How to know you are ready to compete in your first weightlifting competition?
You might be asking yourself should I compete in a weightlifting meet?
How and when should you compete in the sport of Olympic Weightlifting?
If you have been training for a few months or even a few years and have never competed, I suggest you jump in; the water is safe. Competition might seem scary, but there is nothing more rewarding than pushing yourself outside your comfort zone. Competition is also a great way to validate your training and work towards your goal. My advice is don’t wait too long to get the first competition in the books. If you have been training for more than 3 months, you are already past due. I often hear, “I don’t want to compete until I can win,” or “When I hit that 300kg total, I will be ready”. We suggest, at a minimum, that beginner athletes should be competing at least 4-5 times per year in a sanctioned meet. That might seem like a lot for someone that is just getting into the sport, but your future weightlifter self will thank you.
Imagine being an avid golfer, going to the driving range 5 days a week, every week for a year but never actually playing a full game on a course. You would soon realize that you were unprepared to play a full match. Competition in any sport is an acquired skill, and with repetition and more competitions under your belt, you will improve this skill over time.
“Competing is a skill and with repetition and more competitions under your belt you will improve with this skill. ”
Let’s take a moment and talk about competition objectives and what those goals should be for your first-ever competition. It’s easy to arbitrarily pick a total or a new snatch PR that you have not hit in the gym. I’m all for aiming high, but the reality is you need to be realistic and accept that. Attempting to rise to the occasion with numbers you never hit before, in an environment you never lifted in before, and participating in a process you’ve never done before, is a bet I wouldn’t make.
Simple objectives for athletes going into their first competition
Be prepared to have fun; if you let your coach drive the experience, you are in for a fantastic ride and will probably want to do it again.
Go for a 6/6 performance. This means that you will successfully white light all three of your snatch and all three clean & jerk attempts.
Be prepared to learn from the overall experience. This is an opportunity to learn the “end to end” process and for your coach to learn how you perform under a little pressure.
You’re Ready. Where to start?
At a high level competing in the sport of weightlifting may seem straightforward, but so does the sport of golf looking from the outside in. It can be endlessly frustrating if you have never played a golf game before.
Finding a competition
Where to find a competition? Take a look at USA Weightlifting. You are going to need to be a member of the federations before you compete. Pricing varies for membership type, depending on age and if you want to pay monthly or annually.
Once a member of USA Weightlifting, you still have a few more boxes to check. All members and coaches are required to take SafeSport and take the Anti-Doping education provided by USADA. Although you may not be taking PEDs, I suggest you look over all the USADA material, as even some doctor-prescribed or over-the-counter medications are considered banned. Ensure you adhere to the USADA guidelines; for example, Sudafed, which may seem benign, is on the banned list.
Next, you should start looking for a competition in your area. You can find sanctioned local meets on BARS (Barbell Administration and Results System); here is the link. I would suggest you find something local. As a first-time competitor, you want to make the day as easy as possible. Sometimes a weigh-in will be early, so the last thing you want is to drive 2-3 hours at 4 am. Look for events in a low-key environment, perhaps a competition hosted at a Crossfit gym. I would also suggest you register early so that you know your spot is locked in. Speaking from experience, we run several meets a year, and we find that we nearly always have a waitlist of people who cannot get in.
Talk to your coach
Before you register for the competition, make sure your coach is ready to buy in and is also available to coach you on that day. The competition will be 100 times easier if you have a coach to lead you through the chaos.
Singlet aka Adult Onesie?
One of the biggest blockers for newer athletes to the sport of Olympic Weightlifting is the singlet or what some call the adult onesie. it’s understandable how a skin-tight outfit can make some people feel uncomfortable. The good news is that you are not the only one; everyone else will also be wearing a singlet, and technically you only need to wear it for a total of 6 minutes. For any sanctioned competition, the singlet is mandatory. However, if you want to wear a solid color shirt and a pair of compression or yoga pants underneath, it’s completely within the rules. Just make sure the base layer under the singlet has no pattern. The rules are pretty simple with regard to dress, and there are several great brands to look for, like Virus or Fleo.
30 days out from Competition
If you are a true beginner and still learning the competition lifts (Snatch, Clean and Jerk), training may be fairly normal leading up to the competition. A linear approach to training ramping you up into competition is completely acceptable. If you’ve been training for a while and are a bit more confident with the competition lifts, your coach may run you through a period of specificity as part of direct competition preparation. During this period of training, sessions may start to mimic the competition a bit more. There may be a higher concentration on “full” competition lifts, perhaps fewer complexes, and a reduction in training volume. This is all dependent on the individual coach or training program.
