Just finished IPL 5th Guangzhou Powerlifting Open! I’ve been in this sub for around two years, and have enjoyed reading so many meet reports here. It’s time that I write one too!

Background

30F, 172cm, 70kg.

My training history is short. I started working out at gym in 2023. Later in the same year, I met my first coach (general strength coach, not PL-specific) and started learning PL. First meet was done in 2024.

In 2025, I began experimenting with programs on liftvault, such as TSA and Brazos Valley Barbell. I competed 4 times in one year, including January, March, July, and September, which was CRAZY as I now reflect on it.

I realized that I need to build from a long-term perspective. As my progress got stuck, and the fatigue became difficult to manage with template programs, I decided to get a PL coach.

Coach & Meet Prep

This is my first time working with Zackary Sanders (@zsanders198). The time span was from October 2025-July 2026, 40 weeks in total. I train 4 days a week (Mon, Tue, Thur, Sat)

W1-13: 2x squat, 3x bench, 1x DL

W14-27: 3x squat, 3x bench, 2x DL

W28-39: 3x squat, 4x bench, 1x DL

W40: taper, lead to the meet.

PB at gym went up by 38.5kg. The overall process was smooth, especially considering the high frequency of S/B from W28, and that my job is from Mon-Fri so I train after work in the evening. I didn’t get any serious injury that affected training too much. The only significant one was QL pain due to my sumo technique. As I reduced the level of back rounding, it recovered well. As the meet got closer, I did get random discomforts around wrists, elbows, biceps, etc, but these often disappeared by themselves. On my meet day, I felt fresh with no discomforts at all.

Water Cut

I got myself in the 67.5kg class. Not an optimal weight class for my height, but whatever. I cut from 70kg to 67.05kg (6.6lbs) in a week. Luckily it basically had no impact on my meet performance.

Meet Results:

Overall results: Total 350kg (Meet PR+ 30kg), at 67.05kg BW.

DOTS: from 336 to 362.

Squat: 130KG

Nine white lights. I was surprised by the speed, I believe that I got at least 2.5kg left in tank.  

Bench: 62.5KG

Missed the third 67.5KG. If I wanna get all white lights I could go for 65kg, but I wanna take the risk to try. My friends at the meet also encouraged me to do so haha.

Deadlift: 157.5KG

Missed the third 165KG. I thought that 165 should have been safe, but my knees somehow caved in and caused me to lose the balance. This was new to me. It indicates that I will need to refine my sumo techniques in the future.

Overall Thoughts:

A meet is a meet. There will always be both big surprise and something unexpected happening! I am happy with the results and the chance to spot certain area of improvement. The meet prep was such a rewarding journey. Thanks to my coach, I not only made progress with strength, but also gained knowledge about fatigue management, adaptation, program progression, etc., and have become more confident and mentally resilient. I have learned to adopt a macro perspective instead of being anxious about a bad day or a missed lift. I have realized that I am capable of many things that I did not thought I could.

That's it! Time to move forward to the next phase to keep working!

For discussion of:

• Eating all the food when you want to get swole
• Eating less of the food when you're too fluffy
• Diet methods and plans
• Favourite foods and recipes
• How awful dieting is

Hi! I’m curious your…

1. ⁠Age
   
2. ⁠Sex
   
3. number of days lifting a week
   
4. number if days doing cardio a week
   
5. number of sets per body part a week
   
6. ⁠How you’re recovery/progress is

There’s interesting data and anecdotes as to what is recoverable volume and frequency to make gains? When entering a hypetroohy phase as a powerlifter, I find the volume to be hard to manage - sleepless nights and soreness almost always occur.

When powerlifting - doing 6 days a week is easy. When doing hypetroohy blocks 4 days seems the limit.

I’d like to know anecdotes of others.

Discuss all aspects of training for powerlifting:

• Periodization
• Nutrition
• Movement selection
• Routine critiques
• etc...

World class would be cool to know, but best in your state/provence, etc...

Here you can:

• Discuss all aspects of powerlifting as it pertains to being a woman.
• Socialize with other ladies.
• If you have discussion provoking bullet points, those are welcome too.

I'm pretty new to powerlifting and one thing that I really dont like is soft touch bench press. I enjoy a pause similar to jonathan cayco as seen in this video (except remove like 300lbs lol) https://youtu.be/M5l075VuLNs?is=ZN4SBzmXfxMwk47K

Is this still legal with the new rules to fix elbow depth loophole nonsense in the ipf? How people were generating upward movement with their torso. I enjoy putting more weight into my chest than hands, so I'm hoping it won't lead to red lights in my first competition.

Thank you!

Do you like having 2-3 sweaty men shoe-horn you into polyester, canvas or denim bondage gear.

Do you like having your joints wrapped so tightly they bruise and bleed?

Do you like having your blood pressure turned up to 11 and being compressed so much that you think your head might explode?

Do you get off on enduring pain and suffering, and watching others endure it too?

Do you have a deathwish every time you get under the bar?

Yes?

THEN WELCOME TO THE FORTNIGHTLY EQUIPPED LIFTING THREAD!!!

