Do's & Don'ts of Being in a Weight Room
DO
- Clean up your weights when you're done. Oh you don't like picking up after people? Well neither do I so clean up your shit.
- Use bigger plates. Loading the bar with a bunch of 10k plates is a dick move, especially if there are other lifters who actually need those plates. The plates you're looking for are generally colored blue and red so don't be a dipshit, use them.
- Clean the bar if you bleed on it. I don't know where you've been. I don't want your cooties. Torn callouses = badge of bad-ass honor. Leaving your blood on the bar = dirty vagabond asshole.
- Use your time wisely. Spending 10 minutes between sets because you're updating Facebook about every tiny sensation you experienced during your last set of squats is STRICTLY PROHIBITED. And your phone may become a victim of "I don't know how it ended up under the weights I was dropping."
- Shout appropriate well-timed encouragement to fellow lifters. If you're not sure of what to yell the basic standbys are "Let's go!" or "Come on!" or "Get after it!" If you don't know the lifter's particular nuances or you're one of those newbie lifters, please refrain from shouting technical cues at the lifter.
- Get used to not having super soft girly hands. We're lifting weights not petting kitties.
- Wear spandex or other applicable tight clothing. Why? So it doesn't get in the way of your lifting, genius. No it doesn't have to come from Lululemon. You can buy 4 pairs of tights at Target and support a child in Malaysia for what one pair of Lulu tights cost.
- Get used to speaking in grunts. It means you're trying hard. It's also easier to describe in grunts what you're trying to do.
DON'T
- Walk in front of a lifter that's taking an attempt, especially if it's a max attempt. If you're not sure if it's a max attempt ask yourself this, "Does it look heavy?" Yes? Then move your dumb ass out of the way. And most certainly DO NOT stand right there in front of them and stare. This gives them license to drop kick your ass across the weight room.
- Take weights from a platform that someone else is using. Walk your lazy ass over to the rack & get your own damn weights. If you absolutely must share weights, be a gentleman(woman) and ask first, even if you only need them for one set. Otherwise you deserve to get charlie-horsed in both calves.
- Talk to someone chalking up if they appear to be "in the zone." This is usually indicated by screaming, muttering to themselves, a solemn face staring into the distance, or any combination of the above. Punishment might include a backhand to the face.
- Lift face to face on the same platform at the same time. I mean come on this isn't Jazzercise. It's also not the club so I don't need you all up in my personal lifting bubble. Get your face outta my face or I'm gonna throw my weights at you.
- Strut around the weight room like a peacock. Save that shit for a Globo Gym bench-a-thon. Pay your dues and earn your stripes like the rest of us. Shut up, pick up something heavy, repeat. Peacocking belongs at the zoo.
- Talk back to your coach. They're your coach for a reason. If you aren't going to listen to them and their programming then they have no reason to listen to you whine about not making gains. Shut your mouth, do your work, trust your coach.
- Take a perfectly good block of chalk and break it into 1000 pieces. Or that's what will happen to your face.
- Give pointers if you don't know what you're talking about. Also don't demonstrate your lack of knowledge, it only makes your lack thereof more glaring in your attempt to be "helpful." The less you really know about it the dumber you will appear, especially when pantomiming.
Happy lifting!
Thursday, February 7, 2013
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
A Day with Donny
Yeah I know. I've been a little remiss in posting lately. It's not that I haven't been motivated to write a post. More like life got in the way and I haven't really had time to sit down and post what is really bouncing around my noggin. Then as you may know, the moment you get time to sit down and do it your head goes blank.
At any rate I'm now going to go back about 3 weeks ago when Eleiko Sport Center was paid a little visit by Donny Shankle. Yes THE Donny Shankle, the originator of "Pull the bar like you're ripping the head off a goddamn lion." For one entire Saturday the ten or so of us that attended his seminar were picked apart & coached by Donny. By the end of the day we were all going to attempt PRs in the snatch and clean & jerk.
Going into the weekend I was a bit nervous as I hadn't done a single lift from the floor nor had I bilaterally squatted since before the American Open. That was the last time I had attempted full lifts before my body/back gave me the middle finger. I'd been lifting at or above knee in all the lifts and most certainly hadn't dropped below parallel on a single lift. The only strength and below parallel work I'd been working on was split squats with my rear foot elevated. Those didn't cause any back pain whatsoever and as it turns out, I was pretty weak on them. They made my legs sore like I had just ridden a horse cross country for the Pony Express. Gee, I wonder what has been lacking in my training program....unilateral work much?!
Anyway I had fully prepared for Saturday by borrowing some blocks from a local CrossFit so if worse came to worse I could do partial movements from the block. I walked into Eleiko that morning over a half an hour early and found Donny laying on a stretch board on a platform, weight room completely silent and devoid of any music. I'll admit even having met him on a previous occasion and been in the warm up room at a national meet at the same time as he was, I was still pretty excited to meet and work with him. I had heard good things from people who really knew him on a personal level.
