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Powerlifting Contest Preparation

Article care of bluediamondfitness.com

Pre-Contest Training

By Todd Amacher

There are several aspects of precontest training for a powerlifting meet These are

Nutrition

Diet Changes in workout routine

Pre-contest warm-ups

Mental preparation

All of these aspects can differ dramatically depending on what your motivation/intent is for your selected lift; squats, deadlifts and/or bench press. Here I'm going to concentrate on the benchpress for the moment.

What is intent anyway? Simply stated intent is to do the best you can. If you are a seasoned veteran of numerous powerlifting competitions you know that the way you prep for winning your weight class is totally different than how you would prep for winning the best lifter award.

If you're trying to win your weight class you don't have to be nearly as concerned about what you weigh in at as opposed to trying to diet down to your lightest weight (while at the same time trying to not give up the least amount of strength)This is not an easy task. You have to figure out how much bodyweight you can drop without dropping your overall weight (or that weight which is native to your strength.) *Remember, you are usually allowed to weigh in 24hrs before the competition. This allows you some time to regain a lot of water weight and consume large quantities of carbs.

If you are just trying to win your weight class, what you weigh is not that important. If you and someone else lift the same exact amount of weight then the individual who weighs less will receive the higher ranking. To give you an idea what this means there was at one time a state championship bench meet I competed in a couple of years ago in Salem Oregon at the downtown Gold's Gym location. On my third and final lift I benched 520lbs. My competition had just done the exact same weight. But he weighed in at 274lbs. At the time I weighed in at 250lbs. a twenty pound difference. I was awarded the 1st place trophy and was recognized as the state champion bench press holder for the 275lb. open class. My competitor received 2nd. When I diet down for a meet I would drop my caloric intake and massively reduce my fluid intake 3 to 4 hours before the meet. I would get on the tread mill every morning before work at least a week or two before the meet And a couple of days before the meet I would substantially drop my fluid intake. Then an hour before weigh in I would sit in the sauna for as long as I could stand it (note through all this that I avoid eating anything the day of the weigh in.) This may seem harsh but I know of some individuals that would go as far as to eat large quantities of Exlax to ensure that they were "empty," that was too much for me. After weighing in I would promptly consume a minimum of a gallon of water or a liquid of some kind then go eat a pizza, stop at Wendy's, Mcdonalds, and then burger King for a chocolate shake or two. I am dead serious.

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Disclaimer: This information presented is intended to be used for educational purposes only. The statements made have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (U.S.). These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any condition or disease. Please consult with your own physician or health care practitioner regarding any suggestions and recommendations made.