Powerlifting - how and why.

If you’re reading this, chances are you’ve got an interest in powerlifting or weight training in general. Whether you’ve never set foot in the gym, attend regular classes or exercise daily, I can confidently say that if you give powerlifting a go, you’ll come to love it.

First of all, the how is fairly simple on the surface. You research, you talk to other people who train for powerlifting and you decide on a coach or a program that best suits your needs. I’d recommend beginning with a 1:1 coach in order to most efficiently utilize your time and your training sessions, but there are plenty of “cookie cutter” training plans available to purchase online if you’re not ready to commit to paying someone for more personalized training.

Powerlifting consists of the three main compound lifts; squat, bench press, deadlift. If you watch or attend a powerlifting competition, or “meet”, you’ll notice that there are 3 attempts for each lift; opener, second attempt, third attempt. Easy enough.

What you don’t see is all the additional work that goes into building strength for the platform, and this is important. There are lots of accessories and stretching and boring training days that build the foundation for strength that you’ll need if you intend to maximize your potential.

This is far less exciting than moving huge weights, but it's vital in building a good foundation of strength. For this, you will need to be dedicated; it's far too easy to ignore the accessory and mobility work and just push your weights up all the time, but that is a sure fire way to hurt yourself and derail your own progress.

So, you’ve made it to the gym and you’re ready to start lifting weights. You can see people training but there are so many variations in form that you’re not really sure what’s right, what’s safe or what to avoid. This is where your coach/trainer would come in handy. So you get your plan, you've got access to the kit and maybe you have a coach. Everything is in hand.

So here's the important part; WHY are you doing this?

That may seem like an easy enough question, it may seem totally unimportant. The truth is, you need a why. You need a reason to push through low motivation days and dedicate yourself to reaching your goals. Obviously this isn't limited to powerlifting alone; the same can be said about any training style - if you don't have a reason to commit, how can you ensure that you will?

Now, I'm not saying you need to be avenging the death of a loved one to be welcomed into the arms of powerlifters worldwide, but it will help you if you're honest with yourself about why you're doing it.

It could be that you want to lose weight, gain weight, get strong, look buff, tone up. Any reason is a good reason if you're doing it for yourself, to make yourself happy. And if you're doing it for someone else, that's okay too, but make sure it's also what YOU want to do.

My why started with weight-loss, then transitioned into "I wanna get strong!" and as I began to compete, my why turned into because it's fun and I enjoy having goals to work towards.

So think about your why, it'll help you stay on track on those days you feel like quitting, and remember you don't need to justify it to anyone at all.

Good luck, have a great time, and welcome to powerlifting.