I've printed out my entry form for the Treasure Coast Classic meet at the end of August, I'll mail it in tomorrow (deadline is 7/28). I'm getting super psyched up the closer that gets!
I also got a very exciting call last night and an email this morning from my friend Brandi - she's going to fly down here for my full power meet in November, stay the week on vacation, and then we're going to drive up to Savannah the following weekend for her Olympic Weightlifting meet. (Roadtrip + girls weekend + lifting) x 2 = Awwwwwesoooome, hahahah ;)
So on Friday I had a very special guest with me at my gym - Raphael was my training partner for the day and we did legs.
It was pretty excellent having a partner, I definitely pushed myself hard (lots to live up to, hahah ;) and got a fantastic workout - it felt GREAT, until yesterday, hahah. Yesterday the sore had probably crossed the line into "a little too much"
My working sets were 5 x 125, 5 x 135 and a last set of 5+ at 150. I got 12...
Several ugly reps in there at the end but I was super happy with this set overall. One day I'm gonna get a fully clean set, all good reps that feel smooth and right!
Squat 150 x 12
RC did some pretty awesome looking sets...I think he ended up with something insane like 210 x 12 (really it might have been 15, I can't remember - but umm..either way, insanity), 220 x 10 and 230 x 8 or 10! Ahhh one day. He has excellent form (of course), he makes it look easy! I noticed he squats with a slightly closer stance than I do, and he stays better/more upright. His elbows are also more perpendicular to the bar than mine are. We're speculating as to whether my elbows being a little more behind the bar may be causing me to pancake over a little bit. Ahh...one day I fully plan on owning this lift :)
Today was Press day. I fully believe that my legs held me back today, they weren't fully recovered. Not sure if you can see it in the video (ahh, yup - you can) my legs were shaking like crazy during my last set. Overall I had a really great workout, but this set of presses could be a lot better. My first two sets were for 3 at 64 and 68 pounds. I tried a slightly wider grip on those, and found it really awkward. I brought it in a little for the last set (probably too narrow), 3+ at 72. I wanted 8 or 9, I ended up with 7 but there was nothin' left in there really. I'll have more weeks. I did try to take Myles' advice on the breathing and leaning back on the bar descent...still, a lot of room to improve on technique. I kinda felt a little all over the place with these today...don't use these as a "good" example, LOL:
BB Press 72 x 7
RC will be joining me again tomorrow for deadlift day. Tomorrow is a bit of a backoff week, not going for any max sets, which is good given last week and that my legs are STILL feelin' it from Friday. Next week I go for some singles again, so I need to save it. Should be fun :)
All in all - good stuff!
Work wise...still no word on anything. I feel good though, something is coming my way :)
Showing posts with label Meet. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Meet. Show all posts
Monday, July 18, 2011
Saturday, January 22, 2011
RUM Today!
I haven't posted in ages, THINGS have been getting in my way, sucking my energy and time and this has been the last place I've come, unfortunately. All this time though, training has continued on. There have definitely been days when my energy has been extremely low, my strength definitely has been affected. But the past few days I've been able to disengage from the THINGS that have been distractions and start to really focus on what I've been training for, and that's today - The Raw Unity Powerlifting Championships.
The past few days I've made ME the priority and done my best to balance out all the important factors: the sleeping, eating, training, resting...all of it has been coming together and this morning I woke up feeling SOLID for the first time in weeks.
RC told me to go out there and be a "power BEAST" and that's just what I intend to do.
All my strength, all my power, all my love, everything I've got!
I'm not coming off that platform today with anything left - all I've got is going out there. I have some big lifts ahead, and I need to own them, they're totally within my power.
The Plan
The 3rd attempts listed are what I've been training towards, but a smart plan is flexible if needed:
Squat: 165.3 / 187.4 / 203.4
Bench: 104.7 / 115.7 / 126.8
Deads: 275.6 / 297.6 / 325.2
Total: 655.4
Virtual support WELCOMED - Live streaming of the meet starts at 9:30am EST on Saturday here: http://www.rawunitymeet.com/ Women will open the meet today, and as usual I will probably be right up first or very near first since the lifters squatting the least open ;)
It looks to be like a very long day with 3 flights instead of the usual 2. So all women will do all 3 of their squats in rotation, then all of the very lightweight men and their 3 squats, then all of the lighweight men and THEIR 3 squats...THEN women will do their bench and so on.
I know I have friends and family tuning in for the live stream, and I'm beyond excited and grateful to have the amazing T cheering me on *in person* I'm a lucky girl for that :) She's pretty amazing these days. A few others will be stopping in too, Ms. Tina is coming by to cheer, and possibly, of all people, sunglasses trainer guy from the gym may be in town, hah!
With all the positive support behind me, with my solid training and prep up to this point, with all I've got out there on the platform...
Today is mine.
The past few days I've made ME the priority and done my best to balance out all the important factors: the sleeping, eating, training, resting...all of it has been coming together and this morning I woke up feeling SOLID for the first time in weeks.
RC told me to go out there and be a "power BEAST" and that's just what I intend to do.
All my strength, all my power, all my love, everything I've got!
I'm not coming off that platform today with anything left - all I've got is going out there. I have some big lifts ahead, and I need to own them, they're totally within my power.
The Plan
The 3rd attempts listed are what I've been training towards, but a smart plan is flexible if needed:
Squat: 165.3 / 187.4 / 203.4
Bench: 104.7 / 115.7 / 126.8
Deads: 275.6 / 297.6 / 325.2
Total: 655.4
Virtual support WELCOMED - Live streaming of the meet starts at 9:30am EST on Saturday here: http://www.rawunitymeet.com/ Women will open the meet today, and as usual I will probably be right up first or very near first since the lifters squatting the least open ;)
It looks to be like a very long day with 3 flights instead of the usual 2. So all women will do all 3 of their squats in rotation, then all of the very lightweight men and their 3 squats, then all of the lighweight men and THEIR 3 squats...THEN women will do their bench and so on.
I know I have friends and family tuning in for the live stream, and I'm beyond excited and grateful to have the amazing T cheering me on *in person* I'm a lucky girl for that :) She's pretty amazing these days. A few others will be stopping in too, Ms. Tina is coming by to cheer, and possibly, of all people, sunglasses trainer guy from the gym may be in town, hah!
With all the positive support behind me, with my solid training and prep up to this point, with all I've got out there on the platform...
Today is mine.
Monday, November 8, 2010
9 for 9: The Overview
I can't tell you why or how I went into this meet feeling as confident and strong as I did - definitely more so than ever before. Was it knowing I trained my ass off? Experience maybe? Who knows, but I felt it and it was comforting to just somehow "know" that I was really ready :)
I hit all 9 of my lifts - a first for me! I hit all of the goals I set for this meet, another first! I PR'd in each of the 3 lifts, and my total (huge!) AND...my new deadlift PR actually ranks me among the Top 20 Raw/Female 148lb deadlifts!
I ate more, I ate better. I trained hard...it all came together, I had a great day :)
The nitty gritty details of the day and each lift here.
I hit all 9 of my lifts - a first for me! I hit all of the goals I set for this meet, another first! I PR'd in each of the 3 lifts, and my total (huge!) AND...my new deadlift PR actually ranks me among the Top 20 Raw/Female 148lb deadlifts!
