The Six Most Important Lifts of Your Life

This is Coach writing to his lifters prior to a meet; any meet for that matter. 

 

Lifters,

Soon, you will be facing the 6 most important lifts of your life.  These could be the last lifts you ever do or they could be the first of many competition and training lifts or they could mark a new stage in your lifting career.  No matter, the 6 lifts you do in the upcoming meet will be the 6 most important lifts of your life. 

You need to have a good approach to these lifts.  No "...try..." or "...maybe..." or other shrugging it off.  You need to be confident in your training up to now, confident in your fitness up to now, confident in "tight, close, finish, feet flat", and in your ability to hit lifts.  You are taking a trip to Parts Unknown.  Lift weights you may have never even lifted before.  Lift weights overhead that you couldn't roll across the floor a few months ago.  The goal of a meet is to put more weight up overhead than you have ever done before and, because you may not get another chance at these 6 lifts, you put everything into them.  Spend time convincing yourself that you can do these lifts. 

That doesn't mean to run out there on to the platform like a maniac and do something crazy or whatever just because.  That means you go out there ready to give the weight a good ride.  Physically and mentally you are ready. As your coach, I can only guide you to the edge of the platform, wish you good luck, and then the show is all yours.  You will feel victory and failure.  Perhaps even in the same lift.  Physically, your openers and your goal weights for the meet are all achievable or I would not have given them to you.  

Channel Chemerkin who called for more weight loaded on to a barbell in a weightlifting competition than has ever been requested before or since.  Then go for it.  He was not thinking failure or "let me give it a try" as he chalked up.  He approached the bar and went for it with all he had.  Every lifter facing the 6 most important lifts of his or her life has to have the same approach; no compromise.

In case you forgot:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fuiBO9FnFjY  Running up to the stage!

Today is the last training day for some of you.  The heavyweights have Thursday as their last training day.  Rest physically and prepare mentally for these, the 6 most important lifts of your life.  Depending upon what kind of a performance you uncork at the meet, all lifters should be considered to be in good positions to finish on the podium.Good luck to our lifters!

See you on the platform,
Coach

Personal Records and Hunger

Personal records, PRs, or personal bests, PBs, (we go with the former) are something that everyone chases.  Weightlifter, powerlifter, runner, etc. are all interested in performing better.  Managed properly, personal records and PR attempts reveal both short term and long term progress.  Great information on training comes from them.  Managed improperly, they are an exercise in abject stupidity.

Larry Lifter shows up for training and his coach tells him that the plan, or program, calls for PR attempts in each lift.  Coach tells Larry that he has been working hard for 6 weeks and that this planned set of PR attempts will give them both good feedback.  From the day's training session, they will get some good data. Larry gets ready to put forth maximum effort.  He has been training in the 2 and 3 rep ranges as well as the occasional excursion down to a single.  All weights have been at or above 80% or previous tested maximums.  Without going into excruciating detail, training has been  building toward these attempts.

Larry gets ready, warms up, and chases new PR in snatch and CJ.  He hits a new PR in snatch, about 3-4% more than his previous, and coach tells him to do it again, but this time, "Do it more perfectly."  So far, a good day.  Larry is hungry for more in the snatch after hitting a more perfect second snatch.

Larry then goes after CJ where the C has always been his problem.  He goes after a PR that is the 5% above his previous best, his timing is off, and he misses.  He tries it again, the lift is ugly, and coach tells him to start squatting.  Larry protests and asks if he can go one more time or put more weight on because, "...I know I can get it, coach."

"Squat."

Larry and his coach both get important info from this session as well as having an injury free lifter who is hungry for more PR.  Not a bad day and a good example of properly managing PR attempts.

Now, the other side of the story.

Louis Lifter comes to his gym, ready to go.  Perhaps he has a coach, perhaps he does not have one.  No matter, he has been training hard, doing many sets of many reps of a wide variety of exercises.  From pulls to dead lifts to rows to push ups to you name it, if you need 50 reps done in under 2 minutes, Louis is the guy.  So, he decides that today's session calls for a maximum lift in clean.  He has not trained for even a few days let alone weeks in anything close to 80% or above, has not trained a one rep max in months, yet decides that today is a good day for a max attempt.  Why not?  Lots of others are in the gym today going after max attempts and he should, too, he thinks.  He thinks, "I want to show everyone how strong I am."  Ego has crept in and that usually means that Rational Thought, like Elvis, has left the building. 

