Technique and methods
Attention to the Post-Competition Stage of Weightlifters' Preparation
English summary of Tyazhelaya Atletika. Ezhegodnik 1983 (Moscow: Fizkultura i Sport, 1983), pp. 19–20: the text is paraphrased, not translated.
Argument
- The weeks after a competition are little studied. Mistakes then can disrupt training and even harm health, so the stage belongs in year-round periodisation.
- Competition causes strong stress, whether it helps performance or turns into “distress”. The stage's main task is for coach and doctor to bring the athlete's psychophysiological state back to normal.
Four lines of action, starting right after the meet
- Psychological: a firm or gentle but always benevolent approach suited to the result. Warn against overrating a success; support and encourage after a failure. Use psychological unloading and autogenic self-regulation. Tranquillisers or antidepressants only with a doctor's approval. Coaches should learn psychohygiene.
- Medical-biological: shower, sauna, active rest, massage, pneumatic vibromassage, ultrasound, air ionisation; high-value foods (“Olimp” protein biscuits, carbohydrate-mineral drink). These are often reserved for before the meet, yet energy and mineral losses make them needed after it, especially for weight-cutters.
- Organisational: a short period of complete rest with a medical check and recovery procedures, scaled to the rank of the event and the age group. Keep a diary of impressions and self-monitoring data.
- Pedagogical: a gradual return lasting up to about 2 weeks. Classic lifts can be replaced by assistance, general and other-sport exercises. Raise volume and intensity only once recovery is confirmed objectively and subjectively and the athlete is keen to train.