I would suggest now that you are a member of USA Weightlifting to take the free, yes I said free referee exam. This way, you will understand all the rules, making for a better experience. The study and final exam can be completed with a few hours of time investment.
2 Weeks Out
In most cases, you will test for openers as you approach competition. Some coaches prefer to go all out and go for absolute maximums. Others may just test your openers, perhaps 92-95% of your current 1RM (1 rep max). At Austin Barbell, we prefer to test one potential openers and not go for an absolute new 1RM. However, everything is dependent on the individual athlete. We also favor testing C&J and Snatch on separate days. Testing C&J first about 10-12 days prior to an event and Snatch 6-8 days before.
1 Week Out
Being that you are doing this event to learn the process and have fun, there is no immediate need to cut weight. Most local meets are scales and run based on a Sinclair coefficient. Similar to a grading curve, it levels the playing field so an athlete that weighs less can be competitive with the heavier athlete that lifts more.
A word of warning if you were thinking of cutting weight. If the goal is to qualify for another event, it makes perfect sense to compete in your respective body weight class. Cutting weight and knowing how your body responds to a weight cut is an art in itself. This is why it’s important to understand how your body responds to rapid weight loss. The last thing you want is to add even more pressure on a day where the objective is to have fun.
24 Hours Out
By now, you should’ve been contacted by the meet director with a start list. There is no guideline for when a start list is released, but generally, it’s the week of the competition. This is essentially the schedule for the day. The start list will have all the details you need for comp day. Each session will have a weigh-in time and start time. The weigh-in time will last an hour. So if you are scheduled to weigh in at 1p, it will last an hour, ending at 2p. It’s critical that you show up during that window of time, or you will not be allowed to compete.
There is a good chance you will need to weigh in early. Sleeping well the night before is going to be one of the most important things you can do. It’s best to plan your day prior so that you don’t find yourself out with friends at midnight when you are scheduled to weigh in at 6 am. In the event you have trouble sleeping the night before because you feel anxious, it’s ok and completely normal to feel some pressure. Try to use that extra energy created from the anxiety on the competition platform. Let’s face it you are about to do something remarkable that most people would never have the courage to do. Remember you are doing this to have fun and to learn from the experience.
What to bring on Gameday
Ensure you bring your entire lifting kit such as knee sleeve wraps, wrist protection, tape, and belt. I would also suggest no last-minute, day-of-competition equipment changes or upgrades. It’s always best to use the same equipment that you train when you compete. For example, don’t start wrapping your knees on comp day if you have never used knee wraps in the past or in training. This includes taking your new singlet for a test drive in training before completion to ensure you are comfortable with the fit. You will want to be sure you have a complete range of motion and that it’s not too snug. Also, a word of advice, please ensure it’s not transparent. Some of the lower-quality singlets can be unintentionally revealing.
Planning well will relieve a ton of pressure and make things run smoothly. For the day of competition, I typically suggest that athletes, at a minimum, bring the following items.
Equipment
- Singlet
- Belt
- Weightlifitng Shoes
- Socks
- Knee or Wrist Wraps
- Thumb Tape
- Towel
Food (Fuel)
- Pedialyte (2 Bottles)
- After weigh in Snack (starchy carb, bagel, instant Ramen or rice)
- Dextrose based, intra session carb for between snatch and C&J session
Miscellaneous
- Bring your ID, or birth certificate
- Copy or picture of your USAW Memebship
- Nail Clipper (you never know)
- Pen and Paper to write your warmup plan on
As for your belt it can be any style, velcro, leather, powerlifting style it doesn’t matter. You will need to make sure it is the correct width. Your belt can be no more than 4” or 12cm wide. Most local meets will overlook this but dont be surprised or get angey if someone measures your belt. Rules are Rules… You can check out all the IWF equipment rules here.
Competition Day
On the day of the competition, you should make a point to show up on time for weigh-in. Again, the weigh-in window is one hour, and there are no exceptions to the rule. If you are late, you will not be able to compete officially. If you are under the age of 18 years old, you will be required to wear your singlet at the weigh-in. Athletes aged 18 and older on the day of the weigh-in have the option to weigh in wearing a singlet. Athletes who are required or choose to wear singlets at weigh-in will not be given any allowance to account for the weight of the singlet. The athlete must be within the bodyweight category. This included the singlet.
