If you are reading this, then I assume this is likely your first powerlifting meet and I want to congratulate you for making the decision to test yourself and sign up for a meet. This is a big step and you should be proud of yourself for doing this and putting yourself out there. If you are considering doing a meet for the first time, DO IT.
As of writing this, I have done 3 powerlifting meets. Although this is not a lot, I have done all of these meets by myself without a coach and have learned quite a bit that I thought I would share to help you with braving this experience successfully on your own. When I was reading up on doing a powerlifting meet prior to my first one, a common recommendation was to have a coach. I did not have one, nor did I plan to find one. I have always trained on my own without any help or coaching other than reading books and articles, watching YouTube videos, and listening to podcasts from great coaches and lifters, and have always preferred to figure things out on my own. I’d like to point out that in today’s world you can learn a ton of extremely valuable information from these sources which also makes lifting on your own without a formal coach more feasible. I am by no means downplaying having a good coach as this can obviously make things much smoother and easier on you, but it can be done on your own. If you have a coach, or plan to get one then you’ll be set and all you have to do is show up and lift. If you’d rather do it on your own, here’s how:
Leading up to the Meet:
Read and know the rules and regulations of the federation you are lifting in.
Read them enough to have a good idea of how the meet runs, timing of events and check/weigh-ins, flight progression, rules of performing the lifts and gear specs at least a month if not 6-8 weeks before the meet.
Figure out the barbell and weight plate specs and use equipment as equivalent as possible in training so you will not be caught off guard by things such as different diameter bar, taller or shorter bar height with deadlift due to differences in plate diameter, etc.
If you train at home or in a gym that does not have the exact or closely similar specs of equipment, then you may see if there is a gym in town where you can do a training session with the equipment to be familiarized with it maybe a week before the meet. If not, I wouldn’t fret too much as there shouldn’t be a huge difference that would throw you off that much. Besides, this is your first meet and you’re there to have fun and learn, not win a world championship.
Ensure your gear and clothing is legal with the federation you’re lifting in.
Belt, shoes, socks, shirt, singlet, knee sleeves, wrist wraps, etc.
As a side note: you do not have to have all the gear, or any outside of what is required (usually a t-shirt, singlet, socks, and shoes).
I did my first meet with only heeled lifting shoes, wrist wraps, deadlift socks, and a singlet; no belt, no knee sleeves or wraps.
Have extra/back-up gear. You never know what might happen where you need to change your shirt, socks or other gear. If you happen to lose or forget something you’ll have extras. This is also good to have a couple of different things of the same item if finances allow in case one item is not legal, you would then have a different backup that may be.
Primarily: Underwear, singlet, shirts, socks.
Other things that are nice to have extras of if finances allow, but not as essential: wrist wraps, belt, shoes, knee sleeves.
Pack as much of your gear as you can or at least have most of it together a few weeks before hand so you know what you have and you can figure out if you need anything else. This helps to be more prepared and eliminates adding another last minute thing to worry about the week of.
If you are competing in a drug testing federation/event, then do your research on any supplements and/or meds you are taking to make sure they are legal
Know the meet schedule:
Weigh-in and equipment check times
When the meet starts
How the flights are run
Make sure your training is a priority leading up to the meet.
This goes without saying, but I’ve seen people who last minute decided to do the meet with not the most consistent training, and not having any idea where they were at. Some people can operate this way, but this is a big deal so you should take it seriously and treat it like so.
Know your openers and have an idea of what your 2nd and 3rd attempts might be.
This is where consistent training is extremely valuable because you will know what these numbers will be.
Your opener should be something you know you can handle even on an “off” day. Probably something you can triple. You want to make sure you get your opener because this will help calm your nerves, help you get in the groove, and get you in the meet so you don’t bomb out (missing all 3 attempts). It’s ok if this is a really easy attempt.
2nd attempt should probably be in the neighborhood of a PR.
3rd attempt should be a PR, a REASONABLE PR.
Don’t go for something 50 pounds more than you’ve ever tried. This is idiotic and can put you and the spotters in danger of getting badly hurt.
Know how long it takes you to warm up so once you figure out how long a flight is taking, you can have a good idea when to start warming up so you’ll better time being ready.
Practice lifting commands at least a month prior so you do not get red-lighted on a made lift for stupid mistakes such as racking the bar too early, squatting before commanded, etc.
The more you have practiced this, the more automatic it will be on meet day when your nerves are ramped up and you are less likely to mess this up.
Lift in all you gear you will wear at the meet at least once, if not several training sessions before the meet so you are used to how it feels.
