By Chris Collins on Thursday, 27 December 2012
Category: Fitness

Reasons to Test Your Lifts + Powerlifting Results

Recently we held a power-lifting meet at Okanagan Peak Performance Inc. Below are the results of this lifting meet as well as some benefits of testing your lifts.


Before we get to the results of the meet it is important to understand why we held this lifting competition. My goals and some of the main reasons were:

1. To see where we're at
Here's an analogy I like to use as to the benefits of testing.

Imagine you want to go to Vancouver and you're starting out in Kelowna. But you don't know where Kelowna and couldn't pin it on a map.



What are the chances you will reach your goal of getting to Vancouver? Probably not very good. And if you do make it what are the chances it was the most direct and efficient way of getting there? Again, probably not very good.

When we test our lifts we set a starting point. We know where we are. We know what the next goal should be. We know how long it will take to get there. And we have a good idea of the most efficient way to achieve success.

Given this is all common sense and fairly obvious isn't it surprising the number of people who train but don't test themselves?

2. To identify weak links
I'm a big believer in addressing weak links. If weak links are ignored they come back o haunt as bigger, more painful problems.

When we test our lifts we push ourselves to the limit. This exposes our weak links and lets us know what we need to do to improve.

For example, for some people they missed their bench press as they couldn't lock out and complete the press. For this individual some more triceps training or rack presses would help overload the finishing portion of the lift to eliminate this weak link.

3. To evaluate the effectiveness of the training program
How effective is your training program? Are you getting stronger? Faster? More powerful? Unless you are testing you really have no way of knowing.

We are constantly testing out different training programs and protocols. I'm curious as to whether different rep and set ranges are more or less beneficial. I wonder whether pairing certain exercises is advantageous for the desired goal. I want to know if more intense and less frequent training is superior to more frequent and less intense.

By asking these questions does not mean we don't still subscribe to the evidenced based solutions discovered in research. Instead it means that we get excited about the finding of a study and want to know if the same will work for us and if the findings can be expanded to other areas of training.

4. To help set new goals
Ask someone who doesn't test their lifts how much they lift and they will have no idea. By no idea I mean they will pause for 10 seconds to think about and then give you around number as their answer. For example they may say '300 lbs'.

Contrast this with someone who tests their lifts and they will not only answer you right away but they will give you specifics to go along with their answer. Their answer would be something along the lines of 'Well I've done 285 in training, and 275 for 5 reps just missed locking out 305 lbs during the competition'. Big difference.

Once you know where your lifts are at you'll have a very clear idea of where you want to go next. Those that hit their goal weights have their eyes on the next level. The ones who missed will be tinkering with their technique and addressing their weak links to get over the hump next time.

5. To learn about ourselves
To an outsider a power-lifting meet may appear to be purely physical. And while the lifts all depend on physical strength this alone will not lead to success. Many of the lifters learned this on the weekend.

Here's an example.

One of the people participating had a goal to pull a certain weight in the deadlift. When they showed up Saturday morning you could tell there was some butterflies. They showed up just before the meet started. And the day before told me they were dreaming about deadlifting.

When the meet got started this person could not complete their first lift. For those not familiar the first lift is one of three at a reduced load from what will ultimately be attempted. This is a load that has been achieved many times in training but on this day could not be lifted.

All of a sudden a mental block set in. I don't want to speak for this person but you would assume that frustration, self doubt and many other questions are going through their mind.

Long story short this person cam in to the gym 2 days later and not only pulled this weight with ease but went up 20 lbs as well!

The moral of the story is that you will learn some much from competition and not just the obvious lessons that are expected but many others that present themselves as challenges. How we respond to the challenge defines who we are and what benefits we get from the lesson.

6. To develop camaraderie and friendship
While we were preparing for this power-lifting meet there was our staff and a number of clients following a specific program. However with the Christmas season we knew not everyone could attend do to vacation plans and Christmas parties. Fair enough.

So I thought there would be about 6-8 of us testing our lifts and it was a nice surprise when 13 showed up for the competition. Not only was it great that so many came out it was nice to see the variety of guys, girls, athletes and weekend warriors, students and business professionals all competing side by side.

