Meet-Day Handling: The Most Important Job You’re Not Trained For

Meet-Day Handling: The Most Important Job You’re Not Trained For

Most lifters walk into their first powerlifting meet believing that the hard part is done. They’ve trained, they’ve hit numbers in the gym, they’ve cut weight (or bulked into their class), and now it’s just a matter of putting those lifts on the platform. But here’s the truth: on meet day, strength alone isn’t enough.

Powerlifting is presented as the most individual of sports. Just you, the bar, and three judges. But that’s only half the picture. Behind every lifter who goes 9-for-9, behind every total that secures a title or a record, there’s often someone else pulling the strings: the handler.

A good handler turns meet day from chaos into control. They manage timing, warm-ups, logistics, attempt selection, gear, psychology, and every detail that would otherwise drain a lifter’s focus. A lifter without a handler is effectively trying to captain a ship, steer the course, patch the sails, and fight the storm all at once - and when the seas get rough, they usually capsize.

For raw lifters, you can go it alone. Plenty of beginners do. You might get through it, especially if the stakes are low and the meet is friendly. But even then, you’re giving up an edge. Every minute you spend running plates in the warm-up room, second-guessing attempt numbers, or stressing about whether your rack height got changed is energy you’re not putting into your lifts. A good handler absorbs all that noise so you can show up and execute.

I've seen some great ones and I've seen some shit ones. Some who are rude and make it all about them and some who manage to help make the warm up room run smoothly like clockwork.

For equipped lifters, though, a handler is not a luxury - it’s a necessity. You can’t jack your own bench shirt, or perfectly time your knee wraps to the second. You can’t feel the bar speed of your last squat attempt objectively when your suit is bruising your hips and your ears are ringing. In the world of multiply and single-ply, the handler becomes not just support but survival. Without someone skilled in your corner, all the hours spent training in gear can go to waste on meet day.

Strongman exists in a different space. The pace of events, the variation of implements, and the less rigid structure mean that the “handler” role is more fragmented. You might have someone chalk your hands, spray tacky remover, or keep track of when your group is up, but strongman doesn’t demand the same level of singular meet-day generalship that powerlifting does. That said, at the higher levels, strongman athletes still benefit from someone running interference - making sure food, hydration, and kit management are taken care of while the athlete focuses on back-to-back events.

A handler might be your coach, your friend it might be an aging family member who thought they were going to be watching all day with a flask of hot ribena. But if you are a coach and you are handling your lifters at comps and meets you'd best make sure that 1) You actually fucking show up when you say you're going to and 2) You know what the fuck you're doing and you do a good job.

What unites all strength sports is this: a good handler is not just a friend or a cheerleader. They’re a strategist, a logistician, and in many cases, the lifter’s second brain when stress clouds judgment. They don’t just support you - they can make or break your total.

That’s why handling is the most important job you’re not trained for. Most lifters and even many coaches never receive any formal education on how to handle. You learn the craft the hard way: through trial and error, missed lifts, botched warm-ups, and post-meet regrets. But with the right knowledge, you can skip the apprenticeship in failure and step into the role with clarity.

The rest of this guide will take you inside the job: what a handler actually does, why the role changes between raw, equipped, and strongman, and how to execute it in practice. Because if strength is built in training, it’s realised on the platform - and it’s often the handler who makes sure the lifter gets to show it.

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What Is a Handler?

On meet day, a lifter’s only job should be to lift. Everything else – from checking rack heights to counting plates, from tracking the flight order to managing warm-ups – needs to be handled by someone else. That person is the handler.

At its simplest, a handler is the individual responsible for managing every moving part of competition day so the athlete can focus entirely on performance. But in practice, the role goes far deeper. A good handler is equal parts logistics manager, strategist, technician, psychologist, and occasionally brute strength labourer. They are the buffer between the chaos of a meet environment and the narrow focus required for the lifter to perform at their best.

The Many Hats of a Handler

1. Logistics Manager

• Check-in and weigh-in: Ensuring the lifter gets to the scales on time, with paperwork ready, kit checked, and bodyweight on point.

• Flight and schedule awareness: Knowing exactly when the lifter is up, where they are in the running order, and how long they have between attempts.

• Rack and equipment setup: Adjusting squat racks, bench heights, safeties, collars, bar preferences, and ensuring nothing is missed.

  
  

2. Strategist

• Attempt selection: Helping the lifter pick smart openers, jumps, and third attempts based on training history, how the warm-ups look, and what the day demands.

• Tactical calls: Watching competitors, responding to the scoreboard, and making decisions under time pressure – whether that’s a conservative call for a PB total or an aggressive one for placing.

  
  

3. Psychologist and Emotional Anchor

• Calming nerves: Keeping the lifter from spiralling into self-doubt, overthinking, or panicking between lifts.

• Energy regulation: Knowing when to hype them up with intensity and when to dial things back so they don’t burn out too soon.

• Focus control: Blocking distractions, filtering information, and keeping the lifter’s attention narrowed to the next task at hand.

  
  

4. Technician and Extra Set of Hands

• Equipped lifting support: Wrapping knees tight enough to cut off circulation, getting a bench shirt set perfectly, or pulling a suit into place. This can be physically demanding and requires skill.

• Warm-up room control: Loading and spotting warm-up attempts, policing the rack from other lifters, and making sure the lifter doesn’t over- or under-warm up.

