Powerlifting meet

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IILikeToMoveItMoveIt
IILikeToMoveItMoveIt Posts: 1,172 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
So I was looking at hardcore gyms and I see there is a powerlifting meet coming up. I am a novice female over 200 lbs but weight division doesn't get past 198 while guys go past 300lbs. So, do I have to drop weight to get in? I'm super new to this and while I've been lifting, I haven't tried out my 1 rep max yet. (dumb, I know...) I was wondering what to expect novice powerlifting women to lift or if there is just too many variables to really ask a question like that. I kinda want to get and idea of what to shoot for, cause I'd like to try a single, like bench or deadlift. I want to try a competition as cheaply as possible. So checking it out with participation sounds super fun to me. Any info would be awesome, tips, advice etc.

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  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,220 Member
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    Usually anything over the top weight listed is considered a super heavy weight, so you can compete still. Most of the time the fee for a single lift is the same for full power (all the lifts). I wouldn't worry about what your number is going to look like compared to other novice numbers since there's no way to know who is going to show up.

    My first meet I set a national record for deadlift and didn't do well on the other two. Despite being ranked towards the bottom for bench and squat I set personal records, which is what really mattered. Other women who competed in novice had anywhere from 8 years of lifting experience to 6 months worth. The first meet should be about the experience and the PR.
  • deputy_randolph
    deputy_randolph Posts: 940 Member
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    The class above 198 was called "unlimited" (I think) in the comp I did in Aug. You don't need to lose weight.

    I competed in my 1st comp this Aug. I was 1 of 4 women and the only in my weight class. My husband had competed in a couple, so I had already observed and had some idea of what to expect schedule wise and command wise. Observing before competing was super helpful for me, b/c I'm an over-preparer type.

    I used the meet training prep recommended in 5/3/1(started 8 weeks before comp) b/c that was the program I had been following. I tested my 1rm about a week before the meet and then took off the following week (the full week before the meet). I did miss my last squat, but hit my bench and dl goals.

    It's hard to give you an exact range for a novice female lifter. I was the smallest lifter @132lbs; my lifts were 160 (missed 175 squat)/100/250. I won my weight class! The heaviest woman was 180 and totalled around 630. Don't let the idea that your lifts aren't "good enough" stop you from doing it. I'm already prepping for one in Feb, and I'm sure I'll be the smallest with the lowest total again; I want to break my own record.
  • SonyaCele
    SonyaCele Posts: 2,841 Member
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    You can go online and see scores from previous meets in your gender/weight/age category to see what they are lifting. But keep in mind all the variables and don't compare yourself to others, its best to only compare yourself to your previous you.
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
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    I will only add that you may want to go and watch a powerlifting meet before you participate. It will give you a whole lot of useful information and allow you to get some idea of how things work.


    I can tell you that across a wide range of beginning powerlifters that I have seen, you can immediately tell the difference between someone who is well prepared and someone who is not.

    And that has very little to do with the amount of weight they lift and much more to do with understanding of the rules, knowing the commands, making smart choices, etc.

    The amount of weight on the barbell won't matter if your squat doesn't break parallel according to the judges who are watching, or if you blow a rack command/etc.
  • not_a_runner
    not_a_runner Posts: 1,343 Member
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    I would go watch this competition so you get an idea of how they usually go. A full meet can take a long time to get all your attempts in and is very different than just going to the gym and making lift attempts on your own time. Definitely work on finding your 1rm's and making sure they would pass in a meet (squat to depth, etc as mentioned above) and learn your lift commands - squat/rack, press/rack etc. before you sign up for anything. Recording your lifts is a good way to know where you're at with form as well.
    As far as what to expect with weight lifted, it will vary. Looking up records/previous meet results is fine, but you shouldn't use those as an expectation of yourself, especially for your very first time attempting a 1RM. Just aim to set your own PR's for now and work to make them better.
  • IILikeToMoveItMoveIt
    IILikeToMoveItMoveIt Posts: 1,172 Member
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    Great info everyone! I'm glad my weight isn't an issue. I've watched some on-line videos and have been super impressed and inspired by those women. I'm now going back and forth between just observing or competing. Thanks so much for your input! I will just make it about my personal prs and do my best. I'll work on my form too, especially my squat. It's still pretty ugly.
  • sammyliftsandeats
    sammyliftsandeats Posts: 2,421 Member
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    I am going to watch a meet in January as I'd like to compete as well in the future.

