Centenary Competition, York. 3rd September 2011 *Warning: long post!*

55, 60(f), 61(4kg pr!)

69, 75(f), 75(F or 5kgpr?...)

This is the biggest competition I’ve done to date. I had about 2 or 3 weeks’ notice to prepare for it but as I’m preparing for a competition in Cork in October anyway, it didn’t make too much difference to my training plan. It actually fell at the start of max week anyway, so it was just like a very public max session!

My preparation had gone well and in the week run up to the competition, I was physically and mentally in great form. I have a rigorous mental training regime in the run up to competitions which I think is almost more important than the physical training programme. When I’m on my own, I imagine doing all the lifts successfully and when I’m in anyone’s company at all, I don’t shut up about the competition, about how well I plan to do, about how good I feel, about how excited I am... basically I just think about the competition all the time and make sure it’s positive! (Yeah, I’m a bucket of laughs coming up to a competition!)

My coach’s taper plan went well and I was dying to lift heavy by the time the competition came up. I had a good night’s sleep the night before thanks to an early morning flight and camomile tea. I made sure I arrived early in the venue on competition day and had a good look out at the platform, visualising what good lifts wood look like from there. Weighed in at 61.6kg, pretty much what I was expecting. Unfortunately, I had a bad case of verbal diarrhoea; I was unable to have a thought without vocalising it but apart from that, I was managing my nerves well. (A well meaning “shut the f*** up Dee sorted that out!)

Warm up just seemed to click and I was really chomping at the bit. I made my first lift fairly easy and after a short celebration, I got angry and focused on getting my target snatch for the day: 60kg. I ran out on the platform, forgot to set up mentally and visualise a good lift and just heaved. It was too far out front and too slow from the start and I ended up on my ass. I decided to try a Tommy Hayden trick that has served me well in the past and add 1kg. I don’t know why it works and I don’t care. There was no way in hell I was missing that lift. I took a few seconds longer on the platform to visualise a successful lift, smiled and assured myself that I had the lift and that the physical act of snatching the bar was a mere formality. I pulled with all my might, kept it close and it hit a good path because it felt rather light. Wobbly right knee and scrunchy face aside; good lift! New national record and personal best by 4kg.

It seemed like a lifetime until my clean and jerks came around and I had to keep telling myself I was not tired. I pressed 65kg in the warm-up which made Wayne call for 69kg instead of 70kg. I got on the platform and just horsed the bar up with no consideration for technique or setup. It was rough as can be but good lift. I called 75kg for my second lift. I have a silly superstition, and I don’t know where it started, but I believe that I need to fail a new number once before I get it. I reckon my body is testing out the weight before it lets me commit to it but more likely is I’m just a mad coconut. Either way, I had two shots at the 75kg (which was target c&j of the day). For my first one, I gave it my all but felt my right arm pressing on the way up as it often does during a heavy lift. I’ve strained myself trying to hold on to this in the past so, discretion being the better part of valour, I chucked it. I felt pretty sure of it the second time and swaggered onto the platform, taking my time chalking my hands and visualising a good lift. I did everything I had practiced and it felt good. I really felt like I stuck it, I didn’t feel any kind of a press-out at all. I got my down signal and was feeling pretty chuffed but unfortunately, two of the three referees saw something they didn’t like. You can see the video below from two angles and decide yourself but I still haven’t had anyone who can tell me why it wasn’t a good lift. This would have been a new national record, new personal best by 5kg. Would have also given me a national record in total too so I’m a little disappointed and confused but overall, really very happy with my lifting and I had a great day and a lovely trip.

Anyway, there’s another competition in 6 weeks in Cork and now I have the 75kg under my belt once, it should be easier to do it again and hopefully a few kg more by then.

I want to thank Ed for his support and Wayne for coaching and the rest of the Irish team for some deadly craic and banter!

By the way, York is a lovely town and well worth a visit.

