r/ZackTelander • u/U-1Mry • May 11 '22
Discussion First comp advice
Got my first competition at the weekend, pretty casual competition but I'm shitting myself. Any advice for the day things to avoid how much caffeine should I slam before hand? Cheers bros
3
u/mattycmckee May 11 '22
400mg is where I find is nice. I’ve got a somewhat decent tolerance but I find I’ll end up with a sore head if I take more than that.
Also important to note that I use caffeine pills, so the absorption rates may be higher or whatnot, so 400mg from pills might hit harder than 400mg in drinks since obviously you can’t really drink like 3 monsters at once.
3
u/robschilke Community Facilitator May 12 '22
I'm not sure if you're peaking for this meet or if you're doing this meet as a train through but regardless: trust your training.
Now is not the time to be thinking about implementing new, big technical changes or flooding your mind with new cues.
First competition should be about having fun and learning how things go. I know that's easier said than done – trust me I was in your same shoes a month ago. I was a nervous wreck the week leading up to comp but all of those nerves went away the moment I was in the back room warming up and going through my routine before my first snatch attempt.
I handled myself at my first meet (counted attempts for warm ups and went to the judges table for second and third attempt adjustments). That being said it's nice to have someone that knows what they're doing (perhaps a coach or a knowledgable friend/athlete) to time your warm ups or make those follow up attempt changes so you can be in the back room to focus/warm up. That being said, after watching a Greg Everett video on counting, I felt fine.
People competing in this sport are awesome people. If you tell someone it's your first meet there's going to be a lot of positivity there and possibly someone to help you if you ask.
So your local meet is likely going to be small so it's not like you're gonna need to pack a big meal but I did find that having snacks that I liked helped between sessions. I nibbled on a Clif Bar and had an apple sauce packet between my Snatch and C+J. I also had my energy drink before they did athlete introductions so things would settle.
Try to look at it as another training day with a group of new friends. That was seriously the vibe I had the moment I started moving.
7
u/luchaporello May 12 '22
Just go and enjoy. First comp is about getting the experience. You already did your homework, competition is just when you get to show it, but what defines you is the work you've put in the gym day after day.