• Chalk, ammonia, belts, straps, sleeves: Keeping kit in order, timing their use properly, and stopping the lifter from fumbling in the moment.

  
  

5. Strongman-Specific Demands

• Event prep: Loading tacky for stones, chalking handles, timing rest between heats.

• Equipment logistics: Dragging yokes, sandbags, and farmers’ handles into place during chaotic warm-up areas.

• Pacing and conservation: Helping the lifter save energy for medleys or back-to-back events where fatigue management is critical.

The Core Mission

No matter the discipline – powerlifting, strongman, or otherwise – the handler’s mission is always the same:

• Reduce the lifter’s stress. The athlete should only think about the next lift, not what rack height they wrote down or whether their opener card got submitted.

• Control variables. From timing attempts to keeping kit in place, the handler’s job is to eliminate the unpredictable as much as possible.

• Maximise success. That means giving the lifter the best possible shot at hitting attempts, building a total, and performing at or beyond training-level standards.

  
  

A meet without a good handler can be chaos – and the burden of chaos falls on the lifter. A meet with a good handler? Everything flows. The lifter is free to do the one thing they came there to do: lift.

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The Handler’s Job Before the Meet

The work of a handler starts long before the bar is loaded. A lifter may think meet day begins when they step onto the platform, but the truth is that everything that happens before then decides whether they succeed or fail. Preparation is the handler’s first and most important responsibility.

Know the lifter

A good handler knows their lifter better than the lifter knows themselves. That means having a clear picture of their strengths, weaknesses, technical cues, warm-up patterns, and emotional needs. You need to know where the lifter struggles, whether that is squatting to depth, grinding deadlifts from the floor, or rushing bench commands. You also need to know which words or cues click with them and which ones throw them off. Some lifters thrive on “chest up” or “hips through,” while others shut down if they hear too much at once.

Warm-up patterns matter too. Some lifters like to build up gradually with lots of small jumps, others prefer just two or three heavy sets before stepping out. If you do not know their rhythm, you cannot time them into the flight properly. Finally, you need to understand their emotional profile. Some lifters need calm reassurance, others need to be reminded of who they are and why they are there. The handler is not just a coach or loader, they are part psychologist.

Know the rules

If you do not know the federation’s rules, you are already behind. Rules vary from fed to fed and ignorance will get your lifter red-lighted. You must know the commands inside out, because missing a start or rack call will waste an attempt no matter how strong the lift is. You need to understand attempt-change rules, especially for deadlifts where two changes are often allowed on the third attempt. Equipment rules matter too. Know exactly what gear is legal, from wraps and shirts to baby powder and ammonia. Some federations allow handoffs, others do not. Some are strict about logos or sock height. If you do not know the rules you risk wasting months of training on technicalities. Communicate with judges/refs on depth requirements (especially for Equipped (even more especially) Multiply if you are calling depth)

Plan logistics

A handler is also a logistics manager. Everything that could distract or drain a lifter has to be handled. Rack heights should be measured in training and written down clearly. Submit them at weigh-in and double-check them before every attempt. Kit check is another key step. Do not wait until meet day to find out that wrist wraps are too long or that a singlet is not approved. Travel and hotels should be organised so that the lifter arrives rested and calm. Attempt sheets must be filled in and kept safe. Food and hydration have to be packed with care. A good handler brings easy carbs, salt, water, caffeine, and anything the lifter can tolerate under stress. If the lifter is worrying about sandwiches and coffee, you are not doing your job.

Set attempt strategy

Numbers decide outcomes. A handler needs to map out attempt selection before the meet even begins. That means setting openers that the lifter can crush on their worst day. Second attempts should be realistic but flexible, and third attempts should reflect the lifter’s goals and the context of the day. A good strategy uses the Bad, Meh, Medium, Good, and Great day framework. On a bad day you just build a total and survive. On a meh day you push for stability and keep the meet alive. On a medium day you go after solid training numbers. On a good day you stretch into PR territory. On a great day you swing for placings, records, or qualification standards. With that framework, you are never improvising under pressure. You have a plan for every scenario.

Practice gear support

For equipped lifters, gear support cannot be left to chance. Wrapping knees, pulling up straps, or jacking a bench shirt is not something you figure out on the platform. You practice it in training until both lifter and handler know the routine. Wrapping too early cuts off circulation and leaves the lifter in agony. Wrapping too late means they are rushing. Straps need to be set evenly, shirts need to be jacked to the right level for the attempt, and belts have to be adjusted to preference. These things must be rehearsed under pressure so they become second nature on meet day.

Painkillers, stimulants, and fed-specific considerations

Some lifters rely on painkillers or anti-inflammatories to get through meet day. Others use competition-day PEDs like Halotestin. As a handler, you must know exactly what your lifter is planning, what is permitted under the federation’s rules, and how timing affects performance. A rushed or poorly timed dose can ruin focus or blunt strength when it matters most.

Your job is not to make the call on what substances the lifter uses, but to ensure that if they are part of the plan, they are taken safely, legally within the rules of the federation, and at the correct time relative to weigh-ins and attempts. Just as with wraps, straps, or ammonia, these choices are tools that need to be managed with precision rather than guesswork.

