It happens all the time. An e-mail or a phone call which goes something like this: "I am interested in learning how to be better at the Olympic lifts. Can you help?" Some of these potential trainees are powerlifters, life long weight trainers, former athletes, Crossfit enthusiasts, etc you name it. The point is: a new lifter coming into the gym.
The trainee enters the room. He may be strong, fast, athletic, and experienced in the weight room. He is used to it and is ready to show off. After all, it is a new crowd and he wants to leave a good impression.
He may have to work through flexibility issues which are always humbling. He may have to start off with the pipe, the broomstick, or just an empty bar. All of these are blows to the ego. To combat this, the trainee tries to impose his will on the bar during the process. Of course, this does not go well. Ego is at stake and the lifter must let this room full of strangers know how good he is.
Many times, even after just one visit to the gym the ego is so fragile that the trainee never comes back. Maybe he lifts a few more times, but he just fades away.
A potential weightlifter coming into the gym must surrender his ego. It must be checked at the door as he arrives and begins to warm up.
When you bring home a goldfish from the pet store, it comes in a little bag. You take goldfish and bag of water and place it in the aquarium. Slowly, the water in the bag and the aquarium reach the same temperature and you release the fish. A new lifter must do the same thing when he enters a gym to start his weightlifting career.
A lifter must be lowered gently into the gym. There is a vibe to the gym which must be understood. There is a language in the gym, a rhythm to the lifts, and how the other lifters conduct themselves. A new lifter has to slowly get accustomed to these things. Of course lifters are not goldfish and each lifter will become acclimated as his own rate. But suddenly the bag opens and the new lifter is no longer the new lifter. He is like the goldfish now swimming around the aquarium with the rest of the fish.
A new lifter must be patient and let this warming up just happen as it cannot be forced. A new lifter would have to allow himself to become one with the gym, the coaches, the other lifters, and the lifts themselves. Once a trainee becomes the goldfish that has been released from the pet store bag, it becomes a mere matter of "Reward? More weight!"
Friday, October 25, 2013
Sunday, May 12, 2013
Meet Week: physical and mental preparation
Training is on going as the meet approaches, but there are always details to be worked; especially if a lifter is chasing a PR or two or three.
At practice, coach says, "The bar is loaded. Let's see how you do with a load of nearly 100% of your current CJ PR"
Lifter says, "I can't do it. I didn't sleep well, I am tired, I just cannot get under heavy weights..."
Coach, "Can't? Or choose not to?"
Lifting is physical and mental training. the mind and attitude must be in as good a state of fitness as the physical form is. Assuming physical training has gone well and the lifter can front squat 115, squat 135, and power clean 80, he should be able to hit around 100 in his CJ. So, in physical theory, the lifter should be able to make the lift in question In actual practice, his mental state will determine his performance.
Lifter, "I can clean and jerk 100, but I choose not to do so because it is a monumental task and I guess I have not made it very important to me."
Coach goes on to explain in very logical terms why the lifter can indeed do the lift. No amount of this type of explanation will convince the lifter to really commit to going after the lift. For some reason, the lifter is sabotaging himself.
This is why the mind plays such a key role in the approach to a meet (Or even a training session). A lifter must be focused on this lift and only this lift. He or she must eliminate external distractions and create some type of attention boundary. This attention boundary could be the platform: once the lifter sets foot on the platform, there is only him and the barbell.
He must focus on intensifying and sustaining this focus for the entire time within the attention boundary. A story has been told to me about an Olympic Games wrestler whose shuttle taking him from the Olympic Village to the competition venue was late. All he could think about and focus on was that his warm up routine was now messed up and what would he do? He had no ability to focus on the task at hand (his upcoming match) and as such was eliminated in the first round versus being in contention for a medal.
Sustaining focus under adverse conditions is key.
A lifter must be determined and committed to making the goal lifts. If there is not that level of commitment, then all is lost; you may as well give up. Finally, every lifter needs to be selfish on meet day. Every lifter is there at the competition to achieve his or her own goals. Implicit in this goal directed behavior is the ability to economize one's energy. Arriving 5 hours in advance to a venue so you can hang around, text, update what-have-you, and cheer others on seems like a team oriented behavior-- it is-- but it subtracts from your finite energy pool so that 6 high quality, focused, determined, committed attempts can be made.
The week (and weeks) leading up to a meet whether a local meet or a national one are for honing the mind and the body so that new areas of personal growth and reward can be achieved. make sure not to waste all the time and effort; arrive at the meet focused, on task, determined, and ready to get to your own uncharted personal territory.
Good luck to all lifters competing at the Bluegrass Barbell Classic on May 18!
At practice, coach says, "The bar is loaded. Let's see how you do with a load of nearly 100% of your current CJ PR"
Lifter says, "I can't do it. I didn't sleep well, I am tired, I just cannot get under heavy weights..."
Coach, "Can't? Or choose not to?"
Lifting is physical and mental training. the mind and attitude must be in as good a state of fitness as the physical form is. Assuming physical training has gone well and the lifter can front squat 115, squat 135, and power clean 80, he should be able to hit around 100 in his CJ. So, in physical theory, the lifter should be able to make the lift in question In actual practice, his mental state will determine his performance.
Lifter, "I can clean and jerk 100, but I choose not to do so because it is a monumental task and I guess I have not made it very important to me."
Coach goes on to explain in very logical terms why the lifter can indeed do the lift. No amount of this type of explanation will convince the lifter to really commit to going after the lift. For some reason, the lifter is sabotaging himself.
This is why the mind plays such a key role in the approach to a meet (Or even a training session). A lifter must be focused on this lift and only this lift. He or she must eliminate external distractions and create some type of attention boundary. This attention boundary could be the platform: once the lifter sets foot on the platform, there is only him and the barbell.
He must focus on intensifying and sustaining this focus for the entire time within the attention boundary. A story has been told to me about an Olympic Games wrestler whose shuttle taking him from the Olympic Village to the competition venue was late. All he could think about and focus on was that his warm up routine was now messed up and what would he do? He had no ability to focus on the task at hand (his upcoming match) and as such was eliminated in the first round versus being in contention for a medal.
