The Missed Opportunity  

For me it starts now, eight weeks out from my next competition. Every top set of squat, bench and dead, I follow a process of visualising what it will be like on comp day. I think about the noise the audience will make, what I will see when I look up from the chalk bowl, the walk to the platform, what I will think about and what it will feel like when I hold the barbell.  

This opportunity to visualise in every single training session means that come competition day there is nothing I haven’t seen already. I’ve quite literally done the competition in my head 30 to 50 to 100 times already before I step foot on the platform. 

I have had some hard lessons and learnt the importance of this. Back in 2018 GPC states, I literally shit the bed on the squats. This competition was held on a stage about 1metre off the ground. When I stood up to take my first squat I had no idea where to look as I was now one metre higher than I was used to.  

A couple years later my good friend Dr Paul White held a seminar on preparing for competition. He gave some advice that while simple would have served me well back at GPC states: ‘The day before competition go to the venue and visualise the event’. Had I done this, I could have stood on the stage, gotten used to it and worked out where to look.  

When visualising for the big lifts, I feel it is also very important to visualise other scenarios, good and bad. Visualising the bad and how you will overcome it will continue to bulletproof your resolve if things don’t go to plan.  

Visualisation is a very important part of the training plan. I will now use this to even prepare for a big week of lifting. This Saturday I head to Mackay to Coach Dee and Greer in competition. I have scheduled a 250 kg AMRAP on the deadlifts. All week I will be thinking about my AMRAP set: what I have to do, how I will do it and what it will feel like.  

As a big part of this group of humans move closer to competition I suggest to you all start visualising your big sessions and your competition day. Adding this to your week will align your body and mind for all your lifting. I guarantee there are kilos to be had for your total, and last time I checked we are in the business of adding kilos to our total! 🙂