Powerlifting - Your first meet

[kitarpyar]

Starting this thread for the powerlifters in this forum to share their experience, especially of their first meets, lessons learnt, etc. I hope this will be of help to potential newbies who, one day, are planning to get on the platform for their first meet.

Bodybygamma started a similar thread for strongman competitions, which, I thought had some pretty useful information, especially for folks like us who have never been in a strongman training gym, let alone a competition, and whose only exposure to strongman contests were the WSM events on TV.

Here's the link to the stickied strongman thread too, if anyone is interested -
Your First Strongman Competition, tips, tricks and things you should know

Specific information, like tips on peaking, your style of warming up on the meet day, choosing starting weights for the lifts etc will be much appreciated.

[BendtheBar]

Good thread.

Tip...get there a day or two early. Settle in, relax, get some rest, check out the venue. Get a feel for where the action will take place, so you can remove all the "metal possibilities" from your mind and relax a bit more.

[BendtheBar]

Tip...you're going to drink a lot more water than you think.

You might want to take some whey protein and/or BCAA powder so you replenish some of the lost nutrients, stave off hunger, and have something other than plain water to satisfy your palate.

Also, take bananas, protein bars, string cheese and jerky. Foods like this that are light on the stomach, but convenient to eat.

[BendtheBar]

Tip...sit down!

Don't pace for 10 straight hours. You stay on your feet the entire time you risk feeling like a wreck by the time deadlifts roll around. Sit and relax. Save your feet and lower back.

[BendtheBar]

Tip...even if the bar feels heavy, you might just surprise yourself. If you've nailed those first 2 lifts, don't be afraid to go for a lifetime PR on the platform.

If my first 2 meets I've hit 3 huge lifetime PRs on the platform, and missed 3 lifetime PRs on the platform. The three I hit shocked me, but were moments I will never forget.

[Ryano]

Tip: Open with your abilities not your ego. Your openers should be set to a weight you can hit on a bad day, with the flu. What counts is what you finish with, not open with.

[BendtheBar]

Originally Posted by Ryano

Tip: Open with your abilities not your ego. Your openers should be set to a weight you can hit on a bad day, with the flu. What counts is what you finish with, not open with.

Very important, what Roger just said.

At a lot of the local, smaller meets you see an army of guys opening too heavy and missing their first squat.

[Duff]

Tip-Do not warmup with anything heavier than your opener, I have seen this many times and it boggles my mind. If your opening squat is 300 don't do 315 in the warmup room.

[Squatter]

Don't be shy and be open to meet people, and introduce yourself. You never know who you will meet at the meet!!

[J_Byrd]

Tip: Make sure you poop before you start your warm ups