    I will try to use all these tips as I observe.

    Thanks for this thread.
  • maranarasauce93
    maranarasauce93 Posts: 293 Member
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    If there aren't any meets in your area, some people post full meet recaps on YouTube so you can observe commands and why a lift may have been red lighted. Also, if you know the fed you plan to compete in, it's extremely important to read their rule book! It gives the most thorough explanation about the rules of each lift, commands and even what you can wear for the meet.

    The most important thing is not to compare yourself with others, especially for your first meet. What matters is that you are satisfied in performance at the end of the day. I'm in the 63kg weight class and my squat and deadlift are pretty meh compared to others I compete against; but all that matters to me is that I PR and come out a stronger person at the end of the day while also being smart and safe!!
  • sammyliftsandeats
    sammyliftsandeats Posts: 2,421 Member
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    IILikeToMoveItMoveIt wrote: »
    Update! I took everyone's advise and it worked out great! The event was push/pull and I did deadlift. I am super proud of myself for lifting more than I ever have before. No kidding extra strength from nerves! (I also didn't do a huge warm up or anything, I know that helped.) So considering I hadn't deadlifted since Feb.( when I first started lifting), sick kiddos, (can't take them sick to the gym daycare) and only managing to get to the gym one day to figure out what weight to start at before resting a couple days before the meet, I ended up pulling 180 (proud but wanted to do more) and getting 1st place for my division (as submaster). I was the weakest person there but like I told my husband, I'm only competing with myself and now I have new goals for next time and lots of training 'til then. I didn't know what I was capable of until I challenged myself with the competition. Otherwise I probably wouldn't have figured out my form was bad in Feb. and that's why my knees hurt trying to lift 60 lbs! So, I learned a lot, PR'd by 20 lbs (from my test day) and had a ton of fun!! Been back in the gym super excited for deadlift day and making myself stronger. It all accumulates into awesomeness!
    @samanthaluangphixay- I think you'll really get into it. It was a lot of fun. Watching AND participating. This one dude was attempting the biggest pull of the day, 800lbs , we're all encouraging him and right as he's about to complete, the bar slips right out of his hands! ARGH! So exciting, it was so close. It was his 3rd try, so many people were just beasting that last pull. A lot of people pushed themselves. I was surprised at a lot of failed attempts, but encouraged by them at the same time. Like I don't need to feel super bad if I don't make all my lifts, you know? You should do it, you'll have a great time! Also, I was pretty weak considering but everyone was nice and supportive and I did alright. Glad I went and will go again!
    I now consider myself a powerlifter. B)
    Thanks again everybody!

    I'm so happy to read this! Congratulations on your success and having such a good outing.

    It is too late for me to register for the meet I am going to go watch in January but there is one in March I have been looking at.

    Good work!
  • DeadliftsandDonuts
    DeadliftsandDonuts Posts: 178 Member
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    IILikeToMoveItMoveIt wrote: »
    Update! I took everyone's advise and it worked out great! The event was push/pull and I did deadlift. I am super proud of myself for lifting more than I ever have before. No kidding extra strength from nerves! (I also didn't do a huge warm up or anything, I know that helped.) So considering I hadn't deadlifted since Feb.( when I first started lifting), sick kiddos, (can't take them sick to the gym daycare) and only managing to get to the gym one day to figure out what weight to start at before resting a couple days before the meet, I ended up pulling 180 (proud but wanted to do more) and getting 1st place for my division (as submaster). I was the weakest person there but like I told my husband, I'm only competing with myself and now I have new goals for next time and lots of training 'til then. I didn't know what I was capable of until I challenged myself with the competition. Otherwise I probably wouldn't have figured out my form was bad in Feb. and that's why my knees hurt trying to lift 60 lbs! So, I learned a lot, PR'd by 20 lbs (from my test day) and had a ton of fun!! Been back in the gym super excited for deadlift day and making myself stronger. It all accumulates into awesomeness!
    @samanthaluangphixay- I think you'll really get into it. It was a lot of fun. Watching AND participating. This one dude was attempting the biggest pull of the day, 800lbs , we're all encouraging him and right as he's about to complete, the bar slips right out of his hands! ARGH! So exciting, it was so close. It was his 3rd try, so many people were just beasting that last pull. A lot of people pushed themselves. I was surprised at a lot of failed attempts, but encouraged by them at the same time. Like I don't need to feel super bad if I don't make all my lifts, you know? You should do it, you'll have a great time! Also, I was pretty weak considering but everyone was nice and supportive and I did alright. Glad I went and will go again!
    I now consider myself a powerlifter. B)
    Thanks again everybody!

