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<\/a>Easy access to information like start dates, age restrictions, and the type of lifting the athlete wants to focus on was part of why Zhao wanted to start a powerlifting club at Camosun. Form is important, says Zhao, so it\u2019s often what students opt to work on during club training sessions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf anyone has interest in competing, they will have a group of support, and they will have help in getting down the basics,\u201d says Zhao, who competed in the annual Lift the Rock Powerlifting Championships in Victoria last year and is hoping to again this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Zhao says that mental preparation is key for him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt helps you take your mind off other things and concentrate solely on the sport itself; you\u2019re able to essentially focus on what you are doing right now, and not think about possible school papers or whatnot,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s a form of escape, but it\u2019s also a form of mental conditioning.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When Zhao\u2019s lifting for a personal record, being prepared mentally comes with being prepared physically, he says, adding that overthinking is something to be avoided. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat I try to do is visualize the perfect lift and focus on what movement\u2014a form or such\u2014is critical to the lift itself,\u201d he says. \u201cI concentrate on that before starting the lift, and only that.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Zhao says that as people lift and compete more, injuries become more likely, as they do with any sport; proper form is the best way to combat that. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWith the right form you can get a certain advantage, as long as you follow all the rules of the lift,\u201d says Zhao.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With bench pressing, one of Zhao\u2019s areas of focus, good form includes the lifter keeping their back arched to decrease the range of motion, keeping their shoulders back, and not usually going 100 percent during training. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMost powerlifters I\u2019ve seen do three reps of a lower weight,\u201d he says, \u201cand they do many sets of that.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
When a person competes, they do only one rep of a higher weight, says Zhao; it\u2019s called \u201cheavy singles,\u201d where the lifter lifts as much as they possibly can for one rep. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou use 95 or 97.5 percent of your rep max, and you just do them for reps of one, so it\u2019s slightly lighter than your absolute limit,\u201d he says. \u201cYou train your form and your mental preparation for the competition itself. For two weeks prior to the competition, they load up on volume. So they do many sets.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n