Powerlifting, for beginners

In general, the connection to the competitions in powerlifting is somewhat simpler than in many other sports that I have encountered one way or another. And even here there are many nuances. But many athletes approach this matter through their sleeves. And then they are surprised at the competition: “How so! I squatted 250 kg a week ago in training! And now I can’t sit down even 230! ” Let's figure it out: how to get to the competition?

The main goal of the competition liner (in any sport) is to give the body a complete rest. And by the time of the competition, enter the phase of supercompensation (super recovery).

It is assumed that you plowed hard all these few months of preparation for the competition. Naturally, fatigue accumulated. And how to make the body not only recover, but also super-recover? Indeed, only in the phase of superrecovery are possible records and new achievements.

In general, from my coaching and sports experience, I can say that after hard training for deadlift and squats, the body recovers up to 2 weeks. After a bench press - up to 10 days (since muscles work less there). This means that already two weeks before the competition it is undesirable to do these exercises with maximum load.

What does it mean with maximum load? Suppose you can sit with a weight of 200 kg for a maximum of 5 repetitions. That is, a 200x5 approach will be the maximum load for you. A 200x3 approach will already be 60% of the maximum load.

Thus, the maximum load is the number of repetitions that you can do at the limit of your capabilities with one or another weight.

Now we will take your maximum weight which you can lift in this or that exercise, for 100%. Then, if you can sit down with a weight of 200 kg for 1 rep, then it will be 100%. And 160 kg it will already be 80%. I think it’s clear. We need this in order to make it easier for you to understand what will be discussed in the table below (working weights and number of repetitions are given only for competitive exercises).

Table of load distribution in preparation for the competition

As you can see, I believe that already 3 weeks before the competition you need to prepare the body for rest. And first of all, you need to do this by reducing the number of auxiliary exercises.

Further, 2 weeks before the competition, we are already drastically reducing the number of repetitions. At the same time, slightly reducing the weight of the rod. And we leave only 1 - 2 auxiliary exercises at each training session. This will reduce the total amount of work from the period of pre-competition preparation by about 50%.

Well, the last week you need to lift small weights for a small number of repetitions. This week the maximum recovery of the body occurs.

I also want to say separately why in 3 weeks I removed 100% of the weight of the bar. Personally, I believe that you need to give the body a rest, not only physiologically, but also psychologically. Since, working with the maximum weight, you also load your nervous system. Therefore, you need to save "courage" to the competition. Usually during these 3 weeks I give the weight no more than the initial weight in the first approach. That is, if an athlete is going to start to squat with 200 kg, then during these 3 weeks in training, he will squat at most 200 kg. Naturally, in this situation, its maximum is about 220 kg.

That's how I personally imagine an eyeliner for a powerlifting competition. Someone will say that you can make it shorter. But in my practice I almost never faced such a situation when the athlete “rested” before the competition. But those who have not had time to recover, are met very often.

Note. Of course, the connection to the competition depends on so many factors: the athlete's experience, the availability of pharmacological support, the individual characteristics of the body, and much more. In this article, I just wanted to show you the very principle of bringing to the competition. And all the numbers here have an average value.

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Warm up before the competition. Powerlifting, for beginners

A special warm-up starts about fifteen to twenty minutes before the call to the platform. Exercises with a barbell finally prepare the body for performance. Slowly, the athlete must make 4-5 approaches to the bar. With a rest of 3-4 minutes between them.

You need to start warm-up barbell lifts with a weight of 60 - 70% of the maximum (taking into account individual characteristics and weight category). From 5 to 10 kg are added from approach to approach. In the first 2 approaches, the bar is lifted 3 times, in the final - 1-2 times. Excitable athletes should exercise at a calm, slow pace. It is necessary to finish a special warm-up with a barbell, the weight of which is 10-15 kg less than the declared initial one. His athlete lifts easily and correctly, which strengthens his confidence in his abilities.