When you weigh in, you will be asked to show your ID and a picture or copy of your USAW membership card. This should go without saying, but the details on your ID and member card should match the name on the start list.
Your Opening Attempts
You will also be asked for your openers or, rather, opening Snatch and Clean & Jerk at the weigh-in. Ideally, you should have discussed this with your coach and have a plan in mind. You want your openers to be obtainable and well within your capabilities. With your openers, you need to consider the 20kg rule. What this means is that your openers need to be within 20kg of your stated entry total at registration.
Let’s use a 100kg entry total as an example. This means that your combined opening snatch and clean & jerk can +/- 20kg (as low as 80kg or as high as 120kg). This rule applies to all athletes regardless of category or weight class. In some circumstances, for Masters competitions, they may have a 20% rule instead of the 20kg rule. With the 20kg, this doesn’t mean your final total needs to be within 20kg, only your combined opening attempts.
A good rule of thumb for first-time competitors is to go with 85-90% of your 1RM.
After Weigh-In
Soon after weigh-in, you should eat your post-weigh-in meal, don’t wait until the last min. You will need energy, and it will take time for your body to process the intake of carbohydrates and sodium. As mentioned previously, make sure you have a weigh-in meal or snack ready. More than likely won’t be time to “go find something” or head to Whataburger for a “Number 3” with bacon. And… you don’t need the stress. My personal favorite for a post-weigh-in meal is instant Ramen. Why? It travels exceptionally well and can be made anywhere with just hot water, 50g of carbohydrates per bowl, 1500mg of sodium, and H2O. Everything a weightlifter needs to go heavy for a short duration of time on comp day. If you are concerned about hitting your macro goals on the day of the competition. Simply don’t be; you can resume your diet after you compete and celebrate 1st weightlifting meet.
After you eat, you should relax and take in the day, and perhaps your coach will be working on your warmup plan.
After weigh-in, you will have just under 2 hours of time before your session begins. That doesn’t mean you will be taking your lift in 2 hours. At the 2-hour mark, just before lifting begins, athletes will be called up for athlete introductions. You must be present for introductions, or you will not be able to compete. After athlete introductions, a 10 min clock will commence. When the 10 min timer is over, the clock will be reset to 1min for the first athlete in the start order to take their opening attempt.
When to start your warm-up?
Everyone thinks they need hours to warm up on competition day. Your competition warmup routine should be specific and similar to training but more streamlined.
Before you warm up, make sure you have your competition kit ready, you should have your singlet on; you can wear something over it if you prefer. One of the most important pieces of advice you can take from this article is that you don’t control the schedule or the outside variables of competition. You just don’t want to be waiting in line for the bathroom when you should be warming up.
About 25-30 minutes before athlete introductions, you can start stretching and moving the bar around. Your start time will be dependent on who lifts before you. For most athletes, an 18-26 min warmup for snatch is more than adequate. This would be including 2-3 min of rest between sets (less rest at the start of warmup). Below is a sample warmup plan for an athlete opening at 40kg. Your coach may +/- sets based on what’s happening with the start order.
Snatch Warmup Plan
26min | 15kg - (3x) Power Snatch
24min | 15kg - (3x) Power Snatch
22min | 25kg - (2x) Power Snatch
20min | 35kg - (2x) Power Snatch
18min | 40kg - (2x) Power Snatch
15min | 40kg - (2x) Squat Snatch
12min | 45kg - (1x) Squat Snatch
09min | 50kg - (1x) Squat Snatch
06min | 55kg - (1x) Squat Snatch
03min | 57kg - (1x) Squat Snatch
00min | 60kg - Opener
Your Ready for the platform
Now that you’ve warmed up, your coach should direct you to the competition staging area, where you will wait for your opening attempt. If time is on your side, your first and last attempt in the warmup area should only be a 3-4 minute gap.
Expect a little chaos
The start order is forever changing, so from a coaching perspective, best guesses when you will make your attempts. This is all part of the experience.
Final Thoughts
If you are ready to compete in the sport of Olympic Weightlifting, check out our events and competitions.
We are holding our next Weightlifting Meet (lift-Töber Fest) on Nov 12th.
Have fun, and aim for that 6/6 performance.