Powerlifting 101: How To Start Getting Strong Responsibly
So you want to get stronger? Perhaps, you want to compete in powerlifting someday? That’s amazing! Nonetheless, I want to prepare you for your journey as much as I can to ensure that you make progress, get into the most optimal physical shape and, most importantly, ENJOY YOURSELF!
Set attainable, realistic goals. Of course, we all want to lift heavier and as soon as possible, but the saying “Rome wasn’t built in a day” holds true. Focus on day-to-day and week-to-week victories. For example, increasing your deadlift 10 lbs in a month is impressive! Think about it: 10x12 months= 120 lbs/year! If you asked anyone if they would take those gains, I’m certain that they will not refuse!
Find a coach! You might be able to have a friend write a program for you or find one online. It could serve you well for a while. However, if you want to make long-term progress, compete and navigate the positive and negative training days, it helps to have guidance from someone to decrease your likelihood of getting hurt, recovering quickly and programming intelligently to expedite gains.
Be honest with how your body responds to training. Remember this: the only person you are competing with is yourself--well, in competitions, no, but you get the point! It’s difficult to train when you’re always sore and it’s unsafe to push past your physical capabilities to achieve certain totals. Take it in stride. If you have to stay at a certain weight for a training session, do it! It is nothing to be ashamed about. Plus, how much would it suck to get hurt and have to rehab your way back to where you were?
Invest in lifting shoes. Believe it or not, proper footwear can give you better leverage to lift weights. For deadlifting, anything from deadlifting slippers to Chuck Taylors (I bet he didn’t think his shoes would be useful off the basketball court), can help you stay lower to the ground. For squats, a firm, elevated heel can give you more ankle stability and help you reach greater depth. I like either Adidas Powerlifts or Romaleos, but both work well, though one is more cost-sensitive. Here are a few other options you might be interested in as well: https://www.mensjournal.com/gear/weightlifting-shoes-best-new-pairs-powerlifting-and-olympic-lifting/
Remind yourself why you train. Powerlifting is a process. It’s a rewarding one, but also not always easy. Whether you have performance goals and certain totals in mind or if you want to feel empowered and resilient, keep reminding yourself why you are lifting heavy weight while making ugly faces and investing so much time and money into doing so!
Great! You’re ready to begin powerlifting! If you are looking for a powerlifting coach, I would love to help you along your journey! If you have any other questions about training, recovery and/or pain, throw them my way!
Have fun and, remember, NO QUARTER SQUATS ALLOWED!