Last 48 Hours

The last couple days before a competition should be pretty simple. At this point, you should be on autopilot and simply doing the things that you know get you prepared physically and mentally. Any movement or training should be extremely light, simple, and easy: drilling, stretching, mobility, bodyweight work or similar, just to keep the body moving, a little sweat going, and get the blood moving around. Your weight should be about 3-5lbs from your goal at this point. Completely eliminating refined sugars, grains, dairy and other processed foods should help you drop those last couple lbs. If you need to use a sauna or hot bath to shed a little water, keep it to a minimum. Ideally, your consistent training schedule and nutritional discipline over the last few weeks has put you right where you need to be. Mentally, I’d recommend giving yourself a break. You’ve been training hard for the last few months and it’s probably a good idea to take a breather. Read a book, hang out with friends or family, get outside, or do something to allow yourself to relax, recover, and take your mind off the upcoming event. MONITORING RECOVERY Every athlete is unique and responds to stress differently. Although the training may be similar, each athlete thinks differently, eats different foods, sleeps more/less, has more/less experience, and in turn, reacts differently to the stress placed on them every week.  Stress from training, as well as stress from life, has an effect on our body and our ability to perform.  By monitoring our body’s signals, we can adjust our training accordingly, stay healthy, recover effectively, and perform at our best. RESTING HEART RATE – take a resting heart rate reading every morning before getting out of bed. You can use this test consistently to see how efficient your heart is, as well as how well your body is recovering throughout the week. Are you under 60 beats per minute? 50? Do you notice a sudden increase after a hard day of training? Your body might need to take a break.