When did you first consider competing in powerlifting?
Having done strength training for two years now, I had decided early on that competing was something I wanted to do. However, I wanted to allow my training to progress to a point where I was happy to compete. Especially with so many of our clients at Body Mentors competing, I was inspired to do the same.
This was your first competition, what’s been your biggest lesson/takeaway from the experience?
The whole experience was a massive eye-opener, watching everyone and how they coped with the day was really interesting. With some people being experienced powerlifters, and others also like me competing in their first competition. One of my biggest takeaways was learning to prepare in your own way, everyone is different. Some people shouted a lot, and were very aggressive (in a motivational way) whereas I preferred to stay more calm and composed.
Another takeaway from the whole experience was learning how to deal with the nerves. I remember on my first lift, my legs were shaking so much before. However as soon as that first lift was over my nerves dropped significantly and could really focus on the rest of the day.
Can you walk us through a competition day? What’s it like to lift weights in front of a crowd?
Having got up much earlier than I would have liked, I had a light breakfast so I didn’t feel too lethargic, however a very strong coffee was needed to give me some energy. When arriving at Optimus Gym, it was weigh-in time. Shockingly coming in two kilograms under what I anticipated. Something to learn from for next time! When the weigh-ins were over, it was time to chill, get on some more fluids and try to stay in the zone. At this point I was both excited and nervous, however in my head I was very unsure of what was to come.
My first lift, being squats, went up very smoothly, despite my legs shaking as soon as I got up on the platform, but hearing the crowd cheer and applause when you complete a lift puts all the nerves at ease knowing they’re on your side.
As the lifts continued, I made some very annoying little errors, such as failing my second squat due to simply putting the bar back too early (very frustrating) and failing my second deadlift due to hitching. However these are things I can learn from and certainly won’t be doing again. However I was really pleased to be able to correct these on the day.
Has competing changed anything about your approach to your own training?
Competing has certainly changed my approach to my own training, now understanding how important each session is, as well as how important consistency is whilst training and always having to push yourself. This has also made me trust the process so much more, seeing the progress I have made in just over two years makes me extremely excited to carry on in that trajectory.
It has also allowed me to see my weaknesses in my training, what areas to work on, so I have been able to slightly tweak my training to cater to that. For example now including pinned Bench Press to help with my lockout when bench pressing.
With hindsight, is there anything you would have done differently in your preparation for your recent competition?
My main difference in preparation I would change next time is analysing my lifts more, through either having someone watch, or filming my lifts to review. This would have allowed me to iron out slight mistakes such as hitching in my deadlift, as well as putting the bar back too early in my squat. Two things I was unaware of at the time.
After your first competition, have your training goals changed?
My training goals have changed slightly, the main aim would be to get 200+ kg deadlift and 200+ kg squat by the time I next compete. However generally, just to keep progressing slowly and consistently throughout the next year.
What’s next in your powerlifting journey?
Before this competition, I was unsure if this was something I wanted to do consistently, and was leaning into doing it just once, being able to say I had done it. Now, however, my mindset couldn’t be more different. Having experienced the preparation, the day itself and the feeling of achievement afterwards competing is something I would love to carry on doing. I have certainly got ‘the bug’ and want to keep pushing myself further and looking to try and compete again sometime in early 2027! I also want to give myself plenty of time to improve and get the numbers up.
