Mistakes to Avoid in Competition

This article is based off of my most recent competition at USPA World’s so will have a bit of a bias towards that meet specifically. There will be nuggets regardless of your barbell sport though. So off to the races!

For me a big hurdle at this meet in particular was a few injuries I had coming into the meet. I tweaked my back a couple of weeks prior and the month before banged my shoulder up pretty bad. If this is a similar situation that you find yourself in then you need to check your ego. My goals were a 625lb squat, 500lb bench and 705lb pull at the beginning of the cycle. If I was still wanting those numbers I likely would have bombed out by the time I got to bench press. So Tip 1 is to be realistic when evaluating your attempts, and always open light. For powerlifting I wouldn't open higher than 90% of what you want for your third attempt. No one cares that you attempted an 800lb deadlift if you don’t get it off the ground. Remember this is specific to Powerlifting. In strongman where we see rep fest situations, be smart with how many reps are realistic. Don’t get hurt for a local meet. In Weightlifting I have no idea what you should be thinking for attempt selection. Maybe a bit higher than 90% but remember you need to get something on the board so be smart and don’t go too ham too quickly.

A second issue that surfaced for me was judging. Our meet in particular was held on Sunday. The judges have been at it since Thursday. They are only human and you can’t expect perfection after three eight hour days of non-stop judging. A bad call or at least close call is going to happen. Really the best way to avoid this is to go to a meet that happens on only one day or be in a lighter weight class. Us big fellas always go on a later day. If you get called on depth of your squat but it was close then you need to work on leaving no doubt. If it could go either way then be ready for the call to go against you. Get your butt down and don’t be a sore loser.

Listen to the calls! If you have to wait for down command on a jerk, log press, or deadlift then you need to get your head right and LISTEN! I was guilty of this on my second squat attempt. I started my squat just before the command and it cost me a podium finish. That’s a dumb thing to lose a meet on. Don’t be stupid. Pay attention!

A final thing that gave me a bit of a mind-screw was my first deadlift attempt. It was supposed to be around 620lbs but they loaded it to 606lbs. I lifted it anyway then checked in at the desk to double check. It was loaded wrong and I should have checked before I lifted as it changed what I did for my second attempt and may have played a part in my 3^rd attempt miss. But hey, I didn’t call them on it so that’s my fault not theirs. Always check your equipment and make sure everything is set up exactly how you want it to be. You are there to perform at your best and you need to make sure all variables are set

to give you the best chance at success. So in Powerlifting make sure everything is chalked like you need it to be and double check the weights. The same is true for Weightlifting. In strongman you have more to mess with. Make sure your kegs and sandbags are set up how you want them to be. Make sure the log handles are facing the right way, and for the love of God, pre-tacky your stones!

I hope at least one of these tips helps you out in some way or at least gets you thinking about how you compete. As always feel free to reach out if you have any questions or want to chat about training.

Talk soon,

Dan Mason

Strongman competitor in the 242lb and 275lb classes and a pro powerlifter in the RPS 275lb class. He is also an Elite level lifter in the USPA/IPA. He holds instructor level ranks in Taekwondo, Muay Thai, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He has been training people for strength and martial arts since 2004.

You can follow Dan on Instagram @RoninStr
For training and nutrition advice and tips email roninstr@gmail.com