Sustaining focus under adverse conditions is key.
A lifter must be determined and committed to making the goal lifts. If there is not that level of commitment, then all is lost; you may as well give up. Finally, every lifter needs to be selfish on meet day. Every lifter is there at the competition to achieve his or her own goals. Implicit in this goal directed behavior is the ability to economize one's energy. Arriving 5 hours in advance to a venue so you can hang around, text, update what-have-you, and cheer others on seems like a team oriented behavior-- it is-- but it subtracts from your finite energy pool so that 6 high quality, focused, determined, committed attempts can be made.
The week (and weeks) leading up to a meet whether a local meet or a national one are for honing the mind and the body so that new areas of personal growth and reward can be achieved. make sure not to waste all the time and effort; arrive at the meet focused, on task, determined, and ready to get to your own uncharted personal territory.
Good luck to all lifters competing at the Bluegrass Barbell Classic on May 18!
Sunday, April 28, 2013
Anger, Fear, and Confidence with the barbell
You are on your way to the gym to lift. It's a moderate to heavy session and you are fuming. First, the boss read you the Riot Act and you had barely sat down to start the day. Then the lunch with your spouse or friend went sideways over some forgettable issue. And now there is an old man in a hat driving a Buick at random down the road slowing you down as you head to the gym.
Bottom line: you are in a foul mood and plan to rage against the bar tonight. After all, it is going to be somewhat heavy with many reps above 80%. This raging against the bar will only make matters worse as you tense up and most likely lack any degree of focus. So, your lifting is going to be terrible. The bar can rage back and rage back better. You cannot do the technical tasks required during a heavy snatch or CJ if you are angry.
Perhaps you allowed yourself to become angry over what the boss was telling you. He called you out on some work you did or did not do. At the time you did it, you knew it wasn't your best work and you barely did enough work required to get the job done. You didn't feel very confident in your abilities as you had not spent the requisite amount of time to get to know either what the boss wanted or what the work really entailed. Maybe you were afraid to ask him some questions and this being afraid of the boss angered you.
At lunch, your spouse brings up finances, always a touchy issue. You are truly afraid that you are not saving enough for retirement. You fear being a Walmart greeter on your 90th birthday. The fear makes you angry.
Heading in to tonight's workout, you harbor the day's anger plus you know you have not really prepared well for the session. Coach wanted some more squats out of you, but you told him you had to leave early then spent more time in the parking lot talking than if you had just squatted. You are not confident your legs will respond properly.
Then, since you know you can jerk whatever you clean, you skipped a few of the cleans, your weak point. Not too confident that you are going to be able to clean that 87.5%. You become afraid that you will miss lifts and the results, or lack thereof, that come with them. That is where the anger based rage against the bar method is rooted. Actually, it is rooted in your fears: fear of job loss or change, fear of financial problems, fear of missing a lift.
Fear when you are near a barbell will hinder your progress. You get confident with many many lifts at the 80-85% and the 85-90% levels. To get to the PR of 102%, you have to be confident in your technique and confident in your strength. Anger directed at just gripping and ripping will accomplish nothing. Mental focus and directed energy to performing your heavy reps just like the warm up reps will vanquish your fear.
Afraid of getting under the bar in a clean? Build up your front squat. Don't become angry at yourself because you cannot stand up with the bar. Get your front squat 10-15% better than your clean.
Afraid of lowering your hips to get under the bar in the snatch? Do exercises that force you to get under the bar: snatch balance, hang snatches, block snatches, etc. Don't become angry at your self for the fear of lowering the hips; practice meeting the bar and pulling you under the bar at all weights.
Confidence through many, many perfect practice lifts gets built up via a cumulative effect. Get that confidence by facing your fear and practicing to overcome it. Physical preparation combined with mental preparation allow you to face your fear, remain calm, and to overcome it.
Every lift counts from warm up to competition: make sure that they do.
Bottom line: you are in a foul mood and plan to rage against the bar tonight. After all, it is going to be somewhat heavy with many reps above 80%. This raging against the bar will only make matters worse as you tense up and most likely lack any degree of focus. So, your lifting is going to be terrible. The bar can rage back and rage back better. You cannot do the technical tasks required during a heavy snatch or CJ if you are angry.
Perhaps you allowed yourself to become angry over what the boss was telling you. He called you out on some work you did or did not do. At the time you did it, you knew it wasn't your best work and you barely did enough work required to get the job done. You didn't feel very confident in your abilities as you had not spent the requisite amount of time to get to know either what the boss wanted or what the work really entailed. Maybe you were afraid to ask him some questions and this being afraid of the boss angered you.
At lunch, your spouse brings up finances, always a touchy issue. You are truly afraid that you are not saving enough for retirement. You fear being a Walmart greeter on your 90th birthday. The fear makes you angry.
Heading in to tonight's workout, you harbor the day's anger plus you know you have not really prepared well for the session. Coach wanted some more squats out of you, but you told him you had to leave early then spent more time in the parking lot talking than if you had just squatted. You are not confident your legs will respond properly.
Then, since you know you can jerk whatever you clean, you skipped a few of the cleans, your weak point. Not too confident that you are going to be able to clean that 87.5%. You become afraid that you will miss lifts and the results, or lack thereof, that come with them. That is where the anger based rage against the bar method is rooted. Actually, it is rooted in your fears: fear of job loss or change, fear of financial problems, fear of missing a lift.
Fear when you are near a barbell will hinder your progress. You get confident with many many lifts at the 80-85% and the 85-90% levels. To get to the PR of 102%, you have to be confident in your technique and confident in your strength. Anger directed at just gripping and ripping will accomplish nothing. Mental focus and directed energy to performing your heavy reps just like the warm up reps will vanquish your fear.
Afraid of getting under the bar in a clean? Build up your front squat. Don't become angry at yourself because you cannot stand up with the bar. Get your front squat 10-15% better than your clean.
Afraid of lowering your hips to get under the bar in the snatch? Do exercises that force you to get under the bar: snatch balance, hang snatches, block snatches, etc. Don't become angry at your self for the fear of lowering the hips; practice meeting the bar and pulling you under the bar at all weights.
