Preacher Sam, here. As a rookie, this is the first real taper that I’ve experienced. I’ve heard Travis and Jon talk about tapers on Weightlifting Talk before, and I understood the importance of some of what they discussed, but this week I’ve seen and experienced it first hand.
Travis has done a great job explaining how and why the programming has been progressing up to this taper and what will begin to happen as we taper.
Now let’s discuss a couple extra things we all need to consider.
1.) It is time to begin to taper off straps if you use them. This may look different depending on how long you’ve been using straps or how many competitions you have under your belt. For me, this is my first training cycle using straps consistently, so it is taking my hands a little bit to readjust. A couple other lifters were fine after a couple sessions without them and are looking to hit big numbers in our last Max Out session. Even the champ, Jon North, has to work this into his taper to prepare himself.
2.) Another thing to consider in our taper is the use of clips. Whether you tend to use them on both snatch and clean and jerk or not, clips will be used on the day of competition. Jon North has talked a lot about how clips affect bar oscillation. For rookies like myself, this may be a minor adjustment since I’m not hitting big weights. But for those of you who are beginning to hit bigger numbers, the more weight on the bar, the more the bar will oscillate and the clips keep that weight tight causing even more oscillation.
These are just a couple things to consider as you taper. Next week we will begin to prepare both mentally and in training to be ready for the timing of the meet. Proper warmup, and warmup attempts can be the only circumstances within our control at a meet, so preparing for these will give us the best chance to do well.
For more blogs on tapering and meet prep visit MashElite.com.
Travis goes more into depth in his Learn 2 Lift seminars. To sign up for a Learn 2 Lift Seminar or online coaching, go to www.MashElite.com.
To host a seminar or for questions, email Travis at: Travis.Mash@MashElite.com.