Powerlifter Suzanne Davis started weight training more than five years ago when she grew frustrated with the lack of results from her cardio workouts. In 2013, she began powerlifting, entering her first pro competition the following January. She’s currently ranked third in the 132-pound class and can squat 402 pounds, bench 237 pounds, and deadlift 491 pounds.
Here’s what she’s learned from the sport.
4 Powerlifting Tips From a Pro
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Get Help
“If you are new, I highly recommend getting a qualified power- lifting coach to properly learn the right technique. Coaches can push you to limits you never knew existed and help hold you accountable.”
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Don’t Get Discouraged
“Do not be intimidated by the weight. You may not be able to lift that heavy dumbbell today, but give it some time and it will happen,” says Davis, who counts the bench press as her favorite lift. “For me, it is the most technical—the timing, the back arch, and ‘bending the bar.’ ”
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Fuel Up Right
In addition to powerlifting, Davis is an IFBB women’s physique pro. “Since I compete professionally in both, my diet is stricter than most powerlifters’. Ninety percent of the time I follow a bodybuilder’s meal plan, eating every two to three hours.” Favorite foods include eggs and oatmeal for breakfast, lean meats like fish and baked chicken, complex carbs like brown rice or yams, and a lot of green veggies, as well as protein shakes three times a day. On heavy weight-training days, Davis increases her levels of clean complex carbs for added energy.
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Support Your Peers
“The camaraderie when you are training and during competitions is phenomenal,” Davis says. “You want to win and do your best, but you also want others to do their best. At the end of the day, it is great to be competing among people with the same goals as you.”
“If you are new, I highly recommend getting a qualified power- lifting coach to properly learn the right technique. Coaches can push you to limits you never knew existed and help hold you accountable.”
Don't Get Discouraged
“Do not be intimidated by the weight. You may not be able to lift that heavy dumbbell today, but give it some time and it will happen,” says Davis, who counts the bench press as her favorite lift. “For me, it is the most technical—the timing, the back arch, and ‘bending the bar.’ ”
Fuel Up Right
In addition to powerlifting, Davis is an IFBB women’s physique pro. “Since I compete professionally in both, my diet is stricter than most powerlifters’. Ninety percent of the time I follow a bodybuilder’s meal plan, eating every two to three hours.” Favorite foods include eggs and oatmeal for breakfast, lean meats like fish and baked chicken, complex carbs like brown rice or yams, and a lot of green veggies, as well as protein shakes three times a day. On heavy weight-training days, Davis increases her levels of clean complex carbs for added energy.
Support Your Peers
“The camaraderie when you are training and during competitions is phenomenal,” Davis says. “You want to win and do your best, but you also want others to do their best. At the end of the day, it is great to be competing among people with the same goals as you.”
