What It Really Means to Reflect on an Event or Training Session
By Coach Dan — Tri-State Training | Mindset. Movement. Memorable.
A coach’s perspective on meaning, growth, and the joy that keeps us in the sport.
Reflection is one of the most underrated parts of being an athlete — and one of the hardest skills to teach as a coach. When we tell athletes to reflect on a session or a meet, the default reaction is usually narrow: they look at what they lifted, what they missed, whether they PR’d, where they ranked. It becomes a spreadsheet review of numbers.
But honest reflection is so much more layered than that.
What I’ve learned, especially over the last few weeks watching athletes recap their performances at States and at Nationals, is that the best reflections have almost nothing to do with totals — and everything to do with meaning.
Because when you really break down this sport, what defines our experience isn’t medals or perfect attempts. It’s joy. Connection. Growth. Purpose. And being able to look back at the entire picture, not just the final result.
Let me explain.
Reflection Starts by Asking: “What Did This Experience Mean to You?”
When I sit down with athletes — youth, masters, new lifters, national competitors — I’m listening for one thing:
What was their biggest takeaway?
Not mine. Not the crowd’s. Not the scoreboard’s.
Theirs.
And what I’ve learned is this:
Reflection shows you whether the athlete is defining themselves by outcome… or by process.
One of my youngest athletes — eight years old — told me recently that he wants an American record one day. And like any coach who believes in dreaming big, I told him absolutely, let’s chase it. Here’s the timeline. Here’s what that takes.
But then I added the one thing that actually matters:
“Most important thing? You have fun. You stay excited to train. If this stops being fun, none of this matters.”
He smiled and said yeah.
That’s the beginning of real reflection — understanding why you’re doing this.
Reflection Isn’t Only for Wins — It’s Especially for the Hard Days
On the opposite end of the spectrum, I had a call with one of my master athletes after Daytona.
Training block? Phenomenal.
Execution? Strong.
Outcome? Not quite the day she wanted.
The competitor in her wanted more. She knew she was capable of more. She wanted to rewrite the story of the day with a different ending — and trust me, I relate.
But she also got something most athletes overlook:
Her husband and kids watched her compete.
She lifted on a national platform.
She shared the backroom with her teammates.
She took four out of five attempts successfully.
She showed up, battled, and represented herself with pride.
And reflecting on that — not just on the kilos — is what turns disappointment into growth.
The Biggest Reflection Mistake? Narrowing Instead of Widening
Most athletes finish a meet and immediately zero in on:
the missed third snatch
the jump they should’ve taken
the warm-up that felt off
the cut that felt tight
the one moment that didn’t go according to plan
They collapse the entire experience into a single outcome.
But true reflection works in the opposite order:
Start wide → then zoom in.
Ask:
How did the entire training cycle feel?
How did travel impact you?
How did training hall sessions feel?
Did you feel present on the platform or overwhelmed?
How did communication work between lifter and coach?
What parts of the experience brought you joy?
Only after zooming out should you zoom in.
When athletes do this, they start to understand themselves — their tendencies, their stressors, their energy, their identity, their purpose. And that’s the entire point.
The Hard Truth: Performance Doesn’t Define the Experience
One of the biggest lessons I have learned from the mentors around me is this:
Performance is part of the experience — but it does not define the experience.
Going 6/6 doesn’t make the trip meaningful.
Bombing out doesn’t make it a failure.
A medal doesn’t determine your value as an athlete — or as a person.
Meets are full of everything that makes this sport magical:
seeing friends from across the country
connecting with coaches and officials
training hall moments you never forget
late-night team dinners
supporting teammates through their own emotional rollercoaster
learning about yourself under pressure
When athletes reflect only on the number on the bar, they throw away 95% of the actual experience.
So… What Does it Really Mean to Reflect?
It means asking:
“What did this experience give me?”
Not “What did I total?”
Not “What did I miss?”
Not “What should I have done?”
Reflection is about:
acknowledging your emotions honestly
taking ownership without self-blame
recognizing the parts of the meet that made you proud
appreciating the community and the journey
identifying what you want to work on next
remembering why you love this
Reflection connects the lifter to the sport beyond outcomes — and that is what keeps people in weightlifting long-term.
Because if all you chase are medals, the sport burns you out.
But if you chase meaning, you stay for years. Decades. Lifetimes.
Final Thought: This Sport Is About Joy
At every level — youth to masters — I want athletes leaving the platform with the knowledge that:
What they did today is worth being proud of.
What they experienced is worth remembering.
What they learned is worth carrying forward.
Numbers fade.
PRs get replaced.
Totals go up and down.
But the joy of doing this with teammates… the pride of showing up… the courage of competing… the memories of the journey…
That’s what reflection reveals.
And that’s why we do what we do.
