Post-Competition Reflection

For me powerlifting is one of the most satisfying hobbies. I love powerlifting, pushing myself in training and using powerlifting as a tool to improve as a person. I love training with my friends and showing the fruits of my enjoyment on the powerlifting platform.

Post-each of my competitions, I always have a period of self-reflection where I go through what I did well, what could have been better, how I want to train coming out of comp and any ideas for training on the other side of comp. I’ll talk to my coach, Charlie about where I see myself going after competition in both life and for my future competitive aspirations, and we’ll have a discussion about how my training will look to support those goals.

Here is my most recent competition recap from the JPS Spring Showdown. I am sharing this in the hope that someone reading this can get something out of it that will help them better navigate their own training and competition days. Learn from my mistakes if you will.

First of all, Jez, why are you doing this?

I love powerlifting because it gives me great joy lifting heavy sh*t off the ground. Powerlifting has given me a sense of purpose that I’ve never had before. I have met a lot of great people in powerlifting, some of whom are my best friends now. I have gained so much self-confidence through coaching and training hard alongside some great people. 

For me, weight on the bar is important. But more than that, powerlifting has shown me that I really can actually do something if I put my mind to it. That has been so hugely confidence building for me.

Results. 

Bodyweight. 99.45kg

Weight class. 100kg

Squat. 207.5 / 220 / 227.5x

Bench press. 112.5 / 120 / didn’t take my third

Deadlift. 227.5 / 240 / 250x

The lead up to competition day.

The lead up to the JPS comp was some of the most satisfying, hard training that I have ever done. I was able to hit a 230kg squat, 125kg bench and 252.5kg deadlift in training which really made me think “damn,  I might be able to put up some really awesome lifting in comp.” Training with my mates four days per week leading into the comp was a total vibe. Everyone got around each other during lifting. I loved every second of it. The effect of having a strong training environment is something that in my opinion, is extremely underrated in terms of not only enjoyment, but the effect it has on your training. Always enjoy your training. 

Throughout my whole prep I was switched on mentally and made sure I wasn’t stupid with my load selection. Oftentimes I’ll push my training harder and heavier than necessary for the sake of it; because I get carried away.  We call this unproductive hard training “junk volume”. Hard training for the sake of hard training; hard training that isn’t productive, it’s just hard and fatiguing. I really called myself out on this during this prep to ensure I wasn’t burning energy and effort on unproductive training. I did this really well

Making weight. 

Here’s a lesson that I knew in theory but had to learn the hard way: unless you are competing at a high level, powerlifting weight classes mean nothing. Don’t get caught up in them.

I competed in the 100kg weight class. To get into that weight class, I did not get to eat much the morning of competition. And looking back, my performance would have been a lot different (better) if I was able to eat and drink a bit more before weigh in. I didn’t weigh in until 2pm and lifting was from 4pm. It’s a long time to go without eating. 

I’m staring down the barrel of nationals in early December. I’m about five weeks out. Equipped with the knowledge from this competition, I’m looking at lifting in the 110kg class for nationals, so I don’t have to worry about dropping weight until after comp, when my training demands decrease.

Peaking for competition is hard and taxing. It is not a great time to be hungry and under-fed. So I’ll let myself glide into the 110kg class for nationals, then I’ll drop some weight on the other side when my training is not so demanding.

Important note: I don’t need to weigh 110kg to compete in that weight class. I just need to weigh more than 100 and less than 110. Again, no one cares what weight class I lift in. But for me, I want to put up the best performance that I can, and I’ll be better positioned to do that if I am well fuelled for my training and on comp day.

Squat.

Squats were on fire in training in the lead up to comp, but unfortunately I was not able to transfer that to my platform performance. Upon reflection, this was really the result of being under-fed on the day. I was not adequately fuelled for maximum strength. 

I also need to work on ensuring my knees are locked in my starting position. I was waiting a long time for “squat” commands because of my soft knees. That’s an easy fix; just need to keep it front of mind.

Bench press.

Honestly, I need to change my narrative around bench, in regards to my training, thoughts and feelings. I need to believe that I can do it and that I am a strong bencher. 

Right now, I treat bench as an afterthought. It doesn't get the best of me and my efforts. I pour all of my attention and effort in to squats and deadlifts, and bench gets the scraps. To facilitate this, I’m going to move bench to the position of exercise one in my training sessions. The way powerlifting programs are designed are typically that either the most physically/cognitively demanding exercises come first, or the most important exercise of the session comes first. So that’s what we’re doing. Bench is important and deserves my best effort, so it’s becoming number one.

I also need to incorporate some mobility work prior to benching, to develop more of an arch and reduce my bench press range of motion.  

Again, my strength on the day was really down and evident in my bench performance. Recall that I benched 125kg in training. 

I took a second attempt bench press at  120kg. It was an RPE 45. The rep went on for so long that people actually went to go get a coffee, they came back and I was still completing the rep. I didn’t take a third attempt. 

Treat bench like it matters.

Deadlift.

I was pumped for deadlifts by this point in the day. I felt great during warm ups and was looking forward to shifting some huge tin around. All of my warm ups moved well and my opener at 227.5kg flew. Second attempt of 240kg moved really well and I was just pumped. I thought “this could be huge.”

 250 was loaded on the bar for my third attempt. I had everyone in my ear before I stepped on the platform, all yelling at and for me. 

The strength was there, the bar moved, but unfortunately my lock out was soft (knees, hips and shoulders not all locked) so I didn’t receive a quick down command. Probably too hyped up for my own good, I didn’t wait for the down command and correct my lock out position. Instead I put the bar down pumped, and got red lights for my soft lockout and for beating the down command.

Get hyped, but not too hyped that you forget to listen to the referee.

Summary / in reflection.

The biggest win of the day: this was the most fun I’ve ever had at a meet. I had an epic crew of training partners around me that made the day a blast. The crowd really enjoyed when I lifted, which to me as a shy and introverted person, really meant a lot. My anxiety on comp day was able to subside as the meet progressed. I cracked jokes with my friends, mucked around and for me, moving through the competition day in the same way that I train made all the difference. I loved the environment of the day. 

My own performance was somewhat disappointing and something I just need to work on, which will come from more competition experience under my belt. I love that I can have powerlifting as a hobby and that I really enjoy what I do. 

Now to do well at USAPL Nationals and then get jacked, get more athletic and have a long, much-needed off season.

In summary my readers:

• Don’t cut weight for a local meet. If you want to put up big numbers in competition, don’t destroy your performance to make it into a weight class that doesn’t matter and that no one cares about.

• Respect all three lifts. They are all important and all contribute to your total. Bench matters.

• Get pumped, but not too pumped. Find your optimal arousal and then figure out how to achieve that. It’s important to be ready to lift, but if you forget to follow the rules of the sport, it’s all for nothing.

Big thanks to:

My coach Charlie Athanassiou who is an awesome coach. He has made me love training, among making me a better lifter.

My training partners. You guys are the best and it was a pleasure to be there with you on the day, and I so appreciate training with you.

The referees at the comp who got around me and who made sure that the lifting was completed at a high standard. Guys, thank your referees. They work hard.

My Mum and Dad. They have always supported me in whatever it is I do. They always make sure that I do things because I want to, not because I have to. I love them to the ends of the Earth.

 JPS for hosting a very well run meet. 

More adventures of J-Hole coming soon.