Dee 61kg, snatch attempt 3 

Dee 75kg, c&j attempt 3 

Max week, July

So this is the end of another max week of which the Edenderry open was the first day. I don't think it's possible to treat a competition as just another heavy training day, well not for me anyway. I get very wound up about competition and that seems to take more out of me than just the lifting on it's own, even if I didn't actually lift that much in the actual competition!
So as I said, I snatched 50kg and clean and jerked 70kg at the competition last Saturday. Wednesday, I snatched 56kg very easily and with perfect technique and today (Saturday again), I clean and jerked a very disappointing 67kg. Although I cleaned 70kg twice easily after that, I just couldn't keep the head about me to jerk it.
I have 5 weeks now until my next max day and 11 weeks until my next competition so hopefully there'll be no interruptions to the training plan and I can get on with making the improvements I know I'm capable of.
I know I said I didn't think I needed to make improvements to my training plan but perhaps some more heavy jerks or jerk heaves might be useful to give me confidence under the bar. I think my major problem is wussing out like a scaredy cat!
I also need to get back to that place where I just enjoy the lifting and stop worrying about if I can lift more or not. I'll save that for the max week and in the meantime, I'll just lift.

Edenderry Open

Snatch: 50kg, 55kg (f x 2)
Clean and Jerk: 65kg, 70kg (f), 70kg

I definitely didn't have as good a day as at the Seniors back in May and I was disappointed in my lifting; I was expecting a lot more. The usual cliches apply here about how it can't always go right and there's always next time. The fact that I can't pinpoint one exact reason for being off form is niggling at me too but I'm determined to keep training hard and make up for this little blip.

I took 1st place anyway and overall, it was a good day. It's always fun chatting to other weightlifters and meeting new faces and the competition atmosphere on it's own is just great craic.

I don't think I really need to change much in my training, I reckon I'm pretty much on the right track with it.

Below is a video of some of my lifts. Hopefully next competition will go a little better.

Quiet time

Well, I haven't posted since the Nationals because nothing has really been happening. I've been tipping away at my lifts four times a week and gradually increasing the amount of flexibility and accessory work that I do. I have a competition tomorrow in Edenderry and I'm quite looking forward to it.
I was away on holidays a few weeks ago and I had a minor hip ouch that had to be rested for a few days but apart from those two brief interruptions, training has been going well.
So this is a short post as I'll probably have plenty more to say after the competition tomorrow and hopefully it will all be good! 

The Irish Senior Weightlifting Championships in Belfast

Well, I've been training for the Seniors, pretty much since last October. Result! I am really happy with how it went down; I don't think it could have gone much better really.

bw: 61.5kg
Snatch: 50kg, 54kg, 57kg (pr+1)
Clean and jerk: 65kg, 70kg (f), 70kg (pr+5kg)
I came 2nd in my weightclass and held a national record for 2 seconds (until it was broken again!)
This is 12kg onto both my competition lifts (45/58 at the Cork Open last October).

The plan for now is to chill out for a few days and be happy with where I am and then get angry and start preparing for the Cork open on October 15th. I reckon I could well do 60 odd kilos in the snatch by then and maybe 80kg in the clean and jerk if my jerk continues to behave. The cleans are fairly easy now so I don't imagine they will be much of a problem.

Some things I'm going to concentrate on are pressing, stretching my hips and ab work. These are things I already do but not very consistently. I'm also going to go back to focusing on volume for awhile rather than intensity. Until about 6 weeks ago, I had been doing 6 doubles at 80% for snatch, clean and jerk and squat and while I found it rather boring and monotonous, it seems to be like money in the bank. When I went on to singles after a few months on the doubles programme, my lifts took a massive jump and I had endless energy.

Below is a photo of my trophy and videos of the lifts. I can't wait until next max week! :)

The best day of lifting I've ever had

Scientific experiment result: WIN!

Sorry, this is going to be a bit of a long post but it's been awhile since I've posted.

So I've been eating my way up to a training weight of 63kg and gravity seems to like this. Lifting has been going very well indeed. I feel stronger and more confident with the weights and recover easier. Coach seems to think I'm better at this weight and I tend to agree.

