the competition. Listen to your handler on what you need to adjust. As you get more experience, you’ll know when something feels off. Watching your lift is a waste of energy and attention span during competition. 

If you’re in your first competition then it’s important to remember to have fun. True competitors of the sport have a lot of respect for anyone who has the courage to step on the platform. The wold is filled with people who are strong at their local gym, but never compete because they have a fear of being embarrassed. You will learn more by competing and continuing to compete than you ever will lifting by yourself untested. There is a big difference of lifting on your own or with some buddies compared to being on someones else’s clock, judged by people who don’t know you, using equipment you’ve never used before, in a place you’ve likely never been. Go into your first meet to establish a baseline for yourself, not to worry about records or to live up to anyone else’s standards. The only person you have to beat is you. 

Nick Showman

Showtime Strength & Performance