If the athlete is not confident in his abilities, you need to do 2-3 more approaches and finish the workout by lifting the barbell, whose weight is 5 kg less than the declared initial one. For heavy weight athletes, this difference is usually greater. Powerlifting, for beginners

The last warm-up approach is carried out not earlier than 5 minutes before the call to the platform.

It happens that you have to wait another ten to twenty minutes. Then it is recommended to do several approaches to light weight with an interval of 3-5 minutes.

For all, there can be no one, template, workout, you must always take into account individual characteristics, level of fitness and weight category of the athlete. Even the same athlete should warm up in different ways (depending on the state of the athletic form, duration of the competition and age).

Features of participation in competitions

Before large competitions, athletes usually have an increased excitability of the central nervous system. It takes a lot of endurance, the ability not to waste nervous energy at this time.

If the athlete can’t sleep, this should not worry him: you can relax and just lie quietly in bed. There are many examples when the famous athletes did not sleep on the eve of the competition, but performed successfully. I will make you a training program.

The routine of life on the day of the competition should not be special, but it is important to make it so that the athlete does not think about the upcoming performance if possible. In excitable athletes, such thoughts cause an early pre-start state: metabolism rises, heart rate, breathing become more frequent. All this adversely affects the results.

2 hours before the start of the competition, athletes are weighed. If in this weight category there are more than 10-15 participants, then the competitions are long, and after weighing you can eat a little.

About half an hour before the call to the platform, a massage is good. Energetic - for weakly excitable athletes, and calm - for highly excitable.

It is recommended to rub the lower back, shoulders and limbs with any warming fluids, especially at low temperatures in the competition room. Larger areas do not need to be rubbed: this causes an excessive blood flow to the skin and excessive sweating, which reduces the effectiveness of speaking at competitions.

Going to the platform, the athlete should rub the soles of the shoes with rosin and palm of his hand with magnesia. You should not rush to start the exercise, you need to mentally imagine it, without focusing on the details of the technique. Before lifting the bar, it is important to disconnect from the environment, not to respond to noise, screams.

Having finished the performance in squats, you should walk around a bit, calm down. Then, if the competition continues for a long time, eat sweet tea or glucose.

It is useful to lie down a bit, trying not to think about the past exercise: thoughts need to be concentrated on the bench press.

Warm up before the bench press needs to be done individually. Someone warms up 20 minutes before the first approach to the bar. Then he dresses in warm clothes and waits for his release. Someone warms up 5-10 minutes before the performance.

The athlete should not lose heart if the performance in previous exercises was unsuccessful. In such a situation, a good performance in the bench testifies to the high volitional qualities of the athlete.

Each performance in the competition must be carefully analyzed. Only then, the positive and negative aspects of training an athlete will be fully revealed.

After the competition, you can not dramatically change the regime of the day and completely abandon physical activity. Two days of complete rest are enough. At this time, you can limit yourself to morning exercises. Powerlifting, for beginners.

In the first 2 weeks it is better to reduce the load, almost eliminate classical exercises from the workout, use some auxiliary ones. During this period, it is useful to engage in other sports: in winter - skiing, ice skating. And in the summer - swimming, athletics, (short-distance running, jumping, throwing). However, we must not forget the training with the barbell. After the athlete has a good rest and he has a desire to train, you can start regular workouts with a barbell and then gradually increase the load.

The growth of athlete's achievements depends not only on proper daily routine, rational nutrition, regular year-round training, but to some extent on participation in a certain number of responsible competitions. This factor is directly related to longevity in sports. In adulthood, an athlete should have no more than four to five responsible competitions per year with an interval of at least 2-3 months. With good training, this makes it possible to prepare for each of them.

Some competitions need to be carried out, as big trainings. You should not even try to perform with extreme stress: after resting for 2 days, the athlete should be ready to fulfill his usual training load. This requires a lot of organization. Together with the coach, it is necessary to outline the result, which is supposed to be shown at these competitions. Overly frequent appearances lead to the breaking of the entire training process. As a result, chronic fatigue, unwillingness to train, and, even worse, unwillingness to compete, appear. Powerlifting, for beginners.

