Women's SPF Pro/Am Meet Recap and Prep Analysis

This meet went very well for me. Complete night and day comparison when I think back to the Women's Pro/Am meet from last year. I've learned a lot about my body's reaction to training styles and, just as important, my brain's reaction to various training and prep styles.

My goal was to just reach the SPF Elite total. I was able to do that and more.

My squat at 145 kg, bench press at 77.5 kg and deadlift at 192.5 kg gave me a total of 415 kg or 915 lbs. The SPF raw classifications for 165 lbs lifters put Elite at 853 lbs and at 181 lbs at 895 lbs. So next March I'll weigh in at the next class up and get that classification as well.

Future goals, besides SPF elite at 181 lbs...

To get international elite standing, I would need a 445 kg total at the 75 kg bodyweight class. So another 30 kg or 66 lbs. My goal for this time next year is to go for that. It might be the only time in the future I try to weight in at 75 kg again.

Prep Analysis

For the most part, I think what I did worked very well for me. It wasn't "typical" of what most powerlifters and powerlifting coaches have their athletes do as they taper for a meet. Typically, a week before you're doing your last attempts at openers, one each day. Then the week of, each day your doing the warm ups for one of the lifts. Monday is squat, Tuesday is bench, Wednesday is deadlift.

I've been training myself on much more volume than that. Volume the way I've been doing it makes me feel good mentally and physically. So I did my openers all in one day. Reasoning for myself is, I'm going to have to do all lifts in one day at the meet, best know how I'm going to feel deadlifting after some heavy squats.

Like I said, it's not typical, but it works for my brain more than anything.

Then on Monday I did the final warm ups for all lifts. Tuesday was some Olympic lifting. Wednesday was off. Thursday was partial warm ups for all lifts. Friday was speed work at 50%. Saturday was trapeze.

Trapeze? The day before the meet? You see, trapeze make me VERY VERY happy. And I did trapeze class the day before I pulled some Olympic lift PRs out of my ass at the Max's Gym Open. I'm pretty sure that trapeze class is my lucky rabbit's foot.

All in all, what I did here helped me feel physically prepared and mentally calm.

Changes I Would Make

Very few.

I missed my third squat attempt. I think in the future, a month or so out of the competition, I will force myself to take 8 minutes, more or less, between max attempts. At these meets, you have to wait for the whole flight to run through back to you, and all that sitting around, brooding about the squat, I think really did me in. Also, finding ways to not brood while waiting would be helpful.

Other than that, I feel like I did right by me. Would I prep someone else for a meet the way I prep myself? Probably not. I would go a more conventional route. Lots of rest and the like. It's a standard approach for a reason.

Now as I wait for March to roll around, I can focus on being the best GD Olympic lifter I can be and NOT on making weight for anything!