Post Meet Advice

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On Saturday, March 18th, I got the pleasure of competing in my 5th powerlifting meet in the last 3 years. There were some things that I did the same as usual, but during this prep, I changed things up a bit and the growth and maturity showed out on meet day. Here are some of my experiences, that a new lifter should consider when trying to compete in their next competition.

Focus
My mindset was super different this time around. I went from trying to be stronger than everyone else, to my goal is just to beat me. I stopped caring what others around me were putting up, I wanted to beat MY NUMBERS on the board. I would look up and I would just zero in on my name and think about how much I am going to PR. At the end of the day, YOU are doing this for YOU. Unless you plan to make a living off this sport, then yes, change the mindset, but chances are, you are in this sport to better yourself. Stop comparing yourself to others (especially IG influencers) and focus on the betterment of yourself.

Weight
If you asked me, 3 years ago, what weight class I would like to be at, I would probably laugh at you and say 198. I was hovering around 205 pounds, moderately strong, but also was not built to my true potential. Fast forward to the last year and I have competed in the 242 class and have won 1st in all 3 of my competitions since moving up a weight class. Since starting with my current coach and homie, I’ve put on 30 pounds. Some people would freak out because of the weight.  Initially, I did too, but man, I am built like a tank. I am not the leanest. You are probably never going to find abs on me, ever, but I was never really about that. I just wanted to be strong. At 205 lbs, my gym totals were subpar numbers to be honest.385/295/515. At the time of this post, I am now 235lbs with a gym total of 600/350/605. I will gladly put on some weight to put up those numbers.

My advice is the same advice my coach gave to my wife and I when we first started.

Give yourself some credit, put some mass on, and build yourself into the higher weight class. At the end of the day, it is much easier to walk into weigh-ins refreshed, hydrated, and fed, than it is struggling to make weight. If you are not breaking records and trying to win best overall, DOTS, than what is the point. Eat what makes you happy, in moderation of course.

Knee Wraps
This was an experience I had trouble with. I made the decision to try out wraps, not knowing how painful these were going to be. The first month of wraps was awful, I could barely stand the 2/10 tightness that I was being wrapped. I was tweaking with every squat attempt, thinking my knee popped, but it was just the wraps coming a little loose. But these bad boys help me go from a 475 squat to what could have been a 600 squat (I was a tad high because of how excited I was when it felt so light on my back). The biggest challenge was getting a consistent person to wrap me during training sessions. I probably had 5 different people wrap me, not including myself.

​Have Fun
The most important but forgotten detail. The last couple of meets, I took thinks too seriously and I tried too hard. This meet, I went in with a “it is what it is” attitude. With this mindset, I had the best prep I ever had. I was PR’ing one of my lifts every week during prep. I was smiling and laughing more, which took a lot of the stress away. I also had 11 other gym friends competing in the same meet, this allowed me to talk about how prep is going and sharing my insight to a lot of the newer members. This detail is key to having a successful meet. If you focus on trying to be the best or beating the best, that will only take you so far. At the end of the day, you have to do what’s best for you. Smile and pick that goofy song to walk out to for your last deadlift. Don’t beat yourself up on a missed attempt. Shrug it off, smile, and hit that sh*t on your next try. Live, laugh, and have fun.

Meet Total // 562 lbs :: 341 lbs :: 573 lbs

Mike // Powerlifting Coach & Lead Online Training Coach