So yesterday was my first powerlifting competition. The
Yorkshire and North East Powerlifting Federation (YNEPF) Masters.
It’s fair to say that my preparation whilst in the main had
gone really well, there were a couple of issues in the two weeks leading up to
this. I had completed the very high volume Smolov Jr training programme on
deadlifts which was pretty brutal it has to be said but I was feeling strong.
Then two weeks ago I still don’t know exactly what happened but I sustained an
injury to my left bicep. There’s no pain and no bruising but for some reason it
just doesn’t fire properly. Under contraction it remains soft and spongy.
Thankfully it doesn’t affect my grip in the left hand or my triceps or
shoulder, just the bicep. Then this last week I came down with a bug that left
me with laryngitis. On Thursday I really felt like someone was trying to tell
me something but I rested and kept hydrated and by the Saturday morning I was
left with just a sore throat and a dodgy voice.
I turned up at the venue in Ashington at 8.30am for weigh-in
and met up with the other lads from my team West Riding Power Lifters (WRPL).
There would be 5 of us lifting in the comp in various weight and age
categories. Before weigh-in we had set our rack heights for squats and
completed our drug testing forms. Weigh in saw me come in at 135.5kg (firmly
camped within the 120+kg class). Once weigh-in was done we all had a full
English breakfast in the cafeteria area of the venue. For those who have cut
weight to make it into a certain division this is an important time to re-fuel.
For me there was no issue but you have to support the lads right? Once we had
found out lifting orders and flight start times we headed into the warm-up
area. From previous competitions I’d been to it was always bedlam in there
initially but seems to settle down. Obviously there is limited space and often
with 20+ people all wanting to warm up at the same time it could be a total
nightmare. What you find though is that everyone respects everyone elses need
to prepare. With each athlete helping to load and unload the bar for the other
lifters throughout. I would be lifting in the second flight so I wouldn’t need
to warm up for a couple of hours yet. My coach Andy’s dad Tom was lifting in
his first competition. Tom is 64 and completely new to powerlifting. He is new
to competition in sport of any kind. He has supported, coached, pushed and
encouraged Andy for years (and me since I started training for powerlifting
too) but this was his first foray into competition. Tom is an inspiration to
many. Chris Lindley another WRPL lifter was lifting to attain a qualifying mark
for nationals. He needed 475kg to qualify. Chris is also a lighter bodyweight
lifter. Standard practice when there are two flights running is that the women
and the lighter male lifters will be in the first flight, and the heavier men
going later. As I was lifting in the highest weight division I would be one of
the last up. Tom was in the first flight so I helped load up the bar for his
warm-ups, offering the occasional word of encouragement, leaving Andy to do the
more specific and detailed stuff. All of the lads from WRPL were in there
chatting and checking squat depth, the odd little tip etc. It was nice and
chilled and positive.
Then it was time for the first flight to lift. I should
point out that some lifters were lifting equipped and some raw. Equipped allows
the use of specialist lifting suits, bench shirts, wrist and knee wraps and a
belt. Raw lifting allows only a belt, wrist wraps and knee sleeves (these do
not give any assistance unlike knee wraps). Tom was lifting unequipped as all
of the WRPL lads would be. Toms opener would be 155kg. He totally bombed his
first attempt. He just went down too fast and lost his line and couldn’t get
back out of the hole, 3 red lights. For those unfamiliar the way judging works
is that there are three referees, each one controls a red and a white light.
When each lifter performs a lift they will give either a white light for a good
lift or a red for a bad or no-lift. Majority decision counts so 3 whites is a
perfect lift, 2 whites and one red is still a good lift, two reds and one white
or three reds is a no-lift. There are a number of rules governing each of the
three lifts (Squat, Bench Press, Deadlift) but in basic terms, squat has to be
to depth (crease of hip below top of the knee at the bottom and a smooth
movement back to standing. On bench press you have to lower to the chest, wait
for the command to press and again one smooth movement to fully extend the
arms, Deadlift its one smooth movement to the top then controlled lowering of
the bar on command) all lifts must be performed on the command of the centre
referee and if you do any part before receiving the relevant command, it’s a
no-lift. As I said there are many more fine points to consider, but those are
the basics. So after his initial no lift, Tom readied himself to attempt the
same weight again. This time he nailed it. 3 white lights. Chris also hit the
squats he needed and looked good doing it. His squat technique is very good.
Olympic weightlifting type squat, very upright and from the knees and great
depth. A typical powerlifting squat is much more sitting back into the heels
and more forward lean with a lower bar position on the back. Toms finished with
that 155kg squat as he failed his final attempt at 165kg. On to the bench press.
Both Tom and Chris got the lifts they wanted and so it was onto the Deadlift.
