In any sport there is always a risk of getting injured, however there
are several things you can do to reduce the likelihood of an injury:
​
1: Always warm up properly before training any strength sport.
​
Dynamic stretches are a good way to warm up your muscles before lifting.
Powerlifting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0WUFHKuguY
Weightlifting https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XF5LLh7kmfk
​
2: Stretching and Rolling.
​
​
3: Be careful of over-training, or training too hard!
While it is tempting to lift heavy all the time, making sure our muscles are getting the recovery time they need is vital to preventing injuries. A good way to make sure you’re
not over-training is by following a program - take a look here for our recommendations.
​
4) Finally, sleep and nutrition are key in both improving your lifting and avoiding injuries!
​
As with any exercise, the more lifting you do, the more food and sleep your body needs. There is plenty of information around this online, or you can have a chat with our resident expert, Alex Jackson.
​
Find more info on preventing injury here
​
In any sport there is always a risk of getting injured, however there
are several things you can do to reduce the likelihood of an injury:
​
1: Always warm up properly before training any strength sport.
​
Dynamic stretches are a good way to warm up your muscles before lifting.
Powerlifting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0WUFHKuguY
Weightlifting https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XF5LLh7kmfk
​
2: Stretching and Rolling.
​
​
3: Be careful of over-training, or training too hard!
While it is tempting to lift heavy all the time, making sure our muscles are getting the recovery time they need is vital to preventing injuries. A good way to make sure you’re
not over-training is by following a program - take a look here for our recommendations.
​
4) Finally, sleep and nutrition are key in both improving your lifting and avoiding injuries!
​
As with any exercise, the more lifting you do, the more food and sleep your body needs. There is plenty of information around this online, or you can have a chat with our resident expert, Alex Jackson.
​
Find more info on preventing injury here
​
OTHER STRENGTH SPORTS
Programmes and Coaching
Many of our lifters run different programmes that are built to provide the best results for their specific sport. Lots of programmes exist out there, and it is often down to personal preference as to which programme people to use. We've provided a list of programmes below for you to have a look at and compare! If none of the programmes here are leaping out at you, head over to liftvault.com and take a look around! There's plenty more programmes out there, many of which can be found at Liftvault.
​
​We also have our own club programme designed for those new to powerlifting. This will take you from the beginning of Term 1 to the Internal Meet in December and from then to Varsity in late February.
Recommended Coaches
Competitions
Local Competitions (no QT Needed)
*Only for those who have done 3 or fewer competitions
For more information and to find a wider range of competitons go to https://www.britishpowerlifting.org/upcoming-competitions
Varsity
Every year we hold a competiton against Coventry and Birmingham Unviersity. ...
​
Great for new lifters
Great to get a BUCS total
Qualifying Totals
If you're new to the world of lifting, you might be wondering, "What is a qualifying total?"
​
Qualifying totals are competition totals that a lifter will earn at a smaller meet, which is then used to qualify them for a larger meet. The idea behind qualifying totals is that it creates a minimum requirement to be able to compete, narrowing the field of available competitors.
​
British Powerlifting Qualifying Totals can be found here.
Equipment
In order to compete in an IPF Powerlifting competition, you will need:
-
IPF approved singlet
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Shoes
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T-shirt
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Deadlift socks (any knee high sock will do)
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IPF approved belt (optional)
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IPF approved knee sleeves (optional)
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IPF approved wrist wraps (optional)
Whilst the belt, knee sleeves and wrist wraps are optional, they are highly recommended for anybody looking to compete.
Where to Find Equipment
The cheapest IPF approved equipment on the market is from Strength Shop, with a lever belt starting at £69.99. These are good quality and you will get all the support you need from them however, if you want something more robust and long-lasting we would recommend either SBD or A7
​
As a Barbell member you have access to our bulk SBD order which will give you (20 or 25%) off (see our Sponsors and Partners page for more details).
You will also have access to our kit locker which allows you to borrow kit for a competition. Please reach out to one of our exec to find out more.