Considering a first meet?
I’ve seen a few guys training the big three and strong at the lifts. I’d always ask when they had a meet planned. The common response was that they wanted to do one but wanted to wait until they could win. Assuming a “best lifter” win was their intention because we all know a first place in a particular weight class is not a major feat, I’d reply “do one anyway. You won’t win and the guy that kicks your ass probably didn’t win his first.” I don’t think any of those guys ever competed. If you’re thinking of competing, do it. Don’t go in blind, untrained or totally ignorant of the rules. Hopefully you have knowledgeable people in your area. Get to know them. Learn from them and train a reasonable amount of time. Pick a meet and do it. Training will continue after the meet but the meet itself will also be part of the learning experience.
I once met a young man named Clayton Stewart. He was competing at a meet in Russellville and after a short conversation I learned that he was from the Chicago area and a student at the University of Arkansas. He told me of his first meet experience. He had squatted and benched in high school but had zero deadlift training. While warming up for deads, one of the judges recognized his awkward style and volunteered some quick technique help. The judge was Ed Coan. At the meet in Russellville, the deadlift was claytons best lift. It all started with a first meet.
In this article, I mentioned a meet will be part of the continued learning. In his lifters blog, Jamie McDougal shared a turning point in his training. He was already in the game and setting records. After a meet the head judge, Louie Simmons gave him advice. That story reminded me of a memory. I was side judging a meet in Conway and a young lifter was having problems getting a squat on the books. Jamie was directly behind me and gave the young man some necessary advice, some of the same Louie had given him. Specifically, the part about starting the squat with the hips. The young lifter made a good lift and his meet continued all because someone learned something at a meet and passed his knowledge on at another meet.
