Top 8 Things I Learned From My First Weightlifting Competition

I finally did it…at 32 years old I signed up for and competed in my first Olympic Weightlifting competition. My nerves were high but I knew that I had to do it, I needed to test myself on the platform and see how I measured up. Once I signed up I started scouring the internet to find out what I needed to know going into my first weightlifting competition. There was a a lot of very helpful advice out there and some not so helpful advice. Nonetheless, I made it through the competition unscathed so now I want to share the top 8 things I learned so maybe I can help someone else who is getting ready to enter their first competition.

1. Tapering- I found it to be extremely helpful to start tapering my training two weeks prior to the competition. What I mean is I started backing off the weight and volume of my training to give allow my body to recover and make sure I was fresh for the big day. The heaviest I ever went was my planned opening weight in both the clean & jerk and snatch. If you don’t have a tapering period in your program, I highly recommend adding one in. I used one from the guys at California Strength but there are a ton of different programs out there so pick one and try it.
2. Day Before- I lifted the day before just to keep the movements fresh and because I get a little cranky if I don’t workout but I made sure to keep the weights very light and only do singles for a few sets. Whether you lift the day before or not, just make sure not to do anything that will cause lactic acid buildup in your muscles. Also make sure not to eat anything you’re not used to; its not a good time to try that new raw squid recipe for supper. Drink plenty of water and make sure you get 7–8 hours of sleep in preparation for the big day.
3. What to take- I packed my bag the night before to make sure I didn’t forget anything. Make sure to bring your singlet, weightlifting shoes, tall socks (don’t bleed on the bar like I did), wraps/knee sleeves, USAW card (if a sanctioned meet), snacks, water, headphones (if you like to listen to music while you warm up), and anything else you might need to get you through the competition.
4. Weigh In- For you first competition don’t worry about how much you weigh, just compete at whatever weight class you happen to be in. The last thing you want to do is try and cut a bunch of weight and lose energy and strength. I competed in the 105 kg weight class and even though I typically stay pretty close to this weight I wasn’t concerned with how much I weighed.
5. Opening Weights- It is tricky picking your opening weights for Snatch and Clean & Jerk but I highly recommend picking something you know you can hit with 100% certainty. Remember, you have never competed before, it is completely different than a training session. I would rather make a good lift with a lighter weight on my opening attempt than miss a heavy weight. Once you hit your opener, you can jump up as much as you want but you can’t go lighter if you miss so pick wisely. I also found it helpful to plan my attempts for different scenarios. If I hit the opener, I would jump to x but if I missed, I would go to x weight. Your nerves will be high so having a plan will help you navigate through your lifts.
6. Warm up- This is very important and will affect your lifts on the platform. Do not start warming up too early or you risk wearing yourself out before your first lift but do not start warming up too late or you will not be adequately warmed up to lift. I started lightly stretching 1.5–2 hours before I was scheduled to start lifting just to loosen up. You can foam roll, use the lacrosse ball, bands, whatever you want. Just make sure not to start snatching this early, you will wear out. At 1 hour out, I picked up the barbell for the first time and ran through a snatch warm up without any weight; I just wanted to work on the movement. I didn’t start putting any weight on the bar until I was 45 minutes out and I made sure to start very light and load the bar little by little. I hit my last heavy warm up rep approximately 5–10 minutes before my first lift.

7. The Platform- I underestimated how nerve-wracking the platform would be. I am used to listening to loud music while people are dropping weights around me and talking to each other. You could hear a pin drop when I stood on the platform which was a very odd feeling. The other thing that was odd was having not only a judge watching me but also a crowd of people; talk about pressure. There were two things that I did that helped me: looking above the crowd so I didn’t make eye contact with anyone and just remembering to breathe. These two things are what got me through.

8. Do It- I am so happy I decided to compete, there is no other feeling like hitting that first successful lift on the platform and having people cheer for you. I always used to make excuses on why I didn’t compete: I wasn’t strong enough, my form wasn’t perfect, etc. I promise you are strong enough, your form is good enough, and you are good enough to compete; give it a shot and I guarantee you will be hooked like I am. Good luck and I hope this was helpful.