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 Handling in the Warm-Up Room

The warm-up room is the crucible of competition day. It’s the hidden battlefield where lifters are either prepared to succeed or sabotaged before they ever touch the platform. For a handler, this is the moment where competence (or lack thereof) is exposed. The lifter needs to arrive on the platform sharp, primed, and confident. That doesn’t happen by accident-it happens because their handler ran the warm-up room like a general commanding troops.

Controlling the Environment

The warm-up room is often cramped, chaotic, and full of ego. Dozens of lifters jockey for racks, bars, and plates, while flights rotate quickly and confusion reigns. Your first job as a handler is to create order for your lifter in that chaos.

• Find and claim the best equipment early. As soon as you can access the warm-up room, secure a rack and barbell that is stable, not bent, and suitable for your lifter’s needs. Don’t wait until the last second and end up stuck with a shaky rack and missing plates.

• Mark territory politely but firmly. You don’t need to be aggressive, but you do need to make it clear that your lifter is working there. This might mean leaving belts or wraps on the rack, or loading the bar lightly to signal it’s in use.

• Plate strategy. Heavy plates vanish quickly in shared rooms. Stack a reasonable supply early, but don’t hoard unnecessarily-that just makes enemies. Strike the balance between being prepared and being respected.

The environment you establish directly dictates how smoothly your lifter warms up. The less friction they encounter, the more mental energy they can preserve for the platform.

Loading the Bar

Never waste your lifter’s time or energy on physical chores they don’t need to do. In the warm-up room, the handler loads every plate.

• Save energy. Every kilo lifted off the ground to load a bar is a kilo of fatigue your lifter doesn’t need before competition. Their job is to warm up-not to drag 25s across the floor.

• Keep momentum. When a lifter has to stop between sets to strip or load plates, it breaks their rhythm. Your job is to keep that rhythm intact.

• Accuracy matters. Misloads happen constantly in chaotic warm-up rooms. Double-check the bar every single time. A wrong plate here is wasted energy or even injury risk.

You are the eyes and hands. The lifter should be focused on their body, not on counting iron.

Timing Warm-Ups

Timing is the most underestimated part of meet-day handling, and it’s often where handlers fail. Warm-ups need to be perfectly sequenced with the competition flow. Too early, and your lifter gets cold waiting for their opener. Too late, and they end up rushing, panicked, or even missing lifts.

• Know the flights. Always be aware of where your lifter’s flight is and how fast the platform is moving. Don’t trust the announcer-watch the pace yourself.

• Back-time warm-ups. Work backwards from the lifter’s opener, allowing 2–3 minutes between their final warm-up and the call for their opener.

• Adapt on the fly. Flights can speed up or slow down depending on missed attempts, injuries, or smaller numbers. Be ready to adjust instantly-whether that means cutting a warm-up, adding an extra pause, or spacing sets differently.

The goal is to arrive at the platform hot, not fried. A well-handled warm-up room ensures the lifter hits their opener as though it’s another training rep.

Practising Commands and Standards

The warm-up room isn’t just about muscles and plates-it’s about the brain. The last few warm-ups are the chance to simulate the platform environment.

• Practice commands. Call out “Squat!” – “Rack!”, “Start!” – “Press!” – “Rack!”, or “Down!” on deadlifts. This conditions the lifter’s rhythm and stops silly red lights from rushing or missing cues.

• Set depth and pause standards. Don’t let them cut squats high in the warm-up room or bounce a bench press. Standards tighten under stress-better to over-prepare.

• Confidence building. If a lifter nails their last warm-up to full standard under your command, they walk to the platform believing they’re ready.

Commands in the warm-up room aren’t about being pedantic. They’re about creating consistency under pressure.

Keeping the Lifter Calm and Primed

A good handler knows when to push, when to hype, and when to keep everything low-key. In the warm-up room, energy management is as important as barbell management.

• Hydration. Keep water or electrolyte drinks on hand. Dehydration sneaks up fast in hot, crowded rooms.

• Food. Lifters forget to eat, or eat too much junk between attempts. Have snacks that are easily digestible and familiar (rice cakes, gummy sweets, simple carbs).

• Prevent nervous pacing. Many lifters waste energy by walking circles, talking too much, or overthinking. Sit them down. Remind them: conserve energy, focus on breathing, stay loose.

• Shield from distractions. Other lifters may be panicking, coaches may be shouting, judges may be walking around. Filter that noise. If the lifter doesn’t need to know it, don’t let it through.

You are the thermostat-setting the temperature of your lifter’s emotional state. Too cold, they’ll underperform. Too hot, they’ll burn out.

The Community Side

There’s an important balance to strike: don’t act like the warm-up room is yours alone. Meets run smoother when handlers help each other out. If you’re known as the handler who shares plates, spots respectfully, and communicates well, people will return the favour when you need it.

• Be respectful, be useful. Offer a spot, call a command, or help strip plates if another handler is alone.

• Build your reputation. Over time, being seen as competent and helpful makes you the handler everyone wants around.

• But remember your role. You’re not there to save the whole meet. You’re there for your lifter. Never get so caught up in helping others that you miss your lifter’s cues, timing, or needs.

The best handlers become part of the meet-day ecosystem: respected, relied upon, but always focused on their own lifter first.

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Handling During the Meet

When the lifting starts, the handler moves from planner to executor. This is the crucible where all the preparation either pays off or collapses. On the platform, seconds matter, small mistakes snowball, and a good handler is the difference between a 9/9 day and a bomb-out.