Why does Finland have so many top-ranking Bench Press specialists? This is most pronounced in the heavyweight categories (men and women), but it's also present in lighter classes. Meanwhile, they are much less dominant in squat and deadlift, so it's not just a matter of Finland having a strong culture of strength sports. Do powerlifting coaches in Finland emphasize bench press over other lifts? Is it the proximity to both Eastern Europe and Scandinavia? Are all Finnish people just built like barrel-chested T-rexes? Or is it the reindeer meat, lingonberries, and vodka?

Do you have a question and are:

• A novice and basically clueless by default?
• Completely incapable of using google?
• Just feeling plain stupid today and need shit explained like you're 5?

Then this is the thread FOR YOU! Don't take up valuable space on the front page and annoy the mods, ASK IT HERE and one of our resident "experts" will try and answer it. As long as it's somehow related to powerlifting then nothing is too generic, too stupid, too awful, too obvious or too repetitive. And don't be shy, we don't bite (unless we're hungry), and no one will judge you because everyone had to start somewhere and we're more than happy to help newbie lifters out.

SO FIRE AWAY WITH YOUR DUMBNESS!!!

This is the Bench Thread.

• Discuss technique and training methods.
• Request form checks.
• Discuss programs.
• Post your favourite lifters benching.
• Talk about how much you love/hate benching.

This is the thread to post your:

• Powerlifting accomplishments
• Training PRs
• Gym or diet related victories
• Best flexing photos
• Sweet new equipment purchases
• Gym dog or gym family photos

Or really anything you felt good or happy about from the last week (or even further back in time, no one's gonna stop you).

Text, images, videos, any format goes.

Let's get those good vibes flowing.

A sorta kinda daily open thread to use as an alternative to posting on the main board. You should post here for:

• PRs
• Formchecks
• Rudimentary discussion or questions
• General conversation with other users
• Memes, funnies, and general bollocks not appropriate to the main board
• If you have suggestions for the subreddit, let us know!
• This thread now defaults to "new" sorting.

For the purpose of fairness across timezones this thread works on a 68hr cycle.

Average untested fan. Just kidding but the USPA being in the background is wild

A sorta kinda daily open thread to use as an alternative to posting on the main board. You should post here for:

• PRs
• Formchecks
• Rudimentary discussion or questions
• General conversation with other users
• Memes, funnies, and general bollocks not appropriate to the main board
• If you have suggestions for the subreddit, let us know!
• This thread now defaults to "new" sorting.

For the purpose of fairness across timezones this thread works on a 68hr cycle.

Discuss all aspects of training for powerlifting:

• Periodization
• Nutrition
• Movement selection
• Routine critiques
• etc...

Here you can:

• Discuss all aspects of powerlifting as it pertains to being a woman.
• Socialize with other ladies.
• If you have discussion provoking bullet points, those are welcome too.

Long gone are my days of performing deadlifts in just bare feet/socks. Today I make a decision to get some actual dedicated deadlift shoes. Any recommendations?
My first go to was avancus but £70 for the shoe plus £33 shipping I can’t bring myself to pay 103 before import fees. I saw Notorious Lift 3 Sumo Sole, Otishi 2.0, those were my ones I was looking at.

Any unbiased reccomendations from those who have tried more than one shoe?

Do you have a question and are:

• A novice and basically clueless by default?
• Completely incapable of using google?
• Just feeling plain stupid today and need shit explained like you're 5?

Then this is the thread FOR YOU! Don't take up valuable space on the front page and annoy the mods, ASK IT HERE and one of our resident "experts" will try and answer it. As long as it's somehow related to powerlifting then nothing is too generic, too stupid, too awful, too obvious or too repetitive. And don't be shy, we don't bite (unless we're hungry), and no one will judge you because everyone had to start somewhere and we're more than happy to help newbie lifters out.

SO FIRE AWAY WITH YOUR DUMBNESS!!!

A sorta kinda daily open thread to use as an alternative to posting on the main board. You should post here for:

• PRs
• Formchecks
• Rudimentary discussion or questions
• General conversation with other users
• Memes, funnies, and general bollocks not appropriate to the main board
• If you have suggestions for the subreddit, let us know!
• This thread now defaults to "new" sorting.

For the purpose of fairness across timezones this thread works on a 68hr cycle.

Do you like having 2-3 sweaty men shoe-horn you into polyester, canvas or denim bondage gear.

Do you like having your joints wrapped so tightly they bruise and bleed?

Do you like having your blood pressure turned up to 11 and being compressed so much that you think your head might explode?

Do you get off on enduring pain and suffering, and watching others endure it too?

Do you have a deathwish every time you get under the bar?

Yes?

THEN WELCOME TO THE FORTNIGHTLY EQUIPPED LIFTING THREAD!!!

This is the thread to post your:

• Powerlifting accomplishments
• Training PRs
• Gym or diet related victories
• Best flexing photos
• Sweet new equipment purchases
• Gym dog or gym family photos

Or really anything you felt good or happy about from the last week (or even further back in time, no one's gonna stop you).

Text, images, videos, any format goes.

Let's get those good vibes flowing.