We started off working on overhead squat and snatching technique. As I had suspected but really kind of refused to acknowledge, I don't squat near low enough in the overhead. I had several inches range of motion I had yet to achieve which could and will help me hit a lower position in the snatch. Donny showed us a stretch to help with pulling yourself down into a deeper overhead squat position and I've actually been working on squatting lower across the board in all squats. From there we worked on positional snatches and I needed a slight modification on my second pull positioning and transition. At this point I continue to be amazed that I've been relatively successful in lifting with questionable lift technique. Maybe not so much questionable technique more as I have plenty of room for fine tuning which should lead to huge improvements. That was really the take-home message for me: fine tune and correct my snatch pull while dropping into a deeper squat should make the improvements I've been striving for. It'll take me being a bit more cognizant about hitting the right positions but with a few hundred+ reps I'm certain I can get there.
Moving on to cleans there wasn't anything terribly glaring that I needed to correct. Yes my clean grip is a bit wider than most, thank you freakishly long arms, but I feel the wider grip is my one nuance that I've actually made work well for me. The basic take home message for cleans was get into that deep squat but utilize the stretch reflex to get out of the hole quicker. I mean we've all had one of those cleans you just grind out that crushes your soul right before you have to jerk. Let's not even talk about missing that bounce and getting buried by a clean, frustrating but at least you racked it right?!
Speaking of soul crushing....jerks, the bane of my existence. I feel like I've tried every possible combo available for improving my jerk. From behind the neck, from in front, off the blocks, not off the blocks, front squats plus jerks, overloaded dips, overloaded recoveries, with a pause, without a pause, deeper dip, shorter dip, presses in a split, push presses, push jerks, and whatever magical cure-all you can come up with involving any of that mess. Donny presented a simple solution to determining your split stance and then all you have to do is drop under. I have always felt like I don't get under a jerk all that well, like I catch without much of a knee bend but up until this point no one has ever recommended anything regards to my foot placement or how to get under it better. The focus seems to have been on what my body does from the waist up. Moment of epiphany when after correcting my legs/stance/foot placement, a jerk, albeit a light one, actually locked into place. Effortless. 8 years struggling for every kilo on a jerk and Donny seemed to fix it in a matter of about 10 minutes. Now I know that's jumping the gun. Effortlessly locking in a 65k jerk doesn't equate to locking in 100k jerk but becoming consistent in the new/revised version of my jerk is the key to working my way up to that 100k. It's just small changes in my inner voice cues before I jerk but I'm already starting to feel a difference.
So after a few hours of working on refinements it was moment of truth time, going after full lift PRs. And I was still nervous as hell. Questions were bouncing around my head like a ping pong ball. Was this really the brightest thing to do? I haven't even been squatting, should I even attempt the full lifts? Is this going to set me back on my road to recovery? Will my coach kill me when he finds out I did the lifts after having not done them in almost 2 months? Then the inner Beastess voice piped up and quieted all those thoughts. She simply said, "Go for it. If it hurts, you shut it down. Now get your ass on that platform."
After commandeering a platform with the one other girl that was taking the seminar, we started warming up with the goal of hitting a PR within 8 reps. For me that equated to hitting a 78k snatch which seemed like a pretty sizeable task considering I hadn't touched anything snatch related that weighed more than 60k. Worked my way up hitting a 65 pretty easily. The snatches felt snappy and light. Donny said to put on 71, missed it. Dropped back down to 68 and made it. Went back to 71....nailed it! By now I was pretty impressed with myself, not only was I still pain and discomfort free but I was up in heavy weight territory that I hadn't attempted since before the Open. I took two attempts at 74 missing both before doing a couple of down sets. Holy hell I snatched 71 without having squat or pulled in weeeeeeks!
On to clean & jerks! This was actually more nerve racking than the snatches since technically this was the lift that I was performing when I solidified my status as injured. Not to mention the last meet prior to the Open I completely bombed out on clean & jerks. So needless to say clean & jerking could prove to be either really great or really grotesque. Turns out it was somewhere in that middle ground. Again we were tasked with hitting a PR within 8 reps which means I was aiming for 96k. Much like on snatch, I worked up to 65k and hit that pretty easily. Jumped to 75, a normal jump for me. Crushed the clean, failed the jerk. Okay mental check, let's get it the second time around. Again I cleaned it annnnnnnnd failed yet again on the jerk. Now I'm pissed off so I rip the weights off and go back down to 65....uuuuuggggllllyyy! Stupid stupid jerks, bane of my existence!! So Donny had me do a clean & jerk combo of one clean plus two jerks. After 3 rounds of that at 65 it was time to just shut things down.
After all that lifting I was shaking and tears were starting to build up that I knew I wouldn't be able to control. I took a moment off to the side, letting them flow a little bit, trying to calm my body back down. It was a strange little roller coaster of emotion. Going from the fear of lifting to the adrenaline bomb of snatching well to the irritation of not locking in those jerks. I had to remind myself that not only was I able to fully participate and lift in the seminar but I was able to do so without any pain or feeling like I had set myself back. I can't help that I was crying over all of that. I'm still a girl dammit! I know that my injury wasn't much compared to what others have experienced but to finally be able to do something again that I'm so passionate about was absolutely wonderful to me!
