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

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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

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How to Get Fat

1.  Eat Like You're Still 16
I know that you could jam down a whole large all-dressed pizza when you were 16 and it wouldn't touch you.  Guess what?  Your metabolism isn't 16 anymore; its 36.  You can't pig-out any more.

2.  Take the Elevator
I know that you're in a hurry.  I know that you don't want to get sweaty at the office.  Listen - leave a few minutes early, lather-on some extra anti-perspirant and take the stairs.

escalator - but you get the idea

3.  Skip Breakfast
I know; brekky is a hassle.  You want a few extra minutes of sleep.  Get something ready the night before.  Leave it on the table or the counter where you can easily get it ready.  Eat oatmeal for breakfast.  You just plop some quick oats into a cereal bowl, pour in some hot water and wait a few minutes.  Lots of slow-burning, complex carbs to power you through the day and fibre to keep you from snacking on crap.

Keep Checking Back...for some more hot tips on how to get fat or how not to get fat.

Tom

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Outdoor Training

Bench Dips

 

Bench Dips

 

You can do "Bench Dips" almost anywhere.  You just need a stable low platform.  These are great tricep builders and good for developing practical, natural strength.  If you need to throw a punch or push yourself up and out of a manhole; you need strong triceps.

Push-ups on a Swing

Push-Ups on a Swing.

 

Wicked core workout before we even talk about pecs.  Holding yourself up and stable in this position really works the abs.  Crank out a few push-ups and you will do your chest and arms a favour too.  Look for a swing-set in sand rather than pea-gravel pictured above.

Step-ups on a Low Wall

Step-ups

 

This is a good glute exercise.  Easy to find a nice low platform.  I do all my reps on one side first then switch.  Knee-high platform is good; higher is even better.

Box...



...Jumps

Box Jumps 

Box Jumps are a wicked plyometric workout.  Find a low, stable, flat, dry platform like the sculpture/seat pictured above.  Stand back a couple of feet.  Crouch.  Jump. Step back. Repeat.  Great exercise for glutes, quads, hamstrings.  Do these at a rate of 20/minute and they'll be great cardio too.  This is an advanced move; start low and work your way up. 

 

 

 

Tom

 

 

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Coming Soon - Training for Archery

Get Ready for Bow Season

Think that you should just grab your bow and have a go?  Think again.  You'd be wise to do a little prep training before you even pick up the bow and arrows.  A few well-planned workouts to get your neglected back muscles ready can save you a lot of pain and help you hit your mark.  An upcoming article will tell you exactly how to get ready for intense archery!

Tom

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Hotel Workouts



Arm Curls with Power Band

Powerbands - Portable

 

 

Powerbands are those neat coloured rubber tubes with handles on the ends.  Very light and portable, these are perfect for air travel.  Mine scrunches up in the corner of my luggage.  Different colours have different amounts of tension.

Tricep Pressdown with Powerband

Powerbands - Versatile

 

Powerbands are a useful travelling workout tool.  They basically provide resistance like weights or machines would.  They can be used in countless ways to work various muscles.  Maybe not as effective as weights or machines but better than just laying back and doing thumb-presses on the remote all evening long.

Wall Sit

The Wall

Even the wall is an exercise tool.  Use it for wall-sits.  The longer you hold this position; the better.


Stationary Lunges

The Floor

Lunges are a great workout that you can do in a hotel room.


Crunches

The Bed

Tuck your feet under the bed and bang out some crunches.  This will keep your core strong.

Bench Dips

 

Coffee Table

 

Bench dips on the coffee table will keep your triceps in condition while you're travelling.

The Stairs 

Creepy Stairs



Most hotels have stairways.  Not often used in these lazy times.  Take the stairs man!  Excellent exercise.  Mind you; not all stairwells seem that nice.  Check them out before using them.  These ones were kind of creepy.  I don't feel that vulnerable so I used them anyway.

 

The Hotel Fitness Room



Hotel Gym

I judge a hotel by its fitness room.  I love having some free-weights and at least a few choices for cardio machines.  Pool and sauna are nice too.  If you're lucky and the hotel has a decent fitness room; take the time to get in a quick workout.  It may not be exactly what you'd do at home or in your regular gym, but look at it as a good change.

 

Tom

 

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