“Looks like we have a Brazilian to take down! Wooooo!!!!!” I wrote to Mystique. We were both representing the U.S. at Worlds in South Africa. Yes, that’s right, my adopted nemesis from Nationals was now my teammate. It was very X-Men: First Class.

Mystique wrote back that she too had seen the Brazilian’s nomination, ringing in with a 460kg total, considerably above the 442.5kgs I had lifted and Mystique’s 440kgs.

“I was worried when I found out that Storm wasn’t competing that we wouldn’t have anyone to chase. This is more fun!” Storm, the two-time IPF World Champion, was staying home in the U.K.

There was a brief pause.

“Well, that’s a good attitude to have. : )” Mystique wrote back.

I turned to Sam and had the same exchange, this time talking excitedly with my hands about the Badass from Brazil. Then I commented that poor Mystique was probably thinking that her new teammate is batshit bananas. (To be fair, she wouldn’t be wrong!)

“Did you use the Conan the Barbarian quote about driving your enemies before you and hearing the lamentations of their women?” Sam asked.

I squirmed a little. “Maybe . . . .”

“Oh, Joah. You aren’t good at dialing it back, are you?”

I grinned and shrugged. “It’s part of my charm!”

Sam picked up his gym bag and started shuffling me toward the door. I really enjoyed my workout that night. When I found out that the reigning world champion would not be competing this year and that her place would be taken by a woman with a 390kg total, my enthusiasm about the competition had tanked. Were we really traveling to South Africa just so Mystique and I could have a second showdown? She was my teammate now, and I had completely shifted her place in my mental motivation. She was no longer the person I was chasing to reclaim my spot. I wanted her to be successful in representing the U.S. along with me. She was the person I’d be supporting to get her 400lb squat and to place as well as possible to score points for Team USA. The prospect that she and I would be each other’s best competition was a huge let-down. I was looking forward to us destroying all the other countries together, but without close competition, that enthusiasm sagged.

Then Brazil showed up. She’s 20kg ahead of us and my impression is that she is on the upswing rather than plateauing out. We really have our work cut out for us. Interestingly, Brazil’s lifting profile is similar to mine. Mystique should destroy her in the squat, but Brazil has a strong bench and deadlift. Our competition was both stronger and less clear — I had done enough recon on Storm that I had a sense of what she was likely to bring to the competition, but information about Brazil has been harder to come by. Beating her is less likely both because I think she is stronger and because although Mystique and I have improved, she’s likely getting stronger herself.

For me this is a much more exciting competition, and it reenergized my workouts. I want to do everything I can to perform as well as possible to best Brazil.

This got me thinking about what elements make competing fun for me. Clearly, the uncertainty of not knowing where I’m going to place is one aspect — I don’t want a guaranteed win. I want the pressure of having to bring my best performance. I want to feel like I’m earning a place on the podium. I like the pressure of having to perform, to execute in the moment. I also realized I like big, noisy, chaotic meets. Being in an environment in which there is some intensity with other competitors fighting for their spot, a bit of a crowd, lights, and noise helps to raise my adrenalin and makes my experience more fun. I also enjoy hitting PRs at those meets. I’m not much for gym PRs, at least with max singles, because I just don’t have the same kind of adrenalin and focus. Bringing that complete performance of my best numbers in the moment is really enjoyable to me.

Finding that combination of qualities in a meet was easier in my first and second season of lifting because everything was new. I’m getting pickier as I have more experience. It’s part of the progression. When I ran track, the regular meets and invitationals were exciting in my first year, while regionals were intimidating. But over the years I grew more comfortable with more competitive environments and began to seek them out. The only downside to this is that at a certain point there isn’t anywhere else to grow, at least in terms of the size or level of the venue. That’s something I’ll have to explore eventually, but a big part of my experience is the quality of the meet itself. It’s the experience of the day, and certain meet directors like Sabre put on some really cool meets.

The enjoyment of competition is going to be different for everyone. Another competitor might appreciate a more chilled environment and may be the most motivated by hitting new PRs rather than by getting on the podium. Understanding what aspects of competition give you enjoyment is really important to ensuring that when you are competing you are truly able to enjoy it.