porky little keg
MuscleHead
- May 21, 2011
- 1,225
- 647
As others have said..... just go compete.
I did my first contest back in college, it was just a bunch f college guys who liked to lift trying it out. We had a great time and now a few of us have gone on to compete in some bigger meets.
Read the rulebook for whatever fed you want to compete in a few months out ( or weeks, whatever) just to make sure that you have everything straight.
Every fed is different, but the general guidelines are:
For the Squat: YOu lift the weight out of the racks then walk it out ( or in a monolift just wait for the rack to open) then WAIT for the head judge to give the squat command. YOu squat down so the crease of the hip is lower than the knee... ever fed has a different idea of this, for a RAW lifter just go as low as you can on your opener, then ask the judges how deep they thought it was and adjust your next two attempts..... when you stand back up with the weight don't rack it until the judge tells you to, and don't move your feet from where they are until you get that command.
For the Bench: Your lift-off guy ( bring someone you trust) helps you get the weight out of the rack. Some feds make you wait for a start command to break your elbows, some let you start whenever you feel like it. All feds require that you touch your chest/belly with the weight ( not really an issue with a raw lifter, but check to see where you can touch the bar to, some feds don't let you bench to the gut) and when the bar touches your chest the judge will give you the PRESS call. Some judges do this as soon as you touch, some judges make you wait with the bar motionless.... I have had a few 5 second pauses with really anal judges... WAIT for it. After you lock out both arms wait for the RACK signal from the judge as well, don't just throw it back in to the racks.
FOr Deadlift: grab the bar, when you are fully locked out the judge will give you the DOWN call... put the bar down nicely, don't drop it. Any foot position is okay just make sure that you don't change it mid-lift. If you lose your balance and take a step back it's a no-lift.
All feds require that you wear a singlet to compete in. All let you use wrist wraps in the bench. Some allow knee wraps in the raw devision some don't. Some require tall socks or tape for the deadlift so you don't bleed on the bar, some require shirts for the squat for the same reason..... look it up or ask.
As for drug testing.... I got out of competing in tested federations because of all the ass holes who were openly on who competed in drug-free classes. Powerlifting is the only sport in the world that has drug free and untested federations. If you are on ANYTHING just find an untested fed to lift in. There are lots of them out there.
The bottom line is that if you want to try it, just go for it. There are tens of thousands of people who just go and compete for fun, rarely ever breaking a record, but they go and compete against their own numbers just for fun. And meets are a lot of fun. You'll meet a lot of people with the same interests, most guys are more than willing to help a new lifter out, share tips, and offer advise. If you aren't comfortable just showing up on meet day, go watch a meet to see how its run, or go find a team in your area and train with them for a while. Having a good team with you at a meet makes all the difference in the world.
I'm not sure where you are located, but after competing on the national and world level in a few big federations I know a lot of people all over the place. I could help you find a group to train with if you'd like.
I did my first contest back in college, it was just a bunch f college guys who liked to lift trying it out. We had a great time and now a few of us have gone on to compete in some bigger meets.
Read the rulebook for whatever fed you want to compete in a few months out ( or weeks, whatever) just to make sure that you have everything straight.
Every fed is different, but the general guidelines are:
For the Squat: YOu lift the weight out of the racks then walk it out ( or in a monolift just wait for the rack to open) then WAIT for the head judge to give the squat command. YOu squat down so the crease of the hip is lower than the knee... ever fed has a different idea of this, for a RAW lifter just go as low as you can on your opener, then ask the judges how deep they thought it was and adjust your next two attempts..... when you stand back up with the weight don't rack it until the judge tells you to, and don't move your feet from where they are until you get that command.
For the Bench: Your lift-off guy ( bring someone you trust) helps you get the weight out of the rack. Some feds make you wait for a start command to break your elbows, some let you start whenever you feel like it. All feds require that you touch your chest/belly with the weight ( not really an issue with a raw lifter, but check to see where you can touch the bar to, some feds don't let you bench to the gut) and when the bar touches your chest the judge will give you the PRESS call. Some judges do this as soon as you touch, some judges make you wait with the bar motionless.... I have had a few 5 second pauses with really anal judges... WAIT for it. After you lock out both arms wait for the RACK signal from the judge as well, don't just throw it back in to the racks.
FOr Deadlift: grab the bar, when you are fully locked out the judge will give you the DOWN call... put the bar down nicely, don't drop it. Any foot position is okay just make sure that you don't change it mid-lift. If you lose your balance and take a step back it's a no-lift.
All feds require that you wear a singlet to compete in. All let you use wrist wraps in the bench. Some allow knee wraps in the raw devision some don't. Some require tall socks or tape for the deadlift so you don't bleed on the bar, some require shirts for the squat for the same reason..... look it up or ask.
As for drug testing.... I got out of competing in tested federations because of all the ass holes who were openly on who competed in drug-free classes. Powerlifting is the only sport in the world that has drug free and untested federations. If you are on ANYTHING just find an untested fed to lift in. There are lots of them out there.
The bottom line is that if you want to try it, just go for it. There are tens of thousands of people who just go and compete for fun, rarely ever breaking a record, but they go and compete against their own numbers just for fun. And meets are a lot of fun. You'll meet a lot of people with the same interests, most guys are more than willing to help a new lifter out, share tips, and offer advise. If you aren't comfortable just showing up on meet day, go watch a meet to see how its run, or go find a team in your area and train with them for a while. Having a good team with you at a meet makes all the difference in the world.
I'm not sure where you are located, but after competing on the national and world level in a few big federations I know a lot of people all over the place. I could help you find a group to train with if you'd like.
