Mark, congrats on deciding to do your first meet, you should have a blast. Everyone has their own rituals leading up to the day of the meet, and in time, you’ll develop your own. I’ll try to answer your questions as best I can, but remember that this is what works for me, and you may find something that works better for you.
[quote]FURRY_GIZZARD wrote:
How do i manage my roughly 4 weeks till competition?
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I’ll work backwards from the meet. On the last week before the competition, many people take the whole week off entirely. I’ve found this does not work for me.
I treat my last week before a meet like a deload week. Which means that I’ll train Lower on Monday, and Upper on Wednesday. I’ll pick 2-3 movements, and I’ll do my regular warmups and then 2 sets of 6-8 reps at 70% of the weight I’d normally use for that rep range. So if I could lift 100lbs for 6 reps, I’ll use 70lbs for 2 sets of 6)
Then I take Thurs/Friday completely off.
Two weeks out, I will work up to my openers for the meet. On Monday I’ll work up to my opening Squat, and on Wed my opening Bench. On Thursday or Friday I’ll do some speed pulls, keeping all of my Supplemental and Accessory lifts normal for the week. Then on Sat I’ll do either DE or RE Upper.
Three and Four weeks out will be the end of my normal training cycle, so this will depend on what you’ve been doing up to this point.[quote]
How do i train?
[/quote] Most of your training should already be done by now. You aren’t going to get any stronger just finish up your normal training cycle and dial in your openers.[quote]
What do i eat the day of the meet?
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For me it depends on the size of the field, and the number of flights, which unfortunately you might not know until you get there. Pack plenty of food, as the day could run longer than you expect. I’ve been to meets that have lasted 4 hours and ones that have lasted 12 hours.
I mix a bottle of Surge and sip it throughout my lifting, and as soon as I’ve taken my last attempt in a flight, I try to eat something solid. It will really depend on whether there are 2 flights or 3+. The more flights, the longer your down time, but Meet Day is not a day to start experimenting with new foods and/or supplements. [quote]
What can i do to mentally prepare myself?
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Just know that you can nail your openers any day of the week. If you are in doubt at all, lower them. The last thing you want to do is bomb out of a meet. Try not to get psyched up until you are ready to lift. If you are getting psyched at 6am and you don’t lift until 10am you are going to be fried. Try to stay in a state of calm until it’s GO time.[quote]
How do i choose my weights for my attempts?
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For my opener, I pick a weight that I can triple with perfect form. This means a weight on the squat that I can hit parallel, on bench it’s a weight that I can pause on my chest and on deads, a weight that I can hit without any hint of a hitch.
For my second attempt, I try to break a PR by 5lbs or so. But since this is your first meet, you might want to be a little conservative and save your PR attempt for your 3rd attempt, it depends on the person.
My 3rd attempt allows me a second chance at a PR if I missed on my second attempt. If I nailed my second attempt, this gives me a chance to let it all hang out. This attempt will really be based on how your second one went.[quote]
How should i warm up on meet day?
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Warmups should be exactly the same as you do on your gym day. Do just enough to get warm and loose, but not so much that you are at all fatigued. I typically start warming up when the flight before me starts their third attempts. This should give you 15 minutes or so to warm up. Just jump in with the other lifters when the weight on the bar is what you want. Don’t be afraid to ask the other guys to let you warm up with them. [quote]
and if you could give me any other tips that would be great
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The last piece of advice I would give you is to contact the meet director. Tell him/her that this will be your first meet, and they will almost always be willing to go out of their way to help you out. From choosing rack heights, to checking your form, to helping you select openers and weight increases on 2nd and 3rd attempts.
Also, talk to the other competitors. People are way more helpful and friendly than you’d expect. It’s a good chance to pick some brains, and make some great contacts.
And have fun! Hopefully this is the first of many meets to come.
