The ultimate competition preparation book is here. We cover:
• Programming the competition block,
• Taper week
• Cutting Weight (how to and when it’s appropriate)
• Intra-meet Nutrition
• Attempt Selection
• Warm Up Timing
• Strategy (Team and Individual)
• And More!
Are You Ready to Compete?
In the last ten years more people have started working out with a barbell than ever in history. People of all ages and genders are enjoying the process of getting stronger with a barbell. I will have to say that it warms my heart. I have spent my entire life trying to understand the world of strength. The first twenty years of my journey hardly anyone understood my passion. I was told that I would hurt myself. I was told to get a real job.
However I stayed the course. I couldn’t see myself doing anything else, so I continued the path. Then one day I woke up and CrossFit arrived on the scene. Boom, the world was introduced to the barbell. All of a sudden soccer moms wanted to learn how to squat and clean. At times I had to check my pulse to make sure that I was alive. I was pretty sure that I was in heaven.
Today I pose the question, “Are you ready to compete?” I bet you are. Too many people want to wait until some miraculous time that doesn’t really exist. I hear all too often:
“I want to wait until I am competitive.”
“I want to wait until I can win.”
Those statements are so arbitrary. Powerlifting (the sport involving back squat, bench press, and deadlift) and Weightlifting (the sport involving Snatch and Clean & Jerk) are mostly individual in nature. You compete to set a real total, and then the goal at each competition is to beat your personal best. If that number happens to win, then that’s a bonus. I would rather someone get 10th place and set a personal record than win and not set a personal record.
In my first ever weightlifting competition, I had two Olympians in my weight class. Guess what? I got third. That’s what happens if you learn the sport of weightlifting in Colorado. If I had waited to compete until I could beat those two men, I would have been waiting a long time. Odds are I would never have competed.
My point is that your first competition is simply meant to get your feet wet. You need to learn how you respond during competition. You need to learn the process of competition. Plus I want you all to experience the amazing rush that comes along with getting on a platform and demonstrating your skills and hard work. There is nothing like it.
You will also experience the culture and community of the strength world. You will make friends that will be with you for years to come. No one really cares if you win or lose. We are united by the common love of the barbell. When I competed in powerlifting, I loved all the people in the competition. They understood me, which was all too uncommon. I didn’t wait to see how much they lifted. I didn’t care. I was just worried about how much I was going to lift.
Competition can get a little crazy. It’s good to prepare for what’s to come. I released an e-book today “Time to Compete” that will make the process easy. You can check it out here:
You can also get a coach, or you can hook up with a veteran competitor. Most veterans will gladly help out a rookie. However you will eventually want to educate yourself on all the details plus all of your options like bigger National meets that you might be eligible for. There is quite a bit to consider:
• Warm-ups
• Attempt Selection
• Strategy
• Taper
• Competition phase training
• Cutting weight: yes, no, how much is appropriate, etc
• Intra-meet Nutrition
• Rehydration
• National meets to qualify for
• International meets to qualify for
• Stipends
These are just a few. Once again you can find a coach or a mentor. You can also read the book I just released as it answers all of these questions. I started writing this book assuming it would be about twenty pages or so, and then I realized that there was a lot that I simply took for granted. I have been competing for over thirty years and coaching for over twenty years. I wish that I had read this book when I was starting out.
Of course I was the young man that needed to crash and burn to learn a lesson. Luckily for all of you, I made all the mistakes, so that you guys and gals don’t have to. That’s the best thing about experience. You can make the lives of others easier than your own. That makes all past mistakes useful instead of just painful.
The moral of the story is get out there and compete. Jump in the nearest local competition and do your best. You simply need to post a number, meet some friends, have some fun, and most importantly gain some experience. Competition will make training so much easier as you have a measurable goal to reach. You will be hooked when you see your body improving, getting stronger, and adding more muscle. It’s a beautiful thing. It really is so much fun.
You can find most local Olympic Weightlifting competitions right here:
You can find most Powerlifting competitions here:
Pick one, make a plan, and crush your first competition!
Today we dropped our latest E-Book: “Time to Compete”! This book is all about meet preparation including 7 four-week Taper Phases, meet strategy, mindset, Intra-meet Nutrition, and so much more that goes into the art of coaching a champion.
Check it out here:
