Competitions - Part 5

Competition Warm-ups

Competition warm-up rooms are hectic. They’re filled with lifters trying to coach themselves through their first competition, coaches who aren’t 100% sure how the process works, athletes going all ways and often a bunch of people who shouldn’t be there but are somehow still in there, because it’s the ‘place to be’. Go away. Let the lifters and coaches crack on with their job. The competition host has provided chairs for spectators. Go use them. Chat later.

Anyway, the basic competition format is fairly simple. The bar can only go up in weight. Once the competition barbell has been loaded to a certain weight, there’s no going back. The competition is run in order of declared openers. i.e. lowest weight first, working up to the heaviest weight.

If multiple lifters are opening on similar weights, the order in which lifters are called to the platform will get very choppy. If lifters take attempts heavier than their previous lift, but lighter than your next lift. They will be called to the platform first. You can end up with substantial waits between attempts at some competitions. It’s your coaches job to manage these ‘wait’ times and have you ready in time.

If multiple people are opening at the same weight, it can be handy to open 1kg lower (to get yourself on the board without the added stress of not knowing when you're lifting) or 1kg heavier than the pack to minimise chances of long waits between attempts.

The same weight can be attempted by all lifters, but once a successful attempt is made by a lifter, they will have an automatic 1kg weight increase for their next attempt. You or your coach can make changes to this next declared weight.-  e.g. you lift 100kg, automatic increase to 101kg, you declare 105kg. You then wait until the competition bar reaches 105kg for your next attempt.

Each lifter has 3 attempts in the Snatch and the Clean and Jerk and has 1minute to attempt the lift. If a lifter misses, or is following themselves, they have 2minutes. When warming up, your coach will do something called ‘counting the board’. This is a best guess as to how many lifts will be made before it’s your turn to go out on the competition platform. Based on this number and knowing its most likely 1min per lifter + a few min to account for missed lifts. You can estimate how long you have to warm up and get ready to go out on the platform.

Once you know how long you have (approximately). You can time your warmup.

Its handy to have practiced a warmup sequence in training to know how much time you need. In competition, aim to do a warmup lift every 3 competition lifts, this will keep up a pace of a lift every 2-3min. For example, if you’re opening on a 100kg snatch. Your warmup might look something like so;

- Barbell and general warmup – 3 min
- 50kg – muscle snatch and power snatch - 2 min
- 60 kg – snatch 2 min
- Rest – 1 min
- 70 kg – 1min
- Rest – 1 min
- 80kg – 1 min
- Rest – 2 min
- 90kg – 1 min
- Rest – 2 min
- 95kg – 1min
- Rest – 2 min
- OPENER on platform 100kg.

Your warmup will likely take 20min. You then know, you should start warming up when there’s 20 or so lifts ahead of you. There will be missed lifts and a number of 2min clocks. Account for a couple of these in your timings. If you’re likely to need to grab a drink or go #1 during warmup, you’ll need to account for this also. Don’t forget about the presentation of lifters. This takes time and if you’re one of the first few on the platform. You’ll need to have started your warmup before presentation. You will also have a 10min break between Snatch and Clean and Jerk at most competitions.

Put all your kit on and zip up your singlet early on in the warmup. It saves hassle when it’s time to go. Water, sweets, music, chalk, smelling salts…whatever you need with you in warmup. Have these in your gym bag ready and to hand. Don’t wander off mid warmup to go find things.

Once you know how many lifts you have ahead of you, count backwards to know how many lifts ‘out’ from your competition start you are.

- Barbell and general warmup – 20 - 25 lifts remaining.
- 50kg – muscle snatch and power snatch – 18 lifts remaining
- 60 kg – snatch – 15 lifts remaining
- 70 kg – 12 lifts remaining
- 80kg – 9 lifts remaining
- 90kg – 6 lifts remaining
- 95kg – 3 lifts remaining
- OPENER on platform 100kg.

If you get caught out and need to slow down, spend a little longer on the lighter weights to keep ticking over. If you really overdo it and are way ahead of schedule, back off and drop back down in weight. If you find yourself in this situation, do this as soon as possible. It’s always easier to slow down than speed up and rush!

Things get a little trickier once you get past your opening lift. You’re in the thick of it now and have to make some assumptions as to what changes other lifters will make. If you’ve opened on 100kg and want 105kgfor your next lift, but two other lifters have hit 100 on their 2nd attempts, its likely they’ll also be wanting something between 101kg and 105kg for their attempts.

Bumping your 2 attempt up to 106kg may push both lifters to take their (lighter) attempts before you, giving you more time to rest in between attempts if you need the extra time. If both other lifters call for 105kg - you’re going out first. - All things for you or your coach to consider.

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