It is perfectly natural to be nervous before a competition or a big lift – I recently wrote about that in my blog http://allaboutpowerlifting.com/my-first-attempt-just-destroys-me/. In that article I present some strategies to help you deal with that anxiety. However, I also believe it is worth examining exactly why we, as athletes, tend to feel fear and anxiety. In the NSCA’s…
As a competitive powerlifter, there is one mistake you just can’t make. What is it? Bombing out. Bombing out is when you fail to complete at least one successful try in a competitive lift. When you bomb out (you go 0 for 3) you get a zero in the lift and if you are going for a total…
There is an inverse relationship between skill and arousal level. Skill is the level of difficulty, precision, and motor control that a movement requires. Arousal (no, I am not talking about that type of arousal) refers to the psychic energy one displays – how amped up you are to do something. Too much arousal screws up very high skill things,…
If you don’t think there is strategy in powerlifting, you are sorely mistaken. Attempt selection can make a big difference in what a lifter’s total is and where they end up placing in a meet. The strongest lifter doesn’t always win a powerlifting competition, sometimes the smartest one does.