NOT READY FOR THE "DARK SIDE"

For the past couple years, I have had the plans to one day compete in gear. Although it has been hard for me to not make the switch over to “the dark side,” there are many reasons that I have not. I know that there are many people out there that have dealt with the same dilemma, so here I will share some of my reasoning for waiting.
1. More To Achieve
I believe that if I made the switch over to geared lifting now, I would feel that I had some sort of unfinished business in the raw class. Previously, achieving a pro total and qualifying for the Arnold were my ultimate goals for where I was at. These achievements came much faster than I expected, but now I have bigger goals in the next year in the raw class. After these are met, I may be able to consider moving to equipped lifting.
2. Where The Competition Is
It was brought to my attention about a year ago by someone that I have much respect for in the lifting world that the majority of my competition currently is in the raw class. Sometimes I feel that I am mainly competing against myself at meets because of the amount of lifters competing, but when I go to competitions like Worlds or The Arnold, I know that the raw classes have been much bigger.

I don’t think that this will always be the case, but at the caliber that I am currently at in the raw class, I am enjoying competing against other women that are the best in the world. When I do make the switch over to gear, it is going to take some time to get to their caliber of lifting again, and right now, similar to what I stated in the first part, I don’t want to have any unfinished business.
3. Experience
Currently my gym has only a few people that train in gear and I am unable to do a whole lot of traveling for the help that I will need as I make the transition. It is very important to me to learn from the best when it comes to my training. I have coached several people with gear, but it is a completely different story when it comes to your own training. Yes, sending videos to my mentors will be a huge help, and when the switch happens, there will be much of that as well. But I believe that traveling to the people that can help the most will be of huge importance.
These are some of the main reasons for my choice of sticking to raw lifting currently, and I hope that others will be able to relate. I know that sometimes making a move like this can be one that is full of uncertainties, that is why sometimes “good things come to those who wait!”
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