Comp is done. Now what?

Training for a powerlifting meet can be so much fun and can really encourage you to push hard in your training. You see all of your hard work come together as you step on the platform. You have a blast making friends in the warm up room and making some noise on your stage.

Then the bar hits the floor after your final lift. Now what?

The “post-comp blues” are a very common experience. Many lifters will report less consistent and less productive training in this post-competition period, which sucks. How you approach your off-season training is just as, if not more important than slamming your meet prep. This is where we lay our foundations.

So how can we set ourselves up for a productive off-season, rather than sinking deep in to the post-comp blues, and the lousy training that comes with it?

1.     Set clear goals and have direction for your training.

When you are preparing for a competition you have laser focus. You are focused on shifting the most amount of tin possible on competition day, and you can see the value of every individual session in the lead up.

We can (and dare I say, should) have a comparable focus in our off-season training. And we can achieve this by having a clear understanding of your goals after competition, and we need to set these early, before we drop in to a pit of despair.

Your post-competition goals might be along the lines of:

• Getting more jacked by eating up and spending more time doing hypertrophy/bodybuilding work – so that you’ll have more muscle mass on you the next time you get on the platform.

• Bringing up deficiencies in your movement/technical skills, so that you are better able to execute the competition lifts in the future. EG, by tempo and paused variants, or just working really closely with your coach on specifics of your skills that need work.

• Learning a new competition variant. EG, perhaps you’ve always deadlifted conventional and want to try sumo; perhaps you’ve always squatted in flat shoes and want to try heeled shoes.

• Pursuing entirely different athletic endeavours and developing your athleticism elsewhere. EG, playing social sport, running, swimming, dancing, climbing.

• Perhaps you want to change weight classes – the post competition period is a great opportunity to gain or lose weight; to fill a weight class out or cut down.

Getting really clear on these goals very promptly post-competition, or even beforehand can be extremely valuable in helping you find direction and purpose swiftly, when you might otherwise find yourself flailing. Your coach can help you with this. Chances are they know you and your lifting more intimately than anybody else and can propose some possible paths forward for you

At The Strength Fortress we have our lifters to complete a “post-meet reflection” to prompt them to reflect on how the day went. It includes questions like:

• Would you consider the day a success? Why or why not?

• What do you feel went really well?

• What did you feel didn’t go so well?

• Did you learn any specific lessons?

• Have your goals shifted since the meet?

• Do you have competition plans for the next 6-12 months?

• At what body weight?

• Do you have any requests or ideas for your upcoming programs?

• How do you think you can improve from here?

Again, and I can’t emphasise this enough, this post-competition planning and goal setting is imperative for having clarity and direction at this time.

I have previously shared a blog with some of reflections following my last competition. You can read it here.

One of my fellow coaches at TSF, Billie has done the same. Perhaps you can draw some insight and inspiration from our thoughts. You can read her blog here.

2.     Spend time away from the big three and enjoy different types of training.

This is a bit of an elaboration of the above, but it’s worth expanding upon and deserving of it’s own point. For off-season enjoyment and gains, setting non-SBD goals can help you to avoid monotony and push harder during training. We can train for powerlifting and improve in the powerlifts, without performing the powerlifts themselves.

Use the off season as an opportunity to try some different variations and build up some non-SBD lifts; set goals to improve in your accessories. Get freaking strong in your front squats, trap bar deadlifts, DB bench, high bar squats, RDLs, bent bar bench. Pick a one or two or a handful of accessories to absolutely blow up. Treat them like main lifts and approach them with intensity.

This will help you get stronger and build more muscle. But it will also help with motivation and to have you bring more intensity to your training. Maybe you don’t get pumped for 3x12 cable rows, but you do get pumped about blowing up your 3RM front squat. All of this – training intensity, motivation, more muscle, more strength in accessories will foster carryover to your SBD once you get back into the main lifts again.

3.     Take time out for yourself. Refresh yourself both physically and mentally.

During competition prep it is very common for lifters to adopt a very narrow focus on training and competition. They allocate more time for sleep, nutrition is more consistent, training is number one and takes a higher priority over a social life and other activities. This, if allowed to continue for an extended period of time however can lead to major burnout due to a lack of balance in other areas of life.

Post-competition, proactively add back in things that you love and enjoy that have been missing. Go out and enjoy meals with friends, go out for social events, have a drink, stay up late, eat Nonna’s cooking, go for a long hike that might mess up your training for a few days. Hell, put in some longer hours at work because you have the time and energy to pour in to other things now. Be really proactive in restoring some equilibrium and making powerlifting less salient in your life.

After competing, oftentimes lifters feel lost in their journey of training. However, with the clear goals, a supportive network of friends, coaches and training partners, excitement to do things that aren’t powerlifting and an emphasis on rest and restoration -- can set yourself up for a not only a highly productive off season, but a really enjoyable one too. Powerlifting success is built from putting in the work, consistently, for a long time, which starts with your off-season.