I ate more, I ate better. I trained hard...it all came together, I had a great day :)
The nitty gritty details of the day and each lift here.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
RAW United North American Open
I'm just wrapping a few things up here and then I am OFF! 5 days of vacation...very much needed.
Tomorrow is the drive over to Tampa, Saturday is weigh-ins and then some long lost family stuff (long story ;) and then Sunday is THE day and I am SO FREAKING PUMPED for this, I can't even tell you! YEAH!
The meet will stream live on the net on Sunday, if any of you want to tune in! I love knowing you guys are cheering me on virtually so if you CAN tune in even for just a short while, I would LOVE IT!
The meet starts at 10am EST (remember to Fall Back this weekend/Saturday night) and I am in "Flight C." I am thinking my first squat will be around 10:40 or 10:45am. I'm the ONLY chick lifting on Sunday (long story #2), so you won't be able to miss me when I'm up, hahah ;)
Anyway - if you want to, you can tune in here!
I'll be back Sunday night and can update then :)
I think that's all! YEAH so ready and excited I can hardly contain myself at this point, heh heh....I feel SOLID!
Tomorrow is the drive over to Tampa, Saturday is weigh-ins and then some long lost family stuff (long story ;) and then Sunday is THE day and I am SO FREAKING PUMPED for this, I can't even tell you! YEAH!
The meet will stream live on the net on Sunday, if any of you want to tune in! I love knowing you guys are cheering me on virtually so if you CAN tune in even for just a short while, I would LOVE IT!
The meet starts at 10am EST (remember to Fall Back this weekend/Saturday night) and I am in "Flight C." I am thinking my first squat will be around 10:40 or 10:45am. I'm the ONLY chick lifting on Sunday (long story #2), so you won't be able to miss me when I'm up, hahah ;)
Anyway - if you want to, you can tune in here!
I'll be back Sunday night and can update then :)
I think that's all! YEAH so ready and excited I can hardly contain myself at this point, heh heh....I feel SOLID!
Monday, June 21, 2010
9 Minutes
The Facts
(long!)
I think most of you are pretty knowledgeable these days, listening to me talk about past meets, but just in case, I'll explain a little...
There are 3 lifts in powerlifting - squat, bench press, and deadlift. At a meet, you have 3 "attempts" at each...each attempt builds on the previous and increases in weight, until your 3rd attempt is an all out maximum lift. Many times, a max attempt is some weight a lifter has never even felt before - the max attempt is decided upon by a number of things but namely training progressions, some formulas, definitely some experience (where I'm falling down), and a good feel for your energy on the given day. You give each attempt as you finish the one before it. If you miss one, you can repeat it (assuming it's not your 3rd attempt) until you get it, or you can increase the weight, but you cannot decrease it.
We'll start with a summary: It was a day of highs and lows :)
I went into the day more calm and peaceful than ever, I felt solid in my plans, I knew I had trained hard, I knew I was well rested, I knew this was going to be my big day. Just for reference, Myles had asked a friend of his named Dave to keep an eye out for me on my lifts and attempt selections. Also, I didn't have anyone there to record my lifts, but they were recorded on the live stream. I've put the link for each lift below and in parenthesis with each attempt is the time marker for that lift. The videos load quickly and for the most part you can just move the sliding bar ahead to that marker and watch :)
The goals/plan as laid out ahead of time (always subject to adjustment, based on the things I described above):
Goal 1) Hit PR's on all lifts
Goal 2) PR my total, minimum of 617 to qualify for RUM 4 in January 2011
Planned Lifts:
Squat: 165, 185, 190 (former pr: 181)
Bench: 110, 115, 120 (former pr: 110)
Deads: 285, 305, 325 (former pr: 303)
Actual Squat - 160, 175, 190
Squats are here: squats
160 (43:00): I adjusted my opener to 160 because watching earlier flights, I saw the judges were really sticklers for depth (your hip joint must be below the top of the knee for a passing lift), and I just needed to be sure I nailed it. So I went with 160 on that opener and O.M.G - it was freaking *hard* I fought it, and I got it, but it threw my confidence in my plan for 185. Dave also approached me immediately after that and said "What were you planning for a 2nd?" When I told him, he said based on how that 160 looked, he really didn't think I should go for more than 170 (I told you it was HARD!). But I felt good, I wanted to chalk that 160 issue up to nerves, first lift, etc. Based on the 160, I wasn't confident in 185, but 170? I KNEW I had just nailed 175 for SIX in training...so I put my 2nd attempt in for 175.
175 (51:00): In the video, you'll see me unrack, then rerack, and then unrack again before squatting. I felt I had set up with the bar unevenly placed on my back. I asked if I could rerack and set it up again and was given permission from the head judge. That is totally legal to do, so long as you have not already received the "Squat" command." In my head I was talking myself through it - it's ok, you are perfectly within the rules to ask, now get your sh*t together and just squat it and get it right so you don't look like an idiot now. Once I reset up, I felt it - the hunger had kicked in..that was missing from that first squat - I wanted this lift! So down I went and back up - EASY. WAYYYY easier than the 160! "OK..." I thought, that's where it started...now you're ready!" So when i went to enter my 3rd attempt, I stuck with 190 (despite Dave NOW suggesting I go for 195, hah!).
190 (1:01:00): I have no idea, honestly..you guys know how much I've struggled with squat, getting my form right in particular. Each time I went heavier I'd have to stop, knock it back again and try again. But then one day - it clicked. After much patience and work..one day it just happened. And it all came together for me in this squat...the 190 went up easy - comments later were that it looked like the leve of effort you'd see in a 2nd attempt...definitely more in the tank, could have gone to 195, etc. WOW...you have NO idea how that felt, after all this time. I was on cloud 9 and I was ready for 9 solid lifts..not only had I PR'd, I'd never made all 3 squats before, off to an *amazing start!
Actual Bench - bombed
Bench Press is here: bench press
I went back to the warm-up room and properly warmed up. I had no issues, nothing felt unsually heavy or weird or wrong, I was feeling strong, I knew my opener was easy. I did it at my last meet in January as my opener with no problem, and I'd done it in training a gazillion times since then, and done MORE than it in training as a matter of fact. It was a starting point - a means to working up to bigger things.
110 (43:00): I went out there, and I missed it. Not even close honestly. What? How can this be? It was not a matter of nerves, it was not a matter of getting my head in the right place like it was with that first squat, it was *heavy* Ok...so got a pep talk from Dave, knew I had to get this, Focus. Visualize, see myself there with the bar at lockout...you know you can do this....
110 (51:00): Miss! Same deal as the first. Panic. No...not going to panic. I went through the same process. Focus, visualize, feel it completing, see that lockout...you have one shot at this. "This is NOT how you're going down" I thought, I pleaded with myself...the hunger, it was there - I was going after it.
110 (1:01:30): No lift. That's right, not one. The fact was, yesterday, regardless of what i did 6 months ago, regardless of the training, regardless ...yesterday it was *too heavy*
What does that mean? It means I was essentially kinda disqualified. If a lifter misses all 3 attempts in the same lift, it is termed "bombing out," and you're out of the meet. Nothing counts, no records (if set) would count, no totals count..nothing in the books, nothing official - yer out. It took me a long time to wrap my head around this. In fact, I wouldn't say I'm completely there yet. It remains somewhat of a mystery as to how it is possible, given my history with this weight, that I missed it like I did. But at that moment - the fact was, I was out.