Plate & rack checks

Never trust the loaders blindly. Your job is to double-check:

• Plates and load: As your lifter approaches the bar, glance at both sides. Confirm the load matches what’s on the board. Misloads do happen - and nothing kills momentum like wasting an attempt on the wrong weight.

• Collars: Make sure collars are tight on squats and benches. On deadlift, check they aren’t so tight the bar won’t spin.

• Rack heights: Even if you submitted the correct rack height, loaders can forget. Check before your lifter gets under. An inch too high or too low can wreck an opener.

You are your lifter’s last line of defence. One quick check can save the meet.

Gear support

Meet day is chaos; gear support is the calm routine that keeps lifters grounded. Be systematic:

• Wraps: Time them perfectly - too early and the legs go numb, too late and you’re rushing. Know exactly how long it takes you to wrap and start when your lifter is “two out.”

• Belt: Some want it loose for openers, tight for thirds. Some want it high, some low. Adjust to their preference every single attempt.

• Chalk: Back, hands, legs. Don’t miss spots. Chalk should be a ritual, not an afterthought.

• Baby powder: For deadlift, apply to thighs - but never hands. Do it in the warm-up room, not near the chalk bowl, and wipe any residue from the platform area.

• Ammonia: Not every lifter uses it, but if they do, you need to be ready with it in the right moment. Too soon and it fizzles out, too late and they’re still dazed when the bar is loaded.

• Shirts, straps, and suits (equipped lifters): Know exactly how the gear is set for each attempt. Opener might be straps down, shirt loose. By the third, it’s straps tight, shirt jacked. Don’t improvise on the day - follow the plan you practiced in training.

Your hands are the pit crew. Every second you save is extra focus your lifter keeps for the bar.

Psychological role

Handlers aren’t just loaders and gophers - they are the emotional thermostat. Get this wrong and you can sink an attempt before it starts.

• Know the lifter’s style: Some thrive on chaos - yelling, slaps, headbutts, the works. Others need quiet, calm, one cue whispered in their ear. Some need to be reminded who the fuck they are, others need to be reminded to breathe.

• Pick your moments: The warm-up room isn’t the place to test motivational speeches. Know when to hype, when to calm, and when to say absolutely nothing. Sometimes silence is the best support.

• Anchor them: If nerves spike after a miss, pull them back. If they’re too flat, dial them up. Your role is to keep their psychological state aligned with the lift in front of them - no more, no less.

The right word at the right time can turn a shaky second attempt into a meet-winning third.

Attempt selection

Numbers win or lose meets, and handlers make the call. Approach it like this:

• Framework: Openers are written in pen, second attempts in pencil, third attempts in sand.

• Data: Use bar speed, technique, and how the lifter reports the lift. Was it snappy or a grind? Did they miss a command or strength? Did it look like another 2.5, 5, or 10kg is there?

• Context: Are you chasing PRs, qualification totals, or placings? That hierarchy determines whether you play safe or aggressive.

• Execution: Don’t just decide the number - get it submitted. Walk to the scorer’s table or expediter, fill in the slip, hand it in. Do it quickly and clearly. If the fed requires paper slips, you need a pen ready. If it’s digital, make sure the number is visible on the screen.

Attempt selection is where handlers become tacticians. Guesswork has no place here.

Scoreboard awareness

The meet is more than just your lifter’s nine attempts. It’s a chessboard, and you need to keep track of the other pieces:

• Totals and sub-totals: Know exactly what your lifter has in the bank after squats and bench. This dictates deadlift strategy.

• Qualification standards: Does your lifter need a specific total to qualify for Nationals, Worlds, or another event? Don’t miss it by 2.5kg because you weren’t paying attention.

• Records: If a state, national, or world record is within reach, you need to be on it before the third attempt. Records require paperwork - don’t let admin cost a record.

• Opponents: If it’s a battle for placings, watch what the competition is doing. If they miss, you may play conservative. If they hit, you may need to push.

Your lifter shouldn’t be glued to the scoreboard. You should.

Record attempts

Records aren’t just about lifting the weight - they’re about bureaucracy.

• Paperwork: For state, national, or world records, you often have to notify the head table before the attempt. Sometimes this is at weigh-in, sometimes at the attempt submission. Know the process.

• Judges: Records usually require certain certified judges to be present. Confirm this before the attempt. Don’t let your lifter waste energy on a “record” that won’t count.

• Plates and bar: For records, check everything - plates are calibrated, collars are correct, bar is approved. Details matter.

If you’re chasing a record, your job is to make sure it counts.

If things go wrong

No meet goes perfectly. The mark of a great handler is how they respond when it doesn’t.

• Missed openers: Don’t panic. Repeat the weight unless it was a technical error easily fixed (e.g., commands). The priority is getting on the board.

• Red lights: Go straight to the side judge and ask why. Don’t guess. Fix the issue and move on.

• Momentum loss: Keep your lifter in the fight. One bad lift isn’t the end. Remind them the meet isn’t won in one attempt - it’s nine lifts total.

• Bomb-avoidance mindset: If confidence is collapsing, go conservative. Get a number in. Build from there.

A bomb-out is often more psychological than physical. Your job is to stop the spiral.