In the aftermath of the Day with Donny I spent the next two days walking around like my body was put thru the spin-cycle on a washing machine but it was the most glorious feeling! Why? Because it was still pain free! I also realized that it was the first and the last time I will EVER out snatch my clean & jerk. I almost consider Donny a miracle worker. One day had restored my confidence that I could lift and lift well. It restored the roar in my inner Beastess to step on the platform and just get after it. I might not be at top levels yet but damn if I'm not on my way.
Beware the Beastess!
At any rate I'm now going to go back about 3 weeks ago when Eleiko Sport Center was paid a little visit by Donny Shankle. Yes THE Donny Shankle, the originator of "Pull the bar like you're ripping the head off a goddamn lion." For one entire Saturday the ten or so of us that attended his seminar were picked apart & coached by Donny. By the end of the day we were all going to attempt PRs in the snatch and clean & jerk.
Going into the weekend I was a bit nervous as I hadn't done a single lift from the floor nor had I bilaterally squatted since before the American Open. That was the last time I had attempted full lifts before my body/back gave me the middle finger. I'd been lifting at or above knee in all the lifts and most certainly hadn't dropped below parallel on a single lift. The only strength and below parallel work I'd been working on was split squats with my rear foot elevated. Those didn't cause any back pain whatsoever and as it turns out, I was pretty weak on them. They made my legs sore like I had just ridden a horse cross country for the Pony Express. Gee, I wonder what has been lacking in my training program....unilateral work much?!
Anyway I had fully prepared for Saturday by borrowing some blocks from a local CrossFit so if worse came to worse I could do partial movements from the block. I walked into Eleiko that morning over a half an hour early and found Donny laying on a stretch board on a platform, weight room completely silent and devoid of any music. I'll admit even having met him on a previous occasion and been in the warm up room at a national meet at the same time as he was, I was still pretty excited to meet and work with him. I had heard good things from people who really knew him on a personal level.
We started off working on overhead squat and snatching technique. As I had suspected but really kind of refused to acknowledge, I don't squat near low enough in the overhead. I had several inches range of motion I had yet to achieve which could and will help me hit a lower position in the snatch. Donny showed us a stretch to help with pulling yourself down into a deeper overhead squat position and I've actually been working on squatting lower across the board in all squats. From there we worked on positional snatches and I needed a slight modification on my second pull positioning and transition. At this point I continue to be amazed that I've been relatively successful in lifting with questionable lift technique. Maybe not so much questionable technique more as I have plenty of room for fine tuning which should lead to huge improvements. That was really the take-home message for me: fine tune and correct my snatch pull while dropping into a deeper squat should make the improvements I've been striving for. It'll take me being a bit more cognizant about hitting the right positions but with a few hundred+ reps I'm certain I can get there.
Moving on to cleans there wasn't anything terribly glaring that I needed to correct. Yes my clean grip is a bit wider than most, thank you freakishly long arms, but I feel the wider grip is my one nuance that I've actually made work well for me. The basic take home message for cleans was get into that deep squat but utilize the stretch reflex to get out of the hole quicker. I mean we've all had one of those cleans you just grind out that crushes your soul right before you have to jerk. Let's not even talk about missing that bounce and getting buried by a clean, frustrating but at least you racked it right?!
Speaking of soul crushing....jerks, the bane of my existence. I feel like I've tried every possible combo available for improving my jerk. From behind the neck, from in front, off the blocks, not off the blocks, front squats plus jerks, overloaded dips, overloaded recoveries, with a pause, without a pause, deeper dip, shorter dip, presses in a split, push presses, push jerks, and whatever magical cure-all you can come up with involving any of that mess. Donny presented a simple solution to determining your split stance and then all you have to do is drop under. I have always felt like I don't get under a jerk all that well, like I catch without much of a knee bend but up until this point no one has ever recommended anything regards to my foot placement or how to get under it better. The focus seems to have been on what my body does from the waist up. Moment of epiphany when after correcting my legs/stance/foot placement, a jerk, albeit a light one, actually locked into place. Effortless. 8 years struggling for every kilo on a jerk and Donny seemed to fix it in a matter of about 10 minutes. Now I know that's jumping the gun. Effortlessly locking in a 65k jerk doesn't equate to locking in 100k jerk but becoming consistent in the new/revised version of my jerk is the key to working my way up to that 100k. It's just small changes in my inner voice cues before I jerk but I'm already starting to feel a difference.
So after a few hours of working on refinements it was moment of truth time, going after full lift PRs. And I was still nervous as hell. Questions were bouncing around my head like a ping pong ball. Was this really the brightest thing to do? I haven't even been squatting, should I even attempt the full lifts? Is this going to set me back on my road to recovery? Will my coach kill me when he finds out I did the lifts after having not done them in almost 2 months? Then the inner Beastess voice piped up and quieted all those thoughts. She simply said, "Go for it. If it hurts, you shut it down. Now get your ass on that platform."
