5 Unwritten Rules of Powerlifting Competitions

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Continuing with our conversation about powerlifting competitions this week, we’re discussing some unwritten rules of the sport. We will also share some resources for increasing lift capacity and some common mistakes we see. As always, please let us know what you’re working on. We are here to help.

Resouces

• 5 Unwritten Rules of Powerlifting Competitions

• The Cutting Program for Powerlifters

• Avoidable Mistakes that Ruin Powerlifting Competitions (Video)

• How to Avoid Getting a Hernia While Lifting

• Can You Maintain Muscle Mass While Cutting? (Video)

• Early Black Friday Sale: 50% Off Powerlifting Courses

The 5 Unwritten Rules of Powerlifting Competitions

Meet day is a big event for anyone in the powerlifting community. Competitors of all skill and experience levels come together, and there are a few things to know that aren't part of the official rule set. Here are the most important unwritten rules of powerlifting competitions, written by someone who's been there.

One of the key principles in powerlifting competitions is respecting other people's space and their equipment. I'll share a personal story to illustrate this in the full guide.

The warmup area is another place where these unwritten rules come into play. Initially, I was a bit selfish and focused only on my routine.

Note that these unwritten rules aren't mandatory. If they were, they’d be written in your competition literature. Instead, these rules contribute to a positive and successful competition experience.

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Avoidable Powerlifting Mistakes That Ruin Competitions

Here’s a new video we released last week. It talks about common mistakes we see at powerlifting competitions (and how to avoid them).

The Weight-Cutting Program for Powerlifters

Lifters who can maximize their muscle mass and maintain a lower body fat percentage, are the most competitive powerlifters. How do we go about cutting weight to lose body fat while maintaining strength? What are the nutritional strategies and how does our training program change?

The 7 rules to follow in a powerlifting cutting program are:

• Set Realistic Goals For Your Timeline

• Ensure A Caloric Deficit

• Keep Volume Elevated With Corresponding Intensities

• Monitor Food Intake And Training Variables

• Adjust Intake and/or Activity Based On Performance Data

• Avoid Excessive Amounts Of Cardio

• Be Consistent

While cutting and training for powerlifting is not rocket science, there does seem to be a number of lifters who end up worse off than they started if they are not educated about the process. In the full Powerlifting Cutting Program, I’ll discuss how to change your nutrition and training for a successful weight cut. Here’s where you can read it for free.

And is it possible to maintain your PRs at a lower weight class? One of our coaches released a video on that subject. Check it out.

How to Avoid Hernias While Lifting

If you’re a lifter who loves to push themselves and “train their guts out,” just make sure that you always take that phrase poetically rather than literally because the literal result is a hernia, which can wreak havoc and cause major setbacks to your lifting pursuits.

In order to avoid getting a hernia while lifting weights, you need to know the basics of how and why hernias occur, know how to use the Valsalva maneuver during heavier lifts, when to wear a weightlifting belt, and learn how to get bigger and stronger without always lifting heavy.

While hernias result from an abnormal opening in a wall of tissue (such as a tear), which allows another organ or structure to poke through, the reasons for their occurrence can be due to a variety of reasons. Read the full guide to get the info.

Pursuit of Strength Course (Black Friday Discount)

If you’ve had experience with powerlifting technique, you know there are literally hundreds of movements, exercises, cues, limitations and tweaks involved in perfecting it. The Pursuit of Strength tackles these head-on, making it one of the most comprehensive coaching courses for powerlifting you can get your hands on.

What does another 5, 10 or 15 kilos on the bar mean to you?

2.5kg can be the difference between a gold medal lift, or red lights that leave you agonizingly short.

The smallest weight can mean a new personal record or just another sticking point in a long line of frustrating fails.

And an extra plate or two on the bar can be lifts you wouldn’t have dared tried months ago… or an “over the edge” weight that risks injury and puts you out of action for months.

When you’ve got 200kg on a deadlift, an extra 5kg is just 2.5%. With tiny fractions like that, it usually isn’t raw strength that makes your third lift a winner.

There’s a multitude of factors at play, but you already know one of the most important: technique. Enroll in the Pursuit of Strength powerlifting course to master these topics.

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