First Meet Notes

Previously, I wrote a post on advice from experts for your first weightlifting meet.

Here are some notes, post meet.

1) Pillow. The secret weapon. Best advice I got was from Jacob Tsypkin who wrote:

The absolute most important thing you can do at this time [between weigh-in and warm-ups] is try to stay relaxed (did you bring that pillow?)

Having a pillow, headphones, and A Feast For Crows on my phone was so helpful in staying relaxed and calm during the three and a half hours or so between weigh-in and warm-ups. I ended up lifting about an hour and twenty minutes later than I had planned. Instead of pacing and wasting adrenaline, I laid down in the back on my pillow, listened to my book, and breathed deeply. I was more relaxed than ever.

2) Use the clock. Another great piece of advice from the same article:

DO NOT rush your set-up. This is probably where I see the most new lifters miss their attempts – they get too excited and hurry through their set-up. Behave exactly as you would in training.

I probably took the longest to lift of almost anybody there, even though it was only fifteen seconds or so. I’d take setup on the bar, sit in the bottom of my squat, take deep breaths, stay relaxed and clear my mind, just like in training but a bit longer. I really think it helped. My heart was never beating fast, and my lifts felt instinctual. That is NOT how my lifts normally feel, given I’m an unathletic cubicle monkey (the last time I competed at something, I left bloody).

3) Use the night before to prepare. I packed my bag, made food and planned out my morning the night before, giving myself plenty of time for surprises. The next morning breezed and I never felt stressed. Just like the previous two notes, it all comes down to eliminating as many distractions and stresses as possible so you can simply focus on lifting.

Most importantly, have fun. Meet the other lifters, have someone to root for and vice versa, relax and enjoy it. Not only will it help you perform better, but you’ll have a better experience and want to come back.

I left a more thorough recap on Reddit with a lot of boring details you don’t care about.