What I wish I’d known before I started Powerlifting

It took a little while before I would refer to myself as a Powerlifter. Much the same as people who run every now and again seem to avoid calling themselves a runner…. well if you do something every now and again you are still that thing. So, I am a powerlifter!

I’ve written a few different posts about powerlifting, including my competition recaps and posts on what to do if you want to start powerlifting and tips for your first powerlifting competition.

Sometimes I get to thinking about how my life is different to how it was just a couple of years ago before I had ever picked up a barbell. Sometimes I just have to laugh at the things that have changed and sometimes I am super impressed by myself at the changes that I’ve made.

I thought it would be fun to write about some of the things I wish I had known before I started powerlifting… all in the name of a laugh (and blog post content!).

* You will eat some ‘weird’ things, all in the name of hitting your macros – as I write this post my afternoon tea consisted of peanut butter, whipped cream and a protein shake. High fat and protein, low carb today 😉
* Your hands will never be the same – callouses will ruin them for good!
* Cutting weight is not glamorous, yeah I never thought I’d be spending time spitting into a cup either.
* You have to clear the crap out of your brain and listen hard for the cues on competition day. Your nerves race and you can hear your heart beating super fast. Take a breath and listen.
* You will feel a lot more confident about your body – one of the BEST things about powerlifting for people all shapes and sizes!
* You will feel badass when you lift more than the guys next to you in the gym – it’s kind of fun when they stop doing what they are doing and go to the other side of the gym.
* You will get frustrated and want to scream or cry when it’s been almost a year since you got a PB in a certain lift (Yes, I’m talking to you Bench!).
* Nerves will get the better of you at least once – it could be not listening to the cues, silly attempt selection or just going too quickly or slowly in a lift.

* It is not a cheap sport – yes, it can be cheap but if you want to get serious you will need a belt/sleeves/equipment/competition entries/travel etc, it all adds up.
* You will meet some amazing people and feel like you belong!
* You will eventually weigh in naked -as horrific as this sounds to me, it’s inevitable – all in the name of WILKS.
* You will go down a weight class if you want to be serious (but I like eating a big meal the night before :s)
* There is no better feeling than seeing your name on a record list – honestly, best feeling ever!
* Progress will slow down and it will be frustrating – you won’t keep jumping up 20/30 kg on your total every single competition.
* You will start following every powerlifter in the world on Social Media! Okay, maybe not every single powerlifter, but most of them.
* You will compare yourself to others and not feel good enough.
* You will re-frame your thinking and understand that it’s a time game and begin use others as motivation of what is possible instead of comparing yourself to someone who has been in the game for years.

* You will blame your job for getting in the way of your training.
* You will start to consider additional supplements to help you get your gains.
* You will want to enter ALL the competitions, and it will be tough to cross a few off the list.
* You will wonder what will happen to your lifting when you decide to have kids (okay so this probably only applies to females).
* You will question the affect your menstrual cycle has on your strength (also, only applies to females!).
* You will get frustrated when you see people using 1kg weights and wondering why they aren’t making any progress – PICK UP A WEIGHT THAT IS CHALLENGING FOR GODS SAKE!
* You will cringe when you see photos or videos of you lifting front on (deadlift face anyone?).
* Training will kick your ass, then kick it again.
* It will all be worth it.