This one is for the future dads out there, expecting your first child, still trying to pursue strength goals, and not knowing what crazy curveball life is about to throw at you. Or maybe you’re a new dad, struggling to stay consistent with training and wonder: “when is life going to be normal again?”

At the end of the day, you have 9 opportunities during a meet to build your total. You paid good money to come out and give your best effort 9 times. Get the most out of every attempt. I tell people that if you take the average cost of a meet, lets say $150, and divide that up among 9 attempts, and you’re paying roughly $16 for each attempt. Get your moneys worth.

You don’t have the luxury of a 9-5 schedule sitting at a desk. You’re not training at the exact same time every day with the exact same training partners. You may have to train at odd times, you may have to find a gym that’s open 24 hours, a lot of times you’re training alone, and that’s all perfectly okay.