After commandeering a platform with the one other girl that was taking the seminar, we started warming up with the goal of hitting a PR within 8 reps. For me that equated to hitting a 78k snatch which seemed like a pretty sizeable task considering I hadn't touched anything snatch related that weighed more than 60k. Worked my way up hitting a 65 pretty easily. The snatches felt snappy and light. Donny said to put on 71, missed it. Dropped back down to 68 and made it. Went back to 71....nailed it! By now I was pretty impressed with myself, not only was I still pain and discomfort free but I was up in heavy weight territory that I hadn't attempted since before the Open. I took two attempts at 74 missing both before doing a couple of down sets. Holy hell I snatched 71 without having squat or pulled in weeeeeeks!
On to clean & jerks! This was actually more nerve racking than the snatches since technically this was the lift that I was performing when I solidified my status as injured. Not to mention the last meet prior to the Open I completely bombed out on clean & jerks. So needless to say clean & jerking could prove to be either really great or really grotesque. Turns out it was somewhere in that middle ground. Again we were tasked with hitting a PR within 8 reps which means I was aiming for 96k. Much like on snatch, I worked up to 65k and hit that pretty easily. Jumped to 75, a normal jump for me. Crushed the clean, failed the jerk. Okay mental check, let's get it the second time around. Again I cleaned it annnnnnnnd failed yet again on the jerk. Now I'm pissed off so I rip the weights off and go back down to 65....uuuuuggggllllyyy! Stupid stupid jerks, bane of my existence!! So Donny had me do a clean & jerk combo of one clean plus two jerks. After 3 rounds of that at 65 it was time to just shut things down.
After all that lifting I was shaking and tears were starting to build up that I knew I wouldn't be able to control. I took a moment off to the side, letting them flow a little bit, trying to calm my body back down. It was a strange little roller coaster of emotion. Going from the fear of lifting to the adrenaline bomb of snatching well to the irritation of not locking in those jerks. I had to remind myself that not only was I able to fully participate and lift in the seminar but I was able to do so without any pain or feeling like I had set myself back. I can't help that I was crying over all of that. I'm still a girl dammit! I know that my injury wasn't much compared to what others have experienced but to finally be able to do something again that I'm so passionate about was absolutely wonderful to me!
In the aftermath of the Day with Donny I spent the next two days walking around like my body was put thru the spin-cycle on a washing machine but it was the most glorious feeling! Why? Because it was still pain free! I also realized that it was the first and the last time I will EVER out snatch my clean & jerk. I almost consider Donny a miracle worker. One day had restored my confidence that I could lift and lift well. It restored the roar in my inner Beastess to step on the platform and just get after it. I might not be at top levels yet but damn if I'm not on my way.
Beware the Beastess!
Monday, January 7, 2013
Okay 2013, let's do this!
I am coming off an amazing 2012 for the most part. Granted it didn't quite end like I had hoped, which would've included getting on the podium at the American Open, but that would've required actually lifting at the competition. Alas I was unable to compete (see American Open 2012 for reference) and am reminded that "without struggle there is no progress."
It's that time of year now where people start thinking about their resolutions and goals for 2013. Well for starters I think resolutions are stupid since 99% of the population makes them about getting in-shape and most have given up 2 weeks after making those resolutions. Not to mention it shouldn't take a date change on the calendar to be resolved to accomplish something in your life. As an athlete I'm constantly making goals, whether its a small goal for what I would like to achieve this week in training or what I would like to achieve in a few months at my next competition. Hitting the next mark and going a little batshit crazy in the weight room is what keeps me going despite setbacks. It's a bit of a passion bordering on obsession I would say.
In reviewing my goals for 2012 I found that I came very close to most of them. My training book is littered with PRs for the first half of the year. As the year progressed they tapered off, by September they completely disappeared, and by November this is what my training log looked like:
Please forgive the expletives in the training log, I was only expressing my sentiments at the time. However, I'd rather look at what I accomplished over the year....
Snatch - my goal was to snatch 80kg and I managed to hit 77 in both training and in competition. That's 10k over what I would normally be hitting for openers and a 4k improvement over my all time best. I jussssst barely missed the 80k the last time I was able to compete.
Clean - my goal was to clean 100k and ultimately also clean & jerk it. I was able to clean 98k pretty early in my training. which equated to an 8k PR on my best ever clean and at least 10k above my best clean & jerk. On the actual clean & jerk side I managed to hit 95k in training, a 7k improvement over my best clean & jerk, and actually hit 93k in competition. The next two videos show both the PR clean and the PR clean & jerk.
