SPORT,

    FORM,

    and DIETETICS.
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TRAINING COMPETITIONS

When working up for a particular competition, it is worthwhile, from several points of view, participating in a certain number of related competitions which will serve both as training and preparation.
Pay attention, however, not to get caught up in the habit of
over-training, which would definitely produce negative results!


You have drawn up a work plan to fine-tune your preparation; often, however, you train alone or at best always with the same group of people. A training plan, if well executed, will allow you to assess your progress, but this is all it can do.

There are numerous reasons why
training competitions are beneficial.

Training competitions will give you the opportunity to compare yourself against the other competitorsyou will meet during the major competitions. Because if you have made good progress, remember that the others have also improved!
It is extremely important to be able to measure your level regularly with respect to other athletes and correct your training plan, improve it, adapt it more closely to the needs of the competition.
These training competitions must allow you to analyse how far you have progressed through your training program and what remains to be done so that you are ready on the big day (the day of the competition you have been preparing for such a long time).

Training competitions also allow you to get you into the spirit of competing with other athletes, with all the "mental pressure" this implies.
Even if taken very seriously, training will never be as mentally demanding as a real competition for which you have been preparing for months and which represents an important stake.
Training competitions are the ideal opportunity to test your resistance to stress, your reactions under pressure, your level of concentration, your confidence in yourself... Everything which, if not controlled, can wipe out all those months of training.
The series of training competitions (keeping them down to a reasonable number) will allow you to work on your emotions which may have a negative effect on your performance; little by little, you will learn how to control these emotions. If you do not manage on your own, you will therefore have time to consult a professional specialised in this type of approach (mental preparation for athletes) who will help you develop a positive attitude
A positive attitude can be decisive during difficult competitions. It may be that little extra which will make the difference between two otherwise equal athletes.

If you are strong mentally, you will be strong in the field.
Top performance can only be achieved through perfect harmony between mind and body.

I hope that you have now realised, if you had not already done so, just how important it is to plan training competitions in your general training program.
The results can only be beneficial!