Competing at the South African Powerlifting Association National Champs is a big moment for lifters. Whether the goals are PBs, category wins, SA team qualification or national records, there is pressure! The first hurdle to overcome is “making weight”.
The order in which lifters are weighed is based on lot numbers, and the order list will be posted on the door outside the weigh-in room.
It’s important to understand that if you weigh in over the limit for your weight category (or under the limit for the men’s 120+ and women’s 84+ categories), you have 90 minutes from the start of the weigh-in session to make weight, or you are disqualified from the competition.
For many lifters, making weight requires a water and calorie cut in the days/weeks leading up to the competition, which means you tend to be pretty “on edge” for the weigh-in process. Prepare yourself properly by making weigh-in and post-weigh-in as smooth as possible.
Things to take to weigh-in
- A pen – you must complete an SAPF form acknowledging adherence to the IPF rules.
- All your equipment: belt, singlet, t-shirt, wrist wraps, knee sleeves. Apart from the t-shirt, all equipment must be from an IPF-approved manufacturer.
- Easy to remove clothes & shoes. Don’t spend 5 minutes unlacing your boots in the weigh-in room while other lifters shuffle anxiously outside! Be as quick as possible to undress and get on and off the scale.
- Rehydration drink. If you have had to cut to make weight, make sure you have your rehydration drink to start drinking as you get off the scale.
- Know your opening lifts. If you feel foggy, write them down and hand over the paper. You can change your openers once before lifting starts at any time up to within three minutes before the start of the first round of that lift.
- Know your rack heights and other bench requirements. You’ll need to supply your squat and bench rack heights and whether you need blocks for the bench press. You also indicate whether you want a hand-off for the bench or not (i.e. you’ll unrack the bar yourself).