What Good Coaches Tell Their Athletes...and Bad Coaches Never Do

   "I never knew about this part of competition!" 
   " I wish someone had told me about this!"
   These are just two sad comments that coaches might hear from their athletes after their competition is over. What is it that comes as such a surprise to competitors?
    I'll call it PCB- Post-competition Blues.Not unlike a mother who has carried a child for months within herself, then, upon giving birth, begins to feel a slow depression creeping up on her, the athlete who has dedicated months of their life developing a physique, may well feel that same depression. And they, like the post-partum mother, can be overwhelmed as they try to make sense of the dark days that have come upon them seemingly from nowhere.
     This is where a good, experienced coach can be an invaluable aide to the competitor. A knowledgeable and empathetic coach will begin early in the prep process preparing their athlete for ALL the phases of competition. 
    I call contest prep, 'Entering the Tunnel'. At the beginning of prep, you step into the tunnel, but you can still see the light from the opening behind you. You feel excited and energized. BUT there will come a day when you won't see ANY light, behind you or in front of you. These are the tough days when you must work on faith and guts. Then there comes that wonderful day when you begin to see light at the end of the tunnel; you know you're almost there! But there are possibly dark days ahead. The contest is over, you're out of the tunnel, you may even have a trophy on your shelf. And friends and family expect you to 'get back to normal'. But you don't feel normal.You've been alone in a tunnel for months and life outside the tunnel is hard to re-adjust to. 
   This is one reason why I tell my clients to take themselves as an athlete very seriously. If you identify yourself as just a guy who competes a few times a year, post-contest time can be very depressing when you try to find your new 'normal'. A coach must prepare their clients for this period of time.There won't be blood, but there might be blues. And it's normal. BUT it's not forever. 
    Competitors must have an 'exit plan' for post-competition. What does that look like? Well, first of all, do not dive whole hog into what I laughingly refer to as 'bulking season'!
Keep your nutrition sensible with an eye on keeping blood sugars stable. Secondly, plan for a 'decompression time' immediately after your show. A weekend away to sort through all the  things done right, the things done wrong, and the challenges of the last few months will be cathartic for body, mind, and spirit. Lastly, establish in your mind, even before you set foot into that tunnel, that you are an ATHLETE! So when and if those blues come around you will know a)this is not unusual  b)this will not last and c) you will see the benefit (and necessity!) of planning ahead for life after competition.
     Bad coaches don't teach this because perhaps, they've never experienced it. Good coaches will prepare their clients for the definite and the possible. The tunnel is definite. Post-competition blues are possible...definitely.