On the straight up strength side of things I also got very close to hitting my goals. Most notably I finally got within reach of the double body weight back squat goal of 137k, ultimately hitting 131k. As I've mentioned in previous posts the double weight is actually now more resembling 150k thanks to moving up a weight class. I also deadlifted 140k and benched 66k which are both PRs but I never had goals for those having never really trained those or aimed for high weight on them. The 140k deadlift is actually the most weight I've ever moved in any lift ever!
So overall 2012 treated me quite well. Adding almost 20k to my total, whether I achieved it at random moments in training or in competition, is a huge success for me. It was a huge upswing in my abilities and gave me the confidence to really go after big lifts.
This year I'm starting off a bit different than I started last year. This year my first and ultimate goal is to overcome whatever the hell is going on with my hips and back. While doing that I have to get my my mind right and find the big inspiration inside me that before I had found from outside sources. This year its entirely 100% up to me.
The goals for this year include but are not limited to:
Get healthy - most namely my back/hips but also overall general health since I kicked off 2013 with a nice sinus infection. I would like to be able to bilateral squat, lift from the floor, and perform full lifts again some time in the near future.
Stay healthy & get ridiculously strong. Strong everything, everywhere.
Snatch 80+
Clean & Jerk 100
Clean 101+ yep I put 101k because I think 100k might be one of those stupid mental block type weights so we'll just go ahead and skip right over it.
Squat 137-150
Deadlift 150+
Bench 75 - yes I am fully aware that this has no particular function towards Olympic lifting and tends to be on the douche-y side of things but it would also mean that I'm getting stronger overall, not to mention I think benching body weight would be a pretty cool accomplishment. And let's face it, upper body lifts in any capacity are not my strong suit and could use some work anyway.
Total 180k - obviously in a competition would be great but I will also take training total.
Hit the podium at a national level meet - shouldn't take a genius to figure out why this would be awesome.
So those are a rough outline of the goals that I would like to accomplish this year. They're mostly carry-overs from last year and since we're starting from a totally different place physically speaking I think they are reasonable enough. I'm not putting a deadline on any of my goals. It's not about accomplishing them all right away. It's about setting myself up to be successful. Let's do this!
It's that time of year now where people start thinking about their resolutions and goals for 2013. Well for starters I think resolutions are stupid since 99% of the population makes them about getting in-shape and most have given up 2 weeks after making those resolutions. Not to mention it shouldn't take a date change on the calendar to be resolved to accomplish something in your life. As an athlete I'm constantly making goals, whether its a small goal for what I would like to achieve this week in training or what I would like to achieve in a few months at my next competition. Hitting the next mark and going a little batshit crazy in the weight room is what keeps me going despite setbacks. It's a bit of a passion bordering on obsession I would say.
In reviewing my goals for 2012 I found that I came very close to most of them. My training book is littered with PRs for the first half of the year. As the year progressed they tapered off, by September they completely disappeared, and by November this is what my training log looked like:
Snatch - my goal was to snatch 80kg and I managed to hit 77 in both training and in competition. That's 10k over what I would normally be hitting for openers and a 4k improvement over my all time best. I jussssst barely missed the 80k the last time I was able to compete.
Clean - my goal was to clean 100k and ultimately also clean & jerk it. I was able to clean 98k pretty early in my training. which equated to an 8k PR on my best ever clean and at least 10k above my best clean & jerk. On the actual clean & jerk side I managed to hit 95k in training, a 7k improvement over my best clean & jerk, and actually hit 93k in competition. The next two videos show both the PR clean and the PR clean & jerk.
On the straight up strength side of things I also got very close to hitting my goals. Most notably I finally got within reach of the double body weight back squat goal of 137k, ultimately hitting 131k. As I've mentioned in previous posts the double weight is actually now more resembling 150k thanks to moving up a weight class. I also deadlifted 140k and benched 66k which are both PRs but I never had goals for those having never really trained those or aimed for high weight on them. The 140k deadlift is actually the most weight I've ever moved in any lift ever!
So overall 2012 treated me quite well. Adding almost 20k to my total, whether I achieved it at random moments in training or in competition, is a huge success for me. It was a huge upswing in my abilities and gave me the confidence to really go after big lifts.
This year I'm starting off a bit different than I started last year. This year my first and ultimate goal is to overcome whatever the hell is going on with my hips and back. While doing that I have to get my my mind right and find the big inspiration inside me that before I had found from outside sources. This year its entirely 100% up to me.
The goals for this year include but are not limited to:
Get healthy - most namely my back/hips but also overall general health since I kicked off 2013 with a nice sinus infection. I would like to be able to bilateral squat, lift from the floor, and perform full lifts again some time in the near future.
Stay healthy & get ridiculously strong. Strong everything, everywhere.
Snatch 80+
Clean & Jerk 100
Clean 101+ yep I put 101k because I think 100k might be one of those stupid mental block type weights so we'll just go ahead and skip right over it.
Squat 137-150
Deadlift 150+
Bench 75 - yes I am fully aware that this has no particular function towards Olympic lifting and tends to be on the douche-y side of things but it would also mean that I'm getting stronger overall, not to mention I think benching body weight would be a pretty cool accomplishment. And let's face it, upper body lifts in any capacity are not my strong suit and could use some work anyway.
