T Nation

Newbie Powerlifter

Bodybuilding
#1

Okay, I’m new here and to powerlifting. I have a couple questions. First I throw in a background, so if yo don’t care skip down to the questions, no hard feeling.

Background:
So I was beefcake in highschool but learned only what my coaches taught me, which is turning out to not be much. I took a five year leave of absence from weightlifting and got very soft. I started back up about a year ago.

When I started back I used the same trining principles I always had. As I have gotten more into lifting I have started to study it. I’m learning more all the time, some from here some from books. I’m seeing how common bad advice is and trying to learn to avoid it.

I decided that I wanted something to work towards. Some kind of motivation and competition to kep it interesting and decided that powerlifting may be it for me. So that is me up until now, if for some reason anyone has any further questions about me please ask.

Questions:
When I bench or squat I get these gigantic hickey looking things on my back, for the squat it is where the bar rests, for the bench it appears to be the edges of the bench. Do these go away or am I stuck with getting hickey several days out of the week?

Where cana guy get in with powerlifters? I’m working out at a school gym right now and it’s all body builders and slackers. I have no malice against body builders, it’s just not what I want to do right now.

I would be competing in the open class in powerlifting probably at 242 or the next class up, what is a resonable weight to not make of fool of myself for even showing up? I want to compete but I want to go in knowing I’ll at least be in the pack.

Other than this website what are other good sources and communities for powerlifting? I have found usapowerlifitng.com but it’s not much of a community that I can see. Anything else?

Finally, I’ll take any other guidance people have. I’m new to this but enjoying it a lot.

Michael Amos

#2

I’ll take these, as you don’t seem to be getting much help. Powerlifters in general tend to be very willing to lend a helping hand, so I’m surprised that nobody has jumped on this yet.

[quote]starkmann wrote:
Questions:
When I bench or squat I get these gigantic hickey looking things on my back, for the squat it is where the bar rests, for the bench it appears to be the edges of the bench. Do these go away or am I stuck with getting hickey several days out of the week?[/quote]

They’ll go away, unless you’ve got some weird rash or some actual hickeys. In either case, it’s probably your girlfriend’s fault.

Post your location right here; somebody might contact you. Otherwise, there are numerous powerlifting forums on the web that work to hook people up with like-minded lifters; elitefts.com is great in this regard. You’ll find that as long as you’re willing to work hard and listen, people will help you out. I’ve promised three T-Nation members who are interested in powerlifting that they can come train with me in the next few weeks. If push comes to shove, email me and I’ll do my best to find someone in your area; I know quite a few people around the country.

Compete against yourself; it’ll always be more rewarding that way. As a little frame of reference, though, here are the classification schemes for the APF:

http://www.worldpowerliftingcongress.com/Qualifying%20Rankings.htm

There are a lot; powerlifters tend to be big into forums. Google ought to point you in the right direction, but truthfully, you can get much of what you need here at T-Nation.

[quote]Finally, I’ll take any other guidance people have. I’m new to this but enjoying it a lot.

Michael Amos[/quote]

Keep your good attitude and enthusiasm, and just have fun.

#3

Good lord! I might be class IV if I had an extremely lucky day…

http://www.elitefts.com/

This site is pretty good for powerlifting, but honestly, for your first couple years of training I think you’ll find more than enough information here.

#4

Damn, class IV looks like a good long term goal at this point.

#5

i looked at the link with the classifications for powerlifters and saw that for some of them (like teenage 198) class III and class II were the same number. Then to be a master the number was a huge amount more. Any reason?

TR

#6

It’s best to compete against yourself when you are just starting out. Have fun, and lift heavy.

#7

starkman,

Where are you in Colorado? Plenty of gyms there, look for a pit like place not a World’s or some other health club place.

Forget about what the others lift until you are on a national platform. Nobofy will look at your lift in relation to everybody elses. On the platform everybody will applaud hanging tough. In the gym a good PL crowd will make you work and critique you until you can’t take it.

Forget about bar and bench marks. Wait to you take a squat suit off the first time.

Welcome.

jack

#8

[quote]starkmann wrote:
Questions:
When I bench or squat I get these gigantic hickey looking things on my back, for the squat it is where the bar rests, for the bench it appears to be the edges of the bench. Do these go away or am I stuck with getting hickey several days out of the week?

Michael Amos[/quote]

I’ve never experienced that sort of bruising, nor has anyone I’ve trained with (that I know of). From what you said, you might want to get checked for diabetes or other conditions that allow for easy bruising.

-Dan

#9

[quote]buffalokilla wrote:
I’ve never experienced that sort of bruising, nor has anyone I’ve trained with (that I know of). From what you said, you might want to get checked for diabetes or other conditions that allow for easy bruising.

-Dan[/quote]
Maybe, but I doubt its serious.

I’ll get this too… especially if I let the bar slip low… my shoulder will look like I ate it on my skateboard. I’ll also get it high on my traps sometimes.

Maybe the bar has good teeth on it and grinds a bit? Maybe you’re bouncing it?

#10

All,

Thanks for the copious input, I appreciate it. It’s the most I’ve gotten. This site overall seems to be great for helpful data and creative input.

Specifically,
Eric,
Thanks for all the info. Don’t tell my wife thay my girlf friend may be responsible for those things, she may be mad.

Eric and Jack,
As for Colorado gyms, I do know we have tons, especially down by Colorado Springs. I live in a town called Greeley the nearest powerlifting gym is in a town called fort Collins that is about an hour away. I don’t really have time to make the trip regularly but think I may try to make an arrangment with the owner to come by once a week or so. I’ve emailed the guy a little and he seems cool.

Buffalo,
Fortunatly I do know I don’t have any major conditions. I am fat but not so fat to explain it. When I squat I’m not terribly suprised cause I don’t use the little foam pad everyone else here uses. The bench was what really threw me. I think part of the reason it was on my brains s because they were especially bad yesteday because I did decline.

Thanks again all, I appreciate the data.

#11

Joe Average has solid powerlifting advice. He shows up on this site form time to time. Do a search here on T-Nation for his posts.

#12

[quote]starkmann wrote:
Eric and Jack,
As for Colorado gyms, I do know we have tons, especially down by Colorado Springs. I live in a town called Greeley the nearest powerlifting gym is in a town called fort Collins that is about an hour away. I don’t really have time to make the trip regularly but think I may try to make an arrangment with the owner to come by once a week or so. I’ve emailed the guy a little and he seems cool.
[/quote]

APA Colorado Homepage:

http://www.apa-wpa.com/colorado.html

USAPL Colorado Homepage:

http://www.usaplcolorado.com/

You might consider contacting your state chairs and seeing if he can hook you up with someone. The APF doesn’t list a state chair, though.