Confidence through many, many perfect practice lifts gets built up via a cumulative effect. Get that confidence by facing your fear and practicing to overcome it. Physical preparation combined with mental preparation allow you to face your fear, remain calm, and to overcome it.
Every lift counts from warm up to competition: make sure that they do.
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Separation and Regret
A recent blog mentioned the opinion that approval is overrated. The argument in the blog is that you must do something for you in spite of what you think others think or something to that effect. In other words, what you think of me is none of my business. Not a bad point, but does not hit the root cause of why more things don't get done.
Going back to the 2012 Olympics (seem so long ago?!), there was an interesting point brought up by the archery announcer during the team competition in the Olympic Games. The U.S. was competing against Italy. Italy had just thrown a bad arrow down range.
Announcer says, after the U.S. shooter, who could have put some serious separation between his team and the Italians, does not hit the 10 spot, that human nature sometimes does not allow separation. OR, the US shooter did not want to put his team too far ahead of the opponent. Who wouldn't want separation? Who would not want to crush the guy or team you are facing?
Perhaps there is all sorts of psychological battles taking place. If the guy had nailed the 10 ring, that would have seemed like stepping on the Italian's neck. But, he flubbed it a little. He made it a lot closer than the match had to be. For the rest of the Olympics, the announcers in all sports mentioned separation many times.
Did Alison Felix slow down a little bit during her gold medal run for the 200 meters? No. Does a hockey player slow down when he has separation from his opponent on a breakaway? Listen to a hockey game and hear how many times the announcers say, "...he's got separation..."
A lifter must do the same: separate himself or herself. From what? From previous performances. From the other lifters that seem to cluster around training and competition weights. Once you have separation, the only goal is to keep moving and get more of it. It is not easy. Once you have overcome your personal limits and challenged yourself to do so, it is time to get uncomfortable.
I have won competitions as well as been in first place with what would appear little chance of losing and I was able to grasp defeat from the jaws of victory.
But wait! If I lift more weight, you say, you will have to lift more weight and your training sessions will become more intense. If you lift more weight, you may qualify for a high level meet and all the pressure associated with that meet. You fear the mental discipline required. Will you lose my friends and buddies I have at my current level? And, that's right, you are the first person in the history of mankind to feel that way.
That is where separation comes in: you need to keep pushing to see what will happen. How much separation will you need? Just a little. A lifter has to remain injury free and focused to continue making progress. Perhaps that injury happened because the lifter did not want the separation as badly as he wanted to stay where he has always been. It is really easy to stay put. You won't live any longer, but it will sure feel like it!
Regret is insidious. It is an incubator for excuses. Inside your mind, you know you held back, backed off, quit a little bit, but to the outside world you lie. "I am tired" "I have not had my usual 3 servings of BCAAs so that I could properly assimilate toxic by products from my sessions earlier in the week." In reality, the door was open for separation and you closed the door from the wrong side and, now, regret doing so.
Shame is staring you in the face and you say, "Well, I would have gotten that separation, but..." I just puked blood into my mouth over that sentence. How about instead, with the goal of getting better as a training and competing weightlifter firmly and clearly etched into your conscience, you put all of your energy into every repetition-- even warm up reps-- to get better so that you have no chance to regret anything.
You must make sure that you have done everything possible to make sure that repetition or competition lift is a regret free activity. A coach who knows you: your fears, your thought processes, your behaviors, etc is invaluable to keep you on track.
Leave it all at the gym is a popular phrase. It would appear at first glance that is a good idea. It may even imply no regret. What happens if that is not enough? What happens if you have to pay attention to diet? Work place stressors? lack of sleep? Financial woes?
No matter, you need to ensure that you have done everything possible to make sure that training repetition or competition lift is a regret free activity. Do not regret the activity that makes you better that pushes your limits, that gives you separation from you and your previous self. Regret inactivity, regret doing nothing when you needed to have done something.
Now, get out there and start moving toward you as a better, stronger, faster weightlifter!
Going back to the 2012 Olympics (seem so long ago?!), there was an interesting point brought up by the archery announcer during the team competition in the Olympic Games. The U.S. was competing against Italy. Italy had just thrown a bad arrow down range.
Announcer says, after the U.S. shooter, who could have put some serious separation between his team and the Italians, does not hit the 10 spot, that human nature sometimes does not allow separation. OR, the US shooter did not want to put his team too far ahead of the opponent. Who wouldn't want separation? Who would not want to crush the guy or team you are facing?
Perhaps there is all sorts of psychological battles taking place. If the guy had nailed the 10 ring, that would have seemed like stepping on the Italian's neck. But, he flubbed it a little. He made it a lot closer than the match had to be. For the rest of the Olympics, the announcers in all sports mentioned separation many times.
Did Alison Felix slow down a little bit during her gold medal run for the 200 meters? No. Does a hockey player slow down when he has separation from his opponent on a breakaway? Listen to a hockey game and hear how many times the announcers say, "...he's got separation..."
A lifter must do the same: separate himself or herself. From what? From previous performances. From the other lifters that seem to cluster around training and competition weights. Once you have separation, the only goal is to keep moving and get more of it. It is not easy. Once you have overcome your personal limits and challenged yourself to do so, it is time to get uncomfortable.
I have won competitions as well as been in first place with what would appear little chance of losing and I was able to grasp defeat from the jaws of victory.
But wait! If I lift more weight, you say, you will have to lift more weight and your training sessions will become more intense. If you lift more weight, you may qualify for a high level meet and all the pressure associated with that meet. You fear the mental discipline required. Will you lose my friends and buddies I have at my current level? And, that's right, you are the first person in the history of mankind to feel that way.
That is where separation comes in: you need to keep pushing to see what will happen. How much separation will you need? Just a little. A lifter has to remain injury free and focused to continue making progress. Perhaps that injury happened because the lifter did not want the separation as badly as he wanted to stay where he has always been. It is really easy to stay put. You won't live any longer, but it will sure feel like it!