He warms up, gets ready, slaps weight on, and starts heading toward PR territory.  He hits a PR by 5 kilos and is quite pleased.  The goal of today's session was to PR and he accomplished it.  In theory, he should stop and go about his other business.  Remember Ego?  Ego tells Louis to add 5 kilos which he does.

He misses and misses badly.  No matter to Louis as he just revs up the testosterone, damns technical form, and rips the weight from the ground to his shoulders.  He still misses.  He adds another 5 kilos.  Unfortunately, he repeats the above testosterone increasing sequence and, with the room yelling at him a la a High School football weight room, he makes the lift.  "Crap, I am on a roll, " he thinks, "that is a 15 kilo PR.  I am going up."

He is tired, thinking all sorts of meaningless thoughts ("I hate this music." "Why is he here?", etc).  He goes for his next attempt.  It is slow from the ground, he can barely move, barely expresses any power, and his elbow whip is renamed to "elbow lackadaisical".  He tries to move under the bar, but he is so slow.  One woman onlooker is able to get her hair French braided during the time Louis is moving under the bar.  Then, he goes for the rack and BOOM!  his wrist explodes.

Ligaments, tendons, bones go every which way and Louis writhes in agony.  During his recovery period away from the gym, Louis can muse about his training and how he will recover from this, most likely career ending, injury.  He got no quality feedback from his PR attempts.

Meanwhile, Larry adjusts his program, boosts his training weights, and launches himself into a new 6 or 8 week program.  At the end of it, he will again attempt some PR after patiently working up to them.  He gathered data for training, is hungry for more PR, and is uninjured so he can continue on that path.  A perfect example of a well managed training day targeting PR attempts.

Contrast this with Louis who mismanaged his PR attempts as well as the training leading up to them and now has weeks or months of time off due to injury.  His case is an example of wasted opportunity and a lesson in stupidity.  Don't be Louis. 

Ego, Goldfish, and Weightlifting

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!"

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!

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. 

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!

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. 

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. 

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. 

The Week in Review

Three years ago, when Ben first started lifting with us, he was strong as heck (still is) and as tight as piano wire.  After a few weeks, he was able to hit 76/100 easily.  Then became the grind of learning a new skill and then applying that skill.  He was told at the time that his present CJ would become his future snatch.  It did.

Suddenly, it dawned on me that he has done exactly that.  He hit 97 in his last meet (102 in practice) and a 137 (140 in practice).  And a pretty good ratio though the snatch could be a little higher in relation to the CJ.  Three years of 4 days a week of training with all of its frustrations and little wins until he hits the milestone.  It ain't easy, gotta keep at it.

Great job, Ben, and for all the Type A personalities who want to get their lifting into the stratosphere over the long weekend ("Let's bang this thing out and put 60 k on my lifts."), bear in mind, he did over 600 lifting sessions to make this happen.

In other great stuff:

Jordan sets PR in snatch and is the first lifter to fully complete the 6 week introduction to weightlifting program.  Nice work!

Rio became a PR machine with PR in jerk and front squat.  Way to go!

Fern is working through the body composition change program and noticing incredible results as her CJ, done for 10 singles, matches her previous meet PR.

Not to be outdone, George grinds out a couple of PR CJ at 125 and 130.  

Brigid who also snatches more than what she used to CJ and taking a little more than about 2 years to do so continues her American Open preparation program.  This week's sessions will be quite demanding.

Keith who warms up for the snatch with more than he used to CJ also continues his American Open preparation.  His week looks pretty demanding, too.

Good things happen and progress is made if you knuckle down and put forth the effort.

The Final Round in the Battle for the Belt

One could not ask for it to be closer than this battle for the battle was.  Starting September 16 with a meet in Lexington, then a crazy fun team competition, and culminating in the FSU Open on October 20. 

Since the battle rules include the possibility of losing ground, there were 5 contenders for the belt:
Zach, leading with 44.75 points
Chelsea with 33
Fern with 29.75
Pat with 29
Ron with 27. 

Toss in the fact that there is also a multiplier when the competition is in a pure weightlifting meet and who knows who could end up on top. 

