Congratulations! You just wrapped up your training cycle and competed in your contest. How did you do? Did you get your lifts in? Did you get any PR's? Did you have any problems or missed any lifts? How many trophies did you bring home? What lessons, if any did you learn from your contest?

OK, whats the next step? Do you have a plan to evaluate what you did? Most lifters come home and start right back training. I highly recommend to most of the lifters on our team to take a few days rest after they compete. Why? The taxation on the Central Nervous System, recovery needed for any stresses, pulls, or strains, as well as to recover Mentally. The emotional roller coaster that you go through during a meet can be just as taxing as the physical stress your body goes through to accomplish the lifts. Take some time off. Do some PreHab/ReHab. Stretching, foam rolling, active recovery, and re-hydration are all essential parts to your success for the next training cycle and contest. 

Did you video tape your lifts? This is a great tool for studying your weak points, form, technique, and sticking points. If you can study your lifts; (AND BE HONEST WITH YOURSELF- your ego can be detrimental to your progress). If you missed a lift, study the video. Find out why. If you missed a lift on a technical issue, then find a seasoned/veteran lifter and ask them what happened. Be sure to ask someone that is gonna be brutally honest with you! The worst thing is to have too many "Yes Men" tell you that your lift was AWESOME, when it looked like your spine was gonna snap on your last deadlift! Honest feedback is what you need to hear to get better. It may not be what you WANT to hear, but is is what you NEED to hear!

When you set up your next training program, make sure to incorporate any exercises to combat those weak areas or sticking points. I really don't believe in the term "Off Season" training. You should always be training to get better! If this means setting up a test and tune meet to prove your next program was correct, then do it. Don't let yourself get "comfortable" and non-focused by doing haphazard style training. Just because you "want to try" a new exercise; is that new exercise going to really help you or hurt you. If you are a newbie lifter, stick with making your form better and your technique excellent before you start trying something new because you found it on YouTube!

The last point that I am going to make here is based on so many real issues from new lifters. This point should have been included in the last Blog post, but here it is in this one. Why? Because it should also be included in your post meet evaluation as a learning tool. Throughout my career as a lifter, official, meet director, and former State Chairman; I ALWAYS here these statements from new lifters..."Well, I didn't know that was a rule", or "I wasn't told...". First, it is YOUR responsibility to know the rules of the federation that you are going to compete in. Most all of the feds have web sites and have their rules of performance listed on their web sites. Know what equipment they use at the meet. Know what gear you can use BEFORE you show up. If you can't find it on their web site, then call the meet director and ask. Attend the rules clinic before the meet! Don't assume that you know the rules just cause you are the baddest man in the gym. Don't go to the meet not knowing the rules, then comeback home and try to figure out what happened. 

Get better or get worse! Get feedback or get left back! Now go get to the gym!

Stay Strong, Niko