Regret is insidious. It is an incubator for excuses. Inside your mind, you know you held back, backed off, quit a little bit, but to the outside world you lie. "I am tired" "I have not had my usual 3 servings of BCAAs so that I could properly assimilate toxic by products from my sessions earlier in the week." In reality, the door was open for separation and you closed the door from the wrong side and, now, regret doing so.
Shame is staring you in the face and you say, "Well, I would have gotten that separation, but..." I just puked blood into my mouth over that sentence. How about instead, with the goal of getting better as a training and competing weightlifter firmly and clearly etched into your conscience, you put all of your energy into every repetition-- even warm up reps-- to get better so that you have no chance to regret anything.
You must make sure that you have done everything possible to make sure that repetition or competition lift is a regret free activity. A coach who knows you: your fears, your thought processes, your behaviors, etc is invaluable to keep you on track.
Leave it all at the gym is a popular phrase. It would appear at first glance that is a good idea. It may even imply no regret. What happens if that is not enough? What happens if you have to pay attention to diet? Work place stressors? lack of sleep? Financial woes?
No matter, you need to ensure that you have done everything possible to make sure that training repetition or competition lift is a regret free activity. Do not regret the activity that makes you better that pushes your limits, that gives you separation from you and your previous self. Regret inactivity, regret doing nothing when you needed to have done something.
Now, get out there and start moving toward you as a better, stronger, faster weightlifter!
Sunday, March 17, 2013
Life and death of a coach: Part 2
Post Arnold. nervous system goes to hell. Coach tears his hair out looking for the answers, both good and bad. Why did one do well? Why did one do poorly? what did I do in either case? Was I a help, a hindrance, neutral? Had I not been there, what would have happened? Am I the wild card?
Two week's worth of training, then a small meet. Test day for those who did not lift at Arnold, but observed it. Redemption day for others who lifted at Arnold. How will it play out in small, unfamiliar confines?
Two lifters first session. Can I dial them each in so that today is a good day? Crowded platforms, nerves, ugh. The usual. Female lifter has a nice warm up, seems positive. Opener in the bag: life. Go up just a bit so that she can have momentum (is there really a momentum crystal?) into the 2nd and 3rd lifts as well as CJ. She misses her second attempt with a lazy arm. The Grim Reaper is in the audience. Instructions to fix the error are given. Ahh, they don't work as the third attempt is missed. GR smiles.
Fortunately, not for long. After quickly moving on to CJ warm up, the snatch is forgotten. Warm up becomes a near disaster as a planned for warm up weight proves to heavy to even pull. Opener cannot be adjusted! Oh, no. No panic, calm, re-take a lighter weight, concentrate on technique. Bang. Opener, bang, second attempt, a tougher clean, a bit forward on jerk, perfect split. Nice. GR has now left. Third attempt, a PR. Clean is made, she knows she can jerk it. Bang. 3 for 3 and a PR CJ.
Young lifter hits his opening attempt in snatch without a hitch. Specific goals for the meet are well within reach. Let's go for the second. It is not made. Just a little bit loose, an easy technical adjustment. he wants a PR attempt, I want a solid snatch. he comes back, tighter, faster, and makes it. The CJ should be easy.
Warm ups go nicely. The last warm up has his feet flying and his arms punching. he carries this to the platform and hits his opener. Now, he can attempt a PR. He racks it, struggles to stand, and just cannot muster up 100% to finish it off. GR re-appears. We can keep him at bay if I can convince the kid to put out just a few more moments of work...can he? he racks it, stands up with less energy this time, and nails a PR jerk. nice work.
Life for coach: 2 PR so far.
Male lifter going for his opener. Warm ups were solid, speedy, nice. Mind good. Attitude, good. Opener, missed. Gaping wound. He re-adjusts, gets tight, and makes the lift. Bandage. Third attempt, should be do-able turns out not to be do-able. Wound re-opens. CJ proves to be very nice. Easy opener. Mind good, no need to do anything besides offer encouragement. Second CJ, a PR attempt, made. Nice. Let's go up to uncharted territory. Good clean, no jerk. No matter, PR CJ, PR total. Life.
Male lifter kind of in a bad mental place needs encouragement and focus: Can I give it to him? Will he take it? Whether he does or does not take it, will he be able to perform? Warm ups go well, mind looks good though energy level could stand to be improved. Snatch opener made, whew. Life. Was it me or was it him? If the former what did I do to make it happen? Life or death?
Second snatch: chased to the edge of the platform, still good. Third snatch, a PR attempt, not made. A bit of a negative, so... CJ warm ups go well. Opening attempt matches the Arnold so it should be easily made. It is and we go up 7 kg to see what will happen. He comes out, cleans it, racks it nicely, jerks it even better. Plenty of juice, life, energy. Third attempt is a pull and the look of desperation comes to his face. "Why can I not do this weight anymore?" he did get his redemption.
Grim Reaper in the house.
next male lifter. Beautiful warm ups. Looking very good, strong, mind good. Opening snatch is nailed easily. Next two snatches are just upright rows. Too much muscle, not enough of the right muscle at the right time. Ugh, gotta control that and make sure the CJ are perfect in the warm up room. opening attempt is racked, stands up, then something happens. not sure what, but he forgot what he was doing it looked like. Kind of a split push jerk or something. Ugh, the lift was not that far off so it looked like increasing the weight was not out of the question. Second attempt is the same. Oh, my, the GR is right there, breathing in my ear. Will he bomb out? What adjustment, since he is following himself, is required to dial him back in? The mind is all over the place with craziness. Pull him back in, get him to focus, and he should be OK. Last attempt; made. Whew. made easily, too which makes the first two misses unexplainable.
Life.
final lifter going for redemption and national Q-total. Warm ups are unbelievable. Focused, fast, furious, nice. Little is said between us except hand signals. All is good. In the bottom position, he leans forward to push some dust away. OH NO! The bright light lack of focus again! Doom! Gloom! Opener: adjusted up, nailed. LIFE! Second attempt, nailed. Third attempt, uncharted territory for him. he makes this, the CJ becomes a walk in the park. he goes out, calmly, focuses in, and NAILS IT! PR! LIIIFFFFFE!
