32 & Lifting: Reflections on My First Powerlifting Competition

Powerlifting Comps — Not For the Soft

After a 14-year hiatus from competitive sports since my rugby days, I decided to step onto the powerlifting platform at 32.

I’ve spent years coaching and providing sports massage for athletes who’ve competed at the highest levels across various sports. The lure of testing myself competitively has always been there. When I saw the Scottish Eastern Championships were exactly 13 months after my ACL reconstruction surgery, it felt like the stars had aligned.

I initially entered the open 120+ kg category, but quickly realized I’d be far from medal contention. So, I made the perhaps foolish, but ultimately rewarding, decision to drop to the under 120 kg category. This meant not only hitting my target lifts (200kg squat, 130kg bench, 205 kg deadlift) but also dropping from 135.5kg to 119.9kg in just over two months. The goal was to make weight, put up a respectable total, and hopefully, walk away with a medal.

It was a journey of rediscovering my body, confronting my fears, and redefining what competition means to me. There were countless lonely hours spent lifting heavy in the gym, asking strangers for a spot, and weeks of disciplined eating. The week of the comp I lived on chicken breast, rice cakes, and zero-fat yogurt attempting to cut water weight. The night before the competition was a particularly memorable one — spent in a MiHigh sauna sleeping bag with two dogs on top of me, all while running on just two hours of sleep and trying to shed the last 2kg required to make weight.

Here’s a self-indulgent glimpse into my competitive PL experience.

Q: Why powerlifting? What drew you to this specific sport after so many years away from competition?

A: A combination of factors. I’m surrounded by decent level powerlifters at work. I’ve worked with national and international level strength athletes like Dean McVie and Bryan Smith and have been inspired by their efforts. I had ACL reconstruction surgery 13 months ago and wanted confirmation to myself that I’m back to full operating strength. I have a baby coming in 3 months and wanted to achieve something in fitness before then. There’s something very cool and primal about powerlifting and having coached athletes through the competitive process in Scotland, it seemed like an obvious choice for me too.

Q: What were your biggest fears or anxieties going into the competition? Were they physical, mental, or a mix of both?

A: Firstly, that my knee would disintegrate or that I would injure myself in another way, especially as I made the decision to cut weight into a smaller category. Secondly, that I would be so far off the standard as a lifter. There were some monsters at the competition I entered which was amazing to see, but I definitely felt a bit of a minnow. I had also forgotten how much “shit and shower” time competing takes from you. My mental bandwidth was entirely devoted to what lay ahead with regards to training, eating, and recovering for this competition.

Q: What was the most surprising aspect of the competition day?

A: The camaraderie. I wasn’t exactly expecting a room full of intimidating, hyper-competitive individuals, having coached at events before, but the levels of support between athletes, coaches, volunteers and judges was great. Everyone was incredibly supportive, cheering each other on. It was a really positive and uplifting environment. Also I was surprised how much I struggled to eat after weigh-in, when I thought, having cut a lot of weight to compete, I’d be starving. I think nerves and a smaller stomach surprised me.

Q: How did your body feel during training and after the competition compared to your rugby days?

A: Generally I felt ok. I normally only deadlift heavy once every 10 days or so, but the frequency of lifting heavy obviously increased closer to the comp. The fatigue on my CNS was massive, especially when combined with losing 6kg the week of the comp. I was verifiably more stupid, but luckily my clients are used to me rambling and losing track of how many reps they’ve done.

Q: What did you learn about yourself through this experience?

A: Lots of cliches run true. I am capable of a lot and will continue to grow despite multiple factors. I learned where I can find motivation though — my impending fatherhood and the threat of public embarrassment helped in some more depleted moments. It was also the first time that I’d ever had people properly doubt me: “you won’t be able to do it”, “what if you fail and hurt yourself”, “that’s too much weight to cut”, “nobody cares/you should give up”, “why are you doing this, it’s pointless toxic masculinity” were all things said to me by people I know. This became very useful fuel (and I suspect some of those things were said to me with that intent by those who know me a little better).