There are times when as a result of unsuccessful performances at competitions an athlete loses faith in his own strength, and without such faith it is impossible to win. A critical analysis of training and competition, elimination of deficiencies, careful planning lead to success.

Particularly carefully planned participation in the competition is necessary for athletes who use forced weight loss. It has already been noted that athletes who are forced to drive more than 3 kg are not recommended to participate in competitions more than 3-4 times a year, and there should be a sufficient interval between them.

Competition Tactics

The tactical actions of weightlifters during competitions are an important factor influencing their final outcome. Wrestling in weightlifting is carried out with indirect influence from the opponent. In order to defeat an opponent equal in strength or to show his best results, the athlete needs to make the best use of the available approaches to the bar and possibly distribute his forces better. The planned tactical plan should correspond to the organization of training and the "scheme" of performances at competitions. Organizational events are held in advance, and immediately before the competition, and at the competition itself.

Events held long before the competition, in particular, aim to organize training so that the athlete can adapt in advance to the specific conditions of the competition. To do this, it is necessary to establish when, where and at what time of the day it will be held. In order to gain an idea of ​​the duration of the competition, make adjustments to the placement of athletes by weight categories, optimally plan the initial weights, it is important to know how many weightlifters participate in each weight category and who exactly. Powerlifting, for beginners.

In events held immediately before the competition, information about the opponent is specified. About his results in squats and bench press in training. About the state of a sports uniform, about the results shown at the last competitions, about his weight now and weight at achievement of the best results. On the degree of ease of lifting: rods in pre-competitive training, on the dependence of achievements in bench press and deadlift, on its likely tactical setting. All this is subject to evaluation.

A preliminary plan of tactical actions - calculating approaches, determining the size of weight allowances is based on a number of very significant multifaceted, and combining factors of the athlete’s physical, sports, technical and mental performance. Carefully observing him during the training process and monitoring his achievements, the coach must have a clear idea of ​​the capabilities of his ward before the competition.

The calculation plan of the approaches must be prepared in advance and accurately enough so that immediately before the start of the competition there are no doubts. Possible adjustments to the plan during the competition, often they depend on factors related to both the rivals and the athlete himself.

An important tactical task the athlete has to solve during the weigh-in before the competition. An athlete who has less weight in the weigh-in will be the winner in the event of the same amount of eventing as the opponents. Therefore, he can achieve victory by duplicating the opponent’s approaches. Athletes with a larger dead weight are forced to approach the bar, the weight of which is 2.5 kg more than the weight of the opponent’s bar.

Sometimes athletes get so used to the planned performance plan that they then do not even decide on the much-needed corrections and changes during the competition. It is important to always be prepared for possible tactical adjustments, if the situation requires this, well-being. Powerlifting, for beginners.

During the warm-up before the competition, it is especially important for the coach to determine the working capacity, coordination abilities, general well-being, psychological readiness of athletes. The coach should not only catch the athlete’s technical mistakes, but also determine how able he is to manage his emotions, how he relates to the upcoming performance: he wants to compete or is preparing to enter the platform as an unpleasant need.

The first approach (to the initial weight) in squats, bench press, deadlift is very responsible, it must be treated with full concentration. Successful lifting of the bar in the first approach makes it possible to avoid a zero rating, feel the weight, tune in, gain confidence in the success of the following approaches. Thanks to this, possible doubts and anxieties give way to competitive enthusiasm, the necessary mobilization readiness.