CJ warm ups; he hits his opener in the back room. Adjust that up, then. He hits his opener, he gets a national Q-total. The clean ain't the problem; the jerk could be. NO! A beautiful clean and jerk! YAY! Life! Second attempt is a meet PR. He cleans it nicely, his hand slips, he adjusts, he nails it! More life.
The Grim Reaper is running away now. PR snatch, PR CJ, PR total, nationals in July. What could be better? Oh, how about a 2x BW CJ attempt? he cleans it, jerks it, and just misses getting it. Still, LIFE!
So, someone asked me, "How did your little meet in Louisville go?" I answer, "Same as the Arnold."
Life and death on the platform from the coach's eye.
Two week's worth of training, then a small meet. Test day for those who did not lift at Arnold, but observed it. Redemption day for others who lifted at Arnold. How will it play out in small, unfamiliar confines?
Two lifters first session. Can I dial them each in so that today is a good day? Crowded platforms, nerves, ugh. The usual. Female lifter has a nice warm up, seems positive. Opener in the bag: life. Go up just a bit so that she can have momentum (is there really a momentum crystal?) into the 2nd and 3rd lifts as well as CJ. She misses her second attempt with a lazy arm. The Grim Reaper is in the audience. Instructions to fix the error are given. Ahh, they don't work as the third attempt is missed. GR smiles.
Fortunately, not for long. After quickly moving on to CJ warm up, the snatch is forgotten. Warm up becomes a near disaster as a planned for warm up weight proves to heavy to even pull. Opener cannot be adjusted! Oh, no. No panic, calm, re-take a lighter weight, concentrate on technique. Bang. Opener, bang, second attempt, a tougher clean, a bit forward on jerk, perfect split. Nice. GR has now left. Third attempt, a PR. Clean is made, she knows she can jerk it. Bang. 3 for 3 and a PR CJ.
Young lifter hits his opening attempt in snatch without a hitch. Specific goals for the meet are well within reach. Let's go for the second. It is not made. Just a little bit loose, an easy technical adjustment. he wants a PR attempt, I want a solid snatch. he comes back, tighter, faster, and makes it. The CJ should be easy.
Warm ups go nicely. The last warm up has his feet flying and his arms punching. he carries this to the platform and hits his opener. Now, he can attempt a PR. He racks it, struggles to stand, and just cannot muster up 100% to finish it off. GR re-appears. We can keep him at bay if I can convince the kid to put out just a few more moments of work...can he? he racks it, stands up with less energy this time, and nails a PR jerk. nice work.
Life for coach: 2 PR so far.
Male lifter going for his opener. Warm ups were solid, speedy, nice. Mind good. Attitude, good. Opener, missed. Gaping wound. He re-adjusts, gets tight, and makes the lift. Bandage. Third attempt, should be do-able turns out not to be do-able. Wound re-opens. CJ proves to be very nice. Easy opener. Mind good, no need to do anything besides offer encouragement. Second CJ, a PR attempt, made. Nice. Let's go up to uncharted territory. Good clean, no jerk. No matter, PR CJ, PR total. Life.
Male lifter kind of in a bad mental place needs encouragement and focus: Can I give it to him? Will he take it? Whether he does or does not take it, will he be able to perform? Warm ups go well, mind looks good though energy level could stand to be improved. Snatch opener made, whew. Life. Was it me or was it him? If the former what did I do to make it happen? Life or death?
Second snatch: chased to the edge of the platform, still good. Third snatch, a PR attempt, not made. A bit of a negative, so... CJ warm ups go well. Opening attempt matches the Arnold so it should be easily made. It is and we go up 7 kg to see what will happen. He comes out, cleans it, racks it nicely, jerks it even better. Plenty of juice, life, energy. Third attempt is a pull and the look of desperation comes to his face. "Why can I not do this weight anymore?" he did get his redemption.
Grim Reaper in the house.
next male lifter. Beautiful warm ups. Looking very good, strong, mind good. Opening snatch is nailed easily. Next two snatches are just upright rows. Too much muscle, not enough of the right muscle at the right time. Ugh, gotta control that and make sure the CJ are perfect in the warm up room. opening attempt is racked, stands up, then something happens. not sure what, but he forgot what he was doing it looked like. Kind of a split push jerk or something. Ugh, the lift was not that far off so it looked like increasing the weight was not out of the question. Second attempt is the same. Oh, my, the GR is right there, breathing in my ear. Will he bomb out? What adjustment, since he is following himself, is required to dial him back in? The mind is all over the place with craziness. Pull him back in, get him to focus, and he should be OK. Last attempt; made. Whew. made easily, too which makes the first two misses unexplainable.
Life.
final lifter going for redemption and national Q-total. Warm ups are unbelievable. Focused, fast, furious, nice. Little is said between us except hand signals. All is good. In the bottom position, he leans forward to push some dust away. OH NO! The bright light lack of focus again! Doom! Gloom! Opener: adjusted up, nailed. LIFE! Second attempt, nailed. Third attempt, uncharted territory for him. he makes this, the CJ becomes a walk in the park. he goes out, calmly, focuses in, and NAILS IT! PR! LIIIFFFFFE!
CJ warm ups; he hits his opener in the back room. Adjust that up, then. He hits his opener, he gets a national Q-total. The clean ain't the problem; the jerk could be. NO! A beautiful clean and jerk! YAY! Life! Second attempt is a meet PR. He cleans it nicely, his hand slips, he adjusts, he nails it! More life.
The Grim Reaper is running away now. PR snatch, PR CJ, PR total, nationals in July. What could be better? Oh, how about a 2x BW CJ attempt? he cleans it, jerks it, and just misses getting it. Still, LIFE!
So, someone asked me, "How did your little meet in Louisville go?" I answer, "Same as the Arnold."
Life and death on the platform from the coach's eye.
How was the Arnold? Or how to live and die at a meet
"Well, how was the Arnold?" That is a question posed to me every year to people I meet post-Arnold. Clearly, the questioner did not go to the Arnold.
