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Three Basic Tips for Beginner Powerlifters

Posted by Marie Curtis on
Three Basic Tips for Beginner Powerlifters

If you’re thinking about starting to powerlift then you’ll need to consider everything from how to structure your program to tips for your first competition. It can feel somewhat overwhelming, but in this guide, I’ll share exactly what you need to know to be successful in the sport of powerlifting.

1. Always squat below parallel

How many times have you seen lifters in training squatting high and saying ill get depth on the day, then the comp comes around and everything falls apart because you haven’t trained to the depth.

Now in the grand scheme of a training cycle is one or two high squats going to ruin your prep? Absolutely not! This is mainly aimed at people who are squatting high week in and week out.

2. Practice the pause in the bench at least once a week.

Just like the squat I’ve seen loads of people saying they can bench this and that but when it comes to a comp and pausing the lift there numbers are way back. Do practice the pause enough and it becomes second nature, my pause bench is even bigger than my touch and go bench at this stage.

3. Never touch and go deadlifts or worse bounce them

By killing it dead once again like the other two lifts your practicing the competition movement and re-enforcing your start position which in turn makes you stronger from that position. I worked with one lifter in particular who claimed a 180kgx8 deadlift yet could only pull 190kg for 1. I asked him to show me his deadlifts and there it was, touch and go every rep. All I had him do was dead stop them, within weeks he was pulling over 200kg.

Seems simple but so many people get it wrong! You could go one further and have your training partner or coach give competition commands to really get you use to what’s to come at competition.

Give it a go and I assure you you’ll be much better off on the day of a competition.

General

Ten things you should avoid in a powerlifting gym (part 3)

Posted by Marie Curtis on
Ten things you should avoid in a powerlifting gym (part 3)

8. Be Loud and Obnoxious

It might be understandable that a powerlifting gym sometimes has some grunting, yelling, which is even necessary in some case. So, it’s no need to complain about the noise. However, be reasonable since there are many other people who are training at the same room and there are also those that might take craziness to the next level.

9. Stink

Whether it is the body funk that makes you smell like you reside in an onion patch, or bad breath that would make anyone nauseous, the people around you are going to notice. So make sure not to be oblivious to the fact that your hygiene is something inconvenient to everybody around you.

Remember to brush, floss, gargle, and shower every day. Apply deodorant and even one or two sprits of cologne (don’t do it too much as this isn’t pleasant either).

Avoid wearing the same clothes more than once without washing and keep your gear clean and smelling fresh.

10. Be Rude

This is one of the most important rules in gym. It is annoying to see someone’s stuff on a machine while they are not in your sight. So just leave it exactly where it is and wait until that person comes back and ask them how many more sets they have.

You might not be too happy if someone else moved your stuff and used the equipment you planned to use.

Being rude by any way is unacceptable and there is a huge difference between standing up for yourself and just being rude. The gym should be a place to encourage and offer help to other people who are on the same path with you.

So, understand that you should be an example no matter the circumstance, no matter how bad someone’s actions may tick you off. Your attitude should reflect the discipline and self-control of your own.

General

Ten things you should avoid in a powerlifting gym (part 1)

Posted by Marie Curtis on
Ten things you should avoid in a powerlifting gym (part 1)

64534504 - athletic woman performing a functional exercise with kettlebell.

With the increasing popularity of the fitness lifestyle, it has become more and more relevant to revisit the fundamentals of fitness. Here is some helpful advice about things that you should avoid in a powerlifting gym in order to not only maximize your success in the gym but also tick off as few people as you can.

1. Use a bar but do not know its purpose

Remember that not all weightlifting bars are created equally. You don’t want to bench or squat with a deadlift bar for instance and there are bars of various quality which shouldn’t be used with chains or for other things. So make certain to ask someone who works there or somebody else who doesn’t seem too busy to elucidate which bar is that purpose as there are usually many various bars.

2. Get Too Close To Someone Lifting

Keep a couple of feet faraway from anyone who is lifting heavy weight or any weight for that matter. Be observant and conscious of the space around you because accidents can and do happen, and you don’t want to be the cause. Not keeping your distance is additionally an honest thanks to getting yelled at.

3. Talk Someone’s Ear Off

Some people like to talk while others don’t. It is normal because we are all different.  But remember that a lot of people within the powerlifting gym try to urge in their workout so that they can leave soon and keep it up with the rest of their day. Not everyone wants too or has the time to speak for an hour between exercises but sometimes the person being held hostage doesn’t want to return off as rude by cutting that person off or telling them that they’d like better to train without interruption.

4. Complain If Someone Is Taking Longer Between Sets

It’s a powerlifting gym and powerlifting usually involves longer rest periods since the main target tends to get on strength. So, thereupon being said, don’t complain and if anything you’ll probably even ask to figure in if you’ll hang with the person lifting as it’d be annoying to require off and replace the weights counting on the strength differences.

But in many cases, there should be several different areas open with the equipment you would like.

General

The history of powerlifting

Posted by Marie Curtis on
The history of powerlifting

It all started with the International Powerlifting Federation. the game originated from Weightlifting where the “odd lifts” then became recognized and put into a special format.

The first “genuine” National meet for powerlifting was held in 1964 at the York Barbell Company within the US and therefore the progression began from there within the USA and UK then began to develop in other countries.

In the UK, the first powerlifting federation was BAWLA – British Amateur Weightlifting Association and from that emerged one man to start out the start of the powerlifting revolution within the UK. David Carter.

