Fitness Adventures - Powerlifting

What sport do you think requires the most equipment/gear to participate? What sport do you think costs more to buy special equipment and compete? Powerlifting can get expensive, and I'm okay with that. You don't want your stuff to start falling apart in the middle of a heavy lift. I'd much rather spend $25-$50 on good wrist wraps instead of $5 wraps on Ebay that don't stabilize my wrists during a heavy bench press attempt. From a lifting belt to shoes... it all makes a difference.

I've decided to take on another endeavor in the field of fitness though. Instead of training to maintain my figure, I’ve decided to start powerlifting. Not just lifting heavy weights and putting it down but competing. Let me tell you a little about what I’m doing. My training is much different now. The key lifts in competition are the barbell squat, deadlift and bench press. I still do supplemental exercises, but I train according to what needs to be improved between the three main lifts to safely get better and stronger. Since I’ve started doing in-season training, I’m currently at a 365-pound squat, 370-pound deadlift and a 225-pound bench press. I still have a lot of work to do though!

I just finished another great book called “Powerlifting. The complete guide to technique, training and competition” by Dan Austin and Bryan Mann. If you want to get into powerlifting, I highly recommend reading the book (Click on the photo to get it from Amazon.com.). Although I want to squat 500-lbs, my body isn't ready for that. Instead of loading the bar with the weight I want to do and keep trying until I get it, that's not how anyone should train. That's ego lifting and another way to ask your body to injure itself. I follow a 6 day a week for 14-weeks in-season program that keeps me lifting in the 70%-90% range of my 1 repetition max lifts while varying my sets and repetitions week to week. I don't do more than I'm suppose to so I don't over-train or become overly tired after each training day.

I do train a client at a local YMCA. I mean hey, it saves them money by keeping their membership. Anyway, I met a guy and his wife there while training that client. I talked with him afterwards since I noticed that they were training for competition. He showed me a long scar on his back from a back surgery he had from lifting most of his life. The one piece of advice that stuck out the most was taking care of your body. Squatting 365-lbs is almost 2.5 times my bodyweight. If my muscles and joints were voices, they’d scream at me. Whether you’re training for powerlifting, to lose several pounds or just to look good this summer, you’ve got to take care of the bones and joints to continue moving that much weight!

#2019 #sports #fitnesstrend #Athlete #strength #powerlifting