In short: During the meet, the handler is strategist, pit crew, psychologist, and logistics officer rolled into one. If the prep was done right, now is when you prove your worth - not by being loud, but by being indispensable.

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Equipped Lifting: Why Handlers Matter Even More

Raw lifters can sometimes get by without a handler, though even then it’s far from ideal. Equipped lifters? Forget it. Trying to compete in wraps, a suit, or a bench shirt without experienced handling is like trying to drive a race car with no pit crew. You may be strong, but you’re going to waste attempts, burn energy, and risk injury.

The Unmanageable Nature of Equipped Gear

Equipped lifting introduces layers of complexity that no lifter can manage alone.

• Knee wraps. Wrapping your own knees is never as tight, precise, or consistent as when someone else does it. The difference is 10–30kg on the bar, easily.

• Squat suits and deadlift suits. Getting the straps set, positioned correctly on the hips and thighs, and adjusted for tightness requires an extra pair of hands and sharp eyes.

• Bench shirts. Perhaps the most technical of all: setting the shirt chest plate, pulling sleeves into position, ensuring the shirt is “jacked” properly to control bar path.

The margin for error is razor-thin. Gear that is slightly misaligned or mistimed is the difference between smashing a PR or being stapled to the floor.

Timing as a Fine Art

Equipped handling is not just about brute force-it’s about precise timing. Gear setup has to be choreographed down to the minute.

• Wrap timing. Wrap too early, and the knees swell, blood flow cuts off, and the lifter is in agony by the time they hit the platform. Wrap too late, and the lifter is rushing, panicked, and under-warmed.

• Suit and shirt setup. Gear takes time to adjust properly, but once it’s on, the clock starts ticking. A shirt that’s too tight can sap energy if worn too long. A suit strap that digs in too early can exhaust the lifter mentally before the bar is even loaded.

• The rhythm of the flight. A good handler knows when to start wrapping or setting gear based on how fast attempts are moving. Sometimes you have ten minutes, sometimes you have three. Misjudge this, and the lifter either sits wrapped and sweating too long, or they’re half-wrapped when their name is called.

Timing is an invisible skill. When it’s done right, nobody notices. When it’s done wrong, everyone in the room sees the disaster.

Technical Skill: The Hidden Knowledge of Handling

Equipped lifting is filled with technical quirks and insider knowledge. A handler who doesn’t know these subtleties is worse than useless-they can actively cost lifts.

• Jacking a bench shirt. This means pulling the shirt collar higher or lower on the chest to alter bar path and touch point. Too high, and the bar won’t touch. Too low, and it dumps forward. A handler must know how to jack the shirt mid-flight, between attempts, or even seconds before the platform.

• Strap setting. Squat and deadlift suits often have straps that can be tightened or loosened. Too loose, and the lifter gets no carryover. Too tight, and they can’t reach depth or lockout. Finding the sweet spot is an art built on experience.

• Glide and position. Shirts and suits need to be pulled into place without bunching or twisting. Even a few millimetres of misalignment can throw off the groove.

• Knowing the lifter’s groove. Every lifter has a slightly different groove in gear. Some squat more upright in a suit, others hinge. Some bench touch high, others low. The handler must know their lifter’s style and set gear accordingly.

These aren’t skills you can fake on the day. They have to be rehearsed.

Why Inexperience Costs Attempts

Equipped meets are littered with wasted attempts because the handling wasn’t up to standard. The strongest lifters can miss openers simply because:

• They were wrapped too early and lost all feeling by the time they walked out.

• Their shirt wasn’t jacked properly, and the bar never touched.

• Their suit straps were set unevenly, throwing them out of balance.

• A rushed wrap left one knee tighter than the other, shifting bar path.

Unlike raw lifting, where strength can sometimes overcome poor handling, equipped lifting magnifies every mistake. A single mishap in setup makes the lift mechanically impossible.

The Need for Rehearsal

Good handling isn’t improvised on meet day. It’s rehearsed-multiple times.

• Practice wrapping. The handler should wrap the lifter’s knees in training sessions, at different speeds, under different time pressures. By meet day, they should know exactly how many revolutions, how tight, and how fast.

• Gear dress rehearsals. Shirt and suit setup should be practised in the gym exactly as it will be done in competition: pulling straps, jacking the shirt, adjusting between sets.

• Communication system. Lifter and handler must develop shorthand cues. A tap on the quad means “loosen strap,” a signal with the hand means “wrap now.” No confusion, no wasted words.

• Contingency planning. Sometimes gear doesn’t cooperate. The handler must be prepared to make emergency adjustments-like pulling straps tighter with 90 seconds left on the clock.

By rehearsing every element, the handler turns chaos into routine. On meet day, both lifter and handler should feel like they’re running a script they’ve drilled a dozen times before.

The Bigger Picture

Equipped lifting is often misunderstood by outsiders as a “gear game,” but those inside know: the handler is the difference between success and failure. In some ways, the handler is as important as the lifter. They’re the unseen partner in every attempt, ensuring the lifter can apply their strength within the constraints of the gear.

Without an experienced handler, even elite lifters can crumble under the technical and logistical demands. With one, the gear becomes an extension of the athlete’s body, and meet day runs with surgical precision.

