Blog

Written by Ivy Knight We all talk about the fact that the sport of competitive powerlifting is male dominated but are what can we do about that? If anything at all? We can’t say for sure, but nothing happens without action. So how can you give back. Show up and...

Written by Ivy Knight When I first started lifting heavy, I heard about this thing called a Powerlifting Meet. I looked it up. It sounded amazing but then I saw that you had to wear these things called singlets… essentially a unitard. At first site, I thought, “this is the...

Written by Ivy Knight A friend and I were talking about a meet coming up and she told me that she had never failed a squat in comp before and it was something that she was really scared to do. The thought of failing a squat is pretty terrifying, if...

Written by Sarah Strong Short answer, no, likely not if you’re a raw lifter. But let me expand.  As powerlifting has popularized and especially with the rise of lifting on Instagram, the use of handlers at meets has also risen. It seems trendy to have a handler at meets today....

Written by Solana Lewis Don’t water cut. Go in at the weight you are at. Adding extra stress by cutting weight is not necessary for your first meet.Carb up! But keep fats low. Today is not the day to aim for perfect macros. Bring a lot of low fiber carbs to...

Written by Sarah Strong So you’re ready to take the plunge and sign up for your first meet-- where do you start?  First, I’d like to preface this blog by suggesting that you do not have to wait to be at a certain level in order to do a competition....

Written by Sarah Strong As a competitor and a coach, I have been to many meets over the years. For newer lifters, or even some experienced, competing can be nerve-racking. When we’re nervous, we tend to overlook some preparations for the competition. I have noted some common mishaps and how...

*Disclaimer: Before trying any sort of weight cutting method, please remember that this can be dangerous, individual responses vary, and to proceed with caution. I am not a medical professional and am giving my anecdotal experience from water loading and cutting. * Written by Sarah Strong This month, I competed...

Written by Helena Humphries Firstly I would like to mention this blog is based on my experiences at competitions in Germany with GDFPF and BVDK, and at WDFDF in Italy 2015, and GBPF (IPF affiliate UK) and is more based on rules for IPF. For specific rules for your federation,...

Written by Tara Duncan I wrote a completely different post going into the XPC Elite at the Arnold and then scratched it once I actually competed because the story I had to tell originally was nothing compared to the lesson I learned. For 17 weeks, I'd been visualizing the same...

There are many different ways to get passed “post-meet blues” and for some, it’s not as serious as getting ahead of it before we start dealing with anxiety attacks or depression.

Written by Ivy Knight It happened. I know it sounds ridiculous to some but I’ve never failed a squat on the platform. In fact, I’ve actually been terrified about it. What if I drop it? What if they don’t catch me? What if they get hurt? What if I get...

(Photo by Aperture by Angelica) Written by Rachel Jimenez The weekend is here, the weigh-ins are over, and the competition you’ve prepped so hard for is less than 24-hours away. Exciting, right? PRs and Pop Tarts as far as I can see. As you’re prepping your meet-day bag, you may...

The first time I picked up a barbell was in 2014. My first meet was in 2016. Since that first meet I’ve competed in a few more, I’ve handled tons of athletes and I became a USPA State judge. I love meets! I love the chalk in the air, the...

Written by Renee-Rose Garcia As someone who trained into my first powerlifting meet sans coach and only through the assistance of Instagram friends and articles upon articles, I couldn’t help but think of the questions I had leading up to my own meet. Going into my 6th meet in two weeks,...

Introduce yourself to the GWPL Community Christine Castro Federation: IPF/CPU Weight class: 63kg to 72kg Division: Open Year in sport: 3 years Best Lifts Squats - 175kgs (386lbs) Bench - 90kgs (198lbs), Deadlifts - 200kgs (441lbs)  How did you find powerlifting? I was first introduced to general strength training in...

(Team Iron Knight at the Europa Games) This past weekend, at the 2018 IPL Inzer Europa Powerlifting Championships in Orlando, Florida was my first official time as a USPA State Referee. I had so many nerves leading up to it. By nature, I am more reserved and cautious but I’ve...

Written by Chelsea Nkwodimmah Music is as important of an accessory to my workout as are my SBD knee sleeves and Inzer lever belt.  We all have that one song that hypes us up right before a top set or new PR attempt. Kendrick Lamar, Dave East, and Apple’s hip-hop...

Written by Chelsea Nkwodimmah “The way to success is to double your failure rate. Because only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.” -John C. Maxwell We train tirelessly for months or even years for nine attempts. That’s hours of pushing our body to its physical limit...

Written by Daniella Melo My second USAPL Raw Nationals is in the books. I had been training for this meet since I competed at IPF Worlds in June.  I had many goals set and even though I didn’t meet any of them, it feels good to say a bad meet...