3 Reflections on my first (sanctioned) powerlifting meet

You may be accustomed to reading my change management or leadership inspired blog articles. Today though is more personal. I hope you gain a little insight and you can relate it to your own experiences.

Following my post on 4 Change implementation and powerlifting tactics, you may know that I have been training in the sport of powerlifting. I have even tackled a few novice powerlifting meets over the past 18 months. In a nutshell, a powerlifting meet is a competition to achieve a one rep maximum of squat, bench, and deadlift - giving a combined total of the highest weight of each exercise and abiding by all the various technical rules.

As a sport, it is unlike many others that have seasons. Most powerlifting athletes would compete a few times a year, not every week like a footballer. In football, if you have a bad game, you dust off and move onto the next week. For powerlifting, you put all your eggs in one basket for one day.

A few weeks ago, I competed in my first sanctioned powerlifting meet. Being sanctioned meant it was in a league with rules, uniform, and I was competing for a score that gets put to my name as a registered powerlifter. Based on my size and current lift numbers, I knew that I wasn’t going to win big. For me it was about pushing myself outside of my comfort zone. Here are 3 things I reflected on from the day:

1. Preparation is the long game

2-4 weeks out from meet day is peak training time. It is the time to push to the limits and test maximum strength pre meet. In a perfect world, these few weeks are solid training with high stress. However, 4 weeks out I injured my foot in a little household accident which resulted in not being able to place pressure on my toe for a couple of weeks. The day I did the injury, I still went to the gym, determined to push through and downplaying it to myself. I lasted 15 minutes! The week after the injury I was struck down with a cold and couch bound - more time off the gym.

To me, it was over, how could I compete if I could not train? My coach sat me down one week prior to the meet day for us to make a call on it. My confidence was super low, I knew my preparation was less than perfect. Coach did was coaches do best - question and explore. We discussed that every training session over the past 6 months was preparation, not just the previous 4 weeks. Knowing this grew my confidence as I focussed on every lift I had done well over the long term and that was what made the perfect preparation.

2. It’s all about mindset

A person very close to me suggested that after my less than perfect preparation that “maybe you are not cut out for powerlifting”. Ouch! That one hurt real deep. After a few days of inner turmoil following the injury, this comment made me doubt my abilities. It shouldn’t have but I let it get me down. It took a day or two for me to reframe my mindset to “just watch me” and use it as fuel for the fire.

Going into meet day, I met a few of the other lifters and realised they were in a much higher calibre to me. Before the run list came out I knew I was going to be first - first means the person who lifts the lightest. Now I could have felt self-conscious and compared myself to everyone else or thought I didn’t belong. But I had been preparing my mindset the week prior and using self-talk that I deserved to be there and reminding myself that everyone starts somewhere. It was playing on repeat when I went to the platform first - together with breathe, brace, squat!

3. Surround yourself with genuine people

The people at the powerlifting meet, from the organisers, crowd and other athletes were all so supportive. They cheered for everyone, including my little first attempt on the platform, it was so uplifting. There were women that I had only met that morning and by afternoon we shared hugs and lollies. I can only hope that in other competitive individual sports, everyone displays the same level of genuine support for one another.

Seeing what the other athletes could do was so inspiring for me. One gentleman squatted 400kg! Whilst I doubt 400kg is in my future anytime soon, it does make me want to continue to grow in the sport and do just that little bit better each time. Much like life, do a little better every day.

This post was inspired by my Coach, Jac.

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