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Strongman: A Nod to Handling

In strongman, the concept of a handler exists in fragments rather than as a formalised role. You rarely see an official “coach/handler” recognised by organisers in the same way you do in powerlifting, but make no mistake - having someone in your corner on contest day can still make a decisive difference. Strongman competitions are chaotic, fast-moving, and often poorly signposted; the right second pair of eyes and hands can save an athlete from blowing their chances.

The Difference From Powerlifting

• No set platform: In powerlifting, everything funnels into nine lifts on one stage. In strongman, you’ve got multiple events scattered across the day - sometimes in different corners of the venue, sometimes outdoors, sometimes with zero shade or cover.

• Less control: In powerlifting, handlers dictate warm-up timing, attempt selections, rack heights. In strongman, many of those decisions are out of your hands. The promoter calls the shots, the clock is running, and sometimes you only find out the running order seconds before it’s your athlete’s turn.

• More logistics: A strongman handler spends less time counting kilos and more time making sure chalk, tacky, straps, ammonia, belt, and sleeves are all in the right place at the right time.

It’s not the same as powerlifting - but if you think that means it’s less important, you’re wrong.

The Sneaky Element

One reality of strongman is that sometimes the competition format doesn’t allow you to “handle” openly. Warm-up areas are limited, coaches are often barred from the field, and athletes are expected to be self-contained. That doesn’t mean you can’t help - it just means you need to be subtle.

• Chalk running: Slip in with chalk between runs or after attempts, when judges aren’t looking too closely.

• Ammonia timing: You may need to duck behind a crowd barrier, crack the bottle, and pass it off before the ref calls your lifter up.

• Kit handling: Be quick with belts, straps, and sleeves. In some comps you’ll get 30 seconds between “you’re next” and “bar is ready.” That’s handler territory if the rules let you on the floor, and lifter self-reliance if they don’t - but you can still streamline it.

• Info relay: Even if you’re not allowed on the field, you can jog back and forth between athlete camp and the score table, updating your lifter on event order, rules clarifications, or heat results.

Sometimes being a good strongman handler means bending into the grey area of “what you can get away with.” Done smartly, it’s invaluable.

Key Tasks for a Strongman Handler

1. Timing Warm-Ups

   • Warm-up equipment is usually scarce, broken, or shared between dozens of athletes. Your job is to scout it early. Find the best bar, the best log, the safest yoke.

   • Watch the clock. Events don’t run on time. Flights can get shuffled. If your athlete warms up too early, they’ll cool down before stepping out. Too late, and they’re under-prepared.

   • Call the cutoff. Lifters often want “one more warm-up set.” You decide if it’s time to stop and save energy.

2. Running Chalk & Grip Prep

   • Chalk is often a communal bowl that turns into sludge halfway through the day. Bring your own. Keep it dry. Apply it quickly when your lifter’s hands are sweaty or tacky is getting messy.

   • For farmers and frame, be ready with liquid chalk or spray. Grip can make or break a placing.

3. Ammonia & Focus

   • Not every strongman uses ammonia, but for those who do, it’s the same as powerlifting - timing is everything. Hit it too soon and it’s gone before the whistle. Too late and they’re dazed when the implement is loaded.

   • Judge whether they need it. Some athletes thrive on it every event; others save it for max pulls or final stones.

4. Handling Kit

   • Belts, sleeves, shoes, tacky - they all change event to event. Your job is to keep the rotation smooth. For example:

     • Belt off after a medley → sleeves on for stones → tacky applied at just the right time (not 20 minutes early so it dries and peels).

   • Carry a rag, baby oil, or tacky remover for quick clean-ups between events.

5. Reminding the Athlete of Event Order

   • The single biggest mental drain in strongman is uncertainty. “Am I up now? Am I in heat 2? Do I have two minutes or twenty?”

   • Keep an eye on the score table. Watch the order. Tell your athlete exactly where they are in the rotation.

   • Remind them of rules and cues for each event. One wrong move (early down signal, missed implement pick) can ruin the day.

Fast-Moving Events, Grounding the Athlete

Strongman events run hot and fast. You don’t get the luxury of 10 minutes between attempts. That makes the handler’s psychological role even more critical:

• Grounding: After a medley, an athlete’s lungs are on fire and heart rate is sky high. You need to calm them down, get water in, get them sat down, and prepare for what’s next.

• Resetting focus: Don’t let them spiral if one event goes badly. Strongman is cumulative - you can bomb an event and still podium.

• Key reminders: One or two technical cues max. “High hips on pick.” “Fast feet.” “Stay tall.” The middle of a yoke run is not the time for a coaching lecture.

Handlers in strongman can’t control everything, but they can keep their lifter’s head and body in the game across a long, brutal day.

In strongman, the handler is less visible but no less valuable. You’re not writing attempt slips or arguing rack heights; you’re the lifter’s anchor in the storm. You run chalk, keep time, manage kit, and say the right thing at the right moment. Sometimes that means being sneaky, sometimes it means being blunt, but it always means being reliable.

Strongman is chaos. A good handler helps make it manageable.

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What Makes a Great Handler

Plenty of people call themselves handlers on meet day. Fewer actually are. A true handler is not just a friend in the warm-up room or someone who can load plates-they’re an extension of the lifter’s performance, the invisible factor that often determines whether attempts are built into a strong day or wasted one by one.

The difference between a decent handler and a great one is not knowledge of rules or even technical skills. It’s the set of intangible qualities that let them anticipate problems, make the right calls under pressure, and put the athlete’s success above everything else.

