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2025 TAAP Qualifier #1 Meet Report

Meet Report: Thai Amateur Association of Powerlifting 2025 National Qualifier 1

I participated in my second powerlifting meet on May 17, 2025. My first one was in November of 2024, so there were about six months in between. For a little over two of those months I did a couch to 5k program and ran my first 5k so I was focused on cardio and not building much strength. I lost some weight which helped me go down to a lower weight class and the bulk of that weight loss happened while I was focused on running.

Results

My weight went from 113.85 to 101.80 kg, last time I was in the under 120 weight class and this time I competed in the Men’s Raw Open Under 105 kg. I happened to be the only one in this division this time and I didn’t bomb out so I won 1st place. Had I stayed in my previous weight class, I would’ve placed 3rd. Winning 1st place by default may not seem impressive, but without all the work I put in losing weight, maintaining the new weight all while increasing my overall strength, I wouldn’t have had that result so I still feel some pride in that gold medal I received. My total increased by 50 kg (squat went up 35, bench went down 2.5 and deadlift went up by 17.5) I failed 1 out of 3 attempts on each of the lifts so I went 6 for 9 overall. In the squat I missed the first lift, in the bench, I missed the second and the third attempt on the deadlift. The bench was the only time I didn’t get the weight all the way up, the squat and deadlift misses were 2 to 1 jury rulings on technical details (depth on squat and hitching on deadlift). In my first comp, I set a goal of getting a 400 kg total and fell short by 5 kg, this time my goal was 455 and I fell short by 10 kg. Maybe those are good results for me personally since getting close but not quite there motivates me to aim even higher and try again.

Preparation

One aspect of my training that I’m proud of this time around is that I did my own programming instead of using any pre-built/generic program (though while I was training for the 5k I did do a simple version of 5/3/1 just to maintain my strength and before that I gave one cycle of gzclp a try which gave me good information when I started planning my own program). During the week I skipped lunch so that I could use my break to work out at the gym at work. I could only spend 40-50 minutes on those weekday sessions so I’d do one main lift (a heavy top set with some back off work) and one complementary accessory. On the weekends I’d do some higher volume work and medium volume technique work (mostly pause and tempo variations of the main lifts) with more accessories since I had more time. On rest days I would do low intensity, steady state cardio like walking on an incline treadmill.

Weight, Equipment, Rules

As I mentioned, I weighed in at 101.80 kg this time. I was actually a bit concerned about not making weight since my weight can fluctuate a bit day to day and 6 days before the competition I weighed just about 105 which would disqualify me for the weight class I signed up for. I tried to eat decently healthy during the last week before the comp and on the day of, I skipped breakfast and didn’t drink much water until after I had weighed in. Clearly, I was well under but this was my first time experiencing the need to be under a specific weight by a certain time/date so I erred on overshooting my goal rather than missing it.

After my first competition I rewarded myself with some additional equipment: SBD knee sleeves, deadlift slippers from Notorious Lifts and an Inzer powerlifting belt. I trained with them to get used to them and even if the effect was partially psychological, I definitely feel like they helped me improve in the squat and deadlift.

Last time, I had to figure out my rack heights and I smartly jotted down some notes but upon opening them I saw I didn’t actually write down what I used for the bench last time so I had to recheck anyway. I also recalled the squat rack feeling a little high last time so I tested that too and decided to decrease it from the 17th pin to the 16th. I went for pin 9 on the bench (Maybe an uninteresting detail to add to this post, but now if I lose my notes next time, I can come reread this, heh).

I still don’t have a coach or handler so I was on my own in the warm up area but I felt a lot more comfortable having been there before. I made a point to try to be a little lighter and sociable. I was pretty focused and in my own world last time. My wife told me afterward, she could tell even from the audience that I seemed less stressed/serious (เครียด) when I was coming out on the platform and walking off after each attempt.

Squat

Attempt 1: 140 kg 🔴⚪🔴👎

Originally I planned to open 135 to be safe but doing 140 for triples in training had been feeling easy so I went for 140 on the day. Warm ups felt like a breeze and I was pretty confident going out for my first lift of the day. I was pretty surprised to see that I had gotten 2 red lights, presumably due to not hitting a low enough depth. I had planned to go 150-155 for my second attempt but since I didn’t get the first one, I didn’t go that high. But, strength didn’t seem to be the issue so I still increased the weight a little to 145.

