The 8 Reasons Why First-Time Lifters Fail To See Success At Their First Powerlifting Competition
I see a lot of lifters, lifting too hard, too close to competition. This is called over-peaking and you’ll essentially run out of gas by the time you get to meet day. Â
Conversely, I also see a lot of lifters not lifting heavy enough or frequently enough to gauge where their strength capabilities are before meet day.Â
It’s a tough balance to strike between lifting too heavy, and not lifting heavy enough, and most first-time powerlifters miss this balance.
By competing in powerlifting, you must now follow the technical standards of each of the movements. Â
You can be strong in the gym, but if you don’t follow the technique that the judges are looking for then your lifts will be disqualified.Â
So you need to know the rules.
A lot of lifters don’t see success because of some procedural error that trips them up during the weigh-in or equipment check process.Â
For example, missing their weigh-in, not having approved competition gear, or bringing the wrong paperwork.Â
Now even if you are allowed to compete despite these procedural errors, it can cause a lot of stress and lack of confidence before you’ve even touched a barbell.
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Most first-time lifters approach their meet-day warm-ups like they would their warm-ups for training.Â
However, there are some key differences that you need to know when structuring your warm-ups for competition. Â
Notwithstanding, the timing of the warm-ups is a skill in itself. Â
Knowing how to judge the pace of the meet and knowing when to take your warm-ups so that you don’t feel rushed, or worse, you have to cut warm-ups because you don’t have time.
Having an effective game day strategy is where most first-time lifters will either make or break their success.Â
The biggest mistake I see is lifters not being able to evaluate their training evidence properly in order to select appropriate openers, seconds, and thirds.Â
This leads to lifters opening too heavy, not being able to adapt their game day plan on meet day, and ultimately, missing attempts.
A lot of lifters get confused by concepts like the ‘round system’, or how multiple flights are scheduled throughout the day.
All of this ties into meet day timing, and knowing where you’re supposed to be throughout the competition.
I see many first-time lifters taking downtime when they’re supposed to be getting ready to compete, or vice versa, they think they’re competing, when they should be taking down time.
Meet day nutrition is a critical aspect to performing well.Â
Most lifters are eating the wrong types of food and either feel sluggish, or in some cases, get sick to their stomach. Â
You can prepare your training to a granular level, but if you haven’t done the same from a nutritional aspect, you’re going to lack performance.
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Having the right goals and mindset for your first competition might seem a bit wishy-washy. Â
But often, the frustrating feelings you experience post-competition is because you haven’t structured your goals and expectations properly prior to the meet. Â
So having a mental framework is key for competing for the first-time.