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Less than two weeks. As I record this update, that phrase carries a weight that’s both exhilarating and sobering. In just 13 days, I’ll be stepping onto the competition platform at the 2025 Armlifting World Championships, and this week has crystallized everything I’ve been learning about peak preparation, mental resilience, and the delicate balance between pushing hard and maintaining perspective.
Week 3 has been a study in contrasts—breakthrough training sessions paired with increased stress, detailed nutritional precision alongside sleep disruptions, and growing confidence tempered by realistic expectations. It’s been exactly the kind of week that reminds me why I love sharing this journey with you: the lessons emerging from these final weeks of preparation apply far beyond armlifting, extending to anyone pursuing challenging goals while managing the complexities of real life.
If the previous weeks were about establishing rhythm and managing disruptions, this week has been about fine-tuning the details and confronting the reality that peak preparation comes with both rewards and costs. The training breakthroughs have been significant, the nutritional discipline has been unwavering, but the cumulative stress of maintaining such precision while juggling work and family responsibilities is becoming increasingly apparent.
The Weight Management Roller Coaster
This week provided a perfect case study in the daily fluctuations that can drive people crazy when they’re trying to manage their weight for a specific deadline. My weight peaked at 152 pounds on Tuesday morning—a full 2 pounds above my target and uncomfortably close to the 154-pound competition limit.
The spike wasn’t entirely unexpected. I’ve noticed a pattern where my weight tends to increase on Tuesday mornings following high-volume training days on Monday. The combination of increased food intake to fuel training, potential inflammation from intense exercise, and normal hydration fluctuations can create temporary weight increases that look alarming on the scale but don’t represent actual fat gain.
The key insight here is the importance of understanding your body’s patterns and not panicking over short-term fluctuations. Within two days, my weight was back down to 150 pounds without any dramatic changes to my nutrition or training approach. This kind of fluctuation is completely normal and expected, but it can be psychologically challenging when you’re operating with limited margin for error.
For anyone managing weight for a specific goal or timeline, this experience illustrates why daily weigh-ins can be both helpful and harmful. They provide valuable data about trends and patterns, but they can also create unnecessary anxiety if you don’t understand the normal range of fluctuation. The key is focusing on weekly averages and overall trends rather than getting caught up in daily variations.
Nutritional Precision: The Details That Matter
With less than two weeks remaining, my nutrition has become increasingly regimented and precise. While this level of control isn’t sustainable or necessary for most people’s goals, it provides valuable insights into the relationship between food choices, body composition, and performance that apply broadly to anyone serious about their health and fitness.
The Daily Template
My current eating pattern has been consistent for several months, providing the kind of predictable caloric intake that allows for precise weight management. Let me walk you through exactly what this looks like, not because I expect anyone to replicate it exactly, but because understanding the principles behind these choices can inform your own nutritional decisions.
Breakfast begins with a protein-rich foundation: three whole eggs combined with a quarter cup of cottage cheese and 2-3 tablespoons of egg whites, scrambled together. If you’ve never tried adding cottage cheese to scrambled eggs, I highly recommend it—the texture and protein content are game-changers. This is paired with 1.2 ounces of smoked salmon for additional high-quality protein and omega-3 fatty acids.
The vegetable component is substantial: a sautéed mixture of onions, peppers, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, zucchini, cauliflower, and tomatoes. The volume is significant—enough that I actually split it between breakfast and lunch to manage portion sizes and maintain satiety throughout the day.
For carbohydrates, I include two small Birch Benders pancakes—one paleo variety and one purple sweet potato flavor—each about three inches in diameter. I also have a quarter of a homemade egg white protein pancake topped with powdered peanut butter and 30 grams of banana.
Lunch features the remaining half of the morning’s vegetable preparation, supplemented with pickles and fermented vegetables (usually kimchi) for additional flavor, probiotics, and micronutrients. The protein component consists of 4-5 ounces of leftover meat from the previous night’s dinner—chicken, beef, fish, or pork. Fresh fruit includes one-third cup of blueberries and three ounces of strawberries.
Dinner provides 150 grams total of butternut squash and sweet potato (combined), additional vegetables from the usual rotation (zucchini, Brussels sprouts, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower), and 4-5 ounces of protein prepared fresh.
Dessert consists of 80 grams of homemade “ice cream” made with protein powder, unsweetened almond milk, and sugar-free pudding mix using a Ninja Creami, plus 30 grams of banana.
The Philosophy Behind the Precision
This level of nutritional detail serves several purposes beyond simple weight management. First, it eliminates decision fatigue—I don’t spend mental energy each day deciding what to eat, which preserves cognitive resources for other priorities. Second, it provides predictable satiety through high volume, high fiber foods that keep me feeling full despite the caloric restriction necessary for weight management.
The emphasis on vegetables is intentional and substantial. The sheer volume of fibrous, nutrient-dense foods helps maintain energy levels and overall health while operating in a caloric deficit. The variety ensures broad micronutrient coverage, which becomes increasingly important when total food intake is limited.