David Carter left BAWLA and started a replacement federation named British Powerlifting Organization – an “equipped” federation that allowed lifters to wear single-ply equipment and was connected with the planet Powerlifting Congress – who we are affiliated with in the present. He transformed powerlifting within the UK taking it new levels and provided lifts with choice of which federation they lifted in and decided to make a supportive and inspiring environment which is what we learned from him. During this point, other UK federations began to emerge from Davis Carter’s first steps.

The British Powerlifting Organization then made a choice to maneuver far-away from the WPC and that they joined the planet Powerlifting Federation. Thereupon move, the lifters who wanted to remain with the BPC formed a replacement federation by the name of the BPC – British Powerlifting Congress.

The sport had another great breakthrough with the couple Brian and Vanessa Batcheldor heading to make the competitions spectacular and hosted in venues like the NEC and the BIC in Bournemouth. Vanessa Batcheldor was one of the simplest female powerlifters we had squatting more than 200kg at 60kg in bodyweight which remains a record nowadays.

Since then British Powerlifting Union was formed, along with the planet Powerlifting Congress as our administration. It had the stress of bringing back the element of “run by powerlifters, for powerlifters” and the element of support that might be lost at elite levels. Our aim is to progress the game and supply opportunity at the amateur level during structured thanks to encouraging new lifters to the game and supply a grass roots platform in order to develop from to national and international competition at the elite level.

News

University of Kentucky Resident, Powerlifter Uses Her Strength as a Force for Good

Posted by Marie Curtis on
University of Kentucky Resident, Powerlifter Uses Her Strength as a Force for Good

University of Kentucky radiology resident Dr. Leanna Lin uses her strength for good causes.

This Saturday, Lin has organized an event called Deadlifts Against Domestic Violence, a powerlifting-style deadlift competition hosted by The Moco Gym in Mount Sterling, Ky. All the money received with sales and registration fees will benefit GreenHouse17, an advocacy agency committed to ending intimate partner abuse in families and the community.

For the uninitiated, the deadlift is one of three powerlifting exercises. To complete a deadlift, participants must pull the “dead weight” of a loaded barbell from the floor. 

“I got the idea for this from my coach; he organized a full powerlifting meet to benefit research for childhood cancer, and it happened to be my first powerlifting meet,” Lin said. “I thought it was a great way to not only benefit a good cause but also introduce people to powerlifting as a sport.”

Lin met her coach and inspiration during her year interning in Buffalo, New York. Although she has been lifting weights since high school, during the last year of medical school, she found a deeper interest in strength training. Though she was initially more interested in bodybuilding, after competing in her coach’s charity event, she switched her focus over to powerlifting – though the skills didn’t come easily at first.

“I used to not enjoy it very much,” Lin said. “But now that I’m much better at it, I really enjoy how strong it makes me feel.”

This is the second time Lin has hosted a charity event. Two years ago, she raised $400 to benefit the Markey Cancer Foundation for breast cancer research. This year, she wanted to do something different, and when a friend suggested GreenHouse17, she decided to give another foundation the main focus. Her main goal is to bring people together to support a good cause through a fun and exciting environment, but her long-term goal is to focus more on scholarship-type fundraisers.

“I think powerlifting is a very empowering and individual sport,” Lin said. “Many people can surprise themselves with how strong they can become with specific training. I hope maybe in the future I can help elevate powerlifting as a sport that grants scholarships to talented individuals.”

Deadlifts Against Domestic Violence takes place this Saturday, Oct. 12, at the Moco Gym, 275 Evans Ave., Mt. Sterling. Late registration and weigh-in begin at 11 a.m.; lifting begins at 12:30 p.m. Registration for competitors is $15 for pre-registering, $20 on-site. All proceeds will be directly donated to GreenHouse17. For more information, visit the Deadlifts Against Domestic Violence registration page.

General

Three essential weightlifting moves that beginners should do

Posted by Marie Curtis on
Three essential weightlifting moves that beginners should do

As a beginner to weight lifting, the best way to start is with a combination of functional exercises which mimic movements that you use in daily life and compound lifts. Learning these following movement patterns, including squat, push, pull, hip hinge, and hip extension, is key for establishing a foundation that can help you build more complex exercises to get comfortable with powerlifting and progress safely when you become stronger.

1. Goblet Squats

  • Hold a weight at your chest in two hands, stand with your feet slightly wider than hip-width apart and your elbows close to your body.
  • Bend your knees while dropping your butt back and down to lower. Make sure to keep your chest high and core tight.
  • Push your knees out and keep the weight in your heels.
  • Squeeze your glutes at the top and push through your heels to stand back up.

2. Shoulder Presses

  • Kneel with your back straight and core tight or stand up with your feet a little bit wider than hip-width apart. Hold a dumbbell in each hand and raise your arms up to shoulder-height so the weights are in the air. Rotate your wrists to make your palms face forward.
  • Press the pair of dumbbells overhead while keeping your elbows facing forward during the press.
  • Once your arms are fully extended, pause at the top. After that, return the weights slowly to starting position.

3. Basic Stiff-Leg Deadlifts

  • Stand with knees slightly bent, feet hip-width apart, holding a pair of dumbbells in your two hands.
  • Bend your knees slightly and hinge at your hips when you lower your body. Keep thinking about pushing your butt back.
  • Hold the pair of dumbbells close to your legs when you descend. Pull back on your shoulder blades and remember not to let your back arch.
  • Push through your heels to stand up straight while keeping your core tight. Keep the weights close to your shins when pulling.