Upcoming Meets

March 9 New England States Open Enfield, CT 

March 16 NYC Open Garden City, NY

April 13 CF Trimountain Durham, CT

June 1 CF True Athletics Hamden, CT

Unrelated Video: Clean and Jerk Box Jumps

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.

Your First Meet: What the Experts Say

I’ve got my first meet coming up at the end of January. As part of my preparation I researched as much possible advice as I could find out there for new weightlifters going to their first meet. While nothing beats having a coach to be able to walk you through everything, here is what I found.

Jim Schmitz: Your First Competition

Jim’s website ‘Ironmind’ is a great resource for articles on weightlifting, and his post on your first competition did not disappoint. The biggest takeaway from the article for me was Jim’s recommendations on what to warm-up with. His sample openers just so happened to be the same openers I planned to use (75/95… stop laughing).

Jacob Tsypkin: A Guide To Your 1st Weightlighting Meet [Part 2]

Jacob’s two-part series stands apart as incredibly comprehensive. Detailing everything from your mental state, to what to bring, how to estimate when you’ll be lifting, and how to approach your warm-ups.

70s Big: Your First Weightlifting Meet

This article is a lot more about what to do in the week leading up to your first meet and the advice seems to gel with what the other articles say. The most unique idea I saw suggested a new lifter consider power snatching / cleaning their first attempt. Especially for lifters whose strength is greater than their technique, this is an interesting idea.

Reddit: Signed up for first meet!

Let me just take a moment to extol the wonder of Reddit for weightlifters. There are some seriously experienced lifters on there who hare open-handed with advice, form critiques, and answering any questions you may have. As you can see, user olymic_lifter provided detailed answers for all of the original posters’ questions and follow-up questions.

Do you have any other great resources for a beginner weightlifters’ first meet? Leave them in the comments.