Powerlifting Principles
by Luke Poli
Many people get into a sport like Powerlifting for a variety of reasons, but the common underlying principles remain constant, regardless of what ever you think your reason is. You see we are all searching for something, looking for a place we can fit in, a place to call home so to speak. So you find a gym, start training, meet people etc and your story begins.
For some the gym is a place to go to for social acceptance, and for others, it’s a place they go to recreate themselves. But for me, training and competing in Powerlifting has a whole other meaning altogether. You see I’ve been training and throwing heavy things around since I was about 12 years old when I started throwing shotput and discus. I started training with weights when I was 16, which gives me about 23 years of lifting heavy. Training heavy and hard is not about social acceptance or recreating myself, it is a part of who I am, a core value or standard, and is my way of life. Before I started Powerlifting, I was a competitive thrower, so the idea of competition is also something that has become a part of who I am. Backing myself and stepping up against other competitors is not for everyone but for me it’s something I have always done and will continue to do for as long as my body allows me to do so. Training with heavy weights and competing has also given me a perspective on life and strength of character to face all sorts of challenges in all areas of my life. This is not an uncommon thing; many other people achieve the same. But the critical point here is time, it takes time to build strength, it takes time to do much of anything of worth, and Powerlifting is no different!
But enough about me and back to the message of the blog, ask yourself these questions
Who are you?
What defines you?
What are your goals?
What are your fears?
How badly do you want it?
Most people can’t answer these simple questions, but that’s ok, as I said before it takes time.
Define yourself (don’t be a bystander):
I define myself as a loving partner, a good Father, and an active Life Participant. In my career I’m a leader and I’m good at what I do. I apply the same principles across all areas of my life. In Powerlifting I have, and continue to, define myself as an elite lifter. Some might think that’s a bit arrogant, others may not, but it’s how define myself as a lifter. As such I train and live like an elite lifter. I don’t smoke or drink and get lots of sleep which carries over into my day job as well. Define yourself, or others will for you!
Set your goals (3 at most):
Why are you doing what you’re doing? I have goals in all areas of my life (Home, Career and Powerlifting). Any more than 1 in any area at a time and it will be too difficult to achieve and measure progress. Some people even find 1 or 2 is better. Start with 1 and build from there, but you must have goals or otherwise you’ll achieve nothing.
Conquer your fears (start with the biggest ones):
What ever they are, turn them upside down, crush them under heavy weight and then turn it into something you can use for motivation. This is the big key here, you must conquer your fears, or they will only hold you back.
Keep it simple:
You’ve heard this a lot right, but it is one of the biggest mistakes people make. There is no silver bullet, the only thing that works is hard work. In Powerlifting, it’s much less about the program, diet etc, and much more about your ability to stick to something and be consistent. The more complex you get the less likely you will stick to it. DO NOT DISCOUNT THE SIGNIFICANCE OF SIMPLICITY. I spent a lot of time looking for complex programs and a lot of wasted energy. Keep it simple and you won’t regret it.
Focus and execute:
This one is all about having faith in your own ability to stick to a plan. You can have the best plan written by the best coach, but if you don’t follow it then it won’t work. On the flip side, quite often the most successful lifters will follow the simplest plans, but they will execute with consistency and focus. Without consistency and/or focus, the best laid plans will be destined to fail, but with them even the simplest goal will be achieved with ease.
Take your time:
I left this one till last since it’s the most important. The good thing about Powerlifting is that time is actually irrelevant, particularly in the beginning for new lifters. There is always another comp and the sport doesn’t have upper age limit. Having said that, time won’t wait for you either, so you need to use it wisely.
As I said before, anything of worth takes time, it takes focus and consistency, and the easiest way is to keep the execution simple.
Thank you for reading… #EPIC #POWERLIFTER #BLOG #PRINCIPLES #BIGDOG