Thankfully, the meet director told me that I could still deadlift (I guess that's fairly common). But to me, that was a blessing, because what it made me do was refocus. I needed to stop analyzing how I missed it, why I missed it, what did I do wrong, etc. WHY ARE YOU HERE, you're here to do a THING. You have nine minutes to do that thing in, don't throw them away. GET YOUR HEAD ON and DO IT. I repeated that to myself over and over. I called Tara, I knew she was watching. She reminded me...helped move me on. I got a pep talk from Dave. I got a pep talk from Eric (he was the meet director from the last meet, he lifted on Saturday, and he was the head judge during my session yesterday). I got a pep talk from this guy Mike who had just made a real go at the all time record deadlift for his weight class, at 860lbs, and missed it after pulling 770 and 820 in his first two attempts. These guys had been there, the message: "it's happened to all of us, it's ok, let it go and do your job." Ok then. *deep breathe* So let's warm up for deads...
Actual Deadlifts - 285, 305, 310
Deadlifts are here: Deadlifts
285 (39:00) - this was a key lift, I *needed* this. I needed it for my confidence, honestly I needed it for my ego, I needed it to prove that I could myself together. I got it, easy, no problem. Consulted with Dave - 305 was the plan, 305 it was.
305 (47:00) - Wow...ok where did THAT come from? It was waaaay too hard for what it was, but hung in with it and I pulled until I got it. I knew then that 325 was out, so I was thinking I needed to drop that. Dave came up and said "you don't have 325 or even 320 in you today." I told him I knew that, I said - let's take it to just 310. And 310 is what I entered for my final lift of the meet.
310 (57:30) - MINE. I'm crying now even as I type it, hahah crrrazzzy. When I started this lift, I knew I was getting it, that I was not stopping, that it was going to all the way up because damn it if I was going to miss another lift this day, "out of it" or not. It was a RIDICULOUS battle, but in the end I got it! And it felt amazing. It felt like it took about 8 minutes to pull it all the way up, but I think it truly took about 8 seconds (timing via video not the most reliable way but..), but there was NO WAY I was dropping it, and I didn't.
3 white lights, and that was the only way to end that meet.
The Lessons
(also long! :)
I spent a lot of time going OVER and OVER those bench presses. I was super down on myself for a few minutes there mid-meet, and don't get me wrong, it still burns, but for a while there was a lot of self-doubt and a lot of trash talking to myself. How could you miss something so *easy* especially when you've done it a million times? Especially when you got this with no problem as your opener 6 months ago?! How, why, what...I was also embarrassed, because I had felt so good and confident going in to this and I felt like it was maybe "serving me right" for feeling that way...
But after talking to a lot of folks, revisiting the possible hows, whys, whats, talking to people with more experience than myself...none of it matters. I could analyze it to death, looking at were my fingers ON the rings or just NEXT to the rings, were my elbows too flared, my legs not driving, my concentration off, blah blah...
I'll never *know* but there are some very positive things that came out of this:
Dave offered to be my new strength coach, and he says he does not charge. He believes he can help me a great deal just by changing some things up with my training. Helping make wiser attempt selections based on how my body handles maxing out (he suspects my squat PR caused the bench failure because it took more out of me than I allowed for in my selection).
I learned that there's no reason to be embarrassed, that my confidence was not really misplaced, and to an extent is very necessary for this sport. And this experience - bringing the new training parameters and coaching, should only serve to make room for bigger, stronger lifts and more experience to make wiser choices and learn more about my body.
I learned what I'm made of when I turned that around and pulled it together for deadlift. I needed that. I got an email from Myles today after he watched the videos that helped me to see that...
Objectively and contextually, your last DL was extraordinary. I'm
not going to play down bombing out. It sucks and should piss
you off however much it pisses you off. However, to deadlift a PR
after bombing out displays such a high level of psychological resolve
that's it's hard to overestimate how meaningful and encouraging this
is. So many other lifters throw in the towel after a bomb or
sometimes just after a miss...you're the mentally
tougher lifter.
And from that, I learned that I love this and I will keep going with this. If I didn't care about it, I wouldn't be so upset about it. I do know that I gave it 100% of my everything, I started and I did not stop until they took the bar from me every time. And to the eye - it may not look like much, but I never gave up on it...and that's where I'm going to have to end on that...because that's really all I've got to show for it, right? That's what this is about - you do a thing, and you give it everything...
"You start and you don't stop. All your strength, all your power, all your love, everything you got!"
I learned that I can be proud of myself for this precisely because I can walk away with so many positives. I had some HUGE wins...the PR on squat alone was a major win, and pulling it together for the deadlift and hitting a PR there AFTER all that...huge. This is good, this is right...I'm walking away from this one with pride now :)
For a while I have been planning to take some time off. I put my gym membership on hold for the month of July and was planning on Crossfit, no PL stuff for that time. But this morning I was processing all of this stuff and I walked away thinking and feeling .. I don't WANT to stop now, i want to want to PAUSE now...I want to get better now, I want it more than ever.
So some rest this week, easy movement...next week is a long week of business travel so probably a little more rest than I'd like but..then I'm going to be ready to hit it hard. I'm emailing Dave next.
I'm ready for my next lesson :)
(long!)
I think most of you are pretty knowledgeable these days, listening to me talk about past meets, but just in case, I'll explain a little...
There are 3 lifts in powerlifting - squat, bench press, and deadlift. At a meet, you have 3 "attempts" at each...each attempt builds on the previous and increases in weight, until your 3rd attempt is an all out maximum lift. Many times, a max attempt is some weight a lifter has never even felt before - the max attempt is decided upon by a number of things but namely training progressions, some formulas, definitely some experience (where I'm falling down), and a good feel for your energy on the given day. You give each attempt as you finish the one before it. If you miss one, you can repeat it (assuming it's not your 3rd attempt) until you get it, or you can increase the weight, but you cannot decrease it.
We'll start with a summary: It was a day of highs and lows :)
I went into the day more calm and peaceful than ever, I felt solid in my plans, I knew I had trained hard, I knew I was well rested, I knew this was going to be my big day. Just for reference, Myles had asked a friend of his named Dave to keep an eye out for me on my lifts and attempt selections. Also, I didn't have anyone there to record my lifts, but they were recorded on the live stream. I've put the link for each lift below and in parenthesis with each attempt is the time marker for that lift. The videos load quickly and for the most part you can just move the sliding bar ahead to that marker and watch :)
The goals/plan as laid out ahead of time (always subject to adjustment, based on the things I described above):
Goal 1) Hit PR's on all lifts
Goal 2) PR my total, minimum of 617 to qualify for RUM 4 in January 2011
Planned Lifts:
Squat: 165, 185, 190 (former pr: 181)
Bench: 110, 115, 120 (former pr: 110)
Deads: 285, 305, 325 (former pr: 303)
Actual Squat - 160, 175, 190
Squats are here: squats
160 (43:00): I adjusted my opener to 160 because watching earlier flights, I saw the judges were really sticklers for depth (your hip joint must be below the top of the knee for a passing lift), and I just needed to be sure I nailed it. So I went with 160 on that opener and O.M.G - it was freaking *hard* I fought it, and I got it, but it threw my confidence in my plan for 185. Dave also approached me immediately after that and said "What were you planning for a 2nd?" When I told him, he said based on how that 160 looked, he really didn't think I should go for more than 170 (I told you it was HARD!). But I felt good, I wanted to chalk that 160 issue up to nerves, first lift, etc. Based on the 160, I wasn't confident in 185, but 170? I KNEW I had just nailed 175 for SIX in training...so I put my 2nd attempt in for 175.
