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 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.
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.
My dad was moving and needed help making the drive from Albany, NY to his new home in Port Charlotte, FL. That means from Thursday night until Saturday night, I did the majority of 20+ hours of driving. When I drive, I like to listen to podcasts; Weightlifting Talk, The TED Radio Hour, Invisibilia, The Joe Rogan Experience...
On the drive, I listened to this part of a TED talk and I was shocked. Apparently, telling people your goal reduces the chances you'll ever achieve it. It's especially shocking because when I put this post (describing my goals) out there, I didn't feel satisfied at having accomplished something. I felt scared.
What ifs were flying through my mind; what if I get injured (it's happened before, especially when I push my limits)? what if I don't get any stronger (I'm 41 and don't have the T levels I used to)? what if I do all of the training and bomb out under pressure at a big meet? what if I can't find time to train with a full-time job and 2 boys? What if?
What if?
What if fear isn't really such a bad thing?
My biggest fear is that I would put the goal out there and not follow through on it.
What if I don't do enough? What if I'm not pushing hard enough? What if I'm not missing enough? What if there aren't enough squats in my program? What if I'm not competing enough?
A lot of people think fear is a negative emotion, but champions are partially driven by their fear of failure not just their vision of success.
It drove me to get to 13 Stripes CrossFit in Harrisburg, PA at 6am on Friday morning.
It drove me to get to CrossFit Wappoo at 8am on Saturday morning.
And, it drove me to get up this morning to start training at 5am.
The work is getting done. The training is paying off. I hit a Back Squat PR this morning. That hasn't happened in over 2 years!!! 2 years of stagnancy, I will hit 115/140 soon.
More about how fear makes champions in this podcast.
What do you do when you have some pain to deal with?
This morning, I woke up right before my alarm was supposed to go off... in pain. I wanted to pull the sheet over my head and just lay as still as possible in the hopes that it would pass. My right arm was folded under me as I slept on my side and my right rhomboid felt like someone put a rock in it (right under the scapula).
Yeah! Right thurr.
It's not the first time it has bothered me. Last time, I rested several days with no relief before jumping back into things and feeling better. So, I'm hoping it loosens up from working. But, getting through today's training was tough. And, that was after working on a lacrosse ball, stretching, doing dislocates, and running through the Crossover Symmetry warm-up to try to get the scapula sliding freely.
So, what is the right way to react to pain? People say listen to your body. My upper back was saying, "I am in a knot". I don't know if it's trying to protect me from a bigger issue or just overstretched from the sleeping position. So, I set to work...
Looking back at the video, I can see that my lifts are off. Positioning and extension aren't as good as usual... I made every lift. I was feeling macho as I pushed through pain. As much as I want to get stronger and learn to train through difficult states, I don't want to practice bad movement. So, it looks to me like hitting training in pain was a mistake.