About two weeks ago, I arrived in the gym feeling wrecked after a very long draining day of lectures but I perked up so much in the warm up and felt so on form that Coach let me max out on the snatch. I came pretty damn close to 55kg but keeping true to my pattern, I generally need to fail a new number a couple of times before I hit it. Got the 55kg on Monday anyway and failed 57kg twice. 55kg was shockingly easy too, seemed it was up before I got a chance to put some welly into it!
I then hit a solid 120kg for a high bar, ass to grass backsquat. Seems like a fair bit of payback for not a whole lot of effort on this lift. Back in November I was killing myself backsquatting heavy at every opportunity and only just managed to squeeze out 125kg lowbar style but with the massive differences between these two variations of this lift for me, I doubt I'd have hit 120 highbar style back then.

Wednesday was clean and jerk day and was equally sucessful. I worked up to a very solid comfortable 65kg which is miles behind where I should be but it's progress anyway. I felt in control of every part of the lift and nothing was left to chance. I'm gradually moving away from the attitude of "put as much energy as possible towards the bar and hope it lands where it should"!

Saturday was, as the title suggests, the best day of lifting I've ever had. The atmosphere was great in East Coast Barbell and I was nervous and shaking but otherwise in good form. I warmed up and snatched up to 50kg quite quickly and with no drama. Every lift just went where it should and felt good. I missed 55kg twice and was just about to walk away to start getting ready for the clean and jerk when Coach suggested I try 56kg. I thought he was craazy but he knows best so I tried it and sure enough, it went up! Three cheers for max week, I put 3kg on my snatch. Check it yo!

Took a few minutes to let myself feel happy about that and then started the clean and jerk. Went up in 5s from 45kg and form felt good. 65kg was great. It felt easy enough and I really stuck it.

I tried two attempts at 70kg then and the cleans were easy but no dice on the jerks. The first was too far behind and I almost mashed myself and then the second one was too far forward. I'm pretty happy that it's there though.

I have the seniors Competition in Belfast in three weeks and I fully intend to continue to eat my way to success. I have plenty of time to solidify these lifts at a slightly lower bodyweight after that.
I <3 Lifting! :)

Science!

I've been conducting a very scientific experiment using a sample size of one (me!) I want to see the effect of different nutrition and different training modes using my lifting as a marker for progress. It's all very scientific and I will publish my findings in a prominent scientific journal very soon no doubt and the Daily Mail can pick it up and quote me as saying that weightlifting either causes or cures cancer, (or both as they frequently do).

So you've all seen the effect of project abs: less food equals abs but also less weight lifted. As my goal is to lift more weight, this is not ideal. I know I would probably get stronger at the lower weight if I chipped away at it, but food is too tasty so I'm back up at 62kg and have been maintaining this since project abs ended.

Non specific training: While metabolic conditioning and other such ways of training all have their benefits, none of them seem very applicable to me right now. Having spent years doing non specific interval style training, I find the weightlifting on it's own to be a more efficient and more effective way of making strength gains and keeping fit for meeting any non specific challenges that arise. I believe squats to be the key to this progress.

Cycling: I view this as a way of getting from A to B, not of getting exercise done. However, due to my lackadaisical approach to time keeping, I frequently find myself belting across town as fast as my little legs will go, fighting against the lactic acid building up in my legs. Whenever I take a week off, I notice that even though I'm less hungry, the scales isn't as friendly. I have yet to notice an effect of cycling on my lifting.

And so, armed with this knowledge, I have come up with a very scientific equation to a successful healthy productive life.

Squats + Healthy food x pink leg warmers = Win. 

Last few days of project abs folks. If you intend to donate, better get on it now. Donate here now please Donations are very much appreciated and you will be entered in a draw for a lovely portrait of you or a loved one thanks to the very generous and talented Daire Lynch. (Click this to see his art!). 

Here are some training videoes because I got a new camera toy.