175 (51:00): In the video, you'll see me unrack, then rerack, and then unrack again before squatting. I felt I had set up with the bar unevenly placed on my back. I asked if I could rerack and set it up again and was given permission from the head judge. That is totally legal to do, so long as you have not already received the "Squat" command." In my head I was talking myself through it - it's ok, you are perfectly within the rules to ask, now get your sh*t together and just squat it and get it right so you don't look like an idiot now. Once I reset up, I felt it - the hunger had kicked in..that was missing from that first squat - I wanted this lift! So down I went and back up - EASY. WAYYYY easier than the 160! "OK..." I thought, that's where it started...now you're ready!" So when i went to enter my 3rd attempt, I stuck with 190 (despite Dave NOW suggesting I go for 195, hah!).
190 (1:01:00): I have no idea, honestly..you guys know how much I've struggled with squat, getting my form right in particular. Each time I went heavier I'd have to stop, knock it back again and try again. But then one day - it clicked. After much patience and work..one day it just happened. And it all came together for me in this squat...the 190 went up easy - comments later were that it looked like the leve of effort you'd see in a 2nd attempt...definitely more in the tank, could have gone to 195, etc. WOW...you have NO idea how that felt, after all this time. I was on cloud 9 and I was ready for 9 solid lifts..not only had I PR'd, I'd never made all 3 squats before, off to an *amazing start!
Actual Bench - bombed
Bench Press is here: bench press
I went back to the warm-up room and properly warmed up. I had no issues, nothing felt unsually heavy or weird or wrong, I was feeling strong, I knew my opener was easy. I did it at my last meet in January as my opener with no problem, and I'd done it in training a gazillion times since then, and done MORE than it in training as a matter of fact. It was a starting point - a means to working up to bigger things.
110 (43:00): I went out there, and I missed it. Not even close honestly. What? How can this be? It was not a matter of nerves, it was not a matter of getting my head in the right place like it was with that first squat, it was *heavy* Ok...so got a pep talk from Dave, knew I had to get this, Focus. Visualize, see myself there with the bar at lockout...you know you can do this....
110 (51:00): Miss! Same deal as the first. Panic. No...not going to panic. I went through the same process. Focus, visualize, feel it completing, see that lockout...you have one shot at this. "This is NOT how you're going down" I thought, I pleaded with myself...the hunger, it was there - I was going after it.
110 (1:01:30): No lift. That's right, not one. The fact was, yesterday, regardless of what i did 6 months ago, regardless of the training, regardless ...yesterday it was *too heavy*
What does that mean? It means I was essentially kinda disqualified. If a lifter misses all 3 attempts in the same lift, it is termed "bombing out," and you're out of the meet. Nothing counts, no records (if set) would count, no totals count..nothing in the books, nothing official - yer out. It took me a long time to wrap my head around this. In fact, I wouldn't say I'm completely there yet. It remains somewhat of a mystery as to how it is possible, given my history with this weight, that I missed it like I did. But at that moment - the fact was, I was out.
Thankfully, the meet director told me that I could still deadlift (I guess that's fairly common). But to me, that was a blessing, because what it made me do was refocus. I needed to stop analyzing how I missed it, why I missed it, what did I do wrong, etc. WHY ARE YOU HERE, you're here to do a THING. You have nine minutes to do that thing in, don't throw them away. GET YOUR HEAD ON and DO IT. I repeated that to myself over and over. I called Tara, I knew she was watching. She reminded me...helped move me on. I got a pep talk from Dave. I got a pep talk from Eric (he was the meet director from the last meet, he lifted on Saturday, and he was the head judge during my session yesterday). I got a pep talk from this guy Mike who had just made a real go at the all time record deadlift for his weight class, at 860lbs, and missed it after pulling 770 and 820 in his first two attempts. These guys had been there, the message: "it's happened to all of us, it's ok, let it go and do your job." Ok then. *deep breathe* So let's warm up for deads...
Actual Deadlifts - 285, 305, 310
Deadlifts are here: Deadlifts
285 (39:00) - this was a key lift, I *needed* this. I needed it for my confidence, honestly I needed it for my ego, I needed it to prove that I could myself together. I got it, easy, no problem. Consulted with Dave - 305 was the plan, 305 it was.
305 (47:00) - Wow...ok where did THAT come from? It was waaaay too hard for what it was, but hung in with it and I pulled until I got it. I knew then that 325 was out, so I was thinking I needed to drop that. Dave came up and said "you don't have 325 or even 320 in you today." I told him I knew that, I said - let's take it to just 310. And 310 is what I entered for my final lift of the meet.
310 (57:30) - MINE. I'm crying now even as I type it, hahah crrrazzzy. When I started this lift, I knew I was getting it, that I was not stopping, that it was going to all the way up because damn it if I was going to miss another lift this day, "out of it" or not. It was a RIDICULOUS battle, but in the end I got it! And it felt amazing. It felt like it took about 8 minutes to pull it all the way up, but I think it truly took about 8 seconds (timing via video not the most reliable way but..), but there was NO WAY I was dropping it, and I didn't.
3 white lights, and that was the only way to end that meet.
The Lessons
(also long! :)
I spent a lot of time going OVER and OVER those bench presses. I was super down on myself for a few minutes there mid-meet, and don't get me wrong, it still burns, but for a while there was a lot of self-doubt and a lot of trash talking to myself. How could you miss something so *easy* especially when you've done it a million times? Especially when you got this with no problem as your opener 6 months ago?! How, why, what...I was also embarrassed, because I had felt so good and confident going in to this and I felt like it was maybe "serving me right" for feeling that way...
But after talking to a lot of folks, revisiting the possible hows, whys, whats, talking to people with more experience than myself...none of it matters. I could analyze it to death, looking at were my fingers ON the rings or just NEXT to the rings, were my elbows too flared, my legs not driving, my concentration off, blah blah...
I'll never *know* but there are some very positive things that came out of this:
Dave offered to be my new strength coach, and he says he does not charge. He believes he can help me a great deal just by changing some things up with my training. Helping make wiser attempt selections based on how my body handles maxing out (he suspects my squat PR caused the bench failure because it took more out of me than I allowed for in my selection).
I learned that there's no reason to be embarrassed, that my confidence was not really misplaced, and to an extent is very necessary for this sport. And this experience - bringing the new training parameters and coaching, should only serve to make room for bigger, stronger lifts and more experience to make wiser choices and learn more about my body.
I learned what I'm made of when I turned that around and pulled it together for deadlift. I needed that. I got an email from Myles today after he watched the videos that helped me to see that...
