This week's training

Tuesday:
Clean & Jerks up to 90%

Wednesday, I was feeling my age on a rest day

Thursday:
Worked up to 90% of my goal snatch weight of 115Kg (93% of my snatch 1RM) twice with no misses!  Getting more consistent and more used to the weight.  Also hit a 2RM at a Front Squat PR weight of 340# and a 3RM Press at 145# (another PR)!!

Today, Friday:
Worked up to 90% of my goal Clean & Jerk weight of 140Kg (94% of my C&J 1RM) twice with no misses!  Then hit some heavy snatch pulls.  Did I mention I'm trying to get used to this weight?

Inspired by this:

Punch the Rhino!  Beat the Germans!  World Champ 2016.

I've lost my mind. That's okay!

The other night I was thinking about what this mission means.  If I'm on a mission to win gold at a World Cup or World Championship, that means I will be the best weightlifter in the world.  Yeah, sure, in my age group, whatever.

The. Best. Weightlifter. In. The. World.  That's completely nuts.

I have to read it back to myself because it makes me laugh.  Me, a 41 year old, former CrossFitter who has only learned to snatch at the age of 33 and who has never done a performance enhancing drug in his life.  Hahahahaha.  I'll be world champion.  Lulz.

That's Crazy!

Yep.  That's okay.  I've lost my mind, but I'm totally okay with it.  The mission is decided.

The mission is gold at the world level.

2016 World Champion.  Beat the Germans!

Rollercoaster

I had such a hard time making lifts on Friday, then Saturday seemed absurdly easy with power cleans and snatch pulls at 80%.  I bumped up the weights on both so I can get used to moving more weight again.

Sunday, was one of those rest days where I feel the effects of the week's training and wonder if I'll ever be able to survive another day.  Elbows, knees, back... I feel oldest on rest days!

But, even getting up to train at 3am and starting at 4am, today was a very successful day.  I hit every snatch.  After seeing my video, coach said to work on holding the bottom to build more stability... definitely rushing to get out of the hole.  I PR'ed my Back Squat 4RM at 370#!  That's 5# shy of a 1RM I got and then couldn't hit again for over a year.  I feel like I'm getting closer to 400#.  And, I hit pretty good weight (140#) for 3 on the press (forever my nemesis lift).

Down & up again.  But, trending up overall.

Deutschland?

I heard a rumor that the 2016 Masters' World Cup will be in Germany.  It makes me nervous to think that I'll have to beat athletes who have been training and competing since age 6.  I keep thinking that I have to be stronger than the Germans!  I'm not sure if that pressure is knocking me off my game or getting me on it yet...

Thursday's training:

Not shown 3 x 8 BB Rows at 165#.  The program called for 5 sets, but I had to get to work.

Friday's training:

This was struggle city.  I have to get used to these weights.  That was the thought of the day.

I just have to get used to lifting these weights.

Not shown, 8 sets of 6 each Handstand Push-ups & Deadlifts at 330#.

Between getting up at 4am each training day, working a new job with new skills to learn, first impressions to make, and a lot of new info to remember, and trying to be a decent dad after work while getting to bed as early as I reasonably could, I'm pretty cooked.

Better Than Robots

I really love Jon North's blogpost, "Ï am a Weightlifting Robot".

There have been many times when I reminded myself that I don't have a choice.  I am a robot and am programmed to lift.  I will program myself to move better with every lift.  I will do work.

That philosophy has gotten me started and through many a training session.

But, I also have the thought in my head and heart that we are better than robots.  If you always push a machine slightly beyond its capacity with every use, it breaks.

Robots break.

Tough day of training...

We adapt.

So, when training finishes and I felt like crap or I feel beat up crawling out of bed in the morning, I know that my body is just adapting to that new capacity.  I'll come back stronger.  Call it super compensation or call it the strength of the human body.  Call it what you want.

We are better than robots.

I will grow stronger.