    Congrats on your first competition! It sounds like you had a great experience, which is all I'm hoping for at my first meet next month! Did you sign up for another competition yet?
  • njacob705
    njacob705 Posts: 2 Member
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    I love hearing about other women getting into the sport! My husband has been doing it for a few years, and I joined in the fun this past year, just did my first meet last week in the 198+ class. Congrats on your first of hopefully many competitions!
  • juliewatkin
    juliewatkin Posts: 764 Member
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    Congratulations on your first meet. I hope it's the first of many, many more.
  • IILikeToMoveItMoveIt
    IILikeToMoveItMoveIt Posts: 1,172 Member
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    DeadliftsandDonuts wrote: »

    Congrats on your first competition! It sounds like you had a great experience, which is all I'm hoping for at my first meet next month! Did you sign up for another competition yet?

    Thanks! It was a super awesome experience! I haven't signed up for any other ones as of yet. Money is pretty tight. But now that I have an idea of what goes on, and what my goals are, I am focusing more on progressive lifting with an eye all on powerlifting in the mean time. It's gonna be awesome!
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,442 Member
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    I've been trying to find one to go watch, but I can't find anything in my state.
  • IILikeToMoveItMoveIt
    IILikeToMoveItMoveIt Posts: 1,172 Member
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    njacob705 wrote: »
    I love hearing about other women getting into the sport! My husband has been doing it for a few years, and I joined in the fun this past year, just did my first meet last week in the 198+ class. Congrats on your first of hopefully many competitions!

    Me too. I think it's so great! I'd love it if my husband would do it too. I think it's awesome you got to get in there too. It's so fun. Like the whole process, not just the comps. Congrats to you too!
  • IILikeToMoveItMoveIt
    IILikeToMoveItMoveIt Posts: 1,172 Member
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    juliewatkin wrote: »
    Congratulations on your first meet. I hope it's the first of many, many more.

    Thank you! I hope so too! :)
  • IILikeToMoveItMoveIt
    IILikeToMoveItMoveIt Posts: 1,172 Member
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    quiksylver296 wrote: »
    I've been trying to find one to go watch, but I can't find anything in my state.

    Do you live near a border? Maybe a nearby state is hosting one? If you don't mind traveling super light, you could always get a super cheap flight to a place you want to go that has a meet. Make it a fun trip! Fronteir Airlines and Spirit are the cheapest flights I EVER seen. If you are flexible in days you can get round trip tickets for cheap. Me,my husband and 2 kids went to Colorado on Fronteir for $158. All of us, round trip, fees and all. So there's that option...
  • maranarasauce93
    maranarasauce93 Posts: 293 Member
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    quiksylver296 wrote: »
    I've been trying to find one to go watch, but I can't find anything in my state.

    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=A_g-Vi4VHqA

    In case you can't get to a meet, here's an example of the format; this is the prime time from USA powerlifting's raw nationals. This is the cream of the crop of people in their weight classes. This will give you a good idea of the order of lifts, given commands, and the flight systems at meets. This meet was particularly large but many meets follow a format where women where lighter weight women will squat first, followed by heavier women and then men. Then the same process occurs again for bench and then deadlift. Also. As you can see in this stream, those attempting the lightest weight are the first to lift. It's a long stream but it's super helpful and it's always amazing to watch super strong people do their thing!!
  • thumbingmyway524
    thumbingmyway524 Posts: 32 Member
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    Competitive powerlifter here, feeling heavy and deconditioned
    Game on :)

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