First off, thank you for taking the time to write everything. Some more info on me. I will be competing raw, no shirt or suits, no belts, no wraps of any kind, so at least I’m comfortable in keeping my competition lifts the same as my training lifts. Also, it’s only push/pull, so I don’t have to worry about the squat this weekend.
[quote]W.E.C wrote:
My theory is to take an easy opener, reasonable goal for my second and a limit-pushing lift for my third. Typically raw that leads to the conservative folk having 20-30 pounds between their first and second, and 10-20 between their second and third. As it is your first meet I would suggest going even a little bit lighter on your first attempt. Lifting on someone else?s schedule is a little disconcerting, and if you need to make a technique change, best to do so with a light weight.
Not having seen you lift, I can’t say what the exact numbers should be. The ones you suggest seem reasonable, but I typically tell first-time lifters to take their first guess (275 and 450 for you) and subtract ~10% (250 and 410). Going out and absolutely owning the weight and KNOWING that you will own the weight on your first ever attempt goes a long way. Moreover if you get redlit on your first attempt due to a major technical issue (pause on bench say) it is much easier to correct if the weight is stupid-light.
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I feel I could probably pause 275 on bench 5 times, so I think it’s pretty conservative. I was going to suggest 300 as an opener, but as you suggested wanted to be conservative so I suggested 275. I’d really like to hit between 335 and 345 for my final lift depending on how I feel.[quote]
I am a very conservative lifter, caveat emptor.
For the rest of it: Take this whole week out of the gym, eat lots, sleep lots, and have fun at the meet!
[/quote]I went easy early this week, and will take the rest of the week off. Since it’s my first meet, I’m hoping to not stress too much and have fun with it. I’ve done competitive sports in HS/College, so nerves shouldn’t be an issue(?)[quote]
My other boilerplate 1st meet advice is below; I’ve messed up most of these at one time or another; learn from my foolishness!
For the last couple of weeks get someone to call the judges’ commands to you (Squat/Rack, Start/Press/Rack(Depends on Fed) and Down) They are the place most people mess up on their first few meets, and a couple of weeks of practice helps a lot. Make sure to hold the weight when you complete a lift.
[/quote]Great advice, I wish I had posted this two weeks ago. But I did get some practice on my bench day.[quote]
Plan out what you are going to eat at the meet and bring enough to get you through…Meets take a fair amount of time, and you need to keep your energy up. Be careful to plan for your blessed caffeine, and to avoid foods that bloat. A cheap cooler is your friend.
[/quote]My plan is to pack like I’m going to work. I am not planning on changing my breakfast/snacks/or supplements.
How long does an average (smallish) push/pull take?[quote]
If you can; get an experienced lifter from the league you are going to, to check your form before you go out. It will increase your confidence a lot and avoid technical issues. Squat depth, bench pause and deadlift hitching are the biggest worries. Remember that what is good in one league may not be in another.
[/quote]Another great tip I could have used two weeks ago! Still wishing I had posted earlier…[quote]
Open light. Normal wisdom is to open with weight you can triple, for your first meet I’d go lighter than that. You want weight that you can lift easily in case you need to radically alter your form to get a lift passed. Besides that, absolutely nailing your opener looks good to the judges and makes them less critical of your subsequent lifts.
Tell the Meet Director you are new to pl. They will usually try to give you a hand or cut you some slack if they know.
[/quote]I’ve contacted the meet director, and he’s said he’s going to show me the ropes. Also said it would be a friendly(helpful) group of lifters at this one.[quote]
Do a little planning as to your timing. This is less important if you are lifting raw, but you may want to consider when you are going to wrap up, warm up etc…Most leagues have a 1-minute rule where you have 1 minute to get to the bar after they call “Bar is Loaded” It really is lots of time, if you are prepared, but if you haven’t started to wrap your knees…
*I usually start warming up when the flight before me starts their third attempts. You may take more or less than that, but it?s a decent guage
[/quote]I was wondering about the warmup part. I usually take a while to warmup. Is it pretty hectic, or can you get your warmups in pretty easily?[quote]
When you arrive, stake out a place in the warmup room where you will leave your stuff. If it’s all in one place, it’s harder to lose, and gives you a place to center yourself, meet with your handler, etc.
*Don’t try to cut weight at your first meet. It always ends in tears.
[/quote]I’m at about 240 right now, so as long as I don’t gain any weight, I should be fine (assuming my gyms scales are accurate, who knows, could be competing with the 275’s!)[quote]
If you can convince a friend to go with you and handle you it will make things a lot easier. Let them run your numbers to the table, roll your wraps, keep track of where you are in the lifting order. Buy them a large dinner afterwards and thank them profusely. A good handler will absolutely make or break your meet.
[/quote]Good advice, I’ll see who I can con into going.[quote]
If they are using signed attempt cards, sign them all before the meet begins, so that when you are handing in your next attempt all you need to do is scratch in the number. Tell the person at the table what the next attempt is too, my handwriting is terrible after a big bench…
[/quote]I never even thought about this, good to know.[quote]
Bring a couple of cheap pens. There are never enough at a meet.
Get your rack height as early as you can?Most meets will allow you to ask for a specific rack height, and it is a great advantage. Make sure to get your height on the bench that will be used on the platform, and not the one in the warmup room. They are often different.
[/quote]Different apparatus or just different heights?[quote]
Write your initials on all your gear with a magic marker. Stuff gets lost at meets, and if your initials are on it, the MD can usually figure out whose it is.
“Bar is Loaded for…” Means you are lifting. “…Is on Deck” Means you lift next. “… is in the Hole.” Means you are one person out. Why we use naval terms, I cannot say.
Know what you are going to do for a warmup chain. Write it down it you have to. Moreover, it is best to have warm-ups that involve the fewest denominations of plates you can get away with. Once I went to a meet, and had everything driven off percentages, so had planned on odd weights: 140, 250, 310, 375 sorta stuff. When I got to the warmup room all they had was plates and quarters; hilarity ensued.
[/quote]Luckily, due to laziness, my warm-ups are always the same, and they always consist of 45’s and 25’s. Hopefully this isn’t in kg’s. Ugh.[quote]
I always take 7-10 days off before a meet.
[/quote]Is two days enough? More poor planning[quote]
If you aren’t using a bench shirt then there is no need to wear a belt. Shirted benchers wear them to hold the shirt in place. Some people like to wear a belt when lifting raw, and that’s just preference, go with your heart.
*Don?t change your technique/equipment/training/harido/anything the last month before a meet.
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Again, thanks for everything. If there is anything else I need to know, please, anyone, feel free to throw in your 2 cents worth.
For whoever is interested, I will post results on Saturday or Sunday.