Anticipation: Solving Problems Before They Happen

The best handlers never react at the last second-they prevent issues from arising in the first place.

• Logistical foresight. They know when rack heights need to be checked, where equipment is stored, and when flights are moving quickly. They don’t wait to be told; they’ve already moved.

• Energy management. They see a lifter pacing nervously or getting distracted, and redirect them before adrenaline bleeds away.

• Technical checks. They double-check the attempt card before submitting. They look at the collars and spotters before the lift. They notice if the chalk bowl is empty before it matters.

Anticipation is about pattern recognition: knowing the dozens of little things that could go wrong and quietly making sure they never do.

Objectivity: Clear Eyes in the Heat of Competition

Attempt selection is one of the most emotionally charged moments in a meet. Lifters often want to chase glory or revenge after a missed lift. Great handlers bring objectivity to those calls.

• Detachment from ego. They don’t care if a number “looks good” on Instagram or matches what the rival is doing. They care about what the lifter can realistically hit.

• Watching the bar, not the clock. A great handler assesses the speed and technical sharpness of the lift, not just whether the lifter locked it out.

• Managing expectations. If the day is going sideways, they can pivot the goal: from PBs to building a total, or from chasing first place to qualifying for the next stage.

Objectivity means being the cold head in a hot environment. It’s not about being conservative-it’s about being right.

Adaptability: Meeting the Lifter Where They Are

No two athletes are the same. Some thrive on screaming hype. Others need silence and stillness. A great handler adapts seamlessly.

• Individual psychology. They know when to slap ammonia and when to keep the lifter’s breathing slow and controlled. They know if their athlete needs eye contact and reassurance, or if that breaks their focus.

• Changing circumstances. Flights speed up, equipment fails, rivals push totals. The handler adjusts strategy on the fly. They’re flexible without ever losing control.

• Tailored communication. Some lifters need every detail explained, others need only a nod or hand signal. Great handlers speak the lifter’s language, not their own.

Adaptability is the antidote to dogma. Everything looks like a nail when you only have a hammer; great handlers build a toolbox and know which tool to use.

Selflessness: The Ego-Free Role

Meet day isn’t about the handler. It’s about the lifter. The moment a handler makes it about themselves, the job is compromised.

• Not stealing focus. They’re not the loudest voice in the room, not the one shouting their own name for credit.

• Disappearing into the background. When things go well, it looks effortless. The handler’s influence is invisible because the lifter is the only one on stage.

• Taking the burden. They absorb the stress of logistics, of timing, of conflict with other handlers in the warm-up room, so the lifter doesn’t have to.

Selflessness doesn’t mean weakness-it means the handler’s strength is channelled entirely into service of the lifter’s performance.

Respect: Towards Judges, Spotters, and the Meet Itself

A handler isn’t just responsible for their lifter. They’re also a representative of them. How they act reflects on the athlete’s reputation.

• Respecting officials. Judges and meet directors run the show. Arguing, grandstanding, or being hostile earns nothing but enemies-and sometimes red lights. A great handler is firm but respectful.

• Supporting loaders and spotters. Warm-up room loaders are often volunteers. Treating them like servants is a fast way to alienate everyone. A great handler thanks them, works with them, and makes the room run smoother.

• Contributing to community. Offering to spot another lifter, sharing plates fairly, or helping reset a rack builds goodwill. Over time, handlers known for respect become trusted figures across federations.

Respect oils the machine of competition. Without it, the environment grinds down into chaos.

Helping Other Lifters, Celebrating Success

Although a handler’s focus must remain on their lifter, greatness shows in how they carry themselves toward the rest of the field.

• Helping when it costs nothing. Offering a quick handoff, spotting, or calling a command when another lifter’s handler is absent.

• Celebrating others. A great handler doesn’t sulk when another lifter PRs or wins-they clap, they acknowledge, they add energy to the room.

• Balancing priorities. They never let generosity distract them from their primary role, but they also don’t isolate themselves as if the meet is a zero-sum game.

The best handlers make meets better for everyone, not just their athlete.

Knowing the Lifter’s Needs

Ultimately, what separates a competent handler from a great one is the ability to understand their lifter’s specific, individual needs.

• Training familiarity. They know how the lifter warms up in the gym, what pace they like, how they respond to different levels of hype.

• Weak points and cues. They know the lifter’s sticking points, when to cue “chest up,” when to say “hips through,” and when to say nothing at all.

• Energy and recovery. They know how long their lifter needs between attempts, how much caffeine they can tolerate, how often they need food or hydration.

  
  

The mistake bad handlers make is applying the same approach to every athlete. They use the same tone, the same hype, the same rhythm. But no two lifters are alike. As the saying goes: when all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail. Great handlers know when to reach for a wrench, a scalpel, or silence.

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Common Mistakes to Avoid

A great handler can add kilos to a total. A bad handler can sabotage a meet before the first squat command. These are the mistakes that ruin lifters’ days - and the ones you must avoid at all costs.

1. Opening Too Heavy Because You Won’t Stand Up to Your Lifter

• This is the single most common way handlers set their lifter up to bomb. A lifter wants to prove themselves, ride the hype, or chase a rival, and they push for an opener that’s too close to their max.

• Your job is not to rubber-stamp their ego. Your job is to get them through the meet and maximise their total.

