WoodyAllen
Well-known member
An interesting article. Some tips there for newbies.
http://articles.elitefts.com/training-articles/top-10-meet-day-tips-for-the-competitive-lifter/
All of our comps (PA) use Eleiko benches, bars and plates, but even so, at the Nats last year I found that the heights all changed just for that meet. Not sure what was going on. Obviously using different racks that year. Anyhoo, the point is, you gotta check your heights on the rack on which you will be competing on that day.
Also, when you check your squat bar height, put a couple of 25's on the bar. An empty bar sits higher on your back, no matter what you do. So to avoid nasty surprises, do your squat rack height check with weight on the bar. That goes for pussy monolifts too. Pussies. Further to that, its obvious to most, but if you have never used a mono before, you gotta at least do your warm ups on one or, preferably, use one a week or so out of your meet date. You are starting with your feet in you squat stance, so you just take the weight then squat. If you have never done that before, you gonna have a bad time. Or you could just go IPF style and fuck the pussies. Real men walk their weights out. Testify!!!
For bench press, personally I like the hooks to be as close to lockout height as possible, especially if you don't use a hand off guy to unrack. So, in your setup position, when you unrack, the bar should only have to move up about 1cm or so to clear the lip. At my gym it feels like the bar just slides forward into position, hardly no upward movement at all. That way its much easier to maintain back tightness. If you have to unrack a quarter rep, you gonna have a bad time.
You can get away with a lower bar height if you use someone to help unrack (pretty sure all feds/comps have an unrack/handoff guy, but, like Steve "the beast" Pritchard, you might prefer not to use them) but why do that. You are trying to get tight with bent arms. Seems silly. But whatever rocks you boat.
In a comp, rerack is never an issue as the spotters help there so the higher pin height will not be a problem.
Being a vastly superior IPF raw lifter (cough), my lifting gear list is a bit different. For a start, it doesn't have all that suit and wrap shit. Pussies. Thought that I would post my own list and maybe you guys can chime in with other stuff that you find handy. If you are a geared lifter, add tampons to the list.
Shoes: Nike Romaleos squat & Metal deadlift shoes.
Socks: short x1 Long x1 (for deadlifts, I usually just wear the long ones for the lot to save time later)
Knee sleeves
Lifting singlet/suit
Track suit (If applicable. At international comps they want you in the team suit at medal ceremonies.)
Jockeys x2 (In our fed, you gotta wear jockeys, not trunks or boxers. Two pairs in case of "creatine" issues or to throw a pair on the platform when Steve Pritchard breaks another record)
Belt
Foam roller & any other stuff for mobility, like bands or a ball to roll on.
T-shirt x2
Wrist wraps
Chalk
Towel
Drink bottle
Neurophen Plus (or panadol or whatever, just in case)
Asprin
Deodorant (cos all da bitches gonna be all over you after the comp so better not smell like a camel's arse)
Pen (Bring your own fukken pen!!! For lift attempt forms and such)
Lifting attempts forms
Membership card/ID, whatever your fed needs from you.
Shoe laces spares
Chalk. You may not need it, but I have been to comps where they have run out.
Ear buds and music player/phone for the AC/DC mix prior to lifting, if you do that sort of thing.
Screwdriver. This is in case my lever belt needs tweaking in size after a dehydrate.
Dencorub
Pre workout powder. Optional.
Electrolytes. Not optional.
Protein & carb drinks
Protein bars, cookies, fruit, chips, nuts, whatever you need to get through the comp. Meat & rice meals. I can barely eat anything on comp day so I stick to one post weigh in meal, protein/carb drinks and snacks.
Coffee x4 shots. Put in whatever drinks you want.
Ice packs. Keeps your food cool and in case of a muscle tweak or tear. Keep it all in an insulated bag.
Passport: in PA you need this in an international comp, not local comps.
Tissues. For all sorts of stuff including the normal run on toilet supplies mentioned in the article. Has happened at a PTC comp I went to. Not a pretty sight.