Objectively and contextually, your last DL was extraordinary. I'm
not going to play down bombing out. It sucks and should piss
you off however much it pisses you off. However, to deadlift a PR
after bombing out displays such a high level of psychological resolve
that's it's hard to overestimate how meaningful and encouraging this
is. So many other lifters throw in the towel after a bomb or
sometimes just after a miss...you're the mentally
tougher lifter.
And from that, I learned that I love this and I will keep going with this. If I didn't care about it, I wouldn't be so upset about it. I do know that I gave it 100% of my everything, I started and I did not stop until they took the bar from me every time. And to the eye - it may not look like much, but I never gave up on it...and that's where I'm going to have to end on that...because that's really all I've got to show for it, right? That's what this is about - you do a thing, and you give it everything...
"You start and you don't stop. All your strength, all your power, all your love, everything you got!"
I learned that I can be proud of myself for this precisely because I can walk away with so many positives. I had some HUGE wins...the PR on squat alone was a major win, and pulling it together for the deadlift and hitting a PR there AFTER all that...huge. This is good, this is right...I'm walking away from this one with pride now :)
For a while I have been planning to take some time off. I put my gym membership on hold for the month of July and was planning on Crossfit, no PL stuff for that time. But this morning I was processing all of this stuff and I walked away thinking and feeling .. I don't WANT to stop now, i want to want to PAUSE now...I want to get better now, I want it more than ever.
So some rest this week, easy movement...next week is a long week of business travel so probably a little more rest than I'd like but..then I'm going to be ready to hit it hard. I'm emailing Dave next.
I'm ready for my next lesson :)
Saturday, June 19, 2010
PL Meet Day 1 - The Warm-Up
What a crazy day today. I'm currently at my hotel winding down, mentally preparing for the day ahead of me tomorrow. But since I have this fabulous webtv interface thingie, I thought I'd use it to go through the day.
Got to the airport right on time this morning, I love PBI airport, it's so....quaint ;) No line for security, but of course my weight belt caused attention and my bag was pulled for search. The TSA guy was super cool though, I told him what it was and he just sort of lifted stuff out of the way to verify and put everything back nicely - not like the last time I had bras and underwear and everything all over the place for the world to see!
The flight over was super smooth and uneventful, and we landed 10 minutes early. In Tampa, I weighed literally LONGER to get my one checked bag (food bag w/gel pack and some other liquids) than it took to fly there! That was frustrating. The hotel shuttle picked me up, my room was ready - all of that was fabulous.
My room is actually a small apartment, it totally rocks - this place was a *steal* I took a brief nap, called and arranged for the shuttle to bring me to the venue...and voila! I was there!
Weight this morning when I left home was 138.6...three days in a row it held steady, I am quite sure that is a record. And that is also a different post, but I am pleased to say I weighed in at 1:30pm at 139.0 on the nose :)
My purpose in staying the afternoon was to watch Mr. Eric Talmant lift (promoter/meet director for the Raw Unity Meet) - rumoured to be going after the all-time raw world record in the 165's at 672lbs. Myles has been assisting Eric with his form plus he's just a super nice guy. I ran into Eric shortly after weighing in and we chatted briefly, I wished him well, and took my seat.
Interestingly, the second flight of this afternoon session had LITTLE KIDS lifting. All were 14 and under and some were just TINY! I commented about one litle girls lift outloud to the woman next to me, and we ended up chatting through the rest of the meet. Turns out, she's there to support Eric! Hah...anyway, her name was Jessica and she is NOT a PL'er but now she is strongly considering it. We had a lovely time, I explained a lot of things to her, she asked lots of questions...seemed genuinely interested in trying. Very cool.
Eric's 3rd attempt squat was nothing short of*amazing* at 500 pounds. He fought for that with everything he had and he earned it, it was awesome! I hope it will be up on youtube at some point soon, it truly was that incredible!
For deads, erik opened with 575 - easy! His second attempt he made the jump to 655, which I belieeve is a 5lb pr over his current record. It looked more like a 3rd attempt weight wise, but he nailed it! He decided against trying to take the record on his 3rd and went with 660 (miss). I congratulated him, exchanged contact info with Jessica (his friend), and had the shuttle pick me up :)
I had a lovely dinner of a big cheeseburger and some fries (and a side salad), and here we are...unwinding.
Tomorrow is my time, everything I got out on that platform..it's my time :)
Got to the airport right on time this morning, I love PBI airport, it's so....quaint ;) No line for security, but of course my weight belt caused attention and my bag was pulled for search. The TSA guy was super cool though, I told him what it was and he just sort of lifted stuff out of the way to verify and put everything back nicely - not like the last time I had bras and underwear and everything all over the place for the world to see!
The flight over was super smooth and uneventful, and we landed 10 minutes early. In Tampa, I weighed literally LONGER to get my one checked bag (food bag w/gel pack and some other liquids) than it took to fly there! That was frustrating. The hotel shuttle picked me up, my room was ready - all of that was fabulous.
My room is actually a small apartment, it totally rocks - this place was a *steal* I took a brief nap, called and arranged for the shuttle to bring me to the venue...and voila! I was there!
Weight this morning when I left home was 138.6...three days in a row it held steady, I am quite sure that is a record. And that is also a different post, but I am pleased to say I weighed in at 1:30pm at 139.0 on the nose :)
My purpose in staying the afternoon was to watch Mr. Eric Talmant lift (promoter/meet director for the Raw Unity Meet) - rumoured to be going after the all-time raw world record in the 165's at 672lbs. Myles has been assisting Eric with his form plus he's just a super nice guy. I ran into Eric shortly after weighing in and we chatted briefly, I wished him well, and took my seat.
Interestingly, the second flight of this afternoon session had LITTLE KIDS lifting. All were 14 and under and some were just TINY! I commented about one litle girls lift outloud to the woman next to me, and we ended up chatting through the rest of the meet. Turns out, she's there to support Eric! Hah...anyway, her name was Jessica and she is NOT a PL'er but now she is strongly considering it. We had a lovely time, I explained a lot of things to her, she asked lots of questions...seemed genuinely interested in trying. Very cool.
Eric's 3rd attempt squat was nothing short of*amazing* at 500 pounds. He fought for that with everything he had and he earned it, it was awesome! I hope it will be up on youtube at some point soon, it truly was that incredible!
For deads, erik opened with 575 - easy! His second attempt he made the jump to 655, which I belieeve is a 5lb pr over his current record. It looked more like a 3rd attempt weight wise, but he nailed it! He decided against trying to take the record on his 3rd and went with 660 (miss). I congratulated him, exchanged contact info with Jessica (his friend), and had the shuttle pick me up :)
I had a lovely dinner of a big cheeseburger and some fries (and a side salad), and here we are...unwinding.
Tomorrow is my time, everything I got out on that platform..it's my time :)
Friday, June 18, 2010
Remembering the Path
So I think the word of the week is "appreciation." Remembering all the good over the bad, remembering where you've come from, how you've grown and changed...appreciating the journey of life you've been on....
As I mentioned yesterday, i got the reminder to first appreciate my body for all it does and all it can do, and second, to remember and appreciate where I was and all of the amazingness of the journey that I've been on. I spent some time thinking through some of the most profound...
So this post is my appreciation post, for all of those things, and maybe more, who knows. This is a good place for me to be tonight...recalling all of this.
September 2000 - I remember signing up for eDiets.com when all those first "a-ha" moments had had their way with me. I remember thinking I couldn't do it...