Chelsea was in there with the 33 and a 6 for 6 day would have put her to 39  points.  Alas, she missed lifts and was fixed at 33.  Pat was somewhat on the outside looking in, but could leapfrog past people if others had a bad day and he had a good day.  He missed lifts so he was still stuck at 29. 

Fern threw it down by hitting two PR in the meet getting her 12.50 points and catapulting her to 42.25 points.  Focus was on Zach as he could have a bad day, though unlikely. 

Zach hits three PR in the meet, but misses one lift.  Walks come back to haunt you in baseball and missed lifts haunt you in weightlifting.  His multiplier is 1.25 and he gains 18.75 points ending with a total of 63.5.  He is sitting pretty.

Ron, the only challenger left, responds with a 3 for 3 PR snatch performance and then goes 3 for 3 in CJ along with a PR.  With his multiplier of 1.75, he gets 36.75 points.  I had to check the calculator two or three times before seeing that Ron successfully defended the belt by 0.25 points! 

Now, the question becomes, who is going to pry that thing out of Ron's hands with their own great lifting?

Fun stuff!  Stay tuned for the next  Battle for the Belt!

Competition: Team CF vs Team WL

OK, not an epic battle, but certainly a good time for all!  Trash talking was abundant leading up to this team competition pitting 6 members of Team Crossfit (George, Pat, Chelsea, Terre, Kellene, and Mike) versus 7 members of Team Weightlifting (Ron, Keith, Zach, Jordan, Fern, Erik, and Abby).  The contest consisted of:  clean (3 attempts to maximum), dead lift (2 attempts to a maximum), and the medley (various stuff to get the heart rate and lactic acid levels up).  In the unlikely event of a tie, Fern had brought in the Concept 2 rower for a 1000 meter drag race. 

Points were scored for the top 10 positions and the team with the highest point total would be declared the winner.  The winner would take all the money, pride, and bragging rights until the next time.  Fortunately, there were no injuries so, the day was a good one and, to spare the reader the agony of going through the whole story, the winning team was Team Crossfit.  Here are the details.

(one caveat:  I think that I have all the numbers right, including the intermediate Battle for the Belt details.  But, there might be a revision after a couple of days of other eyes on it besides mine...so, check back!)

First up was the clean to a max.  No jerk, just clean.  Since we had competitors of all ages, the Sinclair formula was used as well as the master's factor.  Lifters were ranked according to their formula number, i.e. Sinclair x Master x Clean (in kg)= posted total.  The numbers don't lie, either.

George ended up with the highest formula as he hit a 130 clean.  There may have been some illegal contact on his final clean, but it was declared good.  In order, we had:  Ron in second, Pat, Keith, Mike, Zach, Chelsea, Jordan, Kellene, and Terre.

Now, the lifters prepared for the dead lift.  This was a conventional dead lift with the knuckles facing out, same shoes as was worn in the snatch, no straps, and hands outside the feet.  So, no Sumo allowed.  Fascinating to watch the preparation for the lifters.

The junior lifters and female lifters went first.  Chelsea squeezed out a dead lift of 121 that was one more kilo than Fern.  Terre, Erik, Kellene, and Abby rounded out the rest.

On to the lightweight (under 200#) men, where there were three lifters.  Pat made it not even close as he pulled 175 followed by Ron @ 150 and Keith @ 125.

Heavyweight men were next.  George went all out, going 2 for 2, and pulling 215.  Zach, also 2 for 2, hit 202, saving it for the medley.  Mike and Jordan rounded out the field.

On to the medley which was a sled push, sled pull, implement (!) carry, plate carry, and 20 squats with an empty bar.  Fastest time would be the basis for points.  The field was divided into juniors/female and men.  (it may be better to change how competitors are ranked the next time as this event was a dead heat on points 51 to 51).

Chelsea and Erik were the first pairing and she posted a time to beat of 1:19.72.  Abby and Terre battled next followed by Fern versus Kellene.  Finishing order had Chelsea followed by Fern,Terre, Erik, Kellene, and Abby

Keith went alone, paced by Ben.  Ben had just finished his heavy day 4 lifting and stepped up to help out.  Keith hit a pretty good time of 1:19.52 and was just faster than Ben who hit 1:30.00.

