What I Learned from Failing in a Powerlifting Meet

I recently shared an abbreviated version of this story within my local gym and I wanted to share in more detail from when I was a client in preparation for my first ever powerlifting meet. From the title you may get the picture of how things turned out but stick with me!

For a timeline reference this story takes place back in 2022. I was preparing to compete on bench press only as I was recovering from an injury that prevented me from squatting and deadlifting. For those of you that didn’t know this, typically when you compete in a powerlifting competition you have two options - compete in all 3 lifts or bench only.

Now since I was really only able to bench press I was feeling on fire! This was the best my best press had ever felt! I was working with an amazing coach who programmed a fantastic peaking program for me and I was hitting all my goals. Fun fact my coach was actually competing in this same meet with me! 

Now fast forward to the night before the meet… I had a plan of eating a good dinner and getting to bed earlier and while I didn’t end up going to bed late I didn’t eat as well as I should have. I was dating my now husband and I hadn’t planned on seeing him that night but I went to the beach to just cool my nerves and he met me there and then we grabbed dinner after. In reality I didn’t eat as much as I should have at dinner because I didn’t want to seem weird (you know the dating stage where we are still feeling things out haha).

Morning of the meet I had fueled well and I had the normal nerves. Did my warmup lifts which moved well and then went out there and gave it my best and…. Failed my first attempt. Now this was a weight that I had moved before in training and not just one time. To say I was disappointed is an understatement! 

I started to get in my head about it but my coach and the owner of my gym gave me some of the best pep talks I have ever had in my life and I honed in my disappointment and anger and used that to get back out there and try again! And well…. FAILED AGAIN! 

So you’re probably thinking… there is no way you would try again. Well I did on my third and final lift and no I didn’t make the lift. You’re probably wondering why I’m telling you this.

Well first of all if you have thought about or decided to step outside of your comfort zone and compete powerlifting or otherwise that’s a win all on its own! Most people wouldn’t even take that step! So, please give yourself a pat on the back for me!

Now I wanted to share with you what my three biggest takeaways from this experience were:

1. Fuel your body properly! Everybody's needs will be different here but prepare accordingly! And remember that food is fuel for your body to compete. So eat your carbs!

2. Trust the process! Peaking/training may not go smoothly like it did for me - you may miss a few lifts and that’s okay! Brush it off and keep at it! That’s why you peak/train for a competition so you can work on anything that might hinder you when comp day rolls around.

3. Be willing to fail and learn from it! While we all want to reach the goals we set for ourselves in a competition setting or otherwise. Just know that even being at the competition is a success all on its own! Take a second to step back and observe the things you could have done differently or recognize that it was just an off day and don’t let that moment stop you from trying again.

"I can accept failure. Everyone fails at something. But I can't accept not trying." ― Michael Jordan