Attempt 2: 145 kg ⚪⚪⚪👍

In the first competition, I also missed my first squat and just retried the same weight and got into a bad mood for a bit. This time, I wasn’t upset. I knew what I had to do and had a plan I was still confident in. I made sure to really sink at the bottom the second time and got an easy 3 white lights.

Attempt 3: 165 kg ⚪⚪⚪👍

145 also felt really easy. For my 3rd I had wanted to go 160-165. 165 felt like really big jump but I was feeling strong and capable so I went ahead and made the call to try it. The gambit paid off. It wasn’t easy, I had to grind a little and even after the lift I wasn’t see if my technique was good enough but when I saw the 3 whites again, I felt great. I was proud of myself and felt relief that the rest of the competition was going to go well as well.

Final result: 165 (+35 kg from previous meet)

Bench Press

Attempt 1: 80 kg ⚪⚪⚪👍

I had submitted 85 as my opener at the beginning of the meet but I decided to change it after squats for two reasons: since I had gotten the big number I wanted in squat, I could be safer on the bench and still hit my intended total. And since I had missed my first squat and even though it wasn’t as bad as last time, it still had a negative effect on my mindset temporarily so I wanted to give myself an easy win here. It worked a little too well I think.

Attempt 2: 90 kg 🔴🔴🔴👎

This was a shock to me. I hadn’t missed 90 (or 92.5 even) at all in training and I was expecting a pretty straightforward attempt so my focus was mostly on what I should do for my final attempt. I think I was too relaxed/relieved from the last couple lifts. That small amount of stress/anxiety that can boost your performance under pressure as long as it’s not too great had totally dissipated. I was still a bit flustered when telling the official what my next attempt would be and I just said to redo the same without thinking much about it. I felt a bit of a tweak in my back so I was questioned if I even wanted to try again. In my first competition my biggest stumbling block came in the very first lift. This time, it was in the middle, my 5th of 9 attempts for the day.

Attempt 3: 90 kg ⚪⚪⚪👍

This time I treated the attempt as seriously as I should have on the previous one. It didn’t matter that this should be light weight for me based on training and it was less than what I did at my last event. If I made this I was still in good shape to hit my total based on deadlifts. I took a few extra seconds to set up and run through a mental checklist of good form from my grip, shoulders, all the way down to my foot placement. I took an extra breath after getting the start command and went slowly but steadily down and made sure to stay tight waiting for the press command and went with the same determined steady pace on the way up and locked out, making sure I didn’t start moving the bar back until I got the final rack command. I got the 3 white lights this time and with only a small amount of relief tried to put bench out of my mind and get mentally prepared to take all 3 of my deadlift attempts seriously (but still without being too stressed/เครียด).

Final Result: 90 (-2.5 kg from my result in the previous meet)

Deadlift

Attempt 1: 175 kg ⚪⚪⚪👍

My opener was 2.5 kg higher than my 3rd attempt in the first meet. But, in training, just like with squats I had built a lot of strength and I could easily hit 175 for a triple on any given day so I didn’t second guess my opener this time like I did with bench. Warm ups felt alright, the back pain I had felt after the second bench wasn’t really there anymore. My mental state was pretty clear, I wasn’t too worried but I still came out with intention and took my time to make sure my form was what it should be and pulled the opener nice and easy.

Attempt 2: 190 kg ⚪⚪⚪👍

I made sure to take this second attempt equally seriously and made sure I hit it to put myself into a good situation going into the final lift of the day. Nothing really of note here, felt and looked easy. Now my focus was all on getting that last lift. 197.5 was the highest I hit in the gym, but I’d say it wasn’t quite an RPE 10 so I felt like there was a little left in the tank. Hitting 200 would put my total exactly what I had aimed for (455 which would put me over 1000 lbs).

Attempt 3: 200 kg ⚪🔴🔴👎

I was feeling excited to see if I could pull 200. I trusted my training and my technique. I started to pull and it felt hard but doable. I managed to get the weight all the way up, locked it out, got the down command and brought it back down nice and controlled. Afterward, I looked over at the judges panel but could only see one of the lights as someone was blocking my view of the screen and it was white! I only needed one of the other 2 to also be white to have achieved my big goal for the day. I moved to see the next one and it was red, then saw that the 3rd was also red and got hit with a little bit of disappointment but I was still happy with myself that I could physically lift the weight, just had to figure out the technical reason I didn’t get the lift so I can improve for next time (I looked up the rule I got called on and it was hitching – using my thighs to support the bar during the lift. Next time, I might try applying some baby powder to reduce friction between the bar and my thighs on the way up).

