HORSE IT UP!

Capital Strength Open Competition today. I was taking it as a training comp and didn't bother to taper or make weight. I even had a couple of glasses of wine last night!
I weighed in at 66.1kg (bit of extra bloating there, bit of extra turkey!)
I was maxing my power snatch so warm-up was much easier and less complicated than normal. I warmed up to my opener of 49kg a bit too early so I had to take it 2-3 times in the warm-up to keep warm. My caffeine tablet kicked in at just the right time and they were easy every time. I went 49, 52, 54kg on the platform, all easy lifts and no drama. I felt like there was a bit more there so I might try it out again during the week.
There was a ten minute break between snatch and clean & jerk. Also, as I was Power cleaning and keeping the attempts to a minimum to preserve my shoulders, my warm-up was quite short and relaxed. I started at 35kg and worked up in 5kg jumps for singles. As my second caffeine tablet was kicking in, I hit 60kg. This was my last warm-up and it was a bit too early; I had to wait a bit to be called to the platform. I was so fired up, felt like I could lift anything on the bar. My heart was hammering and I felt great! I opened with a 62kg Power clean and split jerk, very easy. Called 65kg for my next attempt. Possible I was too fired up; easy power clean but I caught my windpipe, got snoozy and had to drop it without even attempting the jerk. I had 2 minutes to make good on this. Luckily Harry knew exactly what to do, he got me a banana and some juice and instructed me to get my elbows round faster. Sure enough, that did the trick and the power clean was easy, jerk was okay. Good lift :)

I finished with 54/ 65 at 66.1kg which isn't bad for a training comp. Both the snatch and the clean are all time power personal bests and it feels like there's more there.

I really like the power variations; while I can't lift as much, it's so much fun to just yank it up off the ground, no thinking.

THE BLUE AND THE RED

I was more aware of the fact that I might be tight (from benching Friday and a long drive yesterday) than actually feeling tight so I took a bit longer with my warm-up. I was feeling pretty good by the time I was ready to lift.

Once I hit the bar, I worked up in triples then doubles to 48kg. Next I went singles at 50kg, 52kg, 53kg, 54kg, 55kg, 56kg and finally failed 57kg twice. 56kg is a 4kg post injury pb and was very pretty. My mind set felt very useful throughout this session; I focused on the things I needed to do and how much I wanted to get it and then I went blank and just got it. It all just felt so good! I was a bit tired from all those singles towards the end and I was starting to doubt myself so I'm hoping that the 57kg will be there next time I go for it.

Next I did some mid back activation then warmed up my clean and jerks. Shoulders felt a little DOMS but good. I worked up in doubles to 50kg then singles at 55kg, 58kg, 61kg, 64kg, 66kg, 68kg. First 68kg wasn't the prettiest and I was being a bit petulant so I walked away and had a chat with myself. I forced myself to come back with a better mindset and the second 68kg was okay. Next was 69kg which was right in the grove and shocked the hell out of me; so easy! I this is the first jerk that I've done right since I've started back training!! Seems trying not to dip at all is a good cue for me. I finished off with a good 70kg clean and jerk which I can't remember very well. It was okay but I think I was a bit tired at that stage. I hope that I've figured out the jerk and if I can repeat that movement in competition and less fatigue than today, I reckon there's a lot more there. I'm pretty sure I can do it. My mind is in a much better place for this now, it's been such a head melt since I got back training!

Great day, bring on Cardiff!

POWERLIFTING

Tomorrow is the Capital Strength Open Competition and I'm using it to max my powers. I worked my power snatch up to 50kg and worked my power clean and jerk up to 63.25kg. (I got new increment weights for Christmas and wanted to try them out).
Easy openers. Bring on tomorrow :)

GUNZZZZZZ!!

I decided to take a few weeks off weightlifting and work on my mobility and muscle imbalances. I'm quite weak in the upper body so my target for the next few weeks is massive GUNZZZZZZ!

So far, it's been fun! I typically lose focus for the month of December and training just becomes play time. Powerlifting, CrossFit, bodybuilding style, strongman... anything goes! I didn't think I'd do that this year as I'm only back at weightlifting about 6 months but the change of pace is refreshing.

