Exercise expands your scope of what’s possible.
Couch to 5k to ultramarathon.
There are all types of schools and shades and stages of strength. Each can teach you something about yourself.
Powerlifting – or the pursuit of strength in the squat, bench press, and deadlift – offers a unique opportunity to laser-focus your training.
I had the pleasure of training Tracy Cook, already an accomplished kettlebeller, for her first powerlifting meet.
Here’s her experience in her own words:
“I honestly did not even know what powerlifting was and had never heard of it until Zack mentioned it. I knew that I loved lifting weights and getting stronger, but had never looked at any specific goals. When Zack first mentioned that I should consider competing in a powerlifting meet, I laughed off the concept and thought that there would be no way that I would be ready or able to do such a thing. But he planted the idea and the more I thought about it, the more I liked the idea of having a strength goal. I was talking to my husband about it and he told me that I should consider doing it and that I had nothing to lose. I decided that I would plan to do this meet and that I would set no expectations other than to train hard and do the best that I could.”
“My training was the most pivotal component in all of this. I was already training with Zack twice a week. He had already incorporated the various lifts (squat, bench and deadlift) into my training, so I was getting more familiar and comfortable with those. We continued with my normal training through the fall and planned to shift the primary focus of all of my training sessions to preparing for the meet beginning in November. At that time, I also began training with Zack three times a week so that I could have a training day dedicated to each lift. While the training was focused on the three main lifts, the training varied throughout the months. Some weeks were focused on volume and assistance exercises, while other weeks were focused on seeing how much I was able to lift and seeing the progress that had been made through my training. I especially enjoyed those weeks as I often got to make a trip to the PR board!
“Everything! I was nervous about not being strong enough to participate in something like this. I thought that I would stand out as someone who clearly did not know what they were doing while being among those who had competed before. I was worried about messing up the commands. I had never even been to a powerlifting meet and had no idea at all about what to expect. I was very apprehensive about doing all of this on a platform in front of judges and other people. The entire idea of competing in such an event was quite daunting to me. Yet that ultimately became part of the reason that I wanted to do it.”
“Amazing. I could have never anticipated how much this experience would ultimately mean to me personally. I looked forward to every training session and was excited to see what I was able to do. As it got closer to the actual meet, I was thrilled with the progress that had been made. I gained an incredible amount of strength and confidence during the few months of focused training for the meet. I received lots of encouragement from Zack as well as from all of my peers at the gym. I went to the meet feeling very prepared and equally as happy where I was in terms of the lift attempts that I would be making. The actual meet was a day that I will never forget. All of my training and hard work came together when it mattered.
“Sign up for a meet and just do it! Go outside of your comfort zone and you will realize what you are capable of. The greatest part of this entire experience was pushing my limits and learning what I am able to do. No one cares how much you lift, what you look like, how old you are, etc. Being strong is incredibly empowering. And remember that “strong” is relative to your own abilities.
Anything else you want to add…
“I could not have done this without Zack. Working with someone who had been through a powerlifting meet and knew all of the specifics was so important. His guidance throughout my training and on the day of the meet was vital and made the entire experience seem much less daunting.”
