Finally 50

Went to Spoon today after work not really expecting much in terms of my snatch and 4/8s. First two sets at 35kg felt wobbly and quite inflexible. It takes me quite a few warm-up sets to feel really comfortable sitting at the bottom of the snatch. I worked in with Christina while she did her snatches and cleans. After one set of triples at 40, Richard told me to go to 45. I had planned to do two sets at 40 but figured coach knows best. Admittedly, I started feeling insecure about it because I was nearing my PR I set two Sundays ago--46kg. I just went and did my best at 45, and I guess I did them so well that Richard decided to "reward" me and put on 2.5s. So I started getting really nervous about snatching 50 because a) that'd be a 4kg PR and b) it would be for triples. I got two "good" reps in at 46 the last time, so I felt doubt nudging me. Christina told me I could do it, so I chalked up and made the first attempt, but it was quite ugly (power instead of full movement). So I did it again and still did a power snatch because I was too afraid to relax my hips so I could sit at the bottom. Jose gave me great advice for my third rep, and I nailed it and sat easily at the bottom. I wished I'd videoed that rep!!!!! Anyway, that's a really nice PR for me, and I'm going to make 55 either my second or third attempt at the competition next month. It's so close!!! I squatted my 4/8s with 75 for two sets, just to warm up mentally as well as physically, and then Richard made me go to 80. I must say I felt a lot stronger and more confident finally at that weight. Last time I used it, I tweaked my calf awfully and had to put up with it for several weeks. I'm loving the PRs I'm getting, but I don't want to lose focus for the meet. I'm not going in to it thinking about winning my weight class. I would like to PR and have new percentages to train with for the next meet. Perhaps that's not the right attitude to have, but I've missed too many sessions to feel confident/capable of beating Christina. She has 75kg on clean easily, and I'm almost there to 68. I'm thinking we'll be closer on snatch, but we'll see.

PR Day 2

Well, it seems that being stressed/angry at work helps me make PRs at my training sessions! Tonight I jerked 65kg (2kg PR), and I cleaned 65kg for triples (5kg PR). But then I didn't make 68kg because my head started taking over. The 65s felt relatively light. There was really no reason for me to miss the 68. Richard says I seem to think I don't deserve success, and perhaps he's right. I've started listening to The New Psycho-Cybernetics, which has really helped me refocus my thinking. Olympic lifting is SO mental, and my coach and fellow lifters keep telling me that I'm built for the sport. I have to believe in myself and let my body do its thing. So after I missed the 68, I tried the 65 and kept "clarking" the bar, much to my chagrin and Richard's disappointment. It seems that once I miss an attempt or two, I start doubting myself and over-thinking to compensate for the misses. So I finally went back to 60, my old triplet weight, and worked to make each rep perfect. But by that time, that weight felt "heavy" to me. Ugh! I still made my reps but not confidently. I am thrilled about my PRs tonight but feel like I cheated myself out of the 68kg. Next time!!! BTW, as of today, my total student count is 174, and I probably will have to teach yet another prep (that makes 9) since the online vendor for the virtual curriculum does not offer Speech, which the students have to complete to graduate. The fun continues!

PR day

Somehow, after eating only once yesterday and drinking less than a Liter of water during the workday, and eating hardly enough today plus not drinking enough water, I managed to PR on my snatch triples (45kg), front squat (95kg), and back squat (105kg). After the crazy adrenaline rush, though, I felt sicker than a dog. I think my lack of sleep and poor nutrition have wreaked havoc on my recovery...already. I didn't get enough sleep on Sunday because the darn fire alarm in our building went off at 3:30 and didn't get turned off until almost 4. For some reason, I've been waking up at 4:30-5 all last week and this week. I blame my hectic job. Besides the fact that we have one planning period and a shorter lunch period, we have 30-35 students in each class, and we are responsible for teaching eight different preps in each period. I still haven't wrapped my head around how on earth I'm going to be able to effectively teach my students and help them succeed on the TAKS and college entrance exams. I'll do my best, though, as that is all I can do, really. I should just be thankful that I have a job, I know. But I'm venting a bit. :) Anyway, today turned out to be a great training session and I'm looking forward to more. Gotta drink and eat more though!

Gains

Update on the gains I've made since starting at Spoon (with a 1.5-week hiatus for vacation/cruise):

Snatch - 43kg (3-rep working weight)
Clean - 60kg (3-rep working weight)

Got greedy and tried to max out my clean at 62kg after doing triples, snatch shrug-unders and snatch high pulls. I had to do cleans today again after doing so badly on Friday off the boxes. 55 felt great, but when I put 5 more kilos on, my mind freaked out...and my body didn't know what to do. Today's cleans were redemption for Friday. After some 4/8 squatting at 70kg and some pull-ups, I felt like it was a good training day. Tomorrow I start work full-time, so I know that will affect my training. Will keep y'all updated!!!

Update: Well, I survived two full workdays and training for three hours tonight; Tuesdays are my toughest workout with snatches, lift-offs, heavy squats, and straight-legged DL with a shrug. Did my 4 sets of 4/8s with 80kg, and they weren't very pretty. Got a nice scrape on the nape of my neck from a stupid bail on the last set. When I felt the bar sliding off, I didn't let go so it scraped me on the way down as I landed on my tush. Haha. Then I had to get up and finish my final 4 back squats. I need to learn how to bounce strongly out of the bottom. Jose has me doing weighted hip extensions and 200 situps a day to strengthen my back and core. He really inspired me today! He told me that if I keep training hard and stick with it, I'll be a good contender at Nationals next year. I want to make it and do well!!!!