I don't have a detailed plan, I'm just doing whatever feels good, trying to get a 2:1 ratio of pull to push and cover every plane. I'm also trying to get a 2:1 ratio of tricep to bicep as I've been convinced that I'm lacking in the back of arm. I'm trying to do as much variation with these exercises as I can and just have fun. I'm also doing a lot of walking.

Today, I was training with my weightlifter friend Karla so we started off with lots of mobility then some muscle snatches. I worked up to 30kg for triples then did a single at 32.5kg.

Next, we worked on power snatches. I worked up to 47.5kg for triples then I did a single at 50kg.

After that, we did some random glute building, mixing single leg deadlift, walking reverse lunges and band walks with no rhyme or reason. The main aim was to feel the burn!

With buckets of energy left, we did an ab circuit of 10 v ups, 10 oblique crunches, 10 reverse crunches, 10 knees to chest (face down, feet in suspension trainer, plank position), 10 Swiss ball stir the pot and 10 swiss ball pikes. We did 2 rounds.

Still not done, next we did a nice upper body circuit of 15 band pullaparts, 8 dumbbell bench 10-17.5kg, 10 single arm rows 10-12.5kg, 10 bicep curls 5-7.5kg and 30 skull crusher variations with 10kg.
3 rounds.

Finished with a load of stretching and ate a bucket of chicken, rice and avocado. I really enjoyed that :)

Rest day tomorrow, first one since Saturday!

CELTIC NATIONS COMPETITION

I lifted in the Celtic Nations Weightlifting Competition in Cardiff, Wales last Saturday. This is my first international competition in 2 years.

I was a very excited and more than just a little nervous in the week before hand as the snatch had suddenly become a little inconsistent in training. What a week for it to happen! Where I had been doubling 50kg and 52kg easily and managed to get up to 57kg for two singles, I was now suddenly missing 50kg a lot and it felt like I'd completely forgotten how to snatch. I was starting too far over the bar and yanking it off the floor which was a bad habit from the before time. I hadn't been doing as much glute work as in the few weeks before so it's possible I was reverting back to my quad dominant movement patterns. (However, this didn't occur to me until after I saw the video of my lifts from the competition!)

Clean and jerk had been going better than ever. The new idea of just firing it up seemed to be working well and I'd gotten as far as 72kg in training with the feeling that there was much more there.

Travel to the hotel in Cardiff was uneventful and we arrived about 7pm in the evening. I then went with two of the team coaches to check out the venue. I had the option of resting but I like to see the place where I'll be lifting. This helps me mentally prepare as it allows me to repeatedly visualise making good lifts there. When it finally comes to actually lifting, it feels like I've already done it and done it well.

Dragon CrossFit is an impressive facility and would be a great place to train. I walked around the competition platform and warm up area for awhile picturing how it would be and then headed back to the hotel for a light supper of boiled eggs and some rest.

I couldn't sleep after about 5am and 7am couldn't have come fast enough! I was out of the bed and getting ready so fast. We arrived at the venue a few minutes before weigh in and I checked my weight. I was just under 63kg. Making bodyweight hadn't been too much of an issue for this competition; I was 65kg two weeks out. I just upped my carbs for the two weeks and cut out any treats. Within a few days, the bodyweight had come down to 64kg and settled there. With 3 or 4 days to go, I was hovering around 63.5kg. I reduced the carbs the day beforehand, reduced water from about 9pm and weighed in at a comfortable 62.35kg feeling great.

I spent 30-40 minutes refuelling with homemade protein bread, porridge and fruit and rehydrating with dioralyte and at 10am I got into my singlet and started warming up. Competition was due to start at 11am. I was on to the bar by about 1030am but was feeling very tight, my ankles in particular. Even in my bar work I was up on my toes so I had to spend some time stretching them out between sets. Because of this, the warmup didn't go very well and it felt a bit rushed. I didn't miss any lifts but I just wasn't in my groove.

I opened with 51kg or 52kg on the platform and it was rushed. I was lucky to get it. At least I had one snatch. Next I took 54kg and completely rushed it. I swung it behind and got spat out. No lift. My coach called for 55kg next to give me some time to reset the head. There were a few lifters taking 55kg so this gave me about 3 minutes which helped me a lot. When I took the 55kg, I was a bit more settled. Looking at the video, it was still a little rushed and hips were too high but thankfully, I made the lift. 55kg is 3kg above what I hit in Cork in October and is 6kg below my best ever competition snatch. While I would say that it could have gone better, I'm so happy that it didn't go worse. It's still progress and I know what I need to do to lift more next time. Strength is not the issue yet, just a few technical quick fixes.