• A proper opener should be something they could hit on their worst day - sick, hungover, jetlagged. If they can’t double or triple it in training consistently, it’s not an opener.

• The fix: agree on openers well before the meet, and make it clear that you’ll change it if warm-ups or the rules demand it. Openers are about getting in the meet, not ending it before it starts.

2. Distracting the Lifter With Too Much Hype or Chatter

• Some handlers think their job is to scream in their lifter’s ear nonstop. It isn’t.

• Every lifter has a different psychological profile: some need the slap-and-shout routine, some need a calm voice, some need a single technical cue. If you don’t know which one your lifter is, you’re already failing them.

• Overhyping can drain adrenaline before they even touch the bar. Too much chatter can pull them out of focus. The worst handlers make meet day about their energy, not the lifter’s.

• The fix: learn the lifter’s mental needs in training. On the day, be disciplined. Say less, not more. Use only the cues and hype you’ve rehearsed.

3. Forgetting Rack Heights or Warm-Up Timing

• There’s nothing more amateur than seeing a lifter walk onto the platform only to find the rack height wrong - or rushing through three warm-ups in five minutes because their handler lost track of the flight order.

• Meet day is a clockwork operation. One missed detail can derail the whole thing.

• Warm-ups need to be paced backwards from the opener. Rack heights need to be submitted at weigh-in and double-checked before every attempt.

• The fix: write everything down. Meet sheets, attempt cards, rack settings, kilo conversions - don’t trust your memory when adrenaline is high. Keep eyes on the scoreboard and call warm-ups early.

4. Not Knowing the Rules - and Getting Your Lifter Red-Lighted

• Nothing is more unforgivable than a lifter losing an attempt because their handler didn’t know the federation’s commands or equipment rules.

• Did they miss depth? Did they rack too early? Did they get called for illegal wrist wraps? These are preventable errors if the handler has done their homework.

• Every federation has its quirks: when you can change attempts, how baby powder is applied, whether handlers can spot or lift off, what counts as supportive gear. Ignorance is not an excuse.

• The fix: study the rulebook ahead of time. Attend the rules meeting at weigh-ins. Ask questions if anything is unclear. Your lifter should never be red-lighted for something you could have prevented.

5. Trying to Be the Star of the Show Instead of Supporting

• Some handlers think meet day is their chance to prove they’re the “alpha.” They strut around the warm-up room, pick fights with spotters, or make the whole day about themselves.

• Remember this: you are not the one lifting. If you want the spotlight, sign up for the meet yourself.

• The handler’s role is service. It’s about making the lifter’s path to the platform smooth, calm, and focused. Anything that makes it about you actively harms the person you’re supposed to be helping.

• The fix: keep ego out of it. Move plates, manage logistics, keep your lifter calm. Be invisible if you can. The best handlers are remembered by their lifters, not the crowd.

6. Being Ignorant in the Warm-Up Room

• The warm-up room is organised chaos. Bad handlers make it worse by acting clueless - stealing bars, hogging racks, failing to spot, or standing in the way.

• Other lifters and handlers will notice. At best, you’ll annoy everyone. At worst, you’ll put someone at risk of injury or throw off your own lifter’s prep.

• The fix: know the etiquette. Share racks, load plates fairly, communicate with other handlers. Keep your lifter focused while you handle the logistics. Be respectful of the space - you’re a guest in it.

Being a good handler is not about showing off, shouting loudest, or indulging your lifter’s ego. It’s about discipline, preparation, and humility. The mistakes above might seem small, but in the heat of competition they can add up to bombs, red lights, or missed podiums. Avoid them, and you’ll be doing the most important job on meet day the way it should be done: quietly, competently, and for the lifter - not for yourself.

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Closing Perspective

When the chalk dust settles and the bars are racked, most people only see the lifter. The total on the board, the medals, the record books-that’s what the crowd remembers. But anyone who’s been there knows the truth: meet day isn’t just about who’s strongest. It’s about who had everything lined up, who didn’t waste energy on the wrong things, and who had the right person in their corner.

A handler can be the difference between chaos and calm, between a decent day and the performance of a lifetime. They’re the unseen factor that turns a stressful, confusing environment into something smooth and predictable. They’re the one who takes a strong lifter and gives them every possible chance to turn that strength into a winning total.

For equipped lifters, handling isn’t optional. No one can wrap themselves as tightly, jack their own shirt as precisely, or manage straps and timing to the second. Without a skilled handler, equipped lifting collapses. For raw lifters, it’s easy to underestimate-but it’s still a massive competitive edge. Even the strongest raw lifters waste attempts when they’re left juggling logistics, panicking in warm-ups, or chasing numbers without an objective voice in their ear.

If you’re ever asked to handle someone, understand the weight of what you’re stepping into. You’re not “just helping out.” You’re stepping into a role that can literally change the outcome of a meet. If you take it seriously-anticipating, adapting, putting the lifter first-you become part of their success story forever.

And if you want someone in your corner who knows this inside and out? That’s what I do. I’m not just a coach-I’m the best fucking handler in the business. Whether you’re raw, equipped, or hauling stones and yokes in strongman, I know how to get lifters through meet day at their absolute best.

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👉 If you’re ready to compete without wasting a single attempt, reach out. Let’s make sure your next meet isn’t left to chance.