2026 TAAP NQ1 Meet Report
The Thai Amateur Association of Powerlifting held their first National Qualifier event of the year on May 16, 2026. I participated in the Open Men’s Under 105 kg division. This is my third powerlifting meet.
Results
I made 8 of my 9 attempts (Failed 3rd attempt on bench press).
Squat: 180 kg (+15 kg)
Bench: 95 kg (+5 from previous, +2.5 competition best)
Deadlift: 205 kg (+15 kg)
Total: 480 kg (+35 kg)
4th place (20 kg below 3rd place)
The only change I made to my equipment is that I used an SBD belt instead of my Inzer. This time there were fewer athletes so there were only 3 flights for the day instead of 4 so there was less time between attempts. I stayed in the same weight class as last time but because I’ve been consistent with my nutrition and weight for the last few months I wasn’t worried about not making weight so I didn’t fast in the morning like last time or skip out on hydration. Another small change is that I didn’t bother chalking up my back for squat since it didn’t seem to make a difference. My planned attempts going into the day were 165/175/180 kg on squat, 90/95/97.5 kg on bench and 190/200/205 kg for deadlift. My openers were all weights I comfortably hit for 3 reps in training a couple weeks before the meet and all of my 2nd/3rd attempts would be competition PRs for me.
Squat
165 ⚪⚪⚪👍
My opener was the same weight as my final attempt at my previous meet and it was the first time not failing the first lift of the day. My squat has been my most improved lift since I started powerlifting and I still feel like I’ve got lots of potential for improvement.
175 ⚪⚪⚪👍
I knew there would be less time between attempts since there are fewer athletes than last time. I think this was actually a good thing for me, it still felt like plenty of time to recover but short enough that I still felt warmed up.
180 ⚪⚪⚪👍
I think I could have done even more but hitting 4 plates on the platform was a big milestone so I was quite happy with the result. I’m confident I can hit even greater numbers next time.
Bench
90 ⚪⚪⚪👍
Just like with squat, I opened with the same weight as my previous final attempt on bench. I resisted the urge to go lower like I did last time. I stayed focused and avoided the mistake from last time where I got too relaxed after a successful squat. I wanted to improve my comp bench so I decided I’d rather have 2 attempts at 95 than get 92.5 again then only have one shot at 95.
95 ⚪⚪⚪👍
95 felt easy. I focused on getting a good set up, staying tight, descending slowly and making sure to wait for the commands.
100 🔴🔴🔴👎
My plan was to go 97.5 for the final attempt and I think I could have made that but 95 was feeling easy and I made the decision to try 100. I was okay with the possibility of missing out on 2.5 kg on my total on the chance that I could hit this milestone PR on the platform. Didn’t work out this time but I know I pushed myself. I know if I had stuck to 97.5 and hit it, I would’ve wondered if I could’ve made 100. My bench is disproportionately weak compared to my other lifts so improving this will be a big focus of my training moving forward.
Deadlift
190 🔴⚪⚪👍
For deadlifts, I opened with the weight I finished with last time (My final attempt was 200 but I got 2 reds on that). I’m not sure what the red was for on this attempt but I was happy to get the lift. I secured a total and it was greater than last time. Next up, I wanted to break past 200 and end the day with a nice PR.
200 ⚪⚪⚪👍
Something new I tried was applying baby powder to help reduce friction on my thighs to hopefully prevent getting called for hitching like I did last time. After the first attempt I already saw some redness on my thighs. I think the powder helped as I got the weight up smoothly and got 3 white lights.
205 ⚪⚪⚪👍
I was already happy with results for the day and for this particular lift. I decided to try for a small PR and hit it. A great ending to a great day of lifting.
Overall, I feel like I’m getting better at the sport. Not just by getting stronger with bigger numbers on my lifts, but easily following the commands, not stressing on the day, being okay with nutrition/hydration/making weight and just being able to show up on the day of the event and execute.
As always, I want to give thanks and credit to my supportive wife and her parents, my children who motivate me to take care of myself and my health, and the volunteers of TAAP who enable us to engage the sport of powerlifting in Thailand. I continue to be grateful to be a part of this community.