The sport of powerlifting has seen an influx of women over the past two years. We are so damn proud that we get to be involved in this focus that allows women to truly explore their strength and break down the barriers to get there.

We talk to many women that tell us they want to compete at some point in the future but are holding back from many fears. The fear of not being “strong enough” to step onto the platform. The fear of looking like a numpty on the platform. The fear of not being able to commit to the training because they think it may overtake their entire world. Or the fear of lifting heavy that they might hurt themselves.

The truth is that fear can hold many of us back (not only from the platform) but it doesn’t have to. When we open into conversations and talk about experiences we have gained over years of competing, we often get responses like “oh ok, I can do that!”.

Committing to competition does involve sacrifice (as does any goal we choose to embark on). The investment of time, money and energy is a choice that competitors must make. You will be tired, you will question if you can PB on the platform and you will at some point wish you had an extra night off from training to go and have dinner with a work mate.

When you hit a volume PB and feel so damn proud of yourself, you will want to tell your girlfriend(s). With excitement and glee you will describe how great it felt and how proud you were to hit that heavy deadlift only to be greeted with a lack lustre “oh yeah cool…”. It’s often like a secret code and shared feeling that is only felt by fellow lifters so don’t get too upset. She just doesn’t get it and hasn’t felt the feeling that we get under the barbell. These feelings are the ones we love so much and what have us coming back for more!

These moments are the ones that build love, confidence and excitement in us!

Some truths about competing:

1.  Things are going to feel heavy
This is the nature of a strength sport.
Welcome the challenge.

2.  You are going to question if you have it in you
Fatigue will mount as you get further into your training block and you will get emotional AF. It’s ok babe. Let it out.

3.  You will likely get pinch marks from your belt
It doesn’t feel great at first but you kind of get accustomed to it.

4.  You will feel hungry when things start to get heavy
Heavy deadlifts will make you hungry! Ensure you plan around heavy sessions and give your body the food it needs to keep building.

5. There is an investment of time that needs to be made
It will require you to train a minimum of 3-4x per week, include your mobility and stability work and prioritise a sufficient amount of sleep. If you get real honest with where you are spending your time now, it’s often an easy switch of social media scrolling for building to be a badass.

6.  It will spark a fire in your belly and build purpose in your training
You will get excited to see what you can achieve next week and what you are capable of!

7.  It is exciting and terrifying all at once
Get ready to feel all the feels girlfraaaaan. It’s part of the wonderful world of competing.

8.  The feeling you get when you successfully hit a lift is exhilarating and makes you feel so alive!
So much so that you will let out a scream or animal sound or two. Go for it!

9.  It is more attainable than many think
Comp prep looks different for everyone. Whether you travel, work rostered hours or have kids, programming is specific to you and your lifestyle.

10.  There is no prerequisite “level of strength” required to compete
You don’t have to hit anything prior in order to compete. This is the beauty of the sport in that it can be for everyone!

11.  You may feel scared about stepping onto the scales half naked for weigh in. There is no one looking at you in the weigh-in room.
The officials have way too many things to fill in to care what colour undies you are wearing.

12.  Your non lifting mates just won’t get it
But your lifting ladies will get it!

1. “Don’t hurt yourself” parentals may respond as such…
   They have likely seen some wacko videos of people doing some stuff. They just care about you and are often uneducated at how controlled a lifting environment is.

Some people get it, some people don’t.
If you love to lift as much as we do, surround yourself with people that get it too!

#welovetolift