It is not an easy "...fun.." or "...great...". It is more of a long descriptive answer along the lines of: exhausting, exhilarating, exciting, disappointing, dramatic, no big deal, insanity, and more highs and lows. It is a paragraph of answers. This year's was no exception.
Without naming names, here were the highs and lows or as I like to call it: Life and death through 6 lifts.
The first two lifters for the club performed quite well. Weight was on target or at least close enough (proof that desk job may contribute a bit to keeping weight on) Training was going well. the 10 day out and 7 day out checkpoints were good. Hopes were high. They did not disappoint.
Snatch lifts were perfection. Each lifter hit PR. Life. Clean and jerks: more progress. solid openers kept me alive. After 5 for 5 days, it was time to just let the energy loose. Neither lifter made his final CJ. Who cares? Life. Still, the analysis: how did I manage them each in the warm up room? what did I say, do, think, move to ensure each lifter's success? how can I repeat that?
Third lifter had been having a rough time over the past few training weeks. Careful management of warm ups and energy might get her to hit a total. Warm up progresses, but it is not as smooth as hoped. OK, let's give it a shot on the platform. Ugh, opener missed. The Grim Reaper appears in the doorway. Come back after it. Miss. The Grim Reaper smiles. Come back for the third. Miss, bomb out. Death of a coach.
What did I do wrong? How did I not set her up for success? What was every word, action, movement, thought, that I did during warm up? how did those affect her? What am I doing for her for the CJ? How to adjust? Is it damage control or is it a quick fix that will right a sinking ship?
No matter. CJ warm up causes her more pain than anything and she must scratch from the meet. Death. Can I come back to coach another day? Should I even be coaching? What did I do wrong? How can I salvage her for the next meet?
Fourth lifter. Prepared better than I have ever prepared him in the past. He is in peak condition for this meet. Aiming for a nationals total which has been accomplished in training, it looks like it should be a simple matter to get the job done. Warm up room is managed great. Good attitude, things look good. he approaches the platform for his opener. Suddenly, he is distracted by a bright light and waves.
Loss of focus! Ahhh, my head explodes, I hope that the brain matter does not get on bystanders. I know that the lift will be missed and, unfortunately, he misses it. FUUUUUCCCKKK! My head reels with the tactics and strategy of how to get his focus back. Get it back fast and get it back in a good way. All the while, I cannot contaminate his thought process so that the entire 5 remaining attempts are smashed underfoot.
he comes back and makes the second, misses the third snatch. I am shaking hands with the Grim Reaper. Focus has to be the focus. The job can be done, it is just gonna take a bit more work. Opening CJ: easy. Should have opened higher, but he is in a good spot. Second, easy clean, jerk not locked. GR has his arm around me. Third lift: do or die, channel Matias Steiner. A miss. No nationals total and training lifts two weeks prior to today were better. Death again.
Fifth lifter. He comes in OK. Heavier than he wants, nursing a bit of a cold and sinus thing; he should be able to pull through adequately. Just gotta massage him the right way. Opening snatch: easy. Sigh of relief. OK, we can plan some stuff now. The second snatch, just a minor correction and the third will be made. Yes, the third is made. 2 for 3, let's go to CJ. His CJ suffers the most when he is ill and sure enough warm up was a bit ragged. Calling for an extremely low opener, he makes it with no problem. Life. OK, I think, let's go up to something reasonable and see how it goes. Back to warm up room and lifts just 5 k more than the opener are not even racked. AHHHHH! My hair is on fire and I run to the scorer's table to change the next attempt for him. TOO LATE! Can his meet be salvaged? Will my stinkin' thinkin' contaminate him? Why is only pulling his clean and not even racking it? Disaster as he misses his next 2 CJ. Death.
Sixth and final lifter, third day of Arnold. There is not enough coffee to keep me going, but the kid has tons of potential and I cannot let him down. I need to set the table so that he is successful. he must be nudged, but not shoved. Challenged, but not stretched too far. How will it go? What will I say? how will he react?
Opening snatch: bang. Nice. Life. Second snatch: bang, more life. Third snatch, PR attempt, he is ready, and does it. Nice. Tons of life.
I hope I can manage the CJ warm up so that he continues the trend. He is well warmed up, looks good in the back, and nails his opener. He nails his second attempt setting a PR CJ and total in the process. Tons and tons of life. He goes for more. Tough clean, nearly sticks the jerk: a mere coaching flesh wound. Life.
so, how was the Arnold? Life and death, exhausting, exhilarating, exciting, disappointing, dramatic, no big deal, insanity, and more highs and lows. And this is just for one small subset of lifters with one coach. Now bring all the rest of the players into the mix.
It is not an easy "...fun.." or "...great...". It is more of a long descriptive answer along the lines of: exhausting, exhilarating, exciting, disappointing, dramatic, no big deal, insanity, and more highs and lows. It is a paragraph of answers. This year's was no exception.
Without naming names, here were the highs and lows or as I like to call it: Life and death through 6 lifts.
The first two lifters for the club performed quite well. Weight was on target or at least close enough (proof that desk job may contribute a bit to keeping weight on) Training was going well. the 10 day out and 7 day out checkpoints were good. Hopes were high. They did not disappoint.
Snatch lifts were perfection. Each lifter hit PR. Life. Clean and jerks: more progress. solid openers kept me alive. After 5 for 5 days, it was time to just let the energy loose. Neither lifter made his final CJ. Who cares? Life. Still, the analysis: how did I manage them each in the warm up room? what did I say, do, think, move to ensure each lifter's success? how can I repeat that?
Third lifter had been having a rough time over the past few training weeks. Careful management of warm ups and energy might get her to hit a total. Warm up progresses, but it is not as smooth as hoped. OK, let's give it a shot on the platform. Ugh, opener missed. The Grim Reaper appears in the doorway. Come back after it. Miss. The Grim Reaper smiles. Come back for the third. Miss, bomb out. Death of a coach.
What did I do wrong? How did I not set her up for success? What was every word, action, movement, thought, that I did during warm up? how did those affect her? What am I doing for her for the CJ? How to adjust? Is it damage control or is it a quick fix that will right a sinking ship?