X-Crossfitter

Fitness goal for 2012: to qualify for Nationals in Olympic lifting. I've started training at Spoon Barbell with Mel and Bobby, as well as Spencer and Eric--July 2 was my first session with Richard. We trained four days in a row, and I've not been that sore or so excited from physical activity in a long, long time. Straight-legged DL with shrugs had my traps all tight and unyielding, but a good ol' ice bath (first one of many!) helped them as well as my hammies and knees. Per Mel's advice, I've started taking a slew of supplements and adopted a pre-, during, and post-workout regimen. I don't think I've ever taken so many pills in my entire life, but I can definitely understand the need for them. 7/7 I PR'd on clean by 1kg: hit 60kg for doubles for two sets. Then my mind started deteriorating my determination and I kept missing, so I had to go down to 58kg for my final sets. Very humbling and frustrating. My workout partner, Christina, is absolutely awesome. Watching her and learning from her has really helped me better understand how the lifts should look. I have almost mastered the first pull, but I have come to fully comprehend how truly crucial my mental game is to making lifts. If I let my mind wander even a smidgen, I usually don't make the double or triple. Richard tells me I need to have courage and to avoid "clarking the bar" because getting into that habit will hold me back. I have to see and think myself making the lift before I even step to it. I think mastering my mind will be the most challenging aspect of Olympic lifting. I've ordered both Kono's books so I can study and internalize, and ultimately apply, the knowledge I need to get my head right along with the technique. I'm already worried about my work schedule and how my lack of sleep will affect my training. Richard wants me to commit to lifting at Spoon on the weekends and lifting on my own (following his programming) twice during the week. I know I will have to make sacrifices in order to achieve my goals, but I definitely feel like it will be worth it. Watching the talent around me at Spoon Barbell has motivated and inspired me more than crossfit ever did. Next meet is in October at Van Alstyne, where the May meet was. I'll be ready for it.

First Competition!!!

March 14 was my very first Olympic lifting meet, and I am already hooked. First of all, it wasn't really what I expected because it was so laid back and casual. It was held in the Spoon Barbell Club owner's barn! Spectators sat in pews and on old couches/chairs. I weighed in on target although I did have to take a sweat bath before leaving for Van Alstyne. Luckily Mel knows the tricks of the trade. In retrospect, I would have been much more disciplined about my eating habits not just the week before but for the whole time (9 weeks) before. I plan to go down a few weight classes from 63 to 60. I have until August to hit it, but I know that once I go 85-90% paleo, it won't be too difficult to accomplish.

The most nerve-wracking part of the meet was standing on the platform to do each attempt and have everyone's eyes glued on you, no one saying a word. It was unsettling at first because I'm used to people working out and dropping barbells in the background at Deep, so the total silence unnerved me. Hit 38 and 40 on snatch with no problem, although I'll admit the first attempt took me by surprise because I didn't pull it beforehand. Mel taught me to pull the weight before attempting to snatch or clean it. Well, I felt good so had Spencer make my last attempt 45, which would have been a PR. Too big of a jump, though. Had I started at 40 and gone up by 2 or 3, it would have been a PR and I would have likely made it. I watched the video Javier took of me on my last attempt, and I can pull that weight all day, but I just didn't drop under it like I'm supposed to. Argh! Same thing on the clean and jerk. First two attempts weren't too bad, although I did start feeling it on the 59 (130#), which is my old PR that I hit last month during the mock meet. Tried 62 (136), which would have been a nice PR, but again, I didn't drop under the weight and missed the clean. It was a rewarding experience to go up there in front of people and the judge and give it my best effort. I also enjoyed watching the other athletes, especially the exceptional ones, like Spencer, Bobby, Dutch, Gunther, and Mel. I learned a lot and am looking forward to many more meets. Maybe one year I will compete in the Arnold! :) Got lots of work to do before the August meet. June 3 can't get here soon enough, though. The students have checked out mentally, and most of my colleagues have followed suit. Just a few more weeks!!!

P.S.: Discovered that my opponent at this meet beat me on C&J by 1 kg!!!! 62kg, I'm coming for youuuuu!!!!!! I'm shooting for 45kg on snatch by the August meet, as well.

Updates

After being out of commission for about a week and a half due to strep throat (ugh), I went back to wodding and lifting last weekend. CFU's free WOD was a great break-in: 100 wall ball shots, 400m run with med ball, 150 walking lunges with med ball overhead, 400m run with med ball--all with a partner, and you couldn't drop the ball or y'all had to do 5 burpees each. Partnered with Ryan from Deep and crapped out on the wall shots (only did 45), but I did my fair share of the runs and the lunges. Then I went over to Deep and lifted heavy C&Js (worked up to 90% 3 sets of 1). Failed on my first attempt but got my last two, thankfully. Spencer's cooldown was killer: we had to hold 70% of our jerk 1RM (I used 95#) overhead while walking forward, backward, and to the side on his command. First set wasn't TOO horrible, but my elbows/wrists gave out on me on the 2nd and 3rd sets. Once we got to the side-stepping, I had to let the weight down. Funny that I forgot I'd done 75 overhead walking lunges not even an hour before...:O Then Monday was running Cindy--each round was 400m run followed by 2 full rounds of Cindy, AMRAP in 20 minutes. I got in 4 full rounds, which I was aiming for. Pull-ups still got to me after the 3rd round of Cindy. Not really looking forward to tomorrow's WOD...lots of push presses, box jumps, and KtE. Ready set go!

Oh, yeah, and I got a MINI Cooper. :D I named her Tina, short for Argentine, which means "silvery." I know, I'm a big nerd.