COMPETITION DAY - DO's & DO NOT's

So you have a big competition coming up! Are you excited? Nervous? I’ve been there myself. If you’re anything like me, your main focus right now is to go out there and perform at your best. But how?

In this article I’m going to cover a few key areas to make sure you are on the top of your game.

To be at your best, we need to address the couple of days leading up to the competition. If you haven’t prepared leading up to contest day, no last minute tips and tricks will save you.

So let’s back track just a touch.

THE RUN UP

Training

DON’T BE A HERO. The last thing you want is to go into the competition feeling banged up and sore from your training.

  • So don’t try to squeeze in any last minute hard sessions.

  • Try to avoid any intense ‘eccentric based’ training, as this style of training causes the most muscular damage and soreness.

  • Avoid any hugely demanding cardio sessions, as this will deplete your fuel stores.

DO TRAIN. My advice is to simply back-off or deload your training for 3/5 days running up to the competition.

  • Continue to train, but decrease your training load. Not so many sets and reps.

  • Try to do ‘concentric based’ lifts.

  • Stay in a rhythm with your training but don’t let it take away from your performance.

  • Skipping training could throw you off just as much as training too hard.

To summarise. Train, but take it easy. No one will care when you say…

“yeah I was terrible in competition, but man…. You should have seen me in training!”

Nutrition

Let’s try to keep this simple.

It’s a beautiful summer’s day and you decide to take a drive. So you jump in your car and realise you’re low on fuel. You start driving and don’t fill up the tank. The car breaks down. You are now totally shocked that your car stopped working! How did this happen? Can’t it just push through?

See my point?

DON’T UNDERFUEL. You need to make sure you have enough ‘fuel in the tank’.

  • Calories. If you don’t eat enough calories, you will not have enough energy to perform, you will break down.

  • Carbs. Carbohydrates are your bodies main fuel source. Nobody puts petrol in a car and worries about the car gaining weight. The car will utilise that fuel to move. You NEED carbs! So stop being afraid of them (I’ve been there too)

DO EAT. On the 2/3 days leading up to the competition:

  • Make sure you eat some additional carbohydrates

  • Throw in an extra serving or 2 of carbs (rice, pasta, potato, oats). You need the energy!

Hydration

  • Drink Water (2-4 litres a day). The optimal amount does vary based on individual activity levels, height and weight. If you want to calculate your specific amount ‘GOOGLE IT’.

*Side Note*

Get plenty of sleep. This is going to make sure you’re fully recovered and energised.

COMPETITION DAY

Before reading the following. Please consider that every competition is different. Make sure you know what times you are performing, any breaks you may get, how many matches you could potentially play, and other such details. Then, CONSTRUCT A PLAN to cater for your day.

Continuing on…

Nutrition

  • DON’T OVER-EAT. Feeling Sick, cramping, being dizzy. Does not help you perform.

  • DON’T UNDER-EAT. Feeling Hungry, moody, dizzy, tired. Does not help you perform.

  • DON’T PANIC. Without an advanced understanding of nutrition you’re not going to reach optimal meal timing and frequency.

    So follow this general advice:

  • DO. Get a good breakfast, which includes carbohydrates, early in the morning.

  • Continue to eat carbs throughout the day, but in small and frequent amounts.

  • If you can’t face the thought of eating then take a large shake or smoothie that you can sip at throughout the day.

Hydration

  • DON’T DEHYDRATE. You’re going to be sweating. You’re going to be hot. Stay topped up with water!

  • DON’T OVERDO IT. You can drink so much water that you actually lower your sodium levels. This can cause: fatigue, weakness, headaches ect.

  • Consider adding a pinch of ‘Himalayan Salt’ to your drink, to help regulate your sodium levels.

Mindset

You may have just read the last 2 points and you’re thinking… “how am i ever going to get that right?”. The thing is, you’ll never get it perfect. But if you keep a calm head, a clear mindset and do not panic… Then you won’t sabotage your performance.

The key is to BE MODERATE. Not TOO MUCH or TOO LITTLE of any one thing.

If you begin to stress out. Your mental state will have a far more significant impact on your performance than anything else discussed in this article. So, stay cool.

THE MESSAGE

Run-Up

  • Back off on training intensity

  • Make Sure You’re Well Fuelled, With Carbs

  • Stay Hydrated

Competition Day

  • Eat, but don’t over-consume

  • Stay Hydrated, but don’t over-do it

  • Keep a Cool Head… Perfection isn’t Essential

SMASH IT!