Meet day is about YOU and showing off the work put into training.
However, it's not just about your body, but the equipment or items you bring with you as well.
So we decided to create a list of items that will make your meet day that much better.
Follow along as we breakdown what and why.
Your QUICK Powerlifting Meet Day Checklist
- Proof of Membership
- Identification
- Singlet
- Underwear
- Footwear and socks
- Openers / Attempt Selections
- T Shirt
- Gym Bag or Backpack
- Belt
- Wrist Wraps
- Knee Sleeves
- Food
- Water/Sports Drinks
- Deodorant
- Change of Clothes
- Chalk
- Baby Powder
- Ammonia Smelling Salts
- Mobility/Warm Up Tools
- Pre-Workout/ Other Supplements
- Headphones
- First Aid Kit
The 3 Categories of Meet Day Items:
The three categories that we have for powerlifting meet day items are simple; Essential, Important, Optional.
While each tier is important, there is one thing to remember: Plan ahead. Because if you fail to plan, you've already planned to fail.
The Essentials
The essential items are really easy to understand: To compete in MOST federations, you will need to bring these in.
If you don't bring one of these items with you, it could put your competition day at risk by making it so you are not allowed to compete... at all.
Just like Santa Claus, you better make a list and check it twice before pulling up to the doors on meet day.
Important Items
The important items are obviously... important. They can have a massive effect on how you compete on meet day.
If any of these items are missing, you can still compete don't worry.
These are items that most powerlifters should bring with them, but not everyone (or every federation) will need or want them.
Optional Items
These aren't incredibly important, but they will make your day THAT much better and create a more pleasant experience overall.
The look and function of these will vary from person to person, but overall there some good guidelines you can follow.
Essential Items: What You're Required to Bring
Here are a list of universally necessary items and notes for why you need them:
- Proof of Membership: T All sanctioned meets require you to have some kind of membership to compete. This can come to you either via email or the post office, so make sure you sign up for your federation in time.
- Identification: Most higher level meets may require competitors to check in with not only their membership, but also some kind of identification like a drivers license. This is done to ensure that you are ACTUALLY you.
- Singlet: ALL sanctioned, non-high school powerlifting meets require a singlet of some kind. Make sure yours is first and foremost baller along with ensuring it falls under the approved list for your federation.
- Underwear: You can go commando, but if you don't want to show off the goods, bringing underwear is a must. Many feds have guidelines as to the material and cut you can have, so read your rule book.
- Footwear and socks: Many feds require approved types of footwear and socks. The socks for bench and squat can be regular, however for deadlifts they may be required to be knee high. The knee highs are for hygiene; if you scrape the bar against your shins, you won't leave to much of yourself behind.
- Openers / Attempt Selections: You gotta have a game day plan going into the meet. Whether you know for CERTAIN what you have to hit, or just goals, having them ready will save you massive times and headaches.
- T Shirt: Most powerlifting federations require lifters to wear a 100% cotton shirt for at least the squat and bench press portions of meet day.
We may be biased, but HERE are our shirts that meet those specs.
Important Items – What You Probably SHOULD Bring
Like previously mentioned, important items will make your day better, provided you remember them. Here is our list of items many lifters consider important in creating the best meet.
- Gym Bag or Backpack: How else are you going to carry your stuff? Seriously, unless you are an octopus human, having a gym bag or backpack will help you stay organized.
- Belt: If you trained with one and forgot it... We are judging you just a bit. If you DIDN'T train with one, don't change it all on meet day and leave it at home.
- Wrist Wraps: Wrist wraps, when used correctly, help stack your bench for MASSIVE success. Make sure that you check the federations approved gear list to see if yours fall in.
- Knee Sleeves: Keeping your knees warm, fuzzy and healthy, this is a needed item to help take your squats to the next level. Much like the belt, if you didn't use them in training, don't change anything meet day.
- Food: Take it from experience, not eating on meet day WILL impact your results. Keep it simple, bring what you normally eat and make sure it's packed properly to ensure you won't wake up the next morning hit by the ol' Taco Bell Special.
- Water/Sports Drinks: There may not be water fountains at the meet location, making water a HUGE priority. Properly hydrated bodies are healthy, happy bodies. Prevent injury, stay soaked.
- Deodorant: You think we're kidding, don't you? This could fall into the optional category, but we think this is probably the most underestimated portion of important, hygiene. You may not smell yourself, but others can. Be a kind and considerate person, you've been lifting and sweating all day.
- Change of Clothes: This ties into the theme above. Doesn't have to be fancy, but not stinky is a huge plus.
Optional Items – What Will Make Your Meet Day Better
Here is a list of optional items that may be more specific to the individual. They may be important to some lifters but may not be useful to others.
- Chalk: Most powerlifting meets will provide chalk on the platform and potentially in the warm-up room as well. However, the quality may be suspect as best. OR even worse, there may not be enough chalk for all areas. While it may seem simple this can save you time and a headache.
- Baby Powder: Baby powder aka talcum powder is used during deadlifts to help reduce friction during the lift. This is NOT the same as chalk, so watch out and don't make that mistake.
- Ammonia Smelling Salts: Smelling salts aren't just for snapping people out of dreams, it can be an important aspect of psyching a lifter up for their attempts. However, if you haven't used them before, they can disorient you, causing you to miss your lifts. Sniff carefully my friends.
- Mobility/Warm Up Tools: If you warm up with specific mobility tools, bring them with you. A lot of meets will just have bars, plates, and racks in the warm-up area, meaning you should provide your own extras.
- Pre-Workout/ Other Supplements: If you partake in caffeine, pre-workouts or anything else, make sure you pack it on meet day so you aren't forced to shotgun Monsters.
- Headphones: The music at the meet may not be for everyone so bringing your own can help you hit that next level of success and power YOUR pr's for the whole day.
- First Aid Kit: This little red bag can be incredibly handy when packed right. Fill it up with anti-inflammatory medication, athletic tape, anti-septics and band-aids. This guy can live in your gym bag to keep you moving and grooving even when you aren't at a meet.
Max Out on The Day:
Meet day is about successfully completing your lifts and managing potential stressful situations that can arise. This will allow you to get the most out of you peak cycle.
When it comes to the items we listed above, if you haven't used them in training before, don't start on meet day. Any change to routine can cause your lifts to go wonky.
However, if you are a few weeks to months out, familiarizing yourself with what you are wanting to use is a great idea! Experiment and find what is right for you, because everyone is different.
Meets are supposed to be fun and away to show off your progress.
What items would you add onto this list?
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