Pat and Ron went head to head with Pat posting a fast time of 1:13.63.  Mike and Jordan went next.  Lots of humanity out on the course with these two going at it.  Mike blazed to a 1:02.38 with Jordan, despite taking a header during the plate carry, posted a fast 1:16.68.

Zach and George were battling for pride at this point as Team Crossfit was already spending the prize money.  Zach smoked the course and beat Mike's time with a 1:01.94.  George, developing a new appreciation for Crossfit and hate of oxygen debt, hit 1:18.56.

Final score:  Team CF 146.5 to Team WL 133.  Great competition and fun!


Intermediate Battle for the Belt standings have Zach (42) in first followed by George, Chelsea, Pat, Ron, and Fern.  Now, Chelsea and Pat can only score a theoretical maximum of 6 points in the 10/20 meet but Zach could lose points according to the battle rules.  And Ron could catapult himself into the lead with a

Progress in a steady manner

Erik, a.k.a. "Rio", is our 14 year old lifter who started lifting after being a spectator at a meet a few months ago.  Which emphasizes the importance of getting someone to a meet so that he can get excited about competing.  If you are an adult weightlifter going to a meet and you don't have a youngster with you, well, I could go on and on, but this post is about progress.
 
Last night at practice, he is putting in a lot of effort doing his push presses.  He is struggling to drive that weight up there as his legs were probably burnt out by the heavy squats just completed.  I walk over to him to tell him he just completed 5 reps in the push press with a weight that he could not squat just a few weeks ago.

How is that for progress?  What kid or adult would not want to experience that kind of progress?  A loaded barbell that you cannot roll across the floor and now you are putting it up overhead for multiple reps??

Can I get a Cincinnati Reds rally howl?  

Round 1, Battle for the Belt goes to...

Great meet hosted by Central Kentucky Weightlifting on a late Sunday morning had lifters chasing personal goals.  A few PR were set and lifters were close to getting into upper level, national meets.  Then, this meet started the next Battle for the Belt competition.

Abby and Fern started the event off.  Fern is chasing state records and has tied one in practice. Abby is chasing qualifying totals for junior nationals and university championships. 

Corrections follow:
Fern hit a 40 in snatch, tying a meet PR and headed into the CJ.  Her opener proved to be the only one she got.  She gave 48 an easy ride to hit the lift and post a PR tying total of 88.  A two sticker performance! 

Abby looked sharp in warm ups and went to the platform for her opening snatch.  No problem with the 48.  Her next two lifts of 51 and 52 were overhead, but not tight enough to complete them; she was credited with the 48.  Her opening CJ was easy and she said, "...should have started higher..".  Jumping to 57 for her second attempt, she gets it.  The third attempt:  way too far in front from the first pull so, no lift.  She is credited with 48/57/105 which should get her university qualification and did get her 3 stickers and the first reward level!

Dave, one weight class lower than previously, nails his opening snatch.  The next two were smooth and fast with plenty in the tank.  The CJ was the same way.  Finishing with a strong 80 on his final attempt, he was credited with a 58/80/138 in his first competition in a looong time.  Nice work.

Keith was looking to tune up for the American Open in a few months.  Goals were fairly modest (72/92/164) and he was able to hit them nicely.  Opening snatch of 70 was routine and then 72 flew up there.   The third attempt of 76 was just glued to floor a bit too long and he left it out in front.  Same story in CJ:  88 up nicely, second attempt of 93 in the groove.  The 96 was cleaned, jerked, but just not straight up enough so, a miss.    He was credited with a 72/93/165.  

Zach was well rested and moving nicely in warm up.  The opening snatch was smoked as was the second.  The third was a PR attempt.  It came off the ground nicely, swept in, and pop.  It was locked out and he was credited with a new PR of 80.  CJ had a modest opener.  The clean was fine, but the jerk was wobbly and he got three red flags for that.  No matter, he was going up.  102 to tie his current gym PR.  Clean:  good.  Jerk:  a bit of an arm bend!  Can he hold it without pressing out?  He did and only the center judge gave him the thumbs down.  On to a PR attempt.  105 cleaned and witnesses say his hips actually went down so that he could receive the bar.  Good enough for me.  The jerk was missed.  80/102/182 for 2 PR.