No matter. CJ warm up causes her more pain than anything and she must scratch from the meet. Death. Can I come back to coach another day? Should I even be coaching? What did I do wrong? How can I salvage her for the next meet?
Fourth lifter. Prepared better than I have ever prepared him in the past. He is in peak condition for this meet. Aiming for a nationals total which has been accomplished in training, it looks like it should be a simple matter to get the job done. Warm up room is managed great. Good attitude, things look good. he approaches the platform for his opener. Suddenly, he is distracted by a bright light and waves.
Loss of focus! Ahhh, my head explodes, I hope that the brain matter does not get on bystanders. I know that the lift will be missed and, unfortunately, he misses it. FUUUUUCCCKKK! My head reels with the tactics and strategy of how to get his focus back. Get it back fast and get it back in a good way. All the while, I cannot contaminate his thought process so that the entire 5 remaining attempts are smashed underfoot.
he comes back and makes the second, misses the third snatch. I am shaking hands with the Grim Reaper. Focus has to be the focus. The job can be done, it is just gonna take a bit more work. Opening CJ: easy. Should have opened higher, but he is in a good spot. Second, easy clean, jerk not locked. GR has his arm around me. Third lift: do or die, channel Matias Steiner. A miss. No nationals total and training lifts two weeks prior to today were better. Death again.
Fifth lifter. He comes in OK. Heavier than he wants, nursing a bit of a cold and sinus thing; he should be able to pull through adequately. Just gotta massage him the right way. Opening snatch: easy. Sigh of relief. OK, we can plan some stuff now. The second snatch, just a minor correction and the third will be made. Yes, the third is made. 2 for 3, let's go to CJ. His CJ suffers the most when he is ill and sure enough warm up was a bit ragged. Calling for an extremely low opener, he makes it with no problem. Life. OK, I think, let's go up to something reasonable and see how it goes. Back to warm up room and lifts just 5 k more than the opener are not even racked. AHHHHH! My hair is on fire and I run to the scorer's table to change the next attempt for him. TOO LATE! Can his meet be salvaged? Will my stinkin' thinkin' contaminate him? Why is only pulling his clean and not even racking it? Disaster as he misses his next 2 CJ. Death.
Sixth and final lifter, third day of Arnold. There is not enough coffee to keep me going, but the kid has tons of potential and I cannot let him down. I need to set the table so that he is successful. he must be nudged, but not shoved. Challenged, but not stretched too far. How will it go? What will I say? how will he react?
Opening snatch: bang. Nice. Life. Second snatch: bang, more life. Third snatch, PR attempt, he is ready, and does it. Nice. Tons of life.
I hope I can manage the CJ warm up so that he continues the trend. He is well warmed up, looks good in the back, and nails his opener. He nails his second attempt setting a PR CJ and total in the process. Tons and tons of life. He goes for more. Tough clean, nearly sticks the jerk: a mere coaching flesh wound. Life.
so, how was the Arnold? Life and death, exhausting, exhilarating, exciting, disappointing, dramatic, no big deal, insanity, and more highs and lows. And this is just for one small subset of lifters with one coach. Now bring all the rest of the players into the mix.
Sunday, February 17, 2013
Spring Invitational and Battle for the Belt
The spring invitational on Saturday February 16 looked to have a lot of excitement in store as some lifters were posting good practice totals, others were working hard but not so much from the floor, and still others would be lifting in their first meet. Always an interesting experience and quite the long walk from the training platform where you can always tighten up and take it again without penalty to the competition platform where there is not any quarter.
"No quarter; none taken, none given." On to the meet.
many thanks to the volunteers who help put the meet on and run it smoothly: Kellene as scorekeeper, Pat and Dave as loaders, Frank, Chelsea, and Fern as the referees. Thanks also to Elite Chiropractic for some energizing massage and manipulation for the lifters.
After contesting the standard contest, the club would also battle for The Belt. This battle was a medley of: sled push (for most people, anyhow) followed by threading beads followed by plate carry followed by a handwriting exercise followed by farmer's walk. Fastest time in this event scored more points. Lifter with the most points between the lifting competition and the medley would be declared the winner. Ron, the holder of the belt at the time, told everyone he didn't even bring it because there would be no point. Would these words come back to haunt him later as he did not "bring it" but others did.
In the lifting contest, the first four lifters could not have done better personal performances than what they did today. Very nice.
Terre, lifting in her first meet for Cincinnati Weightlifting Club, hit a PR snatch, PR clean and jerk, PR total, and set a state of Ohio record in her weight class.
Abby, tuning up for university championships in April, hit a PR snatch, hit a PR CJ at a weight she could not even stand up with in the last meet, and a PR total. Oh, and set a state of Ohio record in her weight class.
Jessica, not wanting to miss out, hit 3 PRs and set a state record in her weight class.
Erik, attempting to qualify for youth nationals as a 14 years old 77 kilo lifter did it. First he had to snatch a mis loaded barbell (which he did) then he had to hit the Q total by uncorking a PR CJ.
With these four setting the bar pretty darn high, the men went to work.
Adam, from Central Kentucky Weightlifting Club, lifting in his first meet went 6 for 6 and posted 76/102/178. Nice work.
Keith, in heavy prep work for July nationals, hit respectable 72/92/164 and will be in a better spot for Arnold in a few weeks.
Jordan finally was able to hit his opening snatch to set a PR and then put up two good jerks, again posting PR there. A three PR day for him.
Matt lifting in his first weightlifting meet went three for three in snatch, including one snatch he moved so fast there were vapor trails coming off the collars, and two for three in CJ. He posted respectable total of 85/100/185.
Zach just could not dial in the snatch correctly and ended up all over the platform with his opening attempt. His jerk went better including a PR CJ. Not a bad note on which to finish, but no total this time. he will learn a lot from his first bomb out.
Ron had been practicing well and looked to snag at least one PR, but this was not the case. He tied his PR snatch and PR CJ for a nice day of 4/6 and 90/110/200.
