My first Powerlifting competition

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. 15^th 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.