Ron was ready to begin the defense of the Belt.  Warm ups smooth and he comes out to smoke the opener.  he goes up, following himself.  No problem with the 86.  Calling for a new PR of 90, he just cannot get that timing right to get himself fully under it.  In the CJ, if he can clean it, he can jerk it.  102 was easy for him today.  The next two attempts at 107 and a PR total were not made.  He is credited with the 86/102/188.

In this first event in the three event Battle for the Belt, Abby has the lead with Zach in second, and Dave in third.  It is still very close with the next event set for October 6 there should be some shuffling of positions...Fern is close in the 4th position

Do you have ring around the collar?

Overall responsibility.  That is a boring topic.

 You sweat, your collar of your shirt gets dirty, you pre-soak the shirt in detergent, wash the shirt, and, magically, the ring disappears.  Referring to this rather ancient laundry detergent advertisement is rather odd, you may think, but the true responsibility is that you must wash your neck.   There is not anyone available to apply the Wisk so that the ring is removed; you need to keep that neck clean so that the ring doesn't appear in the first place. 

Coaching responsibility is to get the best out of you in every session of every day.  Doesn't always go as planned, but that is still the responsibility and goal of every individual session.  A program (whether a 4 week or 12 week or 48 week program) has the objective of raising your lifts beyond what you thought you could do.  A coach is irresponsible if he or she shows up with a "training program" generated when he was pumping gas earlier that afternoon. 

A lifter is responsible for putting forth the effort needed in each training session taking place.  Specifically avoided here is the terminology of "workout".  A lifting session is not a workout.  To me a workout is just to do some exercises to get a sweat going so that you can eat more at the next meal.  A training program wants you to improve by 2-5% by the time you finish it.  Our experienced lifters know that the six week "Russian Squat Program" works 100% of the time giving a hard working lifter a 2-5% increase in his or her squat. 

A new lifter has the responsibility to learn the lifts, learn the definitions of the lifts, understand what warm up is required, what different effort feels like, etc.  New lifter must also be willing to accept that there may be a  need to do brain surgery.  Take out all the old yucky crap that is residing in the gray matter about what is involved in lifting, replace that crap with fresh material on the lifts and their accessories, allow it to grow for a while, and then affix the skull before sending you on your merry way. 

450 pound sumo deadlift?  Part of that soon to be replaced crap.  320 pound low bar squat?  Ditto. Clean and press 100 kilos?  Ditto.

An intermediate or advanced lifter must accept the responsibility that focus and attention is needed from the moment the first warm up is started until the barbell is unloaded at the end of the training session.  Once this lifter wraps his or her hands around the bar, hopefully employing the hook grip, there is nothing but the barbell.  Want a 2% improvement at the end of 4 weeks?  You need to accept the responsibility of focusing on the task at hand.  Want 5% improvement at the end of 12 weeks?  Might want to make double sure that your neck is clean.

So, the question to you is:  Are you a lifter waiting for someone to beat your ring around the collar every time or are you a lifter who keeps his neck clean?

Battle for the Belt: 1st successful defense!

The latest battle for the belt went to the final event with the winner in front by mere seconds at the end.  Lifters had to do 4 snatches @ 92% then 4 clean & jerks @ successively more weight, ending with a PR CJ.  4 lifters made it to the leg killing Triple C Leg Cranks which consist of a ride on the Air Dyne, step ups, single leg squats, and squats.  

Pat and Chelsea threw down the gauntlet on Thursday night.

Snatches for both were routine and more strength than technique.  The hips were never in peril of going below or even near the knees on either lifter.  Pat ended with a solid PR in CJ as did Chelsea.  The tiebreaker was right in their sweet spot so, personal expectations were high.  Pat did the Triple C Leg Cranks in a quick 4:22.08.   Chelsea paced herself to a finish in 5:05.57. 

Saturday started with Kellene.  She hit all the snatches and her first two CJ.  Despite strong encouragement from Fern, who was spectating, the 98% third CJ lift proved too heavy for today.  Zach, Keith, Ron, and Ben all smashed the respective 92% snatch.  Ben was operating under a newly established snatch PR and had good speed. 

