Beginners Guide to Powerlifting, part 1

So you want to be a powerlifter- part I

Introduction
I have decided to write a series of short articles to help those who are interested in powerlifting. These people could be from any background. They maybe complete newbies to the gym, they could be advanced gym goers. They could be injured football players. They could be aged 14 or 74.

From my perspective, there is a lack of information for aspiring lifters. This is hardly surprising when you consider powerlifting as a sport:
- It receives little media attention;
- It is famous for drug scandals;
- The equipment is expensive;
- There are very few gyms which cater for powerlifters;
- The referees often think they are bigger than the sport.

Despite this, there is something very special about powerlifting. I can remember my introduction. I was a promising Rugby League (League) player who had just started using weights for my sport. I watched a few guys doing squats one day in the gym. I asked them if I could join in. Pretty quickly I was breaking national records in training. I was hooked, I had the bug. I still played League that year but my desire was now to be a competitive powerlifter.

The initial attraction is hard to describe. I think that the process of continually becoming stronger and measuring this in a competitive format was what did it for me. I also loved developing muscle and I quickly discovered the correlation between strength and muscle.

Powerlifters are almost universally a great bunch of guys and girls. They love doing their best but they also love seeing other succeed. This element also appeals to me greatly. It is an individual sport with team sport camaraderie.

First steps

Getting involved in powerlifting is becoming easier in some locations.
In Christchurch we have a club set up within a gym which is dedicated to powerlifting. Eastside Barbell provides the opportunity to get started.

Your first step should be to research where the local powerlifters hang out. Google you National or local powerlifting association and make contact. Dedicated facilities like ours are not common but powerlifters do tend to congregate together at the gym. Make contact
and get involved. As I have said above, powerlifters are almost always receptive to helping others.

What to look for
A powerlifting friendly gym will offer specialised equipment that is unique to powerlifting. This may include platforms, specialised bars, chains, bands, a glute ham raise, a reverse hyper extension.

Shinyland gyms are often reluctant to cater for powerlifters. I recall that when
I used to train at such a facility we used to take our own bars and chains and we even finished our workouts at home where we kept our reverse hyper and glute ham raise.

Look for a gym that best caters for your needs. In the absence of a dedicated facility you will just have to find the best fit. Then lobby the gym for additional equipment.

Minimum requirements are:

- Olympic bars and weights;
- Power rack;
- Bench press
- Deadlift platform.
Make sure you are able to use chalk!

The culture of a gym is probably just as important. Make sure the gym is recognised as being supportive of high performance. People are alsoimportant. Do they look like they want to go to the gym or are they there because it's the thing to do?

In the next part of the series I will introduce you to powerlifting training.

Craig McGuigan
29 November 2010