~September 2001 - I remember when i first thought, "well ok, maybe I can"
~January 2003 - I remember joining the gym, feeling super intimidated, wearing huge sweats and t-shirts, worrying about who was watching me sweat and look funny and uncoordinated...but going anyway, and feeling good about it after it was over.
I remember when I bought my first new clothes in a REGULAR store, and NOT in the "womens" section. Size 18, with no "W" :) Hah..pants for work, that didn't have a giant droopy crotch ;)
My first mile! I remember being on the treadmill in the gym, exactly where that was and the view I had but damn it, I can't remember the time. I want to say it was 14 and some change (that's minutes, yup! ;) But I RAN IT, all the way, no stopping. I had NEVER done that before. I ran!
Early Spring 2006 - I remember being so inspired by how absolutely amazing and good I felt, and all the new good that my body could do and feel and experience, and SO inspired by RC who helped me get there, that I decided to get certified as a personal trainer. I remember when I passed the test, and my first clients. I.Loved.It.
While I was scanning gmail to see if I could find that first mile run time, I stumbled on my first 10k time - 63:44 in June of 2006, and then my first half marathon in October of 2006! Goal was 2:15:30 (no idea why I threw that extra 30 seconds on there LOL), I did it: 2:13:39.4
July 2006 - I remember making one of the hardest decisions of my life - the decision to be happy and healthy all around in every facet of my life, and leave my marriage, go after a new job, move to a new city - to take action and actively SEEK the life I wanted to have...
June 2007..TODAY as a matter of fact, this day in June 2007, wow so funny how all of these things come together at just one time, this week for me..this remembrance post, and this anniversary...June 2007 I started working for eDiets. I so wanted to be a part of this company that was so very instrumental in helping me to achieve all of these amazing things. That helped me and my body to FEEL the way that I did, I wanted to give that back in any and every way that I could...
I remember ~September 2008 filming exercise videos..*I* was the model in nearly all of them. ME? Filming exercise videos designed to teach/show other people how to do them. I remember very clearly when it hit me what I was doing.."who *am* i? who am *I* to be doing this when just a few years ago I didn't know what 90% of those exercise were, when I could barely get off the floor for that matter?"
In April of 2009 I lifted 253lbs in the deadlift, that was my starting weight with eDiets...what an amazing high to have "conquered" that weight!
And this time last year, when we filmed the eDiets Best Body Boot Camp DVD. Helloooo...same thing, "who am I? In a workout DVD?!" That is INSANITY. And full of awesome :)
I intend to each day find something that I appreciate about what my body is doing or has done. I won't lose sight again...I don't HAVE to be more more more, I can be happy Cathy, I've made the life I wanted...more should come from a place of joyful choice, because I seek the challenge, not because I'm compelled to keep pushing. That path will never lead to a good place.
As @fat2figure reminded me, "It's a choice, and you decided a long time ago to not ever go back. Now it's time to let go and live the life you've created for yourself."
So funny how all this comes around, comes together at the same time. So brilliant and beautiful :)
This weekend, I choose to lift more weight and put all the training to the test :) I take on the challenge because I want to, not because I have to...this is one I'm sure of, and this weekend I'm planning on lots of moments to remember. I went from not even knowing how to squat less than 2 years ago, to this meet on Sunday I'll be all over that bar at 190lbs! I'm taking 325 on in the deadlift and OWNING it. I can't wait...the high is unforgettable.
I may have internet access from the business room at the hotel, but I'm not bringing my computer, so it's possible I won't be back online until Monday. I know there are so many out there standing by me, walking with me if you will, through this meet. I owe so much to all of my friends and family who have stood by cheering through ALL of this (and it's been a LONG TIME)...and they continue to do so now.
Each time I lift, it starts with a huge deep breath...That's me taking in all of the love and support from all of you. Thank you :)
And just in case - one more time...
Here's where you can find the live stream of the meet!
I'm lifting in the Afternoon Session that starts at 3pm Sunday 6/20 (the Ustream website says noon, but that is pacific time). While this session starts at 3, I've confirmed that we (women) are in the SECOND group to lift in that session, so I don't expect to make my first lift until about 3:30 or 3:40pm.
First up - Squats! Bring it!
As I mentioned yesterday, i got the reminder to first appreciate my body for all it does and all it can do, and second, to remember and appreciate where I was and all of the amazingness of the journey that I've been on. I spent some time thinking through some of the most profound...
So this post is my appreciation post, for all of those things, and maybe more, who knows. This is a good place for me to be tonight...recalling all of this.
September 2000 - I remember signing up for eDiets.com when all those first "a-ha" moments had had their way with me. I remember thinking I couldn't do it...
~September 2001 - I remember when i first thought, "well ok, maybe I can"
~January 2003 - I remember joining the gym, feeling super intimidated, wearing huge sweats and t-shirts, worrying about who was watching me sweat and look funny and uncoordinated...but going anyway, and feeling good about it after it was over.
I remember when I bought my first new clothes in a REGULAR store, and NOT in the "womens" section. Size 18, with no "W" :) Hah..pants for work, that didn't have a giant droopy crotch ;)
My first mile! I remember being on the treadmill in the gym, exactly where that was and the view I had but damn it, I can't remember the time. I want to say it was 14 and some change (that's minutes, yup! ;) But I RAN IT, all the way, no stopping. I had NEVER done that before. I ran!
Early Spring 2006 - I remember being so inspired by how absolutely amazing and good I felt, and all the new good that my body could do and feel and experience, and SO inspired by RC who helped me get there, that I decided to get certified as a personal trainer. I remember when I passed the test, and my first clients. I.Loved.It.
While I was scanning gmail to see if I could find that first mile run time, I stumbled on my first 10k time - 63:44 in June of 2006, and then my first half marathon in October of 2006! Goal was 2:15:30 (no idea why I threw that extra 30 seconds on there LOL), I did it: 2:13:39.4
July 2006 - I remember making one of the hardest decisions of my life - the decision to be happy and healthy all around in every facet of my life, and leave my marriage, go after a new job, move to a new city - to take action and actively SEEK the life I wanted to have...
June 2007..TODAY as a matter of fact, this day in June 2007, wow so funny how all of these things come together at just one time, this week for me..this remembrance post, and this anniversary...June 2007 I started working for eDiets. I so wanted to be a part of this company that was so very instrumental in helping me to achieve all of these amazing things. That helped me and my body to FEEL the way that I did, I wanted to give that back in any and every way that I could...
I remember ~September 2008 filming exercise videos..*I* was the model in nearly all of them. ME? Filming exercise videos designed to teach/show other people how to do them. I remember very clearly when it hit me what I was doing.."who *am* i? who am *I* to be doing this when just a few years ago I didn't know what 90% of those exercise were, when I could barely get off the floor for that matter?"
In April of 2009 I lifted 253lbs in the deadlift, that was my starting weight with eDiets...what an amazing high to have "conquered" that weight!
And this time last year, when we filmed the eDiets Best Body Boot Camp DVD. Helloooo...same thing, "who am I? In a workout DVD?!" That is INSANITY. And full of awesome :)
I intend to each day find something that I appreciate about what my body is doing or has done. I won't lose sight again...I don't HAVE to be more more more, I can be happy Cathy, I've made the life I wanted...more should come from a place of joyful choice, because I seek the challenge, not because I'm compelled to keep pushing. That path will never lead to a good place.
