How to start

    A common myth about a power-lifting is that you have to be a big person to do it. Wrong. Anyone can successfully do this sport. Even if you only want to become stronger and healthier, this is a great way to achieve that. It's not easy, but the workouts won't let you down in the long run. The 'how-to' of starting is simple.

    First of all you should choose a gym centered on weightlifting. Depending on where you live, there may be a gym dedicated to only power-lifting, and if there is, that's a perfect place to sign up with. The reason being there are less treadmills, elliptical's, and other cardio equipment. In a gym like Planet Fitness, there audience seems to be more centered around people who are trying to lose weight. There free weights, squat racks, etc, are limited to one small portion of there gym. Compared to a gym that's completely focused on lifting weight. 

    Once you find a gym, you want to begin training on a power-lifting based routine. If you're lost on that there are many templates you can follow. For instance, the Westside template and the 5/3/1 philosophy are tried and true. You can also use those templates as a starting place for building your own routine. In basic terms, you want to focus on low repition training of the squat, bench, and deadlift. In between that you want to do some high-rep accessory training, like ab workouts. 

     Before you get too deep in training you'll want to figure out which federation you'd like to lift in. There are more than 30 different federations that all have different rules and allow the use of different equipment. I was given the advice by my father and some other lifters I've met to start off 'raw'. This means I do not use squat, bench, and deadlifting shirts, which are spandex type clothing that gives a kick back when worn, or other gear such as a knee wraps, etc. Raw federations do not allow those shirts to be worn or the use of knee wraps while Gear Federations do. It's better to start off raw and than choose a few years down the road to train in gear or stay raw. 

     Lastly, take part in a competition. This is not necessary if you're not into competition, but it's good for personal growth. You can see how you fair against others and see you're progress out in the open. Plus, it's fun. You get to hang out and compete with friends and strangers and meet new people. If you do well, you can go home, celebrate, and you get bragging rights. If you don't do well, than you know exactly what you need to work on in the gym to become better.