Powerlifting Meets: Myths And Misconceptions

Right off the bat, let me define my position clearly. I believe that every able-bodied adult, (and some that are not so able-bodied) should compete in some form of athletic competition, at least once during their lifetime.

My hope is that this article will:

• Put a weight in the hands of someone who doesn't train.
• Put people who train but haven't considered competing on the fence.
• Shove those on the fence off and into their first meet.

Life is short.

Traveling for work and training in various gyms over the years, I’ve run into quite a number of people who are interested in powerlifting. But when I ask if they compete, more often than not their eyes drop as they explain the reason why they don’t. Often times they’ll cite some myth or misconception about meets, such as how they are full of judgmental jerks. Or I often here concerns that they will be laughed off of the platform.

I’ll try to talk them into it with a sentence or two (because I have such little time to explain the sport), but that’s usually a futile gesture. Still though, I try to at least leave them with a word or a thought that may take root with them later on. Sometimes it just takes a sentence to turn someone’s thinking around, and sometimes people are just looking for someone to say go for it to them. I should know.

It wasn’t all that long ago that I had similar fears. I hesitated to sign up for my first meet, so I know where they’re coming from. I was apprehensive and questioned my own worthiness far too often back then, and the only place it led me was nowhere.

The fear of the unknown can be a paralyzing road block to many new experiences and ventures. Succumbing to that unwarranted, self-imposed restriction only robs us of progress and misdirects us down the road of stagnation.

But a simple quote sent to me by a friend was all that I needed.  It read:

"The question isn't who is going to let me; it's who is going to stop me." - Ayn Rand

Wow. I hadn't really thought of it like that before. Who's side was I on, mine or the unknown critics? Now was my time to do this. I was tired of fear holding me back. Reinigorated with a new sense of purpose, I signed up and entered my first meet. The fear of the unknown wasn’t strong enough to stop me after that, and it shouldn’t stop you either.

I hope I can cause a paradigm shift for those who have preconceived notions about competitive lifting. More often than not, the culprit is fear. Fear of the unknown and fear of what they mistakenly think they know.

The following are some of the reasons or excuses that people give for not competing in the great sport of powerlifting, along with the reasons why you absolutely should!

"Powerlifting is a guy's sport"

Wrong, powerlifting is everyone's sport.

Women play a huge part in powerlifting. Some of the sport's best and most popular lifters are women. Laura Phelps Sweatt, Gillian Ward, Jennifer Thompson, Gracie Vanasse, Kimberly Walford, Anna McCloskey, Julia Ladewski, Caitlyn Trout, Angela Bivens, and countless others.

Powerlifting is a sport that appeals to men and women of all walks of life, so don't fall into the trap of thinking this sport belongs to only one gender.

"I won't fit in"

Yes you will.

Powerlifters are everyday people just like you and I. They're plumbers and architects, police officers and firemen, salesman and realtors, mothers and fathers, sons and daughters.

Erase the thought of the jocks from back in high school. These people have come to challenge gravity, not you.

The fear of the unknown can be a paralyzing road block to many new experiences. Succumbing to that unwarranted, self-imposed restriction only robs us of progress.

“I compete with myself”

I’ve heard this one a few times, usually from the folks in the gym who go all out buying powerlifting shoes, wraps, a nice ratchet belt and follow powerlifting templates. They like to be a big fish in their little gym pond.

They stand right on the edge of the pool, but they’re afraid to take the plunge. That's really just fear speaking on their behalf.

When I go to a meet, I’m lifting against other lifters but I'm really worried about out lifting my previous self. I am the only person I really want to demolish. Sorry younger me, but I’m crushing your numbers today.

The truth is we’re all competing with ourselves, that’s one way the sport can be viewed. You PR, you earn a total, and you beat your previous PR’s and totals. But competing against yourself exclusively robs you of the experience of truly testing your metal out in the world. Seeing how the fruits of your labor stack up against your peers is the primal dna of sport.

To truly challenge yourself, you have to challenge other than yourself.

“It’s just a hobby”

Well no kidding.

Since I’m not making a living off of it (just like 99% of lifters) it’s a hobby for me too. But it's one that I take a great deal of interest in, and dedicate a lot of time and energy to.

Some make the argument that it has to be a “lifestyle” like bodybuilding. It can be, but it doesn’t NEED to be. There’s no shame in treating it like a hobby, and that’s no excuse to discredit yourself into thinking that you’re not serious enough to enter a meet.

Training hard only to waste it all on a mock meet or max day is like eating vegetables and salads all day and skipping out on home made pumpkin pie. If you’re passionate about your training, then you OWE it to yourself to be a part of the best thing about the sport, competing.

