13U Competition Taper
The 13U Competition Taper Program is used in its entirety before the biggest competition of the year, Youth Nationals. We also use a shorter, modified one-week version before the Arnold, which is our second most important competition of the year. For the Arnold, we essentially perform only the third week of the full taper program.
The full taper program lasts three weeks. The first two weeks follow the same general intensity pattern used throughout the Competition Prep and Competition programs:
Week 1: 80%
Week 2: 90%
Week 3: Competition week
The primary difference during the second week is that we may reduce the volume of squats and pulls. Depending on how the lifter is looking and feeling, this might mean reducing squats to three sets of one and performing only one triple at the top weight on pulls. These adjustments are made by the coach based on the lifter's condition and how they are responding to training.
The Final Week
The final week is when the last heavy training weights are lifted. Even this close to competition, we prefer to keep intensity high while significantly reducing the overall training volume.
The week begins with maximum power snatch and power clean & power jerk. On the second training day, the lifter works up to their projected openers in both the snatch and clean & jerk.
On the third day, the lifter performs the snatch and clean accessory variation they have been working on throughout the training cycle, working up to their projected last warm-up weight. The idea is to build confidence. If the lifter can successfully perform a variation of the lift with the weight they expect to use for their final warm-up, performing the full competition lift should feel relatively easy.
The final training day again has the lifter work up to their projected last warm-up weights, this time in the full competition lifts. We want the full versions of the snatch and clean & jerk to be the last movements the lifter performs before competing.
The changes in training volume during this final week are significant. Pulls are dropped completely, and the number of shoulder, back, and abdominal exercises begins to decrease. Squats are performed for only one set of one repetition, using either the projected third-attempt clean & jerk weight or the lifter's opener.
This creates a drastic reduction in overall training volume, allowing the lifter to put their energy into the competition lifts while still handling the heavier weights they need to feel prepared.
Preserving the Lifter's Confidence
The most important part of the final three weeks—and especially the final week—is preserving the lifter's psychology.
We do not want a lifter entering the final week or two before a major competition and constantly missing lifts. The coach has to pay close attention to how the lifter is responding and know when to call an audible. Sometimes that means changing the plan, reducing the weight, or moving on from an exercise rather than forcing the prescribed work.
A day of missed lifts this close to competition can be more damaging than a physical setback. The effect on a lifter's confidence and mindset can carry directly onto the competition platform, especially when they have spent months preparing for this one event.
The coach's job during this period is not simply to follow the written program. It is to recognize what the lifter needs, make adjustments when necessary, and make sure they arrive at the competition feeling prepared and confident.
After the Competition
Once the taper program is complete and the major competition is over, the lifter takes one or two weeks completely off from training.
What happens next depends on the lifter's age.
If the lifter is 12, they return to training with the Recovery Light Program and begin the process again for one more year, continuing through the 13U system.
If the lifter is 13 at the conclusion of the competition season, they also return with the Recovery Light Program. They then continue working through the 13U programs until January, when they are considered 14 and transition into the 15U training programs.
This completes the 13U training cycle and provides the next step in the lifter's long-term development at Sandusky Weightlifting.