This is something that took me years to really figure out—and I have to give a ton of credit to Liefia Ingalls for helping me get there.
Back when I first started competing, I treated every top set in training like a competition. I'd huff ammonia for multiple lifts, blast music, get amped up, and go all-out like it was show day… every day. And while that kind of intensity felt great in the moment, it wasn’t sustainable. Worse, it didn’t teach me how to properly regulate adrenaline during competitions.
What would happen? I’d go into a contest riding high, full of energy—but by the final event, I'd crash hard. Adrenaline dump. Fatigue. Focus gone.
Once Liefia started coaching me, everything changed. I learned how to save that intensity for when it matters most—like peak sets during comp prep or on events where adrenaline is actually an asset.
But it’s not just about saving energy—it’s also about strategy. Some events reward hype. Others punish it.
Take deadlifts, for example—I can go full-send, get hyped, and feed off the crowd. But for overhead pressing (which isn’t my strongest event), I need to stay calm and technical. If I get too fired up, I risk missing the lift entirely.
Here are a few things that helped me regulate adrenaline and perform better on comp day:
1. Use adrenaline strategically.
Save the hype for events you’re confident in—especially the ones that rely more on brute strength than technical precision. These are perfect for riding the wave of adrenaline and crowd energy.
2. For more technical events, stay composed.
Breathing patterns matter. I might hit a quick sniff of ammonia before going out, but I always give myself a moment to settle and breathe before the whistle. The goal is focus, not chaos.
3. Reset between events.
After each event, I intentionally bring myself back down. Breathe, walk, refocus. This keeps me from crashing too early and helps preserve energy for the full contest.
Bonus Tip for Training:
Try not to get hyped for every top set in the gym. If you save that next-level intensity for comp prep or true max effort days, it’ll mean more when you finally cut loose and get swampy. And trust me—it’ll hit different when you need it most.