Total 180k - obviously in a competition would be great but I will also take training total.
Hit the podium at a national level meet - shouldn't take a genius to figure out why this would be awesome.
So those are a rough outline of the goals that I would like to accomplish this year. They're mostly carry-overs from last year and since we're starting from a totally different place physically speaking I think they are reasonable enough. I'm not putting a deadline on any of my goals. It's not about accomplishing them all right away. It's about setting myself up to be successful. Let's do this!
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
American Open 2012
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| View from the hotel room |
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| View on our walk to our third breakfast of day one |
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| Beautiful pool to waste away an afternoon |
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| Yummmmmy breakfast at Pinnochio's |
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| 3 Thumbs Up for Fajitas! |
Day two of lifting saw my teammate Gina making her return to the national stage. While I know if you ask her she's not 100% happy with her performance. However, I would like to point out that she took home the SILVER medal in the 48kg class. For those of you that aren't versed in kilograms Gina weighs under 105lbs and between the two lifts throws a total of 268lbs (122kg) over her head.
Sunday, day 3, final day of competition. Again one of my teammates took home some hardware. My teammate Shane crushed the competition taking home the gold in what turned out to be a very slim 105+ kg class with at least two of the top supers not attending this meet. I also know he was not 100% satisfied with his performance and was disappointed to get red-lighted on his final lift. However, I think that's the nature of the beast for lifters, we're never satisfied and always want the next level.
By now if you've made it this far and if you're a regular reader of this blog you're probably wondering where I fit into all of this, after all I did commence Operation 180 back in October. Well to put it simply I had to withdraw from the competition all together. Starting in about September my performance started to decline. I attributed much of it to a perfect storm of stress. My work load increased dramatically, I was still working 4 jobs, and personal stresses all seemed likely culprits especially when added together. Being the big stubborn ass that I tend to be I continued to push and push and push. Eventually my body said stop so I took 10 straight days off and stupidly did nothing, not a single athletic movement, not even foam rolling or stretching. Coming back I thought the "rest" would be enough. Turns out I should think a little less and listen to my body a little more. Practice what I preach in essence. I started experiencing a tight feeling in my low back which I attributed to extremely tight hips, both hip flexors and hip rotators. It was really more just an annoyance and a slight discomfort than pain. As time rolled on it started to effect my ability to perform. I wasn't able to squat much and since lifting involves getting into full ass to grass squats you can see how this can be a detriment to performance. I could make it through a session of snatching but I could only get in one or two clean & jerks before I had to pull the plug on that training session. It was still only discomfort and not actual pain. Over about 5 weeks leading up the competition I had one chiropractic session, two ART sessions, and three 90-minute deep tissue massages.
Fast forward to competition week. I knew going into the week there was a possibility I wouldn't be able to compete over the weekend. On Monday I wanted to hit near my openers just to prove to myself that I could overcome and get it done. I made it to 60kg on a snatch before my body started working against me so I shut it down. I decided not to lift again until I got to Palm Springs. On Friday I started what would be my last training session before competition and I wanted to summon some "old man strength," as my friend refers to it. Snatches felt okay, snatched up to 50kg for a single. Decided I would move on to clean & jerks since I hadn't touched those in about a week. I did 40kg for a couple singles and then jumped to 60kg, a normal jump for me. I got it to knee level, my body screamed NO so I dropped it. That was the final straw for my body and I knew I wouldn't even be able to gut it out. In tears I found my way to my coach to let him know there was no way I would be able to compete.
It was a heart breaking moment having to withdraw from the competition. Seriously the hurt in my heart actually far exceeded the physical pain. I've had the most phenomenal year of training adding almost 10kg to each of the two competition lifts and I really felt like I managed to piss it straight down my leg. I've never had to withdraw from a competition because of a physical inability to perform. I had extremely high hopes and huge goals for this meet. To many it may seem trivial, completely unimportant, an injury setback but I set high expectations for myself. I love this sport and all I want to do is lift but I can't right now.
Since the meet I've seen two different doctors. One thinks it's a disc problem and I need to get an MRI to be certain. The other one thinks it's a facet issue and I just need to let it rest and do some rehab to see how it responds. At the moment I've lifted a grand total of twice since that Friday in Palm Springs. I won't be doing any lifts from the floor, no lifts into a full squat, and no bilateral squatting for at least 2-3 weeks. All of my lifting will be from blocks, overhead work, and split squats, all of which my body tolerates well. I'm also speaking with my physical therapy friends and getting rehab from them. We'll see how my body responds to my game plan. It still hurts a little bit when I do something dumb but for the most part its just discomfort and a tight feeling in my low back, sacrum area, and occasionally my glutes feel really fired up and tight.