Final Result: 190 ( +17.5 from November)

Total: 445 kg (Up 50 kg from last time, 10 kg short of the goal I had for myself)

Special Thanks

A major life event that occurred this year was the birth of my son, Romeo. My wife’s parents have been staying with us and helping to care for him since we brought him home from the hospital. Their support along with my amazing wife’s have helped me achieve the progress I’ve written about here. I look forward to being a strong and healthy role model for him as he grows surrounded by people that love him.

Lessons Learned and Next Steps

I still have more to learn about programming my training. I’ve been reading and watching a lot of resources by Reactive Training Systems about their Emerging Strategies framework and want to incorporate that into my own self coaching. It would be nice to get a coach one day but I don’t have any specific plans on that front currently.

A big takeaway for me from my first two competitions is how much mindset matters during the day. That’s an area I didn’t really think about and didn’t do any kind of mental preparation but maybe I should be more thoughtful about it next time. Attempt selection is an area I can work on as well.

I feel like I have all the basic equipment I need at this point. I may invest in some squat shoes and an item on my wishlist is an SBD belt.

I don’t plan to compete at the next TAAP meet in August since I’ll be travelling to the US over the summer and that will definitely make it harder to consistently train, but I may set my sights on the 3rd qualifier in November. I would like to continue my weight loss journey and will aim for the under 93 kg weight class next time. My total is still about 100 kg below the qualifying amount to join the Thai national team. My long term goal is to qualify the year I turn 40 in the Master’s division

I’m loving becoming a powerlifter. The act of working out and lifting weights is only a small part of it. Thinking about what I eat and the quality of my sleep should always be important but taking on this new identity really brings those important life details to the forefront of my mind way more than before. This is a hobby/sport that I’d recommend to anyone who is able. It’s changing my life for the better and I’m excited to continue progressing toward ever more ambitious goals. Thanks for reading!

 

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My First Powerlifting Meet Report

Thai Amateur Association of Powerlifting (TAAP) National Qualifier 3

On November 9, 2024, I participated in my first powerlifting meet. I’d like to put down some thoughts on how it went for myself and anyone who may be interested in hearing about it. I may write a follow up post about my overall fitness journey this year but the gist is that I began the year with bad hip pain to the point that I could barely walk unassisted in the morning when I woke. That combined with teaching my son the main barbell lifts, gave me motivation to start taking my physical health more seriously. It was a goal of mine to eventually join a powerlifting meet and I was able to stick to it and make it happen.

tl;dr – A summary

In case you’re not up for reading this whole post, I’ll start with the short version. I failed my first squat attempt, but made all the rest so I was 8/9 for the day. My final total was 395 kg, 130 squat, 92.5 bench and 172.5 deadlift. My goal had been 400, S:140, B:90, D:170. Since I messed up the squat, I added a bit to my other lifts to still get close to my goal. I came in last for my weight class but was really happy how it went and for the experience. I definitely want to do it again!

Preparation

This is the first year of my life I made a habit of going to the gym regularly. The first few months of the year were mostly about just building that habit at my condo gym. Around April, I found a gym nearby and hired a personal trainer who first started me on an Upper/Lower split, then a Push/Pull/Legs split. I wanted to focus more on the big lifts so I ended up doing StrongLifts 5×5 for a couple months but got interrupted with summer travel and not always having access to the equipment I needed. When I came back to Thailand I signed up with a Powerlifting specific trainer and got some pointers on technique and training. He introduced me to RPE based training and Reactive Training Systems. From then until the meet, I used JuggernautAI to do one strength block, then a peaking block. Nutritionwise, I didn’t alter my eating habits but I started supplementing with some whey protein and creatine. I kept my caffeine consumption to about 1 coffee a day, 2 on training days if I was feeling a little sluggish. I had a 10 day vacation a few weeks before the competition where we traveled to Taiwan. It was too close to the comp to stop training altogether so I found a few gyms that did day passes in the places we were staying. I set my goal of achieving a 400 kg total a couple months before the comp based on my projection of where I would be by then if my training went as planned.

Weight, Equipment, Rules

I weighed in at 113.85. I didn’t try to lose or gain any weight for the competition. I was solidly between 2 weight classes (Under 120 and Under 105) so this wasn’t a concern for me going in.

