DO learn and practice the rules of your federation. Unless you are a seasoned vet, you cannot jump in and learn the rules on the fly. I had to tweak my bench set up to conform to the IPF rules and will have to practice pressing with commands to further my technical training.

DON’T be nervous. Talk with EVERYONE! I guarantee you’ll meet some very interesting people at the meet and will certainly pick up something useful. If you’ve never competed, why not take five minutes and learn from the guys who have been there before. Hell, talk to the novice guys too. You can share common experiences and perhaps glean something that you left out of your preparations.

DO experiment with proper hydration/meals. I think had I been a little smarter and ate properly between the bench press and the squat I wouldn’t have gassed so quickly. While there may be a science to this, we’re all individuals. I will admit to using Cytomax as a quick carb source, and I chugged a Gatorade with some Spike early in the morning. One guy, Glynn Moore, was eating pizza after his bench attempts. Experiment until you find what works best for you.

DON’T be afraid to attend meets and learn how a meet is run. I’ve been in an amateur push/pull and attended one IPF meet last summer. Had I been more involved with supporting and viewing the meets, maybe I could have been better prepared for my own meet. How many lacrosse players don’t go to watch games both professional and amateur ones? Football, soccer, and baseball athletes all love their sport and support it. Perhaps there’s a correlation between attending events and skill development. Think about it.

DO plan your openers and practice them. I had a very clear idea where my squat was going and had to adjust after my second attempt. Had I planned my bench better, I would have been more successful, but this comes with experience. My deadlift would have been solid. I had no questions about that. Plan your opener as something you can kill and feel confident about. After that, be well prepared to adapt to whatever may come your way.

DON’T buy your gear too late. Practice in it! Our sport is now one of skill and pure strength. Anyone who disagrees is living in the past and doomed to a piss poor total. Buy your gear early and practice in it. Although I had used my Viking V-Type a few times prior to the meet, I know that there is a larger learning curve that requires lots of work. I'll be ****y and say that the Viking Presser really has a short learning curve. Just get in there and start pressing!

DO mentally prepare for failure and success. This isn’t a final exam on advanced biochemistry. It’s a powerlifting meet. I think that perhaps I had psyched myself up and out of the meet a bit. But again, I chalk that up to experience. Relax, enjoy yourself, and have fun! After twelve weeks of preparation, you’re going to show the world what you worked so hard for. Don’t leave anything on the platform. Although I blew all but one of my attempts, I would rather bomb out than puss out.

DON’T let failure scare you off of the platform for good. Although I didn’t meet my expectations or my potential, I have accessed my result and am developing a new plan that will lead me to success. Evaluate, educate, and raise your expectations. You can’t retire from the sport without at least giving it your all. For example, I can’t accept a 500-lb total as the pinnacle of my powerlifting total. My father always told me that, “Perfect practice makes perfect play.” Train hard and you will succeed eventually. Don’t ever give up!

DO seek out stronger, more experienced lifters and train with them. This is perhaps one of the areas in which I need to focus the most. If you’re already with an established club of lifters, try to bring the best out in each other. Nothing breeds success like success. You’ll get stronger as individuals, and the carryover effect will bring you all forward. Westside isn’t a legend because of one man. It was built upon compound successes. Find people and train with them!

Casey Rusbridge