Aside from me running into the wall yesterday (in my defense it was 2am and pitch black), I'm standing firm with my "don't do anything stupid" statement.
For some reason the week of a meet seems to be when many powerlifters do "stupid" things. Sometimes it's things out of their control, but more often than not they are things that are in their control.
My son was at the gym with me the other day and he said, "Mom, spin me." And I did. And I got dizzy. And thankfully nothing bad happened after that. (Although we all know it could have... a trip, a fall, a twist....). Few minutes later, he said, "Mom, can you push me on the sled?" I thought for a second.... grand scheme of things, probably not a big deal, but I need to control what I can control.
"You know what Bud, mom has her competition this weekend and I don't want to get hurt. Next week, we can do all the sled pushing you want." And his little smile said OK!
While I don't neglect fun with my kids or dismiss all activities, my point is taking it all into consideration. For me, I get antsy the week of the meet. I'm not really training so I find my body wanting to move and do stuff, especially with my training clients and kids. But then I remind myself not to.
So what can we control going into a meet or competition:
1. Food
I'm driving down to the Arnold this weekend and it would be so easy for me to grab food along the way. Thankfully nowadays there are some better options with things like Chipotle that aren't far from what I'm used to eating. But I still don't eat that stuff on a regular basis. I'd rather pack the foods that I KNOW my body likes and responds well to. If I go out to eat the night before the meet, eating foods that I don't normally eat, I have no idea how my body will respond... not just digestively but energy levels, joints, etc.
So... I made a bunch of turkey/beef meatballs (meatball, haha), rice and sweet potatoes. I'll have rice cakes and peanut butter on hand as well as bananas, shakes and energy drinks.
But Julia, what about putting weight back on?? Shouldn't you just stuff your face with pizza and burgers and fries? Perhaps and I'm sure Friday night I'll grab one of those, because that's what my body is used to. It's used to eating it once a week.... not 3 times a day. For me, I know this works and I feel confident that my body is going to do well working off of the fuel that it's used to.
2. Sleep
Yes, I know all your friends are in town. Yes, I know you wanna stay up and visit and have a drink and laugh at your buddy who's dying in the corner trying to make weight. But you also know how much sleep you feel best on. So make it happen.
I also know that between bench and deadlift, I NEED to take a nap. By that point, my nervous system is screaming at me. It's usually afternoon time where I start to crash. And in a meet, no amount of caffeine will save me. So you'll find me sneaking off for 20 minutes to catch some Zzz's. It may not be long and it may not even be deep sleep, but it's gonna get me through deads.
3. Week of meet training/recovery
If you're like me, you get antsy. You're ready to lift. Your body is used to training, so "resting" is a shocker. So you go in and get some blood flow work in. You're feeling good so you hit a little extra. And ooooh, that foam roller feels nice. And ouch, hammies are a little tight. And whoa, so are my lats. And before you know it you've stretch and rolled more than you have in the last 12 months combined.
I'm not saying that doing those things is bad. I'm saying don't overdo it. Anytime you do something that the body is not used to, the body sees it as a stressor. One time I was feeling good stretching my lats and stretched them too much and had a kink in my rhomboids for the next 4 days and through the meet.
4. Stress
Speaking of stress... while we can't necessarily control what happens in our world, we can control our response to those situations. I made a very clear and conscious decision to keep my heart rate down, my anxiety down and find ways to de-stress (namely, take quick power naps).
If you know things that set you off, find ways to avoid them (social media, interactions with certain people, etc). If you can't avoid them (traffic, dumb drivers, your kids, haha), then you need to learn how to manage. If the kids are around, it's music. We pop on some Pandora and music instantly calms my soul. Other times I read or journal. One of the best ways to get rid of your stress and anxiety is to write. Write down what you really want to yell at your boss about. Write down what a jackass that person in the store was. Write down how you really feel about your neighbor constantly using your garbage cans.
Seriously. It sounds so silly, but writing it down allows you to say what you need to say without getting overly hyped about it. You'll find that more often than not, the issue passes and it's forgotten about. And if it's something important (maybe involving your boss, friend or significant other), then writing it down can help free you from thinking about it for the moment. Let it be for now and then address it after the competition when your head is a little more clear. And again... you'll probably find that your rage over the situation has calmed a bit too.
You're welcome. 🙂
Be smart during meet week. Remember that anything new is a stress to the body. And the last thing you want during this week is your body trying to recover from a new stressor, when it should be getting ready to smash some weight!
Recent comps:
Nov 5, 2016 NPC Midwest Gladiator Chicago - Women's Physique
Sept 24, 2016 NPC Indianapolis Grand Prix - Women's Physique
May 7, 2016 RPS Mid-Atlantic Powerlifting - Raw 132, Pro total
June 12, 2015 NPC Junior Nationals - Women's Physique
Scott Paltos has been doing my programming since March 2015 for both powerlifting and physique. Read back at previous training logs to see what my off-season contained to prep for both PL and physique. May - September we coined #creatingamonster to bring a bigger package to the stage. With physique comps done for 2016, we will transition back to strength work in preparation for the Arnold.