The protein distribution across all meals supports muscle preservation and satiety. The strategic inclusion of small amounts of higher-calorie foods (like the powdered peanut butter and banana) provides psychological satisfaction and prevents the feeling of complete deprivation that can lead to binge episodes.
However, I want to be clear about something: this approach is not sustainable long-term, nor is it necessary for most people’s goals. It’s a short-term strategy for achieving a specific outcome (making weight for competition) that I’ll modify significantly once the competition is over. The level of restriction and regimentation would be counterproductive for general health and wellness goals.
Training Breakthroughs: When Everything Clicks
This week delivered the kind of training sessions that remind you why you put in all the work during the less glamorous months. All three competition lifts felt dialed in, with technique improvements and strength gains that have me feeling genuinely confident about my preparation.
The Country Crush Revelation
The 2-inch one-hand Country Crush deadlift, which has been my most inconsistent lift throughout this preparation, finally came together this week. I was able to complete 120 pounds for 3 repetitions per hand across 5 sets—a significant improvement in both weight and consistency from previous weeks.
What made this particularly satisfying was the quality of the repetitions. The first three sets felt genuinely strong, with the kind of control and confidence that translates well to competition environments. Yes, I was fatigued by the final sets, but that’s exactly what you’d expect from quality training volume. The key insight is that the fatigue came from accumulated work rather than technical breakdown or grip failure on individual repetitions.
This lift has taught me valuable lessons about patience and persistence that I often share with my coaching clients. Sometimes progress doesn’t come in linear fashion—you might struggle with a movement for weeks, then suddenly everything clicks and you make a significant jump. The key is maintaining consistent effort and technical focus even when progress feels slow.
Saxon Deadlift: Building Competition Confidence
The 2-inch Saxon deadlift continues to be my strongest event, and this week I made a strategic decision to focus on repetition work rather than maximum single attempts. I performed sets of 5 repetitions at 150 pounds, emphasizing control and consistency over peak weight.
This approach reflects an important principle in competition preparation: there comes a point where building confidence through quality repetitions becomes more valuable than testing absolute limits. I know I can handle weights close to my personal record, but demonstrating that I can perform multiple repetitions with excellent technique at substantial loads builds the kind of confidence that translates to competition success.
The Saxon deadlift has always felt natural to me, and maintaining that feeling of strength and control as competition approaches is crucial for my overall mental state. When one lift feels solid and reliable, it provides a foundation of confidence that positively impacts the other events.
The Anvil Breakthrough: Expert Guidance Makes the Difference
The most significant development this week came in the anvil lift, where I achieved a breakthrough that perfectly illustrates the value of expert coaching and technical refinement. After receiving specific guidance from Adam Glass—a legendary figure in grip training and armlifting—I was able to lift 125 pounds for a single repetition, the heaviest weight I’ve handled with this implement.
Adam’s advice focused on hand positioning and grip initiation technique—seemingly small details that made a dramatic difference in my ability to generate force and maintain control. This experience reinforced a principle I emphasize constantly with my own clients: sometimes the difference between struggling and succeeding isn’t about working harder, but about working smarter.
The anvil lift presents unique challenges because of its irregular shape and the medley format used in competition. For my weight class, the competition will feature three weights: 100 pounds, 120 pounds, and 140 pounds. The format requires attempting all three weights, then performing as many repetitions as possible with the heaviest weight you can successfully lift.
Based on this week’s training, I’m confident I can handle the 100 and 120-pound weights, and I may be able to reach the 140-pound weight on competition day. However, I’m realistic about the likelihood of performing multiple repetitions at 140 pounds—that would represent a significant jump from my current capabilities. The strategic decision will be whether to attempt the 140-pound weight and risk fatigue that could compromise my repetition performance at a lighter weight, or to play it safe and maximize my rep count at 120 pounds.
This kind of strategic thinking is exactly what makes competition preparation so intellectually engaging. It’s not just about physical capability—it’s about risk assessment, energy management, and tactical decision-making under pressure.
The Hidden Costs: Stress and Sleep Disruption
While the training progress and nutritional precision paint a positive picture, this week has also highlighted the cumulative costs of peak preparation. The combination of work stress, caloric restriction, and competition pressure is beginning to manifest in ways that remind me why sustainable approaches are so important for long-term health and performance.
Work Stress Amplification
Work has been particularly demanding this week, with multiple projects requiring attention and decision-making at a time when my cognitive resources are already stretched by competition preparation. This isn’t unusual—life doesn’t pause for athletic goals—but it illustrates how different types of stress compound and amplify each other.
The mental load of tracking every gram of food, planning training sessions around work schedules, and maintaining the focus necessary for technical improvement in the lifts requires significant cognitive energy. When you add normal work responsibilities on top of that foundation, the cumulative effect can be overwhelming.
I’ve been implementing stress management strategies more deliberately this week: daily meditation sessions and regular sauna use for the first time in months. These aren’t luxuries or optional activities—they’re essential tools for maintaining the mental and emotional balance necessary to perform well under pressure.
