Something extremely important when training for and competing in weightlifting is managing daily expectations. As a coach I am often working with athletes to set their expectations for each training day. Expecting the wrong things can lead to frustration and hampered progress.
For each training session I want my athletes to focus on performing the best they can on that given day, being present, and focusing on technical cues we are working on. One of the most important things in training and in life is controlling our reactions to the circumstances we our dealt. You missed a snatch, the worlds not going end, regroup focus on what went wrong and move forward, make the technical correction or go down in weight - never lie on the floor in defeat, immediately get up and move forward.
Some expectations I have seen that lead to problems. “I expect my lifts to feel or be perfect” The premise of this expectation leads to issues because unless you are at the world championship level your lifts will be far from perfect and even at that level the lifts don’t always feel perfect and there is day-to-variablity. Instead focus on doing the best you can each lift and making the given corrections throughout the entire session.
Another expectation that leads to issues is expecting a certain weight on a given day like an 80kg snatch. By expecting this on a certain day often leads to a roadblock. Instead focus on going as heavy as your technique allows on a given day. Focus on one lift at at time. Each time you touch the bar is important, from your first warmup to your last working set. Come into each training session with an open mind. Sometimes you feel great coming in and training does not go well, other times you begin training feeling poorly but make PRs!
