My thoughts before competing
This article is not a sad story about me missing weight during weigh-ins, being unable to compete, or bombing out/missing all my attempts. I have been competing in Olympic weightlifting since 2011 and cannot count the competitions I’ve done. Competing has become relatively familiar to me; however, no matter how many competitions I participate in, I still feel anxious/nervous. I have learned to embrace that feeling and allow it to encourage me that I am still passionate about weightlifting and competing. One day, during a training session with one of my long-term clients, I told him I was getting anxious about the upcoming competition. He told me that I should stop weightlifting altogether if I no longer had that feeling. I never thought of that, but he is probably right. I plan to continue getting that feeling for as long as possible because I don’t intend to stop anytime soon.
My previous competition this year was in January for the Texas State Championships in San Antonio. At that meet, I could snatch 102kg and clean and jerk 135kg for a total of 237kg, which qualified me for the 2024 Senior Nationals in Pittsburgh, PA. When I qualified for Nationals, I decided very soon that I wanted to compete. I have only competed at Nationals twice in my 13-yr career in weightlifting, not because I didn’t qualify, I think I have qualified every year, but because if someone else wasn’t going to pay for it, I wasn’t going to spend a large amount of money on a trip like that to compete. When I decided to go, I quickly set my goals for USAW Nationals 2024. Still, I also understood that it would be a big commitment for my training and the cost and time away from my family. My wife and I were expecting our 3rd child in August, so finding time to train and attend a local competition was tricky. At the last local competition in Texas that I competed at, my 2nd son cried the whole time I was doing clean and jerks.
You can see how stressful it can be for my wife and kids to be in the same place for so long that they cannot run around and play. If you are a parent, you probably understand. And we are different from the type of parents to give our kids iPads to watch for 3+ hours. In weightlifting, you have to get to the competition 2 hours early to weigh in and then compete, which will take about 2 hours, for a total of 4 hours. I had specific goals set for Nationals… 110kg snatch and 140-145kg CJ. We all know that has not happened since I’m writing this article. As Nationals kept creeping closer, I realized that this trip was not a reality. How would I take my whole family to Pennsylvania just for a competition or leave my family alone for 2-3 days while I went and enjoyed myself at a competition kid-free. In the past, with only 1 child, that might have been a possibility, but with us having 2 kids and expecting a 3rd, it is just not practical. Also, it’s not like this was an international competition where I would be representing Team USA; even then, I have greater responsibilities outside of a sport I do for fun. It just wouldn’t be the best decision for a husband and father.
Once I concluded that I would no longer compete at Senior Nationals, I decided I still wanted to do a national competition. The closest one to me was the American Open Series 2 in Fort Worth, TX. I knew my 3rd child was expected on August 23rd, the week before my competition.
Still, I talked with my wife about it, and she supported me in this decision, like the supporting wife she is. Now, my training began. I had about 12 weeks to prepare from this point. Plenty of time to prep for a competition. I started training and signed up with the Texas Barbell Club to keep myself even more accountable for training seriously.
Let’s say that training did not go how I would have liked. No one to blame but me. As a father and husband, I have other priorities, and my training sometimes takes a backseat. Just like many other fathers, I’m sure, it can be hard sometimes to balance all the things while still focusing on training and getting better. I had some good training weeks, but that only lasted about a month until my 3rd child came a month earlier than expected. Yes! Daily NICU trips while caring for my wife and other 2 kids at home. Training definitely took a backseat for this period, and I was really just trying to hold on to any strength I managed to gain. This is when I realized that this competition I signed up for would be one of my worst. I struggled with that thought, but then I had to take a step back and take some time to understand where I am in my life now. I am not in high school competing; I am not in college competing, and I am not so good that I can train for a living. I am a father and a husband trying to stay in shape and show my children what it looks like to remain committed to something you desire to be your best at. I am okay with losing and not being the best lifter out there, but I am not okay with giving less than 100% of myself.
The Results
As I finish writing this article after the competition, I am extremely proud of how I did considering the circumstances of having a child 6 weeks before the meet. I had no high expectations for this meet; I just said I would go out there and try my best. I ended up finishing with 105kg snatch and 135kg CJ for a 240kg total and walking away with 1st place for Snatch, CJ, and Total. Although this doesn’t mean much compared to what I need to reach my ultimate goal of winning nationals, I am very confident in training for my next competition. I walked away with a completely different mindset in my training. The fact that I hit this total and felt as good as I did during the competition gives me a different outlook on balancing training and life. I don’t have to prioritize training before everything else in my life to succeed. Unfortunately, I don’t have the luxury of training for 2–2.5 hours a day 4-5x a week, but I can schedule an hour out of my day to train and make it intentional. I don’t have to worry and get frustrated if I miss a day. I can come to the understanding that other things were more important that day and focus on attacking the next training session hard.
Set a goal, create a plan, and commit to achieving your greatest dreams.
Setting a goal, creating a plan, and committing to it are essential steps in achieving your dreams. It doesn’t have to dominate your life, but you must invest consistent time and effort to see meaningful progress. I like to think of it like reading a book—if I never spend time reading, I’ll never finish. Even dedicating just 10 minutes a day to reading will take me further over a week or a month than waiting for a perfect, uninterrupted hour that may never come. Likewise, if I go too long between sessions, like waiting a week before picking up the book again, I may forget where I left off and lose the momentum.
I will see you guys in January after the Texas State Championships 2025 in Pflugerville, TX.