Keith was able to nail his first CJ.  The next jump had him easily cleaning it, but just could not fix the bar overhead and himself under.   Finally, he was able to get the weight on his 4th attempt; taking the weight for quite the exciting ride as he did so. 

Zach sailed through his first three attempts and then came the final attempt for a PR.  He was able to do it with only a quick little jump forward.  New PR and a sticker! 

Ron was the same way:  first three attempts lead to the comment from one that he could at least  make it look hard.  His fourth PR attempt went up for an easy clean.  Then the jerk was solidly locked out overhead.

Ben had recently set a new PR in CJ, too, so today's lifting could prove to be quite challenging.  His first attempt at 92% would prove to be far too heavy and he just could not rack the weight.  Ron and Zach continue on to the tiebreaker!

Zach goes first and hits a respectable 5:09.50, just behind Chelsea.  It is up to Ron:  Will he defend the title?  Overthinking the process at first, he went through the bike portion fine.  Step ups were a bit of a challenge, then he settled down finishing in a time of 4:19.87. 

Ron is the first to defend the belt successfully with Pat in second and Chelsea in third.  Great contest!

The feeling sinks in

That feeling of lifting a heavy weight (whether a relatively or absolutely heavy is immaterial) when it just feels good.  Many times, the emphasis on partial lifts (either hang or block) is lost on a lifter.  The question, "When do I get to do the full lifts?" comes up often.  The answer is nearly as complicated to explain as asking, "Can you make a muscle?"

Pressure here, pressure there, weight balanced fore or aft...it seems pointless until the feeling sinks in.  The past two weeks have seen many of the lifters feeling it.

Pat can now do snatch and CJ and say how each felt.  Kathryn working off the blocks was able to figure out the feeling of in front and just right.  Chelsea able to feel when she lowers herself or when she bends over to meet the bar.  Nice stuff.

Fern working week 4 of her programming last week got that feeling as she was able to PR in the snatch and her top 3 attempts all looked the same.  Her CJ matched her current PR; netting her a PR total and a 2 sticker.  Steady improvements of a few percent every few weeks is nothing to at which to sneeze. 

Ben, last week, hitting his snatching hard, but not quite getting it.  Then the 100, 102 come easy.  The mind blew up at the 105 as panic set in.  Had the lift been done the same way with the same feel, it would have been made as there is plenty of hydraulic strength there.

Then, this week, 3 stage week, drilling in that explosive feeling above the knees, he gets it.  Going after the singles in CJ, there was plenty of room for a big weight and PR.  130 went up so easily that it dropped 2 inches onto his rack.  He went for 140 which was nailed, too.  The mind was concentrating on the feeling of driving, pulling, moving under.  A mere 2.2 kilos is added and then suddenly the feeling is lost (oh, no!  142 kilos on the bar!)  and the lift is not made.  Nonetheless, a few PR and the next reward level is reached. 

Nice build up by lifters as we approach the battle for the belt on Saturday and meets in September, October, and December. 

In keeping with the theme: PR smashes

With the great results from the Record Breakers meet of a few weeks ago, the theme was continued this past week.  Three lifters were able to set multiple PR this past week, leading up to Singlet Saturday.

On May 31, 2011, Ben called to anyone who was listening that he would hit 100 in the snatch.  Well, I was not getting any younger and Ben had not hit the mark.  Finally, this past week, 90 up nice, 95 up nice, then the 100 is loaded.  Somehow, he turned his brain off, made that lift, and got a sticker in the process.  And, this is the first time he can claim a higher than body weight (now 97) snatch! 

Singlet Saturday proved to be very interesting.  Fern's schedule called for some near PR attempts, but it was Singlet Saturday so why not go for some PR?

Warming up, the light weight was tough to control so a lot of the lifts were out in front.  The so-called around the knees rather than through the knees lifts.  Suddenly, it came together for her, and that 40 (PR tie) went up fast and smooth.  She jumped up, shrugged down, and locked that weight overhead.  Nice.  Two more kilos; can she make the lift?  She did.  Very nicely, new PR and a sticker. 

CJ has proven to be a bit tough for her especially as the weight approaches 85%.  Today, not the case.  Fast elbows and fast feet ruled the day. Just 4 weeks ago, she called for an ill advised 50 in her CJ.  It was cleaned but not jerked.  Today, she cleaned it and then she jerked it for a PR.   A 3 PR day for her.  She is now in the hunt for her age group records! 

