30 Aug 2026 2 min read

Weekly Wisdom #11: 10 Weeks Out — Powerlifting Meet Prep, Discipline, and Training Realities

With ten weeks left until my November powerlifting competition, the reality of prep has set in. Strength is peaking on schedule and the bodyweight cut remains steady, but this phase of training always strips away romance and replaces it with pure execution.

The Physical Reality: Managing Volume, Fatigue, and the Scale

Meet prep is rarely about sudden bursts of inspiration; it is an exercise in managing accumulated fatigue.

Between precise meal prep, weighing daily portions, hitting heavy working sets, and resisting the urge to deviate from the plan, the daily routine takes discipline. When recovery resources are low from a deficit, the weights feel heavier and the margin for mental error shrinks.

The reminder that keeps me grounded during high-volume weeks is simple: the grind is temporary, but the standard you set carries over into everything you do.

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The Core Insight: Consistency When the Weights Feel Heavy

Motivation is great for signing up for a meet, but it will not load the barbell at 6:00 AM on a high-fatigue training day.

Balancing heavy training blocks with a demanding full-time career requires relying entirely on structured systems rather than waiting to feel ready. As I explored in Fitness for Busy Professionals, consistency during stressful periods comes down to protecting non-negotiables, executing compound movements with intent, and treating recovery like an essential appointment.

🌎 My Favorite Things This Week

🎙️ Podcasts: I’ve had The Art of Manliness Podcast and Muscle for Life on heavy rotation during warmups and mobility sessions. Both do an exceptional job blending practical life philosophy with actionable, evidence-based strength habits.

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Question for you: Would you enjoy audio essays or podcast episodes exploring these topics? Let me know by replying to this email!

📚 Gaming as Storytelling: Stepped back into The Elder Scrolls Online. When approached deliberately rather than rushing through dialogue or blindly copying meta-build guides, role-playing games offer an immersive narrative experience that serves as great mental downtime.

🛠️ Lifting & Recovery Gear: What’s Working in the Gym Setup

REP Fitness Dip Attachment: Picked this up locally on Facebook Marketplace. The build quality is exceptional, and the ability to pin it into the power rack for heavy tricep work and store it vertically out of the way saves massive floor space.
Posterior Chain Accessories: Incorporating stiff-leg deadlifts and 45-degree hyperextensions has made a noticeable difference in lower back stability, balancing out quad-dominant mechanics under heavy loads.
Daily Soft-Tissue Routine: Ten minutes dedicated to a massage gun, resistance bands, and foam rolling before training has kept joint stiffness and tendon flare-ups manageable throughout the cut.

✍️ Quote of the Week

From Time of Contempt by Andrzej Sapkowski:

"I mistook stars reflected in a pond at night for those in the sky."

My Take: It’s easy to become convinced we understand the full picture, only for new friction to expose blind spots in our thinking. Embrace the moments that challenge your assumptions—re-evaluating your approach is the only way to refine it.