Singlet, t-shirt, deadlift socks.
Trust your training plan.
Don’t freak out the week or two before the meet and don’t change anything and try to do anything extra. The training is in at this point and you can’t get any better right before the meet, but you can screw up and get worse.
If you lift facing a wall, flip around and face out towards an open area like you will be on the platform at the meet to help familiarize yourself to this set up.
You should have at least 1 training session a week where you squat, bench, and deadlift heavy, all in the same session and in that order. Meets will go in that order and you need to be accustomed to benching and deadlifting heavy after a heavy squat, all in the same day.
If you only train in the afternoon or evening, then train at least once close to the meet in the morning and/or on a Saturday morning so you are used to lifting around the meet time.
Day of the Meet:
Plan for a long day.
Meets will last 8 hours or more, sometimes much more .
Don’t have anything big, urgent, or time sensitive planned afterwards because you don’t know how long it will take and you don’t want any avoidable added pressure.
If traveling from out of town, get there at least the night before, if not earlier in the day so you are not making an early morning road trip the day of.
Eat a breakfast you would normally eat on a training day.
Have a friend and/or family member(s) come with you for support and so they can help you keep track of meet progress and when you need to start warming up, etc.
Make sure to thank them and repay them as it is a long day, perhaps longer for them than you.
Try to make the day as routine as you can, so things feel somewhat automatic and familiar in an unfamiliar environment.
Expect to be nervous, everyone else is too and this is normal.
Bring a comfortable chair to sit in.
There will probably not be enough seating for everyone outside of spectators around the platform and it’s usually plastic flimsy lawn chairs.
Bring comfortable clothing to wear when not warming up and lifting.
Comfortable sandals or shoes besides lifting shoes.
Warm clothing if the weather outside is cool or cold as the gym may not be very well climate controlled.
Sweatshirts, long sleeve shirts, sweats, warm socks, stocking cap.
Shirts, shorts/pants, socks to wear besides the what you will wear to lift in.
Headphones and music if you listen to music, maybe reading material if it helps relax and occupy your mind between flights.
Watch the flights before you to figure out the flow of things and also to get an idea of how long the flights take so you can time your warm-ups.
You don’t get this luxury if you’re in the first flight, but you’ll know when the meet starts so you’ll have to give yourself the time before then that you’ll need.
Don’t warm up too early or too late. Keep an eye on the progress of the flights ahead of you.
This is where family/friends can help.
Watch when other lifters in your flight begin to warm up.
Do the same warm up you always do. Same weights, sets and reps. Don’t let other lifters you’re warming up with influence or change what you do.
Make sure you have plenty of fluids and snacks.
Drink mostly water, maybe some gatorade.
Starchy, carb snacks that do not sit heavy in your stomach and are easily digested. Avoid fatty foods and snacks as these do not digest as well and you don’t need to worry about protein until after the meet.
The best time to eat and replenish is right after you squat, I would avoid eating much if at all after benching and wouldn’t take in a lot of fluids then either before you deadlift. It is not fun trying to deadlift with a full stomach!
Take it all in and treat it as a learning opportunity.
Be proud of yourself for deciding to do this.
Learn from other lifters, but don’t change anything you do that day.
You want to be routine as possible and anything you learn, remember and use that information next time, not now.
Don’t cut weight, lift in a weight class where you don’t have to worry about weight management.
This is an added, unnecessary stress.
You don’t need to worry about weight classes until you are more experienced and have a chance at a record or money is at stake.
Understand that no one cares how you do, you are doing this for you and only competing against yourself. Don’t worry about being the weakest lifter or looking stupid-NO ONE CARES.
It will be an exciting, uplifting, and supportive environment.
In the 3 meets I have done, this is what I have enjoyed the most. I have been lucky enough to have done well, and yes that made the day awesome. But what was even better was how supportive everyone was, cheering other lifters on and giving high-fives and back slaps after successful attempts and encouragement after misses.
You are appreciated if you show up and try hard, not by how much you lift.
Watch and learn from good, strong, experienced lifters.
Don’t worry about what others do and how they handle themselves.
It’s easy to sit around and watch everyone else and get caught up in what they do as there is a lot of down time at these meets.
You can learn from them, but ultimately you need to be you and do what you do and stick with your planned routine.
That is a lot of information I know. I am a prepper, so I like to have things figured out as much as possible. You may not need to be as detail oriented, but I find that when facing a new and unfamiliar experience, the more I know going in, the less anxious I feel. Ultimately it will be a great experience where you will learn a ton about yourself and also learn a lot from others. Be prepared, give it hell, and just lift the damn weight.