If I felt that a meet was not of a high enough standard to test me, I would look for a higher level. As you say, there will almost always be someone stronger - finding them and out lifting them is the idea behind competing.
Really I agree with what you’re saying, but not the way you’re saying it. Setting PRs is a step towards the ultimate goal, but not an end in itself. I am not saying “I just want to win” but that I aim to be stronger than most/all other lifters. This can be demonstrated by top-level competition. Why is it unreasonable to assume that one could lift against many of the world’s best? IPF, WPC, Raw Unity Meet, etc. can all bring many of the world’s best lifters, and the more that people begin to think like this, the further this can advance.
Halcj, have you competed before? I seem to recall you being young.
Yeah, I’ve competed twice so far (lifts 408/275/450 in lbs at <90kg Raw). I’m 15 (16 in Dec.) and am serious about lifting. I have a log at the moment too, if you’d like to see. I get the feeling that people are misunderstanding me a bit here: winning at the elite level is not everything, it is just the main goal (to me). I just hate hearing so many people talk about winning/setting records as ‘out of reach’ - it might take 20 years of achieving smaller goals to get there, but it is possible for many people.
I also feel that it is a sad person who is not happy with winning every meet they attend for five years straight and setting world records, but not setting PRs (as in StrengthDawg’s example).
[quote]halcj wrote:
I also feel that it is a sad person who is not happy with winning every meet they attend for five years straight and setting world records, but not setting PRs (as in StrengthDawg’s example).[/quote]
Hey man, I admire your fire, and you’re a strong kid. That being said, you gotta remember something (and this is for OP too, since he’s young):
At 15, you’re gonna feel bulletproof and indestructible. You also have a lot of potential; you’ll have several years under the bar before you’re even in college, and if you keep your nutrition and programming tight, there’s no doubt in my mind you’ll be stronger at that age than I am now.
HOWEVER
Most of the people who post here are not teenagers. Many are in their mid-twenties or older. Many have full-time jobs, families, and responsibilities outside of lifting. Many have to do something that everyone has to do when they’re older - they have to manage their expectations. That’s not to say that it’s not possible to be a WR holder one day, but for someone like me - 25 years old, several years of training already, still figuring out the ins and outs of powerlifting while working and all of that - I have to manage my expectations in order to not feel like quitting when I have bad days in the gym. It can be discouraging to see people lifting several hundred more pounds than me, knowing that I’m doing everything I can, and feeling the time tick by. Most days, I feel lucky, because I know I have ten years before I will probably peak, and genetically men in my family do not suffer from low test symptoms. But I don’t have the base that I wish I could’ve built when I was your age - and I never will.
Do I think that, one day, I will make an elite total? Yes, because that’s a realistic goal. But that may be it for me. Could I still make WRs? Maybe, but in the end, these goals will be moot if I’m not in the gym working hard every day to better myself. Every PR is enough of a victory to push me forward.
If I put the expectation on myself that I would be a world champion one day, I would’ve gotten discouraged a long time ago. If you look at the guys that have those WR lifts, you see one thing in common - they built a strength base early in their lives. I didn’t do that. But I do have the drive to be the best I can be - not the best in the world.
So when I said that I’d rather make PRs, I meant it. Because at the end of the day, if you’re a world champion but you left weight on the platform, what’s the point? It’s a let down, and it’s not fair. It’s not fair to you, because you could’ve done more, and it’s not fair to the other competitors, because when someone comes along and tries to break that WR - which is inevitable - they want to put their best lifts against the best lifts of the best powerlifter, not the best powerlifter’s half-assed second or third best.
Anyway, hope that makes sense.
Makes sense, good post. Again I apologise if it sounded like “bravado” or naivity, but I do think some people have lower expectations than they should. For OP to say he’s not aiming for WRs makes me a bit sad in a way; if everyone thinks like that, lifting will be far less exciting. Good luck with your goals anyway, whatever they may be.
[quote]halcj wrote:
I also feel that it is a sad person who is not happy with winning every meet they attend for five years straight and setting world records, but not setting PRs (as in StrengthDawg’s example).[/quote]
“and setting world records,” - I did NOT say that…
I said winning the comps you attended. HYOOGE difference in that fictitious scenario. Point is and I guess I should have said it this way. One can win local contests and still be weak as fuck in the scheme of things. It’s called “big fish, small pond”.
EFS said it best… To win against man is strong. To win against self is Strong(er). That’s competing on a higher level in my opinion. You are free to believe as you wish. Only trying to bring in a different perspective.
Although this has gotten very slightly off track, this is all great advice and I must say that I agree with everybody, lifting PR’s is important to keep positive, and it’s a realistic goal, even if you’re only beating yourself by 5lbs, each time you do, you’re getting stronger and nearer to that end goal. The question is whether you set your end goal as WR’s and championships or whether it’s to increase strength and feel better about yourself. Whatever your reason for training, setting smaller goals is a way of getting toward your ultimate goal, thanks for everybody’s advice.