I can't say I'm not frustrated but this is a good opportunity to peel everything back to the very basics as well as a great opportunity to re-work my jerk which is something I've been wanting to do lately. The hopes are to be ready to start getting back to business by January and ready to start tossing up some real weight by the time the Arnolds roll around in March. Long term goals would include making a huge statement at Nationals in July. For right now though I have to start slow again and build myself back up both physically and mentally. If other lifters can comeback from injury, big or small, then so can I. If I find myself slipping and needing a little motivation then I can just watch this video.....
Overall the American Open was an interesting learning experience. Humbling to say the least. I still had a great time, talked to old friends, met some new friends, and had a great time coaching and supporting my teammates. The whole experience really just leaves me very hungry to get my body right and get back on that platform. 2013 might just be the Year of the Beastess!
Friday, November 16, 2012
A little friendly inspiration
I have to admit that I have some incredibly awesome, super supportive friends, family, teammates, lifters, coaches, co-workers. They suffer with my highs and lows. They don't judge when I grunt and growl when lifting. Or when I scream and cry and have a hissy fit cause I'm having a rough lifting session. They are hands-down just phenomenal people.
I've been waging an internal battle with how well I think I can perform at the American Open in a couple of weeks. It's been some great training and some shit training over the past year. That being said some friends have offered some well-timed and much needed inspiration.
"You worked too hard to just lose before the meet even starts. It might not have all been perfect but you lift because you love it and you know you can hit 180. You will do that if the 9 inches between your ears believes it. You have the strength physically for sure."
"Google 'Donny Shankle: The Iron.' Careful, you may become mega inspired." So I googled it.... Donny Shankle: The Iron and was beyond floored. It sums up everything I've ever really felt, especially this past year.
So to my friends, family, teammates, lifters, coaches, co-workers, and anyone else who has had an impact on my life....thank you for the inspiration.
I've been waging an internal battle with how well I think I can perform at the American Open in a couple of weeks. It's been some great training and some shit training over the past year. That being said some friends have offered some well-timed and much needed inspiration.
"You worked too hard to just lose before the meet even starts. It might not have all been perfect but you lift because you love it and you know you can hit 180. You will do that if the 9 inches between your ears believes it. You have the strength physically for sure."
"Google 'Donny Shankle: The Iron.' Careful, you may become mega inspired." So I googled it.... Donny Shankle: The Iron and was beyond floored. It sums up everything I've ever really felt, especially this past year.
So to my friends, family, teammates, lifters, coaches, co-workers, and anyone else who has had an impact on my life....thank you for the inspiration.
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Coaching, Teaching, Competing: It's all a Passion
In case you haven't read any of my previous post and if you aren't someone that knows me personally, I am obsessed with weightlifting and teaching people how to lift weights. I suppose it was pretty prophetic when I began lifting weights at the age of 16 and thought it was cool and impressive trying to leg press the entire stack. Maybe it was where I grew up or the fact that I grew up a bit of a tomboy but it never ever occurred to me that lifting weights, let alone lifting HEAVY weights, would be considered atypical for a girl. It never crossed my mind that I might get "bulky" or "huge" from lifting. To me I wanted to get strong, I wanted to be stronger than all the boys, and the only logical way to do that was to lift heavier weights.
Well over a decade after I first stepped into the weight room, I now step into one of the following three "offices" any given day of the week.....
Now my days....and nights....and weekends revolve around teaching others about lifting weights and the actual sport of weightlifting. It's a passion, plain and simple. Coaching, teaching, competing.
As evidenced by many of my posts I love competing. I have always been a competitor. However I get just as excited coaching. Seeing the look on someone's face who has never performed the Olympic lifts before and that moment when all the technique work finally clicks is pretty priceless. I love screaming my face off as one of my advanced guys goes for a big weight. If one of my guys bombs out, my heart breaks along with them. I like being the voice of reason to bring someone back from the edge and help them refocus on the task at hand. The motivator, the drill instructor, the shoulder to lean on, the frustrater, the high fiver, the good bad and ugly, all in one.
Coaching people in weightlifting and to lift weights in general is just as much of a beast as competing. Convincing an 18-year-old female soccer player that lifting weights will only improve their performance is just as challenging as convincing a 25-year-old male that there is a rhyme and reason to why I've given him specific exercises to work on instead of just maxing out all the time. It's not a simple, cut and dried profession where I get to say lift weights and then be done with it. I worry about how to best approach improving performance, what to do when an athlete or lifter has stagnated, how to prevent and avoid injuries, what to do when there is an injury, how to best balance their workouts to get the most from them, how to approach the individual that's struggling mentally or emotionally. I think about all of that almost constantly. No two athletes or lifters are exactly alike and I will never treat them as such. I want to know what everyone's best of the bests and worst of the worsts are. Celebrate when they do well and pick them back up when they've fallen.
I treat coaching as an opportunity to educate people. If nothing else when they leave school or when they move on from lifting, I hope they have learned a few things from working with me. Whether it's how to properly execute a power clean or that they're stronger mentally and physically than they've ever given themselves credit for, it's an opportunity to learn something. If they have learned that the only limits they truly have are the ones they have placed upon themselves then I have done my job successfully. Coaching, teaching, and competing; it's all a passion. One I am fortunate enough to live every day.