Tom finished with a very impressive 215kg, failing with his final lift going for
220kg. It’s worth mentioning, the record in Toms class is 230kg so I’m
confident he will beat that in the future. Chris nailed his deadlifts too and
got the 475kg total he needed so he has now qualified to compete at nationals.
Tom also qualified for Masters nationals by over 80kg. I think it’s fair to say
he qualified comfortably.
After a short break for the referees, spotters and bar
loaders to get some lunch, it was time for me to get warmed up. Two other WRPL
lads would also be lifting in the second flight. Our team captain and club
founder Scott Chafer, and Ian Spencer. We all warmed up together, three other
WRPL lads had travelled up to support and I have to say they were awesome, big
thanks to Duncan, Tim and Kit. As is standard, I warmed up to 10kg short of my
opening lift, this is to prevent fatigue when on the platform. I’d decided to
open at 180kg to make sure I nailed it first time out. During warm-up, form is
given a last once over to make sure it’s to depth and correct. Then it was time
to lift. Scott Got his first lift, Iain got his, a couple of other lifters then
it was my turn. There was a good crowd of supporters and the vocal
encouragement was great. I can’t explain how much it gives you but having
people cheering for you really does make a difference. I stepped up and I was
expecting loads of stuff to be going through my head but it was just blank. I
un-racked the bar stood and waited for the command to squat and I lowered, hit
what I felt to be depth and stood it up easily. Racked the bar on command and I
got 2 whites and a red. Good lift. I notified the desk of my next weight and
headed to the back of the hall to wait my next attempt. Andy told me to sink
lower at the bottom and keep my head up more. My name was called and my next
attempt (190kg) was loaded and waiting. I un-racked it took my stance and on
command squatted. This time felt a lot smoother and was rewarded with 3 white
lights. I gave the desk my final weight and again waited my turn. Scott and
Iain both nailed their second and third lifts and I was up again 200kg this
time. This was a weight I hadn’t lifted for about 6 months due to a groin issue
I had had. Again I took the bar waited for the instruction and squatted, it
flew up 3 whites. I was more than happy. Time to go warm-up for bench press.
You get roughly 20minutes to warm-up as the organisers have to convert the
squat rack by fitting a bench to it. In warm-up I did my now well established
warm-up routine but this time just to make sure I’d hit my opener (100kg) I lifted
right up to 100kg and it felt easy. The only reason I did this was because of
the bicep problem, I had basically not benched any real weight for the 2 weeks
pre-comp. You have until a few minutes before your opening lift to change your
opening weight so I was happy to leave it as it was. I have no idea what Scott
and Ian benched. I was in the zone now. It felt a lot like being back in my old
hammer throwing days. I was feeling a familiar buzz I have not felt for a lot
of years. I hit the 100kg with ease 3 whites, notified the table I would
attempt 115kg next round. Whilst waiting I was getting last minute tips from
Andy, little tweaks but nothing major. Next lift 115kg 3 whites. I opted to go
for a new PB of 122.5kg on my last lift. Now I know this is a pretty rubbish
bench press, but then it’s always been my worst lift. I know this and it’s
something I’m working hard to put right. My name called I took my position on
the bench, feet planted, back arched, shoulder blades squeezed together, chin
planted on chest, 1,2,3 right....my bar. Wait for the command “start”, big
breath, push the chest up, lower the bar to chest, pause there, keep everything
tight, lats engaged, glutes engaged wait for the command “press” hit the bar hard whilst breathing out. It
came up no problem. New personal best. 3 whites.
That was the two lifts I was a little anxious about done and
dusted. Again, time for a 20 minute recess to warm-up ready for Deadlift.
Qualification for nationals for me is 515kg and after my squat and bench press
I had a total of 322.5kg so only 192.5kg needed to qualify. My opener was set
at 245kg so all I needed to do was get my opening weight and I would be off to
nationals in March. Back to the warm-up area and change into my Deadlift shoes.
I squat and bench in Olympic lifting shoes (they have an elevated heel) which I
find give me a very solid base and improve my posture through the lifts. On
Deadlift I have some trainers with soles that are only a couple of millimetres
thick. Some lifters wear Deadlift slippers which are to all intents and
purposes, ballet shoes. The idea being that the closer you are to the ground,
the shorter the distance you need to lift the bar. Trust me, if you have to
fight the weight because you’re on your limit, a few millimetres makes a big
difference. In the warm-up area Andy pretty much left me to get on with it,
just the odd comment or reminder. Deadlift is my favourite lift and the one
where my form is most solid. I warmed up to 240kg and it was feeling very good
indeed. 6 weeks prior to the comp my PB was 240kg. I had followed a specific
programme for Deadlift for 3 weeks of the 6 and by the end of it I was repping
222.5kg easily. I was feeling very confident. I did consider upping my opening
lift but decided to play it safe and get the total first then go for it. We
went back through to the lifting area and stood around waiting for my name to
be called. Scott and Iain both nailed their openers and it came to my lift. I
stepped up took my grip on the bar and lifted, locked out at the top and waited
for the referee to drop his raised arm to signal I could lower the bar. His arm
dropped and I lowered it, 3 white lights. Inside I was ecstatic. Qualification
for nationals in the bag and I still had 2 more lifts if I wanted them. If I wanted them as if I was
going to leave it there. I had my eye on something and I was going after it.
