3 Ways to Change a Training Environment to Emulate a Competition
3 Ways to Change a Training Environment to Emulate a Competition
- Simulate Warm ups and Openers:
This is huge in making training mimic a competition. When peaking for a competition have 1 day a week where you train like you would compete. When working out take your warm up attempts very similar to how you will in competition. Try to work up to your openers or your last warm up before you will go on stage. Training on the minute rest periods during this session will also help you prepare. Sometimes the attempts are moving fast and you have to warm up faster than expected. Once you have completed snatches take a 10 minute rest before you start clean and jerks. We use 10 minutes due to our athletes mainly closing sessions. Repeat the same for clean and jerks.
- Music/Surrounding Atmosphere:
Competitions are way different than training when it comes to atmosphere. Its loud in the arm up room, no music, and people are everywhere. When training for these events you start with quieting the music. Don't blast your music for 3 weeks before a competition because when you are out there on the platform it is silent. Calm your mind and try not to talk a lot during training. This is especially hard for me because my second favorite thing in life is talking (First is Hayley). Focus your mind for each individual set and rep of that entire workout. A lot of people will prefer to wear a singlet or tights to train to also help with that atmosphere preparation.
- Body Weight
Training at or near competition body weight is super important in performance. This will let your body adapt and perform at a very sufficient rate. The more your body feels that weight change the better adapted you will be. Also, being down in body weight before a competition puts less stress on your body and mind.