Not to be outdone on Singlet Saturday, Ben and Steve decide that they will have a little contest to see who gets the bigger CJ.  Steve, if he can clean it, he MIGHT be able to jerk it versus Ben, if he can clean it, it is jerked.  Many an injury has happened in these little events so, my nervousness is a bit high.  Steve makes his 125 CJ but cannot jerk anything higher than that.  Ben puts 130 to bed and then goes all the way up to 135.  He cleans the 135, easily stands up, then misses the jerk.  A PR clean, but not a full lift.  Ugh. 

Steve won this time and then the conversation turned to who was the better "baller". 

Erik, a.k.a. "Rio", working hard on his snatch, asks if he can give a PR snatch a ride on Monday night.  Why not?  he was close to his next reward level and hitting a PR is never a bad thing.  His partial lifting done, it is time to translate that explosiveness into the full lift from the ground.  Snatch 1:  ties a PR and he has plenty left.  Snatch #2:  new PR.  BAM!  Paydirt.  Snatch #3:  he increases the weight and hits it.  2 PR in the same night and he gets the next reward.

Nice work by the lifters.

Recordbreakers: Lived up to its name

The Midsummer Open is in the books.  There were a number of PR set by the lifters who ranged in age from 12 to 50.  According to my figures, at least 20 PR were set out of the 150 attempts.  Not a bad day.

Thank you to the volunteers who helped run a smooth meet:  Frank, Fern, Tony, Jordan, Steve, Ben, Fred, Kellene, Ron, Zach, and Dave.  Thank you to all the lifters, coaches, and fans who braved the rain to come to the meet.  Good thing meets are usually indoors!

The action got underway with Kyle, 12 years old, hitting a nice opener.  He missed his next, but came back to nail it for number 3.  CJ were OK, but he did miss his final 2 attempts.  Perhaps competition at the national level a few weeks back left him gassed.  Excellent form on this youngster.

Kelly, our oldest lifter and lifting in her first meet at Cincinnati Weightlifting Club, opened with a solid two lifts then made a big jump on her final lift.  She was credited with 36.  She came back to nail all three CJ for a good performance.

Fern, lifting for Cincinnati, went 3 for 3 in her snatch attempts, finishing with a PR.  The CJ went equally well; though she missed, by inches, her final PR attempt.  40/48/88 for 2 PR.

Lauren, lifting unattached, came out strongly, too.  She nailed all three snatches, finishing with a 45, and then nailed all three CJ, too.  She was credited with a 45/60/105.  Hopefully, she stays with it!

Annabeth, lifting unattached, opened with a strong 41 then pulled her next two attempts high enough, but could not screw herself under to make the lifts.  She shook them off and came back nicely in CJ.  She got 41/58/99.

Ryan, from Central Kentucky Weightlifting Club, accomplished her goal of qualifying for a national meet by going 6 for 6, posting 3 PR, and having great concentration.  She hit 53/70/123 to post a Q-total for the 53 class.

Anthony, in his first meet for Cincinnati Weightlifting, hit a nice 55 opener, then missed his next two.  He did set a nice PR with his 75 in the CJ.  A respectable total in a first meet of 130.

Keith, also from Cincinnati WLC, missed his opener and his second attempt in snatch then came back to nail his third attempt.  CJ was nice; a solid opener, a great second lift to post a PR total then all the stops came out when he attempted a state record CJ.  Not this time.  76/96/172

Zach, from Cincinnati WLC, hit two solid attempts then got his nemesis of 75 in snatch.  The CJ went well, too, as his second attempt was that pesky 100.  105 was cleaned, but not made.  PR total!

Ron, from Cincinnati WLC, missed an easy opener then came back to nail it.  His nemesis of 90 won the battle today.  CJ were very, very nice.  102 up easy as was 107.  110 was not to be today!

Eric from Columbus hit all three snatches in good form then nailed his first two CJ.  He tried for a PR in CJ, but it was too much.  Nice lifting for this master lifter.

Paul, from Indiana, was going for national junior qualification today.  He can definitely get it in his next meet.  His opener of 85 in snatch was routine.  90 proved his undoing.  He got a nice first two CJ in then he had to pull out all stops for his third attempt.  120 was strongly cleaned and then jerked.  Great stuff, but he is two kilos short of the Q-total in his weight class.