The YNEPF Divisional Master 1 120+kg raw Deadlift record to be precise. The
record was set by Brian Lee in 2013 at 272.5kg. I was there to see him do it. I
remember thinking at the time that it was awesome lifting (my PB at the time he
set the record was a hard fought 235kg) but here I was believing I could do it.
I gave the table my second lift. I went for 265kg. Andy was telling me to plant
my heels as my centre had been a little too far forward on the balls of my feet
on my opening lift. Drive through the heels and lock out hard. I thought it
would be too big a jump to go from 245kg to 275kg. I stepped up for my second
lift, set myself and it came up easier than the 245kg opener, 3 whites. Bang,
new PB and it was game on. I told the table I wanted 275kg for my final lift
and went to wait my turn. Cue loads of encouragement from other competitors.
They had all been really encouraging all day but this time they were even
more-so. My name was called and the announcer declared it was a Divisional
record attempt. The crowd were cheering lots of “Come on Scott” “you’ve got
this” and more. I really felt the adrenaline surge I’m not even joking. Even
the bar loaders were shouting encouragement. I took my grip, set my feet in my
usual way, pictured the lift in my head, dipped into my starting position,
planted my heels, head up back straight, one massive breath to lock the core
and DRIVE! The crowd was shouting encouragement through every inch of that
lift. It came off the ground fast, slowed a little just below the knee (my weak
point) but kept moving and then accelerated to the top, hips slammed through to
lock out. The referee lowered his arm but I stood there a little longer with a
big smile and nodded my head before putting it down. 3 white lights. I’d done
it. I’d got the record in my first comp. Inside I was doing back flips. Only on
the inside mind, I can’t actually do a back flip to save my life. Everyone was
clapping. I remember hearing Kit say “When are you gonna put some weight on the
bar” There was definitely more in the tank. Looking back there was possibly
another 10kg in there but I am more than happy with what I got. As I write this
I’m still genuinely on a high from it.
 |
| 275kg Deadlift YNEPF 120+kg M1 Record |
My final total was 597.5kg. So I beat the qualifying for
nationals by 82.5kg. 15th March in Horncastle and I’ll be there. As
I write this I have just been given my new training programme by Andy which
will take me up to Nationals and it looks brutal. But this week is a light week
to recover because competing is heavy on the CNS. I’m looking forward with more
confidence now I have a comp under my belt. At Nationals I’ll be aiming to go
through the 600kg total barrier and maybe set another Divisional Deadlift
record. First I have an appointment with a physiotherapist to get this bicep
looked at but at least I know it didn’t
affect my performance. So I have no real worries on that score.
I can honestly say that I really enjoyed the day. Not just
my lifting but seeing the other lads from my team all win their classes and get
qualifying marks the needed and/or improve personal bests. The crowd were
great, the other athletes, really encouraging and friendly. There’s some
rivalry but it’s in good nature. Everyone respects the fact that you’re up
there on the platform and you’re really competing against yourself. The
officials are forthcoming with advice and little pointers which really help you
to make sure you lift correctly according to the rules. All in all it’s a
really welcoming atmosphere and to anyone who is giving even the slightest
thought to trying out powerlifting as a sport. I’d say go for it. Even if you
think your lifts aren’t great. That doesn’t matter in the slightest. You will
definitely get more great tips and information at one comp than you would get
from a hundred guys in your local commercial gym. And the most important thing
is that you’re up there giving it a go. Everyone respects that.
 |
| West Riding Powerlifters L to R Andy Rutland, Duncan Sharp, Ian Spencer, Scott Chafer, Scott Thompson, Chris Lindley, Kit Burgoyne, Tim Garrett, Tom Rutland |
I could write so much more about the day but I’m going to
finish by thanking my coach Andy, the rest of the lads from WRPL, the referees
and table officials, the spotters and loaders, and the crowd who were all
awesome. (was great having my mum and dad, my son, my sister and niece as well
as some other good friends there to cheer me on too). Can’t wait for the next
one.