There was 5 minutes between the snatch and clean and jerk so I had no time to relax, I had to get straight on to the bar. Because everything felt so rushed, I didn't have time to follow my usual competition routines. I normally have a caffeine tablet at the start of the snatch warmup and another at the start of the clean and jerk warmup and I find that this gets me fired up for just the right time. I only had time to take the caffeine tablet during my clean and jerk warmup. I had to fire through my clean and jerk warmup taking 5kg jumps and the only rest was when my team mate Mary was taking her lifts. Neither of us got to catch a breath really. As I was taking 60kg, I heard my name being called to take 65kg on the platform. This distracted the hell out of me. I got my coach to raise my opener to 70kg and took a rushed but solid 67kg before getting myself set for the platform. There were a few taking 70kg before me so as it turned out, I had quite a while to wait then.

When I got called for 70kg on the platform, I swaggered out and absolutely nailed it. I felt really strong and it was unbelievably easy. Good lift. My coach called for 72kg next and there were a few taking that weight and a bit of chopping and changing so by the time I went out for my second attempt, I was feeling a little cold and I'm pretty sure the caffeine was wearing off. The clean was solid but I bucked under the jerk. My coach called for 72kg again and I tried to get myself fired up for it but same thing happened; a really good clean but got crumpled by the jerk.

A lot of this might sound a bit negative and I think the problem here is my expectations were too high. To get 55kg snatch and 70kg clean and jerk only  6 months after an extended layoff due to injury is not too bad at all. It was only this time last year that physios and doctors were telling me I'd probably never lift again.
I'm taking the week to rest and reevaluate, do some mobility work and mentally refocus. My next competition is the Capital Strength open at the gym where I train on December 28th and I'm going to go and do the best I can at that with no expectations.

Expectations lead to disappointment which can take the fun out of lifting. I'm just going to lift and lift as well as I can!

Thanks to my team mates and other coaches for their support and thanks to the Welsh Weightlifting Association for running a really enjoyable event. Can't wait for the next one! 

http://youtu.be/Lb-KQjoSbwQ

Loose like butter + hate = pb :)

Had loads of time to train today so took longer to warm up. Everything felt wonderfully loose as I started to warm up with the bar.
I started with the snatch as usual and worked up to 48kg for doubles and then single at 50, 52, 54, 56. All good. My first attempt at 57kg was a little rushed and nervous and I yanked it off the ground, overpulled it and swung it behind. My next attempt at 57kg was a good lift but I had to stand straight up with it as I rushed it again. My third attempt at 57kg was better. It felt heavy so I stood straight up with it but I'm very happy with that. Another pb since I've been back. I'm almost back to my old numbers from before the wrist injury and I'm much more consistent now. I tore a callous so had to leave it there.

Alex kindly helped me tape up my hand (I have only ever torn a callous once before, about 4 years ago and didn't know what to do with it) and I started warming up the clean and jerk. I went in doubles up to 55kg. I recently had an epiphany that the bar will come down on it's own so I  concentrated on shooting the bar up. This cue worked very well. I went in singles at 59kg, 63kg, 65kg, 67kg, 69kg, 71kg and finished with a solid 72kg. Another pb :)
This gives me a 129kg total and I have now officially beaten my total from the Mullingar Open last year. If I replicate that in competition, I can keep my place in the rankings.
With regards the cue of just shoot the bar up in the jerk; I know I'll need to pull myself under it soon but at the moment, my timing is off. I think I've been so concerned with getting under it that I haven't been getting it high enough to give me time to get under. With this new cue, the jerk feels easier and I've added 4kg in a few sessions. Shoulders hurt less too. There's more there too, can't wait for the Celtic Nations to see what I got :)

I finished my session with some Zombie squats; few sets of triples. I'd been training for about 3 hours at this stage and could only think about my lunch so I wasn't paying too much attention but I think I got to 73kg for a triple. Easy too.