Kyle from Bluegrass Barbell Club lifting in his natural class of 69 started strongly then just barely missed his third snatch.  The CJ controlled him today.  he got his opener but the next two attempts were not made despite a lot of effort.

Then, the heavyweight men started lifting.  More loaders sped the loading process up and time was gained as the snatch portion went forward.  With all this muscular humanity moving around the temperature inside the building went up about 10 degrees.

Jim, unattached from Columbus, opened solidly then got his second attempt easily.  108 beat him today.  His CJ had a similar story line:  first two good, last one a bit too much.  The crowd was entertained as Jim nearly passed out from the effort on his third CJ attempt.  Credited with 105/135/240

Aaron, from Fort Wayne, IN, pulled solidly for his opening snatch then pulled strongly but could not get under 112 twice.  he missed his first CJ then came back to make that weight, posting a nice total of 107/125/232.

Chris, from Columbus WLC, lifting after an 18 month absence and wanting to bring back the 110 class, came out strongly at 90 for snatch.  he then got 100 easily.  110 was too much.  the CJ had a similar theme:  first two good, last one too much.  100/140/240.  Great work for this master lifter!

Jeb, from Bluegrass Barbell, hit a nice opener of 125 then missed his next two by leaving them a bit in front.  He did quite well in the CJ going three for three and nailing a solid 160 for a PR and the heaviest weight all day!

Ben C, from Bluegrass Barbell, too, missed his opener and came back to make it.  His PR of 110 was not to be. Better results in the CJ where he missed his opener then nailed it solidly moving up on his third attempt to 130.  Credited with a 104/130/234 @ 94

Jordan H., lifting in his second meet, came ready to do damage. He went three for three in the snatch:  84/92/96 then three for three in the CJ:  110/115/120.  Nice lifting from this strong kid!

Matt P, our only 85  in the meet, came out strongly with his opening snatch of 82 but missed 90 twice.  His CJ was better as he got the opener of 105 but could not stand up with 110.  There may be some leg strengthening exercises in his future.

Jordan J, lifting unattached from Columbus, hit his first two attempts nicely.  The third was not made.  He came back well for the CJ hitting nice lifts of 120/127.  132 proved a bit much.  SO, he got 85/127/212 @ 105. Looks like there will be a lot of snatch work in his future!

Chris, lifting from East Coast Gold in this meet as a 77, got an easy opener then shockingly missed his second attempt.  He came back solidly to show the barbell that he is the boss.  Adjusting his opening CJ down a few kilos was a good move by his event coach as he got this lift easily.  He came back for a nice second attempt but missed his third.  He was the meet's best male lifter.

Ben, lifting unattached, got a solid opener of 98, went to 102, missed, and came back to get it. The CJ went well for his opener and he just could not get that 125.  He was credited with a 102/125/227 @ 94

Bryan, a light 94, hit his opening two snatches quite well, but could not get the third.  He was super solid in the CJ hitting all three lifts with authority.  He finished a nice day with 85/110/195.

Travis, from Hoosier Barbell Club, came out of the gate strongly with an opener of 125.  Fast and strong he looked like there was plenty more in the tank.  Not to be, though.  He missed his next two attempts.  The CJ:  all he had to do was post a huge lift of 160 as a 94.  It was within his capability, but he missed his opener of 145.  Then his second.  Then his third, bombing out, and dislocating his shoulder in the process.  Fortunately, the injury was attended to by a medical doctor and was not too bad. 


A great meet!  Next one at the club will most likely be in October. 

Just another PR

Just another PR kind of day.  Ben hits 180 in front squat for a single.  His strength is improving as his squat was 200 just the other day.  Perhaps he is being pushed in the proper direction now.  Hopefully, both of these lifts translate into higher competition lifts.  One can only hope...

And, Chelsea hits two PR in the same day.  On Monday she jerks 65 for a PR and a sticker.  Today, jerks were on the menu and she hit 67 then 71 for 2 stickers.  Nice work! 

Our other lifters will be uncorking solid PR at the meet on Saturday at the club.  Should be 20-25 lifters in the meet; many first timers!!