Well over a decade after I first stepped into the weight room, I now step into one of the following three "offices" any given day of the week.....
 |
 |
As evidenced by many of my posts I love competing. I have always been a competitor. However I get just as excited coaching. Seeing the look on someone's face who has never performed the Olympic lifts before and that moment when all the technique work finally clicks is pretty priceless. I love screaming my face off as one of my advanced guys goes for a big weight. If one of my guys bombs out, my heart breaks along with them. I like being the voice of reason to bring someone back from the edge and help them refocus on the task at hand. The motivator, the drill instructor, the shoulder to lean on, the frustrater, the high fiver, the good bad and ugly, all in one.
Coaching people in weightlifting and to lift weights in general is just as much of a beast as competing. Convincing an 18-year-old female soccer player that lifting weights will only improve their performance is just as challenging as convincing a 25-year-old male that there is a rhyme and reason to why I've given him specific exercises to work on instead of just maxing out all the time. It's not a simple, cut and dried profession where I get to say lift weights and then be done with it. I worry about how to best approach improving performance, what to do when an athlete or lifter has stagnated, how to prevent and avoid injuries, what to do when there is an injury, how to best balance their workouts to get the most from them, how to approach the individual that's struggling mentally or emotionally. I think about all of that almost constantly. No two athletes or lifters are exactly alike and I will never treat them as such. I want to know what everyone's best of the bests and worst of the worsts are. Celebrate when they do well and pick them back up when they've fallen.
I treat coaching as an opportunity to educate people. If nothing else when they leave school or when they move on from lifting, I hope they have learned a few things from working with me. Whether it's how to properly execute a power clean or that they're stronger mentally and physically than they've ever given themselves credit for, it's an opportunity to learn something. If they have learned that the only limits they truly have are the ones they have placed upon themselves then I have done my job successfully. Coaching, teaching, and competing; it's all a passion. One I am fortunate enough to live every day.
Friday, November 2, 2012
Wish in one hand....
There is a defining line between those who wish and those
who do. As the saying goes, “Wish in one
hand and crap in the other. See which
fills up faster.” People wish they had a
better job or wish they could travel to exotic places. People wish they had more time to work out. Perhaps some of those are empty wishes,
something to pass the time and make life seem a bit less dull.
Yes, I’ve been a wisher in my life, we all have. I’ve wished I could be a better photographer
or wished I could learn to dance. What
it boils down to is those things that are truly important to you, you will find
a way to make them happen. If I really
wanted to be a better photographer, I’d study it. If I wanted to be a ballroom dancer, I’d take
a class. If I really wanted it, I’d find
a way to make it happen. These guys found a way to make it happen: All Things Gym - Makeshift Platform
When it comes to lifting weights and getting my training in,
I’ve definitely found a way to make it happen.
I’ve gone so far to make it happen that my entire life revolves around
lifting and training. My full time job
allows me to pass along my passion for lifting through athletes in the weight
room. Working in a weight room also
obviously allows me to fit my training in during the day. My two side jobs also allow me to pass along
my passion as well as alternative places to train should I find the need to
train elsewhere.
In order to make big lifts happen there are many things I’ll
pass up doing so I can have a good training session instead. I’ll opt for a night of foam rolling,
stretching and ice bath instead of a night of shenanigans and debauchery. It’s not that I’ll never go out and do those
things. It’s just that some days I want
to shift into beastess-mode and I generally prefer to do that with a head that’s
not in hangover-mode. I will do the things
I need to do and adjust my life accordingly to make it happen.
Obviously I've occasionally taken lifting to an obsessive compulsive level. I've gotten so wrapped up in weightlifting that I often times forget to do other things, fun things, things that don't involve picking up something heavy and putting it back down. We all have to let loose once in awhile but for me this is a passion. People have said that if you're passionate about your job, you'll never work a day in your life. I disagree. I've worked my ass off to get here, to get the job that I love going to and that I'm passionate about. I'm not just sitting in some cubicle wishing I could have an awesome job.
Obviously I've occasionally taken lifting to an obsessive compulsive level. I've gotten so wrapped up in weightlifting that I often times forget to do other things, fun things, things that don't involve picking up something heavy and putting it back down. We all have to let loose once in awhile but for me this is a passion. People have said that if you're passionate about your job, you'll never work a day in your life. I disagree. I've worked my ass off to get here, to get the job that I love going to and that I'm passionate about. I'm not just sitting in some cubicle wishing I could have an awesome job.
I have found that “wishers” don’t often understand “do-ers.” They don’t understand the desire to take
things to the next level and the commitment it requires. To me, wishing you could do things in life
instead of going out and actually attempting to do them is to resign yourself
to mundane mediocrity. Sure I might wish
to immediately improve one aspect of a particular lift but what I do is
set myself up to improve it over the long term.
Are you doing what it takes to make it to the next
level? Or are you just wishing in one
hand…..
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