Approaching Competition: Training, Mindset, and Reflection

 Approaching Competition: Training, Mindset, and Reflection

If you’ve ever read event descriptions and questioned whether you should sign up for the competition because one of the events is out of your wheelhouse, you're not alone. I’ve had countless competitions where I have read the event list and wondered if I would be able to complete an event. In this article, we will discuss how to plan for a competition, important elements to keep in mind, and creating a focus scope for your training. 

Planning for Success

When you sign up for a competition, it is EXTREMELY rare to feel great about all five events. Most of us have one or two events at a show that make our inner-quitter scream. Here’s the deal:

YOU AREN’T GOING TO WIN EVERY EVENT AT EVERY SHOW. 

YOU AREN’T GOING TO WIN EVERY EVENT AT EVERY SHOW. 

YOU AREN’T GOING TO WIN EVERY EVENT AT EVERY SHOW. 

Is it a poor mindset to have, or is it realistic? Sure, if you’ve been competing for 6 or 7 years and are at a novice level competition, you might win every event. But as you climb up the ranks, this phenomenon will become much more rare. Strongman has too many disciplines to completely dominate every single one. Hell, even Big Z had a weakness (grip). 

So what’s it all about? 

Assessing your strengths, acknowledging your weaknesses, and planning damage control at your show. 

When I plan for a competition, I start by writing down the events, and rating the events 1-5 (or 6 if it’s a six event show). 1 would be the event you are MOST confident in. 5 would be the event you are LEAST confident in. Let me give you an example below of what this would look like… 

Event	Weight	Scale (1-6)
Axle, Block, Log Medley	275, 180, 270	2
Yoke-Sandbag-Sandbag-Sandbag	700, 220, 250, 275	4
13” Deadlift	600	6
Circus Dumbbell	180	1
Frame Carry	625	3
Sandbag Toss	15 foot bar, 35, 40, 45, 50	5

Then, I’ll dissect my events into my biggest refinement areas for each… 

Event	Refinement	Scale (1-6)
Axle, Block, Log Medley	Block Press; practice with implement.	2
Yoke-Sandbag-Sandbag-Sandbag	Cardio for third bag.	4
13” Deadlift	Overall Strength, ability to pull after yoke medley.	6
Circus Dumbbell	Practicing on a 3 inch handle.	1
Frame Carry	Speed.	3
Sandbag Toss	Consistency; ability to maintain form as weight gets heavier.	5

Analyzing in this fashion allows for us to focus our attention on our areas of refinement, and gameplan to improve before the competition. 

Now, We Plan 

You’ve identified your areas of refinement, now what? Now is the planning stage. How are you going to approach your training to best improve your chances of success at the show? 

Event	Plan
Axle, Block, Log Medley	Find a way to simulate the block or build a block to practice with. Independent practice with the block press.  Axle- Bump Press practice Log- Press Away, get through the log and axle fast, breath until the 28 second mark, then press away.
Yoke-Sandbag-Sandbag-Sandbag	Week 1: Yoke, Sandbags at 80%, 30 feet  Week 2: Yoke, Sandbags at 80%, 40 feet  Week 3: Yoke, Sandbags at 80%, 50 feet  Week 4: Yoke, Sandbags at 90%, 40 feet  Week 5: Yoke, Sandbags at 90%, 40 feet  Week 6 (Scale Back): Yoke, Sandbags 80%, 30 feet  Week 7: Yoke, Sandbags at 100%, 40 feet  Week 8: Yoke, Sandbags at 100%, 50 feet (Comp Trial Run)  Week 9: Yoke, Sandbags at 80%, 50 feet  Week 10: Rest, Competition  EXTRA: Assault Bike every workout, 10 calorie sprint, 5 calorie jog 10 minutes.
13” Deadlift	Outsource (Coaching)
Circus Dumbbell	Practice touch and go with the 3 inch handle, practice form at lighter weights for the first 5 weeks, then weeks 5-8 hammer out comp weight.
Frame Carry	Speed Picks (Picking while moving the feet), 20 foot sprints. Quick transition.
Sandbag Toss	Quickest 3 possible, technical practice with the 50.

Two Weeks Prior to the Show… Set Realistic Expectations

Now is the fun part. You saw what you could do in training. Now is the time to set realistic goals for the show. Keep in mind the effect cutting or the pace of the show can impact results. 

CLASH OF THE 90’S 

GOAL: PODIUM

EXPECTATIONS

Axle, Block, Log Medley	1st
Yoke-Sandbag-Sandbag-Sandbag	Top 3
13” Deadlift	Top 5 (Damage Control event)
Circus Dumbbell	1st
Frame Carry	Top 3
Sandbag Toss	Top 5

This was my recipe for success at clash. I figured I would overachieve in either the deadlift or the sandbag toss (turned out to be the deadlift that goes around), take the pressing events, and do well in the medleys and carry events. 

