Competing

I think every lifter should try to compete at least once in some strength sport. Whether it be bodybuilding, powerlifting, or strongman. It is a great experience and you will learn a lot about your body. I competed in my first strongman competition in April. It was a great experience. I definitely plan on competing again. I'm planning on competing in a powerlifting meet as well whenever I can find one close enough to me that I can fit in my schedule. I want to try a bodybuilding show eventually too, but I'm going to wait for that until I gain some more mass. Competing is a great way to push yourself. Knowing that you have a deadline approaching really gives meaning to your training. It will help you learn about different styles of training and help you learn about yourself. Training strongman events really helped increase my squat and deadlift. It is a fun change of pace. However, if you decide to compete in any of these sports don't just throw everything you've been doing out the window and try some new routine that's supposedly specific to your sport. You may have to make adjustments of course, but whatever method you have been using to get bigger or stronger will continue to work for you until you stall. Even then it is best to make minor adjustments instead of completely changing everything. If you want to compete, but don't know what to try I would suggest trying powerlifting first. You get to choose your own weights, so anyone can compete regardless of your current strength levels. Strongman competitions are more difficult for beginners. Even in the novice classes the weights are fairly heavy, and if you don't have a few years of training under your belt you may not even be able to do some of the events. However, if you are a teen you should try a teen strongman competition. Bodybuilding is probably the last one I would recommend for a beginner because you really need a good deal of development to compete in any bodybuilding show. I would suggest powerlifting or strongman until you gain a good bit of mass. Whatever you choose competing is a great way to progress. You will likely meet some strong guys and maybe some new training partners (that's what happened to me). All of the guys are really friendly. Often it's the biggest and strongest guys that are the most humble and helpful.

Drew