The mandatory equipment I had was the singlet and socks that covered my shins for deadlifts. I had a plain gray T-shirt and a pair of Chucks to wear for all three lifts. The only optional piece of equipment I had was a pair of SBD wrist wraps. I didn’t have a powerlifting belt or knee sleeves. I haven’t used either of those in my training so far.

There were a few logistics I had to ask around about. The first was rack heights. I hadn’t ever used the competition racks before so I didn’t know what to put down. I wasn’t alone, it seemed like many people also needed to figure it out. After the earlier flights finished, some test racks were set up so that we could queue up and try them out. There was some nice social interaction here with different competitors helping to adjust the racks for one another.

I was a bit nervous about the specifics of the day beforehand. Many people seemed to have coaches or handlers to help them out with warm ups, timing, and attempt selection. We were given a set of attempt cards during registration. I was confused about when and how to submit these. I asked and was told after an attempt you have 30 seconds to submit your next attempt. From watching others, it seemed that handlers usually did this for a lifter. I would have to bring the cards and a pen up with me and set them by the judges desk before I went out to the platform, then come back over and grab them to fill them out and hand them in.

Another consideration I had was that I didn’t want to be on my phone and get distracted but using the Lifting Cast web app was important for me to see how many lifters were before me in the line-up. Before going out for squats almost everyone had someone chalk up their back, I wasn’t too worried since I’d never done that in training but soon before I was up, someone else who I assumed was a coach offered to chalk me up and I accepted, appreciating the gesture.

Squat

Attempt 1: 120 kg 🔴🔴🔴👎

My nerves were at their highest right before going out to the platform for my first lift of the day. I had had a bit more coffee than I was used to and my heart was racing. I came out and went to the bar and quickly got under it, walked it back and waited for the squat command from the head judge. When I got to the bottom position and started to come up I started wondering if I had gone deep enough and hesitated. Part of me wanted to go down further but another part realized I had alright started coming up so any downward movement would disqualify the attempt. Being in my head this much caused me to lose balance and tip forward. I stumbled and took a step forward before finishing the squat. I already knew that was a rule violation and failed the lift. I went to the staff and asked about the next lift, if I would just repeat the same weight (I knew the answer but I was in a weird mental space). They said I could or I could go up, but I needed to write it down on the attempt card. Flustered, I just wrote 120, sticking to the same weight for my next attempt. Walking away, I was thinking I should’ve gone to 125. I knew I could do it,I just needed to clear my head. I started having some spiraling thoughts: What if the weights I’ve been training with were less than advertised and I couldn’t actually lift as much as I thought? Was I going to bomb out on the first lift? Was coming here a massive waste of time and money? The coach who chalked my back saw me brooding and asked if I was okay. I said yes, then she asked if I knew about the commands. I said “Yeah, just got nervous and messed it up.” That small interaction did help pull myself back into the moment and out of my head. I did a few bodyweight squats to re-convince myself I could hit depth and focused on calming myself down for attempt 2.

Attempt 2: 120 kg ⚪⚪⚪👍

When it was time, I took a deep breath and shook out my stress. All the people working the event were positive and encouraging, the loaders shouted affirmations and reminders to get stable, the referee reminded me of the commands and that I had time to set up, there was no need to rush. I was much more deliberate and took my time preparing, making sure everything felt good before moving on. I got the command, waited a moment, took in another breath, braced, and started my descent. No thinking this time, just going down and up, locking out at the top and looking out to the judge to wait for the rack command. I barely felt the weight, it was hard to mentally reconcile that I had struggled at all the first time. I hadn’t given much thought to my final attempt so I just defaulted to taking a 10kg jump like I had planned before and wrote in 130kg for attempt 3.

Attempt 3: 130 kg ⚪⚪⚪👍

I was so relieved after attempt 2, I wasn’t going to bomb out on squats so I was feeling good about my prospects for the rest of the day. Attempt 3 went about the same as attempt 2. Again, it felt easy so I had a small pang of regret for not trying a little more, maybe 135 or 140. But the positive feelings overshadowed the negative at that point. From then on, the nervous energy I had gave me a boost rather than hindering me.

Bench Press

Attempt 1: 75 kg ⚪⚪⚪👍

I went for an opener I was extremely confident I could hit so that I wasn’t worried about the weight at all. My goal was just to focus on hearing all 3 commands and executing it correctly. My warm ups were pretty quick, and my final warm up set was at the same weight as the opener. I was able to take the same approach as the last two squat attempts and slowly progress from one step to another, and focus on the commands. I declined receiving a lift off since I usually always trained alone so I’m used to unracking the bar myself.

