06 Oct Tips for Meet Week and Meet Day

By: Lisa Guggisberg

I am a creature of habit.  Just like an old lady or a cat, I don’t like change.  So when it comes to meet week and meet day I have a SOP (standard operating procedure).  It’s been fairly successful for me.  So here are a few tips and things I do come meet week and meet day:

[wa-wps]

Meet Week:

I review and look over Brian Carroll’s Weight Cutting e-book.  This is the day I usually start my water loading and weight cut.  You can read specifically how I cut weight in the eBook found HERE.  This is the exact weight protocol I follow.

I work a pretty stressful job which is dictated by deadlines so I always make sure I am ahead of schedule so that I have the least amount of stress possible during meet week.

Depending on how far I am traveling and the day of the meet I usually take a few days off prior to the meet so I can finalize things around the house, get things packed, double and triple check my gear bag without having to rush. I give myself plenty of time to get this stuff done.

I make multiple lists of things I will need and check them off as I pack them.

I usually see the chiro and get a massage the Monday or Tuesday before a Saturday meet.

Most importantly I deload the entire week.  I usually take my openers about 10 days out before the meet and then shut it down.  I still go to the gym during meet week but only to do light work and just to keep the blood flowing.

I make sure I have exact directions to the hotel I am staying at, confirm reservations, and check the drive time from the hotel to the meet location. 

I try to get to the meet location at least a day before weigh in’s and basically settle in and bunker down for the rest of the weight cut.

The night before weigh ins I usually never sleep but do try to get some sleep which means taking a higher level of melatonin and sleep aid if needed.  I bring my own pillow and anything that is easily carried and will make my stay more comfortable.

Bring your equipment to weigh ins for equipment checks.

Know your opening attempts at weigh ins.  They will probably ask for them.

Post weigh ins I follow the protocol in Brian Carroll’s Weight Cutting ebook and follow Brian’s advice of “if you’re not eating, you’re drinking”.

The night before the meet I make sure I eat a good meal before 8:00 p.m.; otherwise I will be up all night with stomach troubles.  I also bring my gear bag into the hotel, triple check to make sure I have everything, know where it is located in my bag. Pull out the clothes I plan on wearing the next morning and lay everything out.  I go to bed early.

Meet day:

I wake up early with enough time to make sure I have time to eat and plenty of time to drive to the meet location.  I give enough time in case there is traffic or I get lost.  Have the gym info, telephone number, in case you get lost.

I eat my normal breakfast.  I never change this. I don’t want to eat anything out of the ordinary that might upset my stomach.

I get to the location early and stake out a good location in the warm up room.

I bring plenty of food.  Meet day is not the day to worry about following a diet.  Eat things that won’t upset your stomach. My go to is peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, poptarts, twizzlers, bananas and plenty of water and energy drinks.  MAKE SURE YOU EAT ALL DAY LONG and KEEP DRINKING!

Bring a cell phone charger and get a location in the warm up room next to an outlet.

Go to the rules briefing.  Every federation is different. If you have questions ask them.  Don’t get to the platform and not know the rules or decide to ask a question then.

Bring a handler.  I did an article about how important a handler is here.  Don’t do a meet without one. It’s just dumb.

Bring a blanket or sweatpants/sweatshirt (get your 10/20/Life hoodies here!) in case the warm up room is cold.

Bring ice in a cooler.  You never know when you might need it.  Since benching in a shirt I have been icing my hands after bench to get my grip ready for deadlifts.

Bring ibuprofen, aspirin and any meds you might need.  Don’t take anything you have not taken before. Last thing you want is taking something that makes you feel off.

Bring cash.  You don’t know if you may have to pay entry fee for your coach or handler.  And don’t complain if you do have to pay.  Most of the time that money goes to the spotters and loaders that bust their ass all day.

Bring baby powder for deadlifts.

Bring Stickum spray for bench.

Bring a screwdriver for those that use level belts.

Have fun.

These are some things I always do and never change during meet week and meet day. I am of the opinion, plan for the worst, hope for the best!

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Lisa Guggisberg

A self-proclaimed former high school band nerd turned meathead nerd, Lisa has been coached and mentored by Brian Carroll using 10/20/Life principals for 3 years. She started CrossFiting in 2006 but gave that up after realizing all she wanted to do was squat, bench and deadlift heavy. She now competes as a raw and multi-ply powerlifter in the 114 and 123 weight classes. Lisa has All-Time top 10 totals in both raw and multi-ply in her respective weight classes with a raw pro total of 936 lbs at 114 and a pro 1118 lb multi-ply pro total at 123 and 1090 lb multi-ply total at 114. She is currently ranked the #1 female multi-ply lifter at 123, #2 at 114 multi-ply female and #3 raw with wraps. Lisa has a B.A. in Political Science and a Masters in Public Administration, but hates politics and political debates. She is a mom of two, a firefighter wife and has worked as a full time litigation paralegal for almost 20 years.

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