First of all, stick with your plan. If you’re following the Westside barbell template, stick with it the whole way through the meet. Don’t change halfway through, and don’t try a progressive overload experiment six weeks out from the meet. Stick with the plan until meet day...

Second, get good training partners who know what they’re looking at. You need to be coached up, especially in the squat. Trying to do it on your own is far too difficult. You need guys who can remind you to “keep your head up” or “spread your knees” or “push out on your belt.” There is too much to remember on your own...

Lastly, be realistic with your goals. Don’t get so hell bent on certain numbers. Instead of saying, “I need to be at least 235 lbs,” I should have been saying, “I need to get shredded.” I know of guys who say meet after meet after meet, “I’m going to squat 900 lbs this time.” That’s great, but their max is only 830 lbs. What’s wrong with an 850 lb lift? Powerlifting isn’t a sprint. It’s a marathon. Take one step at a time. A successful PR in a meet, even if it’s only a five pound PR, is better than a huge missed PR attempt...

Billy Mimnaugh