"Powerlifting is not about beating other lifters. It's about improvement. Most powerlifters know and understand this. The lifting community supports each other in ways you can't explain." - Steve Shaw

“I’m not strong enough”

There is NO weight requirement to ride this ride. It doesn’t matter how old, how tall or short, skinny or heavy you are. If you can perform a break parallel squat, a bench and/or a deadlift with an empty bar, YOU QUALIFY.

I’ve heard people say that they want to wait until they have a respectable set of lifts before they enter a meet. Respectable to whom exactly, other lifters, yourself, people on the internet?

In the era of social media and video sharing sites, people feel the need to compare themselves to the top 1%. Nevermind all of the things that you don’t see on the video, namely the years and years of training, hard work, dedication and even failures. There are a lot of factors that lead to success, so don’t arbitrarily compare yourself to the best of the best and think that’s an excuse to not even try.

And what's the fun in only trying something that we're sure that we'll be good at? Where's the challenge? When did we become so scared to fail that we totally eliminate any chance of it in our day to day lives?

So you might not "win." So what, you don't even try?! Have you made enough room in your life for fun, or is too full of ego and meaningless trophies that you got for doing something you'd do try because you knew it was easy?

Let me let you in on a little secret gang; respect is given to any and everyone who signed their name on that entry form BECAUSE it's a hard thing to do. If you're strong enough to sign up, you're already stronger than you thought.

“I don’t want to be judged”

Well guess what, you will be. But not in the way you’re expecting. The only three people that you have to display your lifting prowess to are the judges; no one else. Not the spectators and not the other competitors.

Hell, other lifters generally have no idea what’s going on around them other than the order in which they’re lifting and how much weight to attempt. And the crowd? They’re made up of people’s parents and friends who don’t even lift. And guess what, they’ll cheer for you!

Powerlifting meets are the most supportive and positive environment that I’ve ever been in. Strangers will applaud you, lifters will give you advice and you’ll walk away at the end of the day being a better lifter.  Nothing can prepare you for how awesome it is to have a room full of people that you’ve never met telling you that you can do it.

Powerlifting meets are the most supportive and positive environment that I’ve ever been in. Strangers will applaud you, and you’ll walk away at the end of the day being a better lifter.

“I don’t want to be drug tested”

Really? There’s no test designed to detect the presence of Jack3d in your blood stream. You’re fine. Even if you’re on something a little more stout, literally no one cares. 

Drug testing is expensive, and federations aren’t using your $35 annual membership and $75 meet dues to “catch” you. Unless of course you’re chasing Spoto’s bench or Malanachev’s squat records and let’s face it, most aren’t.

“I don’t want to wear a singlet”

News flash, EVERYONE else is wearing a singlet! If you’re that self conscious you can wear gym shorts over it until it’s time to lift. But I have to be honest, no one is looking.

Some federations allow you to wear compression shorts under your singlet for added coverage. Just make sure to consult their rule book beforehand to make sure it’s allowable.

“I’m too old”

No you aren’t.

Powerlifting meets sort lifters by weight and age. Most federations separate lifters into different categories beginning at age 35-40 going up in 5 or 10 year increments. If you’re 46, you may be grouped with other 40-49 year olds or 45-49 year olds depending on the federation.

The point here is that it’s not solely a sport for the “young bucks,” it’s a sport for all lifters. So basically, if Franklin Delano Roosevelt was in office when you were born, there’s an age category for you to separate you from the guys who actually remember Calvin Coolidge.

All of those are different excuses but they share one core similarly; fear. Fear tells you that you can not, that you should not and that you will not.

Recap

To sum it up:

• Powerlifting is for both men and women, young and old.
• You should worry less about how you'd place and more about doing your best.
• Stop letting fear keep you from doing the things that you want to do in life.
• Suck it up and wear a singlet.
• We are operators of the most complex machinery in the world, we owe it to ourselves to see what our bodies can do. 
• Tomorrow is never promised to any of us, so we need to take every opportunity that we can before the clock runs down to zero and the game is over.

Competing in my first powerlifting meet years ago changed my training forever. It showed me where I was weak and what I needed to work on, but it also lit the fire that motivated me to get better. Competition gave my training added purpose and made me more accountable to myself, knowing that I’d get out what I put in.

The very first thing I learned from that first meet was that all of my fears and apprehension about signing up were only in my head. Fear was a lie that I told myself as protection from failure. But there was no failure that day. It was fun, it was exciting, it was motivating and awe inspiring. It was awesome.

I’ve met new friends that I keep in touch with to this day, even if we aren’t doing the same meets any more. Lifters form a bond and comradery from their shared experience.

You didn’t think that you were the ONLY one who was nervous, did you?