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.
