THAT LAST WEEK IS CRUCIAL: Don’t Mess Up All That Good Training!

The last week before a major competition is crucial to the success of the lifter. It is important to maintain as much of a normal routine as possible while removing as many of the extraneous stresses of daily life as possible. That doesn’t mean that a week out from the meet you can’t take out the trash in order to conserve energy! Avoid anything that would really tire you out. Common sense is the rule.

At this point, all of the heavy training should be out of the way and the volume as well as intensity of training is way down. Each athlete is a little different so the amount of workload will vary. This is one place where a coach’s understanding of an athlete is so important. Some like to keep the intensity a bit higher, while others need a bit less. It is a fine line between getting enough rest and still keeping that edge for maximum performance. Bottom line – know your athletes!

Although it varies from athlete to athlete, a typical last week before competition might look like this:

I know, some of you have heard of some of the Bulgarians and other European lifters who hit world records or really heavy squats the night before their competitions. I have seen this too.

Keep in mind their training and background is much different than what we are able to have here in the U.S. We have to go with what works for us and not mimic what others, who are in totally different situations, are doing.

Making weight is a discussion for another time, but I mention it here because it is a very important part of the formula for many lifters. Plan ahead, be smart, and make sure your athletes are poised to do their very best come crunch time. Everyone responds differently to dietary restrictions, sauna use, etc., so once again, know your athlete. Way back in the day, when I was competing and had to cut weight, I never lifted well because it played tricks in my head and I thought I was weak. If you do it right, though, it can be done very effectively. Again, know your athletes!

Will the peak meet involve a significant amount of travel? Plan ahead and don’t cut corners. If your lifters compete on Saturday and it is a 5 hour drive or a one hour flight, decide what is going to put them in the position to be most rested and ready to go. If you decide to drive, leave early Friday so you can get there in plenty of time to acclimate to the environment and get some rest. If you arrive at midnight and have to compete the next day early, you can expect to lift pretty crappy. (True story - when I had just started competing, I entered a meet in Philadelphia. I was a stupid college kid with no money so I decided to drive to the venue the night before, park my car right in front of the gym, and sleep in my

car. Needless to say, I lifted pretty crappy!)

If you fly to your competition, plan to arrive in plenty of time as well. Anticipate that the flight may be delayed or cancelled so be prepared and plan early. Find out if any of your lifters tend to be hit hard by jet lag, and see if you can get them there a day or two earlier. It is more expensive and takes more time, but their better performance will make it worthwhile. (In order to acclimate as quickly as possible and mitigate jet lag, have lifters set their watches to that new time as soon as they arrive. Follow your normal schedule of sleep based on that new time.)

Other considerations when flying:

- Make sure athletes take their gear (shoes, singlet, etc.) as a carry on. Sure enough, if you pack them in the luggage, they will lose it! Don’t roll the dice on this one!

- Bring water and snacks on the plane. Athletes have special hydration and nourishment

requirements that planes can’t always accommodate.

- If possible, schedule flights as early in the day as possible. If there are delays or cancellations, you have a better chance of still getting to your destination that day. If you have a late flight and it gets cancelled, you may be stuck until the next day. Not good!

The bottom line is that a lot of time and effort has gone into training for the peak meet; why jeopardize all that great training by getting lazy or thoughtless at the very end?