As @fat2figure reminded me, "It's a choice, and you decided a long time ago to not ever go back. Now it's time to let go and live the life you've created for yourself."
So funny how all this comes around, comes together at the same time. So brilliant and beautiful :)
This weekend, I choose to lift more weight and put all the training to the test :) I take on the challenge because I want to, not because I have to...this is one I'm sure of, and this weekend I'm planning on lots of moments to remember. I went from not even knowing how to squat less than 2 years ago, to this meet on Sunday I'll be all over that bar at 190lbs! I'm taking 325 on in the deadlift and OWNING it. I can't wait...the high is unforgettable.
I may have internet access from the business room at the hotel, but I'm not bringing my computer, so it's possible I won't be back online until Monday. I know there are so many out there standing by me, walking with me if you will, through this meet. I owe so much to all of my friends and family who have stood by cheering through ALL of this (and it's been a LONG TIME)...and they continue to do so now.
Each time I lift, it starts with a huge deep breath...That's me taking in all of the love and support from all of you. Thank you :)
And just in case - one more time...
Here's where you can find the live stream of the meet!
I'm lifting in the Afternoon Session that starts at 3pm Sunday 6/20 (the Ustream website says noon, but that is pacific time). While this session starts at 3, I've confirmed that we (women) are in the SECOND group to lift in that session, so I don't expect to make my first lift until about 3:30 or 3:40pm.
First up - Squats! Bring it!
Monday, June 14, 2010
Streaming Info!
Found it! You'd think it was top secret...
The Raw United Mike Whitmer Memorial Open will be streamed LIVE, right here!
There are 2 sessions each day - morning(9am)/afternoon(3pm) on both Saturday and Sunday. I am lifting in Session 4, which is 3pm on Sunday 6/20. The Ustream site says 6am/12pm for times, but that is pacific time...9am and 3pm if you're east coast :). We (women) will be in the second group to lift in that session, so i don't expect my first lift to be until around 3:30 or so.
The Raw Unity Meet that I lifted in in January was broadcast live, and I can't tell you how awesome it was to know that I had friends tuning in to cheer me on that otherwise would not be able to be a part of that day with me. I definitely drew on that...so I'd be super excited if you could tune in :)
Nearly 6 months of training...less than 1 week away!
Then eventually, it will be on Fox Sports, as this blurby talks about (and reveals that, unbeknownst to me, I'm apparently a "ranked lifter" hah! Cool :)
The Raw United Mike Whitmer Memorial Open will be streamed LIVE, right here!
There are 2 sessions each day - morning(9am)/afternoon(3pm) on both Saturday and Sunday. I am lifting in Session 4, which is 3pm on Sunday 6/20. The Ustream site says 6am/12pm for times, but that is pacific time...9am and 3pm if you're east coast :). We (women) will be in the second group to lift in that session, so i don't expect my first lift to be until around 3:30 or so.
The Raw Unity Meet that I lifted in in January was broadcast live, and I can't tell you how awesome it was to know that I had friends tuning in to cheer me on that otherwise would not be able to be a part of that day with me. I definitely drew on that...so I'd be super excited if you could tune in :)
Nearly 6 months of training...less than 1 week away!
Then eventually, it will be on Fox Sports, as this blurby talks about (and reveals that, unbeknownst to me, I'm apparently a "ranked lifter" hah! Cool :)
Saturday, February 6, 2010
2010 Raw Unity Meet Recap
Last weekend (1/30/10), I competed in the 2010 Raw Unity Powerlifting Championships in Tampa, Florida. This was a very prestigious meet, and to be among some of the best lifters in the world was really an awesome opportunity for me. I'm still totally wowed by the overall experience. I met some strong ladies and gentlemen and I got to see some truly amazing lifts! This meet is a cross-federation meet that brings raw lifters (unequipped) together to compete against each other. In order to qualify to participate in this meet, a woman of my size needed to have a competition Total of 622lbs. A Total is earned in a single competition and is the highest weight lifted in each squat, bench press, and deadlift performed. My best total going in to this meet was 540 pounds. I sent the lifting committee a “lifter resume” explaining why they should allow me to compete even though my total was not sufficient to qualify, and they invited me to participate
I trained for 14 weeks going into this meet, and my goals were the following:
GOAL 1 - New Meet personal records (PR's) in all lifts (>105 bench, >160 squat, > 276 deads).
GOAL 2 - Add 82lbs to my Total .... ie: make my new Total not only a PR, but one that would have me qualify outright for the meet next year
I have pretty bad video of each lift up on youtube, but in about a week (that's what I'm told anyway) I should have a real nicely compiled video of each lift that was done professionally that I can share :) For now...we have crappy ones - so sorry ;)
Squat
I lowered my opening squat attempt from 164 to 159 at the last minute since my warmups were feeling STUPID heavy. It turns out (I didn't find out until I was warming up for deadlifts), that the collars that hold the plates on the bar, were *5* pounds each - adding 10lbs to what I thought was on the bar.
Anyway...opening squat was 159 (my former PR from July '09) and it went up with ease.
My second attempt was 182lbs :) It was a grinder, although watching the video, it doesn't LOOK as much like a grinder as it FELT (though still clearly a push LOL)!
I missed my 3rd attempt at 193:
It's pretty easy to see in the video what went wrong with that one, the issue is figuring out how to STOP me from doing that when the weight gets heavy. Overall, I increased my squat with a 23lb PR! I think I'm pretty happy with that :)
Raphael (the one who helped me to lose all the weight and GET me here! How much does he rock like that? :), has provided some suggestions and things for me to try going forward in my squat (and bench) training. Lots of different ways to skin a cat, need to try on a few and see what works best. He followed the whole meet live on ustream and left streaming commentary on my facebook page - it was most excellent to come home to :) I knew all my friends and family were watching from all over the place and I can't TELL you how good that felt. I did my best to harness all the cheers and strength that everyone was sending, I didn't want to disappoint! on facebook that he now see's where my weakness is on squat and can help :)
I also still need very much to work on my confidence with squat. I definitely improved there, but you can see a difference in my approach on first/second attempt versus that 3rd attempt - too much doubt walking up there!
Bench Press
I opened Bench with 110lbs, and I made that with NO problem, it went right up! I've done 3 meets prior to this and missed 110 each time, so my opener was MOST EXCELLENT in my mind :) I've taken 120 in training twice, so my 2nd attempt was at 122 and well...I missed it. And then I missed it *again* (no video of 3rd attempt). I was pretty bummed about that, but DETERMINED not to let it rain on my deadlift parade ;) Beside, 110 had eluded me EVERY TIME and I totally owned it, so nothing to be ashamed of there :)
Deadlifts
Seriously - I'm ok with saying it - my favorite lift! Not only to perform but also even just to watch! I wish I could explain and share the true incredible HIGH that comes from making a huge lift with that exercise. It's almost...primal ;) So when I see someone else make a huge incredible lift I can sort of imagine how they are feeling and I get a little bit of that right along with them. Before I lifted, I saw the last of the lightweight class doing their 3rd attempts. There was one women who just pulled and pulled and pulled and it seemed like 20 minutes passed but she kept pulling and she NAILED it! When she put it down and got the green lights she just FLEW into her trainers arms, jumped like 10 feet in the air! It was soooo awesome I cried for her, HAH! That got me so pumped I just knew that all 3 deads HAD to be mine.
