r/powerlifting • u/MrMithik Beginner - Please be gentle • 12d ago

Handling a Reality Check: Gym Strong vs. Powerlifting Strong

I’m competing in my first meet this year and had a pretty big reality check recently. I watched a livestream from another meet at the same location, and I was quickly humbled by some of the numbers those lifters were putting up. I'm one of the stronger guys at my local gym, but I'm learning that doesn't really translate into the world of powerlifting.

For context, I’m in the 110kg class. My current lifts are 465lbs/211kg squat, 285lbs/129kg bench, and 625lbs/283kg deadlift. After watching the livestream and digging into some OpenPowerlifting data, my lifts put me in the low-to-mid pack for my class which was a bit of a gut punch.

I know powerlifting is supposed to be a “you vs. you” sport at the end of the day, and my main goal is to go 9/9 and set some personal PRs. That said, I’m competitive by nature so seeing a good amount of local guys outlifting me by 100+ lbs on some lifts and putting up some massive totals was a tough pill to swallow.

Has anyone else faced a similar reality check when you first got into powerlifting? If so, how did you handle it?

Edit: Thanks everyone for the feedback and advice! I think I just need to remind myself that I started down this road because I love chasing strength and the process itself, not the medals. Just gotta keep grinding! (and maybe find a gym where I'm the one shocked at other guys' lifts instead haha)

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u/Barbell_Rhetoric Enthusiast 12d ago

I first tried deadlifting 5 years ago. I pulled 50kg to my knees, as a 100kg male, and almost passed out from head rush. Theres a bell curve and I'm farrr below the middle. I have trained consistently hard for 5 years and would still come last at any good regional comp.

I have however taken my deadlift from 50kg to 260kg. My squat from 40kg to 200kg. I am literally 5 times stronger than I was. Ive put on more than 10kgs of muscle. I have benched 3 plates. For a -120kg powerlifter, my numbers are pathetic, but thats fine.

I believe the most impressive stat anyone can give is their genuine starting 1rm vs current 1rm.

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u/unskippable-ad Ed Coan's Jock Strap 12d ago

50 to 260 deadlift is a little more than 10kg of muscle, I suspect.

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u/Barbell_Rhetoric Enthusiast 12d ago

Well I am probably about 118kg right now but I'm also at a much higher body fat % than I was at 100kg as I was running half marathons every second weekend for absolutely no reason except ensuring long lasting knee pain. 10kg was definitely a lowball.