George lifting in his first meet has been working hard over the last few weeks; hopefully it would pay off. The snatch opener went great. Plenty of energy and snap. Too bad the next two attempts were not the same way. Just not enough wrist extension and the bar stayed out in front of him. His CJ would be better as he got his opener easily, looking like a Olympic weightlifter from a few years back, and he got his second. The third was just a bit too much for him. 92/137/229 as a 104.2 (where that 0.2 would make a big difference later...)
Ben lifting in his first meet since October finally cracked the 100 barrier officially in his snatch: 102! Yay. Could he hold on to that momentum crystal going in to the CJ? He cleaned 127, with tons of room to spare, and jerked it. It looked more like a press than a jerk...easy. Then, 132 no good. Warming up for his third attempt, he cleaned 130 twice and declared he wanted 137. Against my better judgement, the bar was loaded to the 137. It was a pretty good looking fast moving deadlift. He was credited with 102/127/229 at a body weight of 104.1.
Best lifter was Ron with a Sinclair of 268.19 followed by Ben at 250.53, George at 250.44, and Keith at 250.35.
Based upon points earned in the lifting contest, Terre was in the lead (not insurmountable) with Jordan and Erik right in there close to her. At this point, Ron probably would not be able to defend his title. After some discussion, Jordan and Erik went first. Jordan posted best time so far. Zach, who could act as spoiler, and Terre went next. Zach overtook Jordan for the lead. Then, everybody got into the act, including Pat with no warming up and an afternoon of loading.
At the end of the Crazy Medley, Matt posted the fastest time (and prompted the development of the Matt Rule, similar in philosophy to the famous Kazmaier rule) with Pat, Zach, Jordan, and Ben rounding out the rest.
None of this mattered as Terre's lead did prove to be insurmountable and she stood alone. Next battle, Terre gets to defend The Belt.
"No quarter; none taken, none given." On to the meet.
many thanks to the volunteers who help put the meet on and run it smoothly: Kellene as scorekeeper, Pat and Dave as loaders, Frank, Chelsea, and Fern as the referees. Thanks also to Elite Chiropractic for some energizing massage and manipulation for the lifters.
After contesting the standard contest, the club would also battle for The Belt. This battle was a medley of: sled push (for most people, anyhow) followed by threading beads followed by plate carry followed by a handwriting exercise followed by farmer's walk. Fastest time in this event scored more points. Lifter with the most points between the lifting competition and the medley would be declared the winner. Ron, the holder of the belt at the time, told everyone he didn't even bring it because there would be no point. Would these words come back to haunt him later as he did not "bring it" but others did.
In the lifting contest, the first four lifters could not have done better personal performances than what they did today. Very nice.
Terre, lifting in her first meet for Cincinnati Weightlifting Club, hit a PR snatch, PR clean and jerk, PR total, and set a state of Ohio record in her weight class.
Abby, tuning up for university championships in April, hit a PR snatch, hit a PR CJ at a weight she could not even stand up with in the last meet, and a PR total. Oh, and set a state of Ohio record in her weight class.
Jessica, not wanting to miss out, hit 3 PRs and set a state record in her weight class.
Erik, attempting to qualify for youth nationals as a 14 years old 77 kilo lifter did it. First he had to snatch a mis loaded barbell (which he did) then he had to hit the Q total by uncorking a PR CJ.
With these four setting the bar pretty darn high, the men went to work.
Adam, from Central Kentucky Weightlifting Club, lifting in his first meet went 6 for 6 and posted 76/102/178. Nice work.
Keith, in heavy prep work for July nationals, hit respectable 72/92/164 and will be in a better spot for Arnold in a few weeks.
Jordan finally was able to hit his opening snatch to set a PR and then put up two good jerks, again posting PR there. A three PR day for him.
Matt lifting in his first weightlifting meet went three for three in snatch, including one snatch he moved so fast there were vapor trails coming off the collars, and two for three in CJ. He posted respectable total of 85/100/185.
Zach just could not dial in the snatch correctly and ended up all over the platform with his opening attempt. His jerk went better including a PR CJ. Not a bad note on which to finish, but no total this time. he will learn a lot from his first bomb out.
Ron had been practicing well and looked to snag at least one PR, but this was not the case. He tied his PR snatch and PR CJ for a nice day of 4/6 and 90/110/200.
George lifting in his first meet has been working hard over the last few weeks; hopefully it would pay off. The snatch opener went great. Plenty of energy and snap. Too bad the next two attempts were not the same way. Just not enough wrist extension and the bar stayed out in front of him. His CJ would be better as he got his opener easily, looking like a Olympic weightlifter from a few years back, and he got his second. The third was just a bit too much for him. 92/137/229 as a 104.2 (where that 0.2 would make a big difference later...)
Ben lifting in his first meet since October finally cracked the 100 barrier officially in his snatch: 102! Yay. Could he hold on to that momentum crystal going in to the CJ? He cleaned 127, with tons of room to spare, and jerked it. It looked more like a press than a jerk...easy. Then, 132 no good. Warming up for his third attempt, he cleaned 130 twice and declared he wanted 137. Against my better judgement, the bar was loaded to the 137. It was a pretty good looking fast moving deadlift. He was credited with 102/127/229 at a body weight of 104.1.
Best lifter was Ron with a Sinclair of 268.19 followed by Ben at 250.53, George at 250.44, and Keith at 250.35.
Based upon points earned in the lifting contest, Terre was in the lead (not insurmountable) with Jordan and Erik right in there close to her. At this point, Ron probably would not be able to defend his title. After some discussion, Jordan and Erik went first. Jordan posted best time so far. Zach, who could act as spoiler, and Terre went next. Zach overtook Jordan for the lead. Then, everybody got into the act, including Pat with no warming up and an afternoon of loading.
At the end of the Crazy Medley, Matt posted the fastest time (and prompted the development of the Matt Rule, similar in philosophy to the famous Kazmaier rule) with Pat, Zach, Jordan, and Ben rounding out the rest.
None of this mattered as Terre's lead did prove to be insurmountable and she stood alone. Next battle, Terre gets to defend The Belt.
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