This is why every minute of training counts …
“Platform Ready,” you hear the words from the head judge. Pull your hands from the chalk bowl. Take that last big inhale of ammonia, tunnel vision sets in.
Step on the platform and approach the rack, place one hand on the bar finding your spot, the second hand takes its place and you solidify the grip, dip your head under the bar as your pulse starts to climb, the adrenaline is full throttle.
The bar slides down your neck as you dig the gnarling into your back, placing it in that perfect position where it fits like a glove. Swing your feet under you one foot at a time making sure they firmly grip the carpet of the platform. You shift back and forth left to right to make sure the bar bites into the chalk on your t- shirt.
Take a deep breath, hold it, and pick the bar up off the rack. You and the bar are now one entity. One step back, two steps back, set your feet in your most powerful position. You look up and make eye contact with the judge, waiting for the “Squat” command.
The command is shouted. You take one last breath and brace as hard as you possibly Can. The descent starts and you make your way down to legal depth. Every muscle in your body is firing, you hit the hole. Exerting as much force as your body is capable of. The bar begins to rise as your eyes feel like they could explode from your head. You lock out the rep and hear that magical four letter word “Rack”. The bar sets back down in the place it began. The connection between you and the bar temporarily severed. Turn around and wait for the verdict of the judges, Three white lights. The lift counts.
Now catch your breath, because you get to go through this process 8 more times today.
That entire process takes an average of 20-30 seconds for me, from the time I grab the bar to the time the bar is racked.
Iʼve been in prep for my next meet since April 22nd. In that time period I will have completed close to 40 training sessions that involved my competition lifts (squat, bench, deadlift). The average session is 2 hours. With some taking as long as 3-4 depending on the session and the number of top sets. So if I did an estimate of the amount of time I will have spent training this meet prep it would be somewhere around 80-100 hours of pure weights. These 80 hours donʼt include the hours spent stretching, doing mobility work, recovery protocols etc. just pure training. Now add in the additional time spent on just recovery and mobility which I spend 5+ hours a week on outside of training time, thatʼs another 70 hours thatʼs gone into my prep. Now the total is up to 150-170 hours of time thatʼs actually tangible.
From start the finish during a meet you will spend close to 180 seconds of actually lifting. From the time you grab the bar to the time you complete or fail the lift. So average of 3 minutes total.
Take the sum of all my training and additional work for this prep. And divide it by the total time Iʼll spend lifting on the platform. For every second I spend lifting on the platform in the meet, for every attempt on the platform (9 total) thatʼs 18-19 hours of training PER ATTEMPT.
The biggest point in trying to get across is if youʼre aiming to excel in any endeavour, nothing will allow you to get around the amount of time it will take. Could I have easily cut this number down, absolutely it could be substantially cut down. But so would my progress and performance.
When the meet comes, when itʼs all on the line, the people that come out on top will be the ones who behind the scenes put in
those extra hours the other person didnʼt.
You can be the best in the world, there is always something you can get better at.
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