Your First Powerlifting Competition

Plan Early

Find a competition that is still about 6-8 months away.  This will give you plenty of time to plan a good training strategy.  If you have to rush to get ready for a competition, there's a greater chance of injury.

Do Your Homework

Find out what the rules are for the competition.  Different clubs use slightly different rules and words of command.  Make sure that your training follows the regulations; that way, when the chips are down and you're in the heat of battle, you'll lift properly - just lift you did hundreds of times in training.  Make sure that the equipment you choose meets regulations - nothing is worse than having your favourite belt disallowed the day before the event.

Make a Sensible Training Plan

When you're still 3-4 months out from the competition, you should still be doing overall strength training.  Work on core strength, shoulders...everything.  Include all the basic powerlifts in your training throughout this time.  Aim to keep adding weight onto your lifts.  At this phase you should be doing 3 sets of 6 rep max.  You're hammering home the muscle-memory and tuning-in balance and timing while adding strength.

Final Attack

2 months out you need to focus on the 3 main powerlifts.  I throw in some plyometrics like box jumps and plyo push-ups to increase fast twitch speed.  Starting 1 month out, you'll want to focus on rehearsing for the big day.  Practice your warm-up (keep it light!).  Hit three attempts on each lift just like it was showtime. Know what your body is capable of.  Think about what your first, second and third attempts will be.  The very last workout should be about 5-7 days from the big competition.  Eat well the morning of the competition and bring some healthy snacks like raisins, almonds, fruits etc with you to keep your energy up. 

Bask in the Glory

Enjoy your big day.  All eyes will be on you and everyone cheering for you as you wrestle gravity for control of that bar. 

Tom

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Goats Milk

 

Delicious Alternative to Regular Milk

OK maybe "delicious" is an overstatement but goat milk is really not as vile as people say it is. I picked some up in the exotic food section of the grocery store a few weeks ago to give it a try. It does have a distinctive taste but its actually pretty good.



  

Tasty and Nutritious
Goat milk has all the same nutritious value as cow milk. This food is a good source of protein, riboflavin and phosphorus, though a little high in saturated fats.

Uses
Goat milk is good just by itself as a beverage or mixed with chocolate protein powder in your smoothy. Its a little more expensive than cow milk; so its good for an occasional treat, unless you just like amping-up your grocery bill.

"3 more reps"

Tom

Hate Me Now - Thank Me Later

www.facebook.com/FEATTraining

Six Pack Secrets

The Elusive Six Pack

Ever seen someone with a wicked six pack who did not look like they were superfit and super-checked-out?  I didn't think so.  Fat guys with huge arms - big deal.  Slim guy with a six pack - different story.

What is the Six Pack?

Six pack is the outline of Rectus Abdominis, otherwise known as your abs.  Technically, everyone has a six pack.  The problem is that you just can't see most people's six pack because its hidden under a layer of body fat.


Nice Six Pack Jack



What's Hiding Your Six Pack?

Six Pack Success

There are three things you need to know about bringing out the washboard.

Nutrition
Eat a clean nutritious diet.  Cut the crap out right away.  Totally.  No excuses.


Six Pack Concealer

 

 

 

Fill-up on good clean food.  Eat a healthy blend of slow burning complex carbs like oatmeal and wholesome protein like salmon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ab Exercises

You need to actually do some ab work.  Not 500 reps but maybe 50-75 reps in total...3 days per week.  Here are a few good ones:

 

Dumbbell Crunch

The Dumbbell crunch is a wicked ab exercise.  Hold a dumbbell at each shoulder.  Crunch upwards and press the dumbells at the same time.  Just try for 20 reps.

 

Low Plank

 

The Low Plank is another really good ab exercise.  See how long you can hold it.

 

 

Kettlebell Swing

 

 

The full-blast barbarian kettlebell swing is a great ab exercise and rocks-out some great cardio too.  Get that puppy swinging straight overhead.  Go as hard as you can for 20-30 reps.

 

Cardio

A lot of people think that you need to really crank the cardio to get the six pack.  Its not as bad as you think but its not as easy as you hope either.  Don't go for lame cardio.  If you're not really straining you're maybe wasting your time.

 

 

 

Drink Your Face Off

Water, that is

 

Not beer

 

Beer will absolutely destroy your six pack.  So will any other form of alcohol.



Tom

Hate Me Now - Thank Me Later

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