The big day is one month away! On Saturday, August 5th I compete for the first time since early 2015 at USAPL Southeast Regionals.
One of the reasons for my long hiatus from competition is that I didn’t have much fun competing at my last few meets. I put too much pressure on myself to lift well, and not enough focus on self-care and the mental side of my performance. Take being an a-hole to yourself and combine it with a bad case of the yips and you’ve got a primo recipe for disappointment.
My mental health is much better now. I’m happier with my life and confident the time I’ve spent training since January has prepared me for this meet.
Self Care
My recovery is better, thanks to a base of good sleep, hydration and nutrition.
Other things I do for recovery:
-daily myofascial release through foam rolling, lacrosse ball torture and car buffing
-weekly chiropractic adjustments from Dr. Greg Graham at Midtown Life Studio
-monthly massages from Dara at Future Perfect Massage
Other things I do for recovery:
-daily myofascial release through foam rolling, lacrosse ball torture and car buffing
-weekly chiropractic adjustments from Dr. Greg Graham at Midtown Life Studio
-monthly massages from Dara at Future Perfect Massage
Physical Therapy
Regular sessions with physical therapist Krystol Hines of Made4Movement PT have helped me out the most. Together we make sure I am moving efficiently and adjusting the imbalances that powerlifting causes.
Krystol is helping me relieve some chronic shoulder pain I was having, caused by the constant internal rotation my shoulders are in while bench pressing, squatting and deadlifting. Regularly alternating my deadlift grip (not always lifting with left hand over- and right hand underhand) during warm ups and work sets has also helped relieve the pain.
I realize investing in every recovery tactic listed above is tough with limited time and money. But if you insist on beating the shit out of your body with regular training and never make recovery a priority, it will catch up to you.
Two FREE things that also really help me relax are meditating and taking walks with my family. When I start getting anxious, I try to do one of those things, or just make myself busy doing SOMETHING more productive than worrying about the outcome of the meet.
I look forward to sharing my training progress and Southeast Regionals competition prep here over the next four weeks. Please share any questions for me in the comments!
Last week’s best squat: 308#x1, 300#x3
Last week’s best pause bench: 150#x3
Last week’s best deadlift: 305#x2
Bodyweight: 151#