I opened deadlifts with 264 pounds, I wanted confidence and strength to show and leave no doubt in the judges mind that deadlifts were mine. I went out there and BAM - straight up! It felt *incredible* Smooth and easy :) My 2nd attempt was a new PR for me at 286 pounds (former was 276 from July), and again - felt FANTASTIC, smooth!! And double body weight (plus a few)! YES:
After that, I walked to the scoring table and I entered my 3rd attempt...303.1 pounds...writing it down was amazing itself! 303lbs?! Seriously? The whole time between entering that attempt and going out there to that platform to lift it, all that was in my head was a visual of me standing there holding it up at lockout and all of my friends voices were there repeating, "you start and you don't stop, all your strength, all your love all your power" and I was just determined that I was just going to pull and pull and pull on that bar until it was up! That's all there was to it! And then I went out there and OMG...it just like...went up! HAH! I couldn't believe it! And then that high came for ME!! What a freaking amazing rush :)
My good friend Myles, the one who works so hard with me on my training and who got me INTO this whole mess, put together a chronology of my deadlift for the past year. It's very cool, so awesome of him to do :)
So all in all....
Goal #1 (new PRs on each lift) - done! Squat PR of 23lbs, Bench PR of 5lbs, and deadlift PR of 27lbs!
Goal #2 (to "officially" qualify for the meet by increasing my total 82lbs from 540 to 622) - Well I increased it by 55 pounds,so I'm a happy girl. There's another meet in my future, to make up that difference :)
I've been much more tired and far more sore than I've ever been post meet. I guess that makes sense but..wow. I'm still sort of in recovery mode, workouts have been very light, and limited to just cardio.
A wonderful, wonderful, incredible experience I had last weekend. I'm still high (and sore, and tired - but HIGH!) and at the same time a little down - like that was a huge event...14 weeks of training prep and now it's over. But! On to the next thing...I had a blast, and intend to continue :)
I trained for 14 weeks going into this meet, and my goals were the following:
GOAL 1 - New Meet personal records (PR's) in all lifts (>105 bench, >160 squat, > 276 deads).
GOAL 2 - Add 82lbs to my Total .... ie: make my new Total not only a PR, but one that would have me qualify outright for the meet next year
I have pretty bad video of each lift up on youtube, but in about a week (that's what I'm told anyway) I should have a real nicely compiled video of each lift that was done professionally that I can share :) For now...we have crappy ones - so sorry ;)
Squat
I lowered my opening squat attempt from 164 to 159 at the last minute since my warmups were feeling STUPID heavy. It turns out (I didn't find out until I was warming up for deadlifts), that the collars that hold the plates on the bar, were *5* pounds each - adding 10lbs to what I thought was on the bar.
Anyway...opening squat was 159 (my former PR from July '09) and it went up with ease.
My second attempt was 182lbs :) It was a grinder, although watching the video, it doesn't LOOK as much like a grinder as it FELT (though still clearly a push LOL)!
I missed my 3rd attempt at 193:
It's pretty easy to see in the video what went wrong with that one, the issue is figuring out how to STOP me from doing that when the weight gets heavy. Overall, I increased my squat with a 23lb PR! I think I'm pretty happy with that :)
Raphael (the one who helped me to lose all the weight and GET me here! How much does he rock like that? :), has provided some suggestions and things for me to try going forward in my squat (and bench) training. Lots of different ways to skin a cat, need to try on a few and see what works best. He followed the whole meet live on ustream and left streaming commentary on my facebook page - it was most excellent to come home to :) I knew all my friends and family were watching from all over the place and I can't TELL you how good that felt. I did my best to harness all the cheers and strength that everyone was sending, I didn't want to disappoint! on facebook that he now see's where my weakness is on squat and can help :)
I also still need very much to work on my confidence with squat. I definitely improved there, but you can see a difference in my approach on first/second attempt versus that 3rd attempt - too much doubt walking up there!
Bench Press
I opened Bench with 110lbs, and I made that with NO problem, it went right up! I've done 3 meets prior to this and missed 110 each time, so my opener was MOST EXCELLENT in my mind :) I've taken 120 in training twice, so my 2nd attempt was at 122 and well...I missed it. And then I missed it *again* (no video of 3rd attempt). I was pretty bummed about that, but DETERMINED not to let it rain on my deadlift parade ;) Beside, 110 had eluded me EVERY TIME and I totally owned it, so nothing to be ashamed of there :)
Deadlifts
Seriously - I'm ok with saying it - my favorite lift! Not only to perform but also even just to watch! I wish I could explain and share the true incredible HIGH that comes from making a huge lift with that exercise. It's almost...primal ;) So when I see someone else make a huge incredible lift I can sort of imagine how they are feeling and I get a little bit of that right along with them. Before I lifted, I saw the last of the lightweight class doing their 3rd attempts. There was one women who just pulled and pulled and pulled and it seemed like 20 minutes passed but she kept pulling and she NAILED it! When she put it down and got the green lights she just FLEW into her trainers arms, jumped like 10 feet in the air! It was soooo awesome I cried for her, HAH! That got me so pumped I just knew that all 3 deads HAD to be mine.
I opened deadlifts with 264 pounds, I wanted confidence and strength to show and leave no doubt in the judges mind that deadlifts were mine. I went out there and BAM - straight up! It felt *incredible* Smooth and easy :) My 2nd attempt was a new PR for me at 286 pounds (former was 276 from July), and again - felt FANTASTIC, smooth!! And double body weight (plus a few)! YES:
After that, I walked to the scoring table and I entered my 3rd attempt...303.1 pounds...writing it down was amazing itself! 303lbs?! Seriously? The whole time between entering that attempt and going out there to that platform to lift it, all that was in my head was a visual of me standing there holding it up at lockout and all of my friends voices were there repeating, "you start and you don't stop, all your strength, all your love all your power" and I was just determined that I was just going to pull and pull and pull on that bar until it was up! That's all there was to it! And then I went out there and OMG...it just like...went up! HAH! I couldn't believe it! And then that high came for ME!! What a freaking amazing rush :)
My good friend Myles, the one who works so hard with me on my training and who got me INTO this whole mess, put together a chronology of my deadlift for the past year. It's very cool, so awesome of him to do :)
So all in all....
Goal #1 (new PRs on each lift) - done! Squat PR of 23lbs, Bench PR of 5lbs, and deadlift PR of 27lbs!
Goal #2 (to "officially" qualify for the meet by increasing my total 82lbs from 540 to 622) - Well I increased it by 55 pounds,so I'm a happy girl. There's another meet in my future, to make up that difference :)
I've been much more tired and far more sore than I've ever been post meet. I guess that makes sense but..wow. I'm still sort of in recovery mode, workouts have been very light, and limited to just cardio.
A wonderful, wonderful, incredible experience I had last weekend. I'm still high (and sore, and tired - but HIGH!) and at the same time a little down - like that was a huge event...14 weeks of training prep and now it's over. But! On to the next thing...I had a blast, and intend to continue :)
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