The initial weight in the competition is usually 7.5 - 10 kg less than the ultimate result. If the athlete hopes, for example, to lift 150 kg, weight gain may have the following options:

first approach - 145 kg; second approach - 150 kg; third approach - more

first approach 142.5 kg; second approach 147.5 kg; third approach 150 kg or more

the first approach is 140 kg. The second approach is 145 kg. The third approach is -150 kg.

the first approach is -140 kg. The second approach - 147.5 kg The third approach - 150 kg

the first approach is 142.5 kg. The second approach - 150 kg The third approach - more

the first approach is 140 kg. The second approach - 150 kg The third approach - more

In the second approach, the task is to develop success and, as a rule, show the best sports result in terms of athlete readiness. Depending on the luck of the first approach, the ease of the exercise, the athlete’s well-being, the option of weight gain and the actions of opponents, the weight of the bar in the second approach may increase by 2.5, 5, 7.5, 10 kg or more.

An increase in the weight of the bar for the second approach by 2.5 kg is rarely practiced, usually in cases where the initial weight is raised with very great difficulty or · to win the competition, you can limit yourself to a minimum allowance. As a rule, athletes gain 5 kg each. An increase in the weight of the barbell by 7.5 kg is carried out when the athlete is confident in the successful lifting of the barbell and at the same time such an allowance is enough to win or it will force the opponent to go to a weight which is doubtful for him.

The weight of the rod in the second approach is increased by 10 kg most often when the initial weight is raised flawlessly and with exceptional ease. In addition, in the event of an unexpected breakdown in the next approach, he will not be able to influence his place. Such a weight gain may also be appropriate in situations where risk is required to win.

In the third attempt, athletes try to increase their ultimate result or compensate for the failure of the second approach (with the same weight of the bar), and sometimes they try to lift a record weight for themselves to test their capabilities. The weight gain for the third approach is most often 2.5 kg, less often 5 kg, and in exceptional cases more.

Successful performance of a team in competitions depends on the quality of performance of each test participant. Often, tactical miscalculations lead to zero marks. Therefore, in responsible team competitions, overstating the initial weights is unacceptable. First of all, it is necessary to monitor the weight regime of the participants: take into account at what excess (above the norm) weight the ultimate results were shown in training. Powerlifting, for beginners.

It is important to know how great is the effect of weight loss on the result. Research and generalization of the experience of performing in competitions show that the athlete’s body weight reduction of 2 kg leads to a decrease in the result to 2.5 kg while weight reduction by 2-3 kg - to 5 kg. When weight is reduced by 3-4 kg, the results are reduced by 5 kg or more. With a decrease in weight of 4-5 kg, the results are reduced by 7.5 kg.

In responsible team competitions, the tactical plan is discussed together with the coach and the team. Here it is necessary to act, first of all, in the interests of the collective. Therefore, the initial weight in such competitions should be 7.5 - 10 kg, and sometimes 15 kg less than the marginal result at this stage of training an athlete. The initial weight is very carefully determined for weight-lifting athletes and for athletes moving to the next weight category. The new ultimate result, first shown in pre-competition training, still does not give reason to believe that it will be achieved in a competitive environment. It is dangerous for such athletes to start the competition with the weight of the bar, which has never been lifted at the competition.

Given the athlete’s technical preparedness, the stability of his performance technique and the influence of the competitive environment on this athlete, they declare the initial weight with which he can handle quite confidently. If an athlete is overexcited in a competition, then the probability of mistakes in his performance increases. A careless attitude to the technique of performing classical exercises in training leads to the same result.

Tactical actions in a tense struggle with equivalent rivals include misinformation of the enemy about the planned initial weight of the bar. Having declared a very small or excessively large weight during weighing, the athlete finally declares the required weight immediately before the call to the platform, which often forces the opponent to break his tactical plan.

Sometimes an athlete who is satisfied with the success in the first approach reduces his activity and self-exactingness, which can lead to failure in subsequent approaches. It is necessary to maintain mobilization readiness until the end of the competition.

The success of tactical actions largely depends on the accuracy of determining the ultimate results in the exercises at the moment, on the choice of the appropriate degree of risk, on the endurance of the athlete, as well as on body weight, on the draw, on a number of factors preparing the athlete for this competition.

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