Sleep Disruption: The Caloric Deficit Tax
Perhaps the most challenging development this week has been the emergence of sleep disturbances that I recognize from previous periods of sustained caloric restriction. I’ve begun waking up in the middle of the night and struggling to fall back asleep—a pattern I’ve experienced before when maintaining low calorie intake for extended periods.
This isn’t surprising from a physiological standpoint. Caloric restriction affects hormone production, including those that regulate sleep cycles. Lower leptin levels, increased cortisol, and reduced overall energy availability can all contribute to sleep disruption. Understanding the mechanism doesn’t make it less frustrating, but it does help maintain perspective about the temporary nature of these effects.
The challenge is that poor sleep creates a cascade of negative effects: reduced recovery from training, impaired cognitive function, increased stress hormone production, and decreased willpower around food choices. It’s a perfect example of how different aspects of health and performance are interconnected.
I’m monitoring this situation carefully and may implement a strategic higher-calorie day if the sleep disruption becomes more severe. The goal is to make weight for competition while maintaining enough energy and recovery capacity to perform well on the day. If the caloric restriction is compromising my ability to train effectively or recover adequately, it defeats the purpose.
Strategic Decisions: The Final Two Weeks
With less than two weeks remaining, my focus is shifting from building fitness to preserving it while fine-tuning the details. The major adaptations have been made—at this point, I’m not trying to dramatically improve strength or technique. Instead, I’m focused on maintaining the capabilities I’ve built while managing fatigue and stress.
From a training perspective, this means continuing to practice the competition lifts while being careful not to accumulate unnecessary fatigue. I’ll get at least one more session with the anvil to continue refining the technique improvements from this week, but I won’t be pushing for new personal records.
From a nutritional perspective, I’ll continue following the established eating pattern that has successfully maintained my weight in the target range. The weekend will present some challenges—social situations always do—but I have enough experience and margin built into my approach to handle minor deviations without panic.
From a stress management perspective, I’ll continue prioritizing the practices that help maintain mental and emotional balance: meditation, sauna use, adequate sleep when possible, and regular check-ins with myself about how I’m feeling and what I need.
The key insight for these final weeks is that less can be more. The temptation is to do extra work, try new techniques, or make last-minute changes, but experience has taught me that consistency and confidence are more valuable than perfection at this stage.
The Broader Context: What This Journey Reveals About Human Potential
As I reflect on this three-week journey from the perspective of less than two weeks remaining, I’m struck by what it reveals about human capacity for adaptation, growth, and performance under pressure. The physical improvements—strength gains, technique refinements, body composition changes—are just the surface level of what’s really happening.
At a deeper level, this experience is about developing the mental and emotional skills necessary to pursue challenging goals while managing the complexities of real life. It’s about learning to balance ambition with perspective, precision with flexibility, and confidence with humility. These are skills that transfer to every area of life and every type of goal pursuit.
The journey has also reinforced my belief in the power of systematic preparation and consistent effort. The breakthroughs I’m experiencing now aren’t the result of last-minute heroics or genetic gifts—they’re the culmination of months of consistent training, careful planning, and gradual progression. This is true for any meaningful achievement: success is usually the result of sustained effort over time rather than dramatic short-term actions.
Perhaps most importantly, this experience has highlighted the value of pursuing challenging goals not just for the outcomes they produce, but for the person you become in the process. The skills, insights, and confidence I’m developing through this competition preparation will serve me long after the competition is over, in contexts that have nothing to do with armlifting.
Looking Ahead: The Final Countdown
With less than two weeks remaining, my focus is shifting from preparation to execution. The major work has been done—now it’s about maintaining what I’ve built while managing the final details and psychological preparation for competition day.
The training will continue but with reduced volume and intensity, focusing on maintaining feel and confidence rather than building new capabilities. The nutrition will remain consistent, with careful attention to the final details of making weight. The stress management will become even more important as competition pressure builds.
But perhaps most importantly, I’ll be working on maintaining the perspective that has guided this entire journey. This competition is one milestone in a longer process of personal development and physical challenge. Whether I have the competition of my life or struggle with every lift, I’ll continue training and improving because I genuinely enjoy the process.
The lessons I’m learning—about preparation, pressure, persistence, and perspective—will serve me long after October 10th. And hopefully, sharing this journey with you has provided insights and inspiration that you can apply to your own challenging goals, whatever they might be.
Your Final Push
As I enter these final two weeks of preparation, I’m curious about your own experiences with high-pressure situations and challenging goals. What have you learned about yourself when pursuing something that really mattered to you? How do you balance ambition with perspective when the stakes feel high?
Whether you’re currently in the middle of your own “final push” toward a goal or you’re considering taking on a new challenge, remember that the principles guiding my competition preparation apply broadly: consistent effort over time, strategic decision-making under pressure, process-focused thinking, and the understanding that the journey often matters more than the destination.
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