During the deadlifting you had an Olympic medallist on one platform performing his lift alongside a grade 9 student. And during the 3 rep chin up test a Division 1 football player passed the belt to an importer of wood.

On this day everyone was supportive of everyone else. It didn't matter if you were deadlifting 505 lbs (way to go Dakota!), or trying to pull your own body-weight for 3 chin ups, everyone cheered for you. A few of the students kept following me around telling me how awesome this was and that we needed to do this every month.

So that covers the reasons we help this power-lifting meet. Below are the results. Congrats to everyone who participated. Hope you will join us for the next one.

Chris

 

DEADLIFT
bodyweightattempt #1attempt #2attempt #3lbs lifted/bodyweightPlace
Jim   McKitrick1843153653852.0923914
Dakota Poole2484554855052.036291
Leanne   Stanley222.2265295x1.3276336
Max Corcoran1442652752952.0486116
Quentin   Brooks1382052452751.9927549
Quinn   Stewart250.22252653051.2190255
Andrew Dunn166.41351952251.35216310
Matt   Baumeister161.2195225x1.39578210
Rosie   McKitrick129.41651852001.54559513
Megan Gorges158.61952052151.35561212
Jordy   Kreller112.2285x2.1750818
Chris   Collins186.2405x2.1750813
Chris   LeBihan209.23854054252.0315492
BENCH
bodyweightattempt #1attempt #2attempt #3lbs lifted/bodyweightPlace
Jim   McKitrick184245x2551.385873
Dakota Poole2482452652751.1088712
Leanne   Stanley222.21551751900.8550865
Max Corcoran144xx1651.1458336
Quentin   Brooks138105125x0.9057979
Quinn   Stewart250.2115xx0.45963211
Andrew Dunn166.4135155x0.931497
Matt   Baumeister161.2145155x0.9615387
Rosie   McKitrick129.47585900.69551813
Megan Gorges158.6110125x0.7881469
Jordy   Kreller112.295x1151.02495511
Chris   Collins186.22452753001.6111711
Chris   LeBihan209.2225245 x1.1711284
SQUAT
bodyweightattempt #1attempt #2attempt #3lbs lifted/bodyweightPlace
Jim   McKitrick184X3151.7119574
Dakota Poole2483354054551.8346771
Leanne   Stanley222.2215x2351.0576065
Max Corcoran1442052152251.56256
Quentin   Brooks138155205x1.4855078
Quinn   Stewart250.21201451600.63948811
Andrew Dunn166.41151351500.90144212
Matt   Baumeister161.2225xx1.3957826
Rosie   McKitrick129.4xxx
Megan Gorges158.6195xx1.2295089
Jordy   Kreller112.2185xx1.64884110
Chris   Collins186.23153453651.9602583
Chris   LeBihan209.23353654051.9359462
3   REP CHIN UP
bodyweightattempt #1attempt #2attempt #3lbs lifted/bodyweight
Jim   McKitrick1842441.3260875
Dakota Poole2483023071.2379031
Leanne   Stanley222.2220.4233.42461.1071114
Max Corcoran144165.6183209.61.4555566
Quentin   Brooks138160.2170.6x1.2362329
Quinn   Stewart250.2
Andrew Dunn166.4189.4206.8x1.2427887
Matt   Baumeister161.2193.2197.51.2251868
Rosie   McKitrick129.4
Megan Gorges158.6158.6xx111
Jordy   Kreller112.2122.2136x1.21212110
Chris   Collins186.2259.2273286.21.5370572
Chris   LeBihan209.2262.4276.2 x1.3202683
bodyweightdeadliftbenchsquatchintotal weight liftedPlace
Jim   McKitrick18438525531524411994
Dakota Poole24850527545530715421
Leanne   Stanley222.22951902352469665
Max Corcoran144295165225209.6894.66
Quentin   Brooks138275125205170.6775.68
Quinn   Stewart250.230511516058012
Andrew Dunn166.4225155150206.8736.89
Matt   Baumeister161.2225155225197.5802.57
Rosie   McKitrick129.42009029013
Megan Gorges158.6215125195158.6693.611
Jordy   Kreller112.228511518513672110
Chris   Collins186.2405300365286.21356.22
Chris   LeBihan209.2425245405276.21351.23
 

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