At higher level shows, the guy who makes the least mistakes and is consistently top 3 in every event tends to win. Keep that in mind when you are setting your expectations. Your goal should be to win the events that are your layups, and damage control your bad event. 

The Mental Game 

Now you have a plan, (hopefully) realistic goals), and points to your game you want to improve. Great! Now to tackle the final element. The mental game. 

Bad Days

You are going to have off days. Days where weights don’t move well. Days where your body says hell no. 

Your favorite influencer doesn’t show this part of the game. BAD DAYS HAPPEN. DON’T DROP OUT OF THE COMPETITION, DON’T GO HOME AND CRY, DON’T GIVE UP BECAUSE OF ONE BAD DAY. 

What happens after you have a bad day? Well, you don’t quit. That’s ridiculous. A better plan of action is to determine WHY you had the bad day. Did you not eat enough the day before? Did your sleep suck the night before? Are you stressed out of your mind? Is your body needing an extra day to recover? 

More than likely, your culprit is one of the above. I had one day leading into clash where I couldn’t hit competition weight on the deadlift. At the show, I pulled it for 10. So what happened? 

I slept terrible, drank the night before, and didn’t eat enough. A true recipe for success! 

I’ve always stuck to the following. I can’t remember who wrote it, or where I read it, but I learned it during powerlifting… 

• You are going to have one day where you feel like the God of the universe. 

• You are going to have two days that are completely average. 

• You are going to have one day that is less successful. 

• ONCE IN A BLUE MOON, your performance is going to fall off the face of the earth. 

Next time you have a bad day, take a deep breath. There is no reason to go home and put a hole in your poor gym owner’s wall, or in my case break your mom's fan (we can touch on this later). 

Stop Caring about what Other Competitors are doing Prior to the Competition 

EVERYONE looks good in training. EVERYONE. No one posts their bad days. I’m guilty of this as well. Here’s the reality:

• You watching the stud in your weight class hit 15 reps at competition weight when you can barely manage 5 will not make you magically hit 15 reps next workout. 

It sounds like common sense. But I’m not above this. When I first started strongman, I had this negative mindset that if I couldn’t get first in an event, I just shouldn’t compete. That’s absolutely ridiculous and a toxic way to exist. I’m disgusted I used to think like that, and glad I’ve progressed past that point. 

I tell it to my third graders all the time; you worry about you. Take care of you. Bring the best possible package to the show, and be proud of what you're bringing. I’m not the best deadlifter in my weight class. Not by a long shot. It doesn’t mean I’m not proud of the progress I’ve made. 

Do the best you can do. Find motivation in the success of others and understand that we all have different journeys in this sport. 

I Bombed an Event… What now? 

My first few shows I bombed events. My first event I ever zeroed was the circus dumbbell. I was incredibly embarrassed, and vividly remember the other competitors in my weight class smoking the event right after my failure to launch. 

I felt a ton of shame. 

Then, a bunch of competitors walked over and gave me tips on how to improve my circus dumbbell. It was then I realized… 

No one cared that I zeroed. They just want to help.

No one is going to laugh at you if you zero. Get that out of your head now. No one is going to laugh if you have a crappy performance. We have all been there. 

If you bomb an event, get ready for the next one. There is no point in “what if?” or “if I had only…”.

The events are over. Prepare for the next and kick ass the rest of the day. 

Be Proud of your Success, Acknowledge your Failures, and Reflect 

The day is done. The competition is over. You’ve come out of the show healthy and with a slew of takeaways from the event. 

Now is the time to reflect on your performance. I like to reflect on pretty much everything in my life in the following manner… 

Choose a moment you're proud of. 

Choose an area of refinement. 

Explain how you're going to improve for the next go around. 

I do this for work, for competitions, and for my personal life. Reflection will always make you better. Here’s my example from Clash… 

Moments I’m Proud of…	Taking second in the deadlift and overachieving by four repetitions.  Working through the pain of a 6 event show in an hour and a half.  Making Podium.
Area of Refinement…	Attitude prior to weigh-in. I had a poor attitude after missing weight by a pound. I should have just handled my business versus allowing myself to enter a negative mindset.
Plan for Improvement	Be more deliberate with my water cut. Don’t be lazy on the minor details.

Reflection is key. It’s what’s going to allow you to grow. Take a moment and acknowledge what you're proud of, then take some time to plan to improve. Complacency is the death of us all. No matter the outcome, we can always improve.