I wrote this up mainly for those on the team who have not competed in a powerlifting meet before, but for those who have, it never hurts to review the commands we will need to follow on meet day.

It is crucial to understand, practice, and obey the commands required for each lift. If you miss any of your commands, it is a failed attempt.

For those of you training with me at my gym, we will continue to ramp up our practicing of commands as the meet gets closer.

Bench Press Commands

When it is your turn to bench, a meet official will call out “BAR IS LOADED.” Once this announcement is made, the clock starts and you have one minute to complete your lift. One minute is a lot of time, so do not stress out about this part. You do not need to rush out to the bar either. There is more than enough time to take a few seconds to stand and collect yourself before walking out if you wish. Approach the bar when you feel ready.

Lift Off

Your first task when getting to the bar is to communicate with the main spotter your lift-off sequence. Tell them (loudly enough for them to hear you) how you want the bar lifted off. It can be something like “3-2-1 lift on 1” or “1-2-3 lift on 3.” It is most common for you as the lifter to initiate this count, although you may also request that the spotter initiate the count. The potential issue there is you are leaving it up to the spotter to determine when you are set and ready to start the lift-off count, rather than you being in control of it. You can also unrack the bar on your own. If you are going to unrack the bar yourself, tell the spotter you will be doing that.

First Command: “Start”

Once the bar has been unracked, you must hold the bar until you receive your first command of “START.” The start command is permission to begin the lift. Keep in mind it does not mean that you need to start the lift immediately. I recommend that after hearing “start” take one last moment to make sure you are set before letting the bar down. Having this patience also builds in a slight bit of buffer time to ensure you will not accidentally jump the command too early.

Second Command: “Press”

Once the bar has touched your chest and is also determined to be motionless, you will receive the command of “PRESS.” Be sure to lower the bar all the way to your chest and to get the bar completely stopped. If the bar is not lowered all the way, or if it is still wobbling around at the bottom, you may not get the press command. We want to be disciplined in hitting full range of motion and sharp pauses in training so that on meet day we are lifting how we always do, not having to incorporate anything new. Unlike the start command, we don’t want to be patient after hearing “press.” Of course, do not over-anticipate and accidentally go too early, but as soon as you hear “PRESS,” push the bar back up as forcefully as possible. Think of it as the gunshot at the start of a race.

Third Command: “Rack”

Once you have pressed the bar back up, continue to hold the bar until you receive the command of “RACK.” The rack command comes once your arms are locked out and you demonstrate control of the bar. At this time you are allowed to rerack the weight. This is another command to be patient with. Once the side spotters hear the rack command, they will grab the bar and guide it back to the rack, so it is not a bad idea to plan on just holding position and letting the spotters take the bar from you.

Deadlift Command

As with the bench press, when it is your turn to deadlift, it will be called out that the “BAR IS LOADED.” You then have one minute to complete your lift. Again, approach the bar when you feel ready, you do not need to rush out there. When you get to the bar, go through your set-up routine/ritual. The lift begins on you, no one tells you to start.

First and Only Command: Down

Once you have stood up and have the weight locked out, you will receive the command of “DOWN.” You are now allowed to let the bar down. You must “ride” the bar down, which means to lower it with a bit of control. You are not allowed to drop the weight back to the ground.

Mock Meet

A reminder that we are having a mock meet Saturday, March 9 at the gym. This will be an opportunity to practice these commands in a simulated meet setting. Right now, I am thinking 9:30 am start, but will confirm with everyone who has signed up the week before. I expect it to take 1-1.5 hours. If you have not signed up and wish to participate, please sign up below.