Attempt 2: 85 kg ⚪⚪⚪👍

My second attempt is maybe the weight I should’ve used for my opener. Something I could confidently hit at least a triple on in training. Being less worried about my ability to adhere to the rules and the weight made the 2nd attempt really smooth. The most thinking I had to do was about what to enter for my final attempt.

Attempt 3: 92.5 kg ⚪⚪⚪👍

I had planned on only going to 90 kg but because 85 felt easy and I regretted not going a bit higher in squats I bumped this one up a bit. I still declined the lift off here. After getting the press command, I was able to get the bar off my chest but about mid way up, the bar stopped moving. In my head, I didn’t think I was going to be able to get it all the way up but I felt secure enough that the spotters would help out if I couldn’t make it so I just gave it everything I had and eventually the bar started moving again. WHen I locked out my elbows, I could tell the bar was a little crooked. I heard the rack command and at first the left side didn’t go on the hook but that was quickly fixed. I was unsure if I would get this one but to my relief when I looked up I saw 3 white lights meaning it was a good lift.

Deadlift

Attempt 1: 150 kg ⚪⚪⚪👍

The deadlift is my personal favorite of the three lifts. I again chose an opener that I was very confident I could pull no problem. 150 kg flew off the floor. I had a euphoric feeling as I looked over to see the 3 white lights. I officially succeeded in putting together a total since I had at least 1 successful attempt in each of the 3 lifts. I started walking off the platform and gave the head judge a smile and he was smiling at me then he put his hand up pointing over to the judges. I had totally forgotten about putting in my next attempt. I didn’t have much time to think about it; I had planned to jump 10 kg for each attempt but since 150 felt really easy and I was still below my goal of a 400 total, I jumped up to 162.5 for the 2nd.

Attempt 2: 162.5 kg ⚪⚪⚪👍

This one felt light as well. I remembered to go to the judge’s table to enter my attempt this time. I also noticed my wife in the front taking my picture as I walked off the platform. In my stupor after the first attempt, I hadn’t even realized she was there that time. To hit 400, I would need 177.5 kg but that was 10 kg over what I’ve done in the gym. I wasn’t sure I could do it, but I did go above my planned 170 and put in my third attempt as 172.5 which would bring my total up to 395 kg: only 5 kg short of the goal I had set.

Attempt 3: 172.5 kg ⚪⚪⚪👍

After the third I was surprised again at how easy it looked and felt. A small part of me wished I’d gone for more. But, on the other hand, this may give me even more motivation to compete again to bump all my numbers up. I felt pretty good leaving the platform for the final attempt of the day.

Special Thanks

I definitely have to give a huge, huge thank you to my wife for all of her support this year in helping me reach my goals. My son, Anthony also helped by lifting with me over the summer and last winter. My personal trainer from earlier in the year, Famp really helped me along on my fitness journey and the powerlifting trainer, Opur helped with my training mindset and helped me feel comfortable experimenting with my form and making some tweaks to make my lifts feel more natural. On the day of the event, my wife and her parents were there to cheer me on. All of the people working the event and the other competitors all contributed to a positive atmosphere. One of my coworkers, Gideon, also stopped by to show support as well and the rest of my coworkers haven’t told me to shut up as I yapped all year about my new hobby. Thanks to everyone who’s been a part of this journey!

Next Steps

I’ve held off on dumping too much money into expensive equipment since I wanted to make sure this was something I’d stick to. Now that I met my goal, I will reward myself with some additional pieces. On my wishlist is a pair of SBD knee sleeves, an Inzer powerlifting belt and some shoes from Notorious Lifts.

I am thinking about trying out the gzclp training program until the new year and focusing on losing some weight and doing more cardio and mobility work as well. As far as strength goals, I’m very close to hitting 2 plates on bench, 3 on squat and 4 on deadlift. My hope is to join the 1000 lb club (A 453 kg total) by the end of next year.

I’d like to jump in to the next TAAP meet in May, but we’ll see what life’s like after our baby is born in February. I do want to do at least 1 or 2 meets next year. I’m also thinking of trying to find a coach and potentially have a handler the next time I go.

If you’ve read this far, thanks! And I wish you luck on whatever journey you’re currently on.