A big bag to put it all in.
http://articles.elitefts.com/training-articles/top-10-meet-day-tips-for-the-competitive-lifter/
All of our comps (PA) use Eleiko benches, bars and plates, but even so, at the Nats last year I found that the heights all changed just for that meet. Not sure what was going on. Obviously using different racks that year. Anyhoo, the point is, you gotta check your heights on the rack on which you will be competing on that day.
Also, when you check your squat bar height, put a couple of 25's on the bar. An empty bar sits higher on your back, no matter what you do. So to avoid nasty surprises, do your squat rack height check with weight on the bar. That goes for pussy monolifts too. Pussies. Further to that, its obvious to most, but if you have never used a mono before, you gotta at least do your warm ups on one or, preferably, use one a week or so out of your meet date. You are starting with your feet in you squat stance, so you just take the weight then squat. If you have never done that before, you gonna have a bad time. Or you could just go IPF style and fuck the pussies. Real men walk their weights out. Testify!!!
For bench press, personally I like the hooks to be as close to lockout height as possible, especially if you don't use a hand off guy to unrack. So, in your setup position, when you unrack, the bar should only have to move up about 1cm or so to clear the lip. At my gym it feels like the bar just slides forward into position, hardly no upward movement at all. That way its much easier to maintain back tightness. If you have to unrack a quarter rep, you gonna have a bad time.
You can get away with a lower bar height if you use someone to help unrack (pretty sure all feds/comps have an unrack/handoff guy, but, like Steve "the beast" Pritchard, you might prefer not to use them) but why do that. You are trying to get tight with bent arms. Seems silly. But whatever rocks you boat.
In a comp, rerack is never an issue as the spotters help there so the higher pin height will not be a problem.
Being a vastly superior IPF raw lifter (cough), my lifting gear list is a bit different. For a start, it doesn't have all that suit and wrap shit. Pussies. Thought that I would post my own list and maybe you guys can chime in with other stuff that you find handy. If you are a geared lifter, add tampons to the list.
Shoes: Nike Romaleos squat & Metal deadlift shoes.
Socks: short x1 Long x1 (for deadlifts, I usually just wear the long ones for the lot to save time later)
Knee sleeves
Lifting singlet/suit
Track suit (If applicable. At international comps they want you in the team suit at medal ceremonies.)
Jockeys x2 (In our fed, you gotta wear jockeys, not trunks or boxers. Two pairs in case of "creatine" issues or to throw a pair on the platform when Steve Pritchard breaks another record)
Belt
Foam roller & any other stuff for mobility, like bands or a ball to roll on.
T-shirt x2
Wrist wraps
Chalk
Towel
Drink bottle
Neurophen Plus (or panadol or whatever, just in case)
Asprin
Deodorant (cos all da bitches gonna be all over you after the comp so better not smell like a camel's arse)
Pen (Bring your own fukken pen!!! For lift attempt forms and such)
Lifting attempts forms
Membership card/ID, whatever your fed needs from you.
Shoe laces spares
Chalk. You may not need it, but I have been to comps where they have run out.
Ear buds and music player/phone for the AC/DC mix prior to lifting, if you do that sort of thing.
Screwdriver. This is in case my lever belt needs tweaking in size after a dehydrate.
Dencorub
Pre workout powder. Optional.
Electrolytes. Not optional.
Protein & carb drinks
Protein bars, cookies, fruit, chips, nuts, whatever you need to get through the comp. Meat & rice meals. I can barely eat anything on comp day so I stick to one post weigh in meal, protein/carb drinks and snacks.
Coffee x4 shots. Put in whatever drinks you want.
Ice packs. Keeps your food cool and in case of a muscle tweak or tear. Keep it all in an insulated bag.
Passport: in PA you need this in an international comp, not local comps.
Tissues. For all sorts of stuff including the normal run on toilet supplies mentioned in the article. Has happened at a PTC comp I went to. Not a pretty sight.
A big bag to put it all in.
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