Basically after having the flu, falling multiple times on BYU campus from the icy rain conditions (spraining my wrist, destroying my upper back on a can of monster), I managed to pull myself together and compete. I did alright. I didn't do as well as I'd hoped, for a variety of reasons, but I'll focus on the ones I can control.
Squat:
First attempt was 595. I knew I could hit this weight in my sleep. I made two big mistakes- one, warming up too soon, and two, setting my monolift height too high. This meant that I was putting the bar higher on my back than I wanted, and that I was already lost to my warmups- I could either hit 545 for another single, or wait. I waited, and it messed with me. Another factor may have been that the judges were being pretty lenient with depth, so I was a bit cocky about it, but regardless I got two reds for depth.
Second attempt was 600. I upped it because 595 still felt fine, even if I hadn't gone to depth. Unfortunately, I lost my air at the top and didn't reset because I was worried about getting red lighted for movement at the top. I lost it in the hole.
Third attempt was 600 again. I was genuinely scared by this weight. I had planned to make a run at 645 this competition, and here I was struggling with a weight I had done week in and week out for a while. I set up, got big air, held it for what seemed like forever until the squat command, went down until I thought I hit parallel, then put everything I had into getting back up. I was surprised for three whites- I don't know that my depth was any better than the first attempt. It certainly wasn't any worse, but regardless I was on the board and I hadn't bombed out.
Bench:
My warmups were better, but still a little haphazard. I had a conservative opener- 325- because of my sprained wrist. 325 was so ridiculously smooth I decided to make a big jump to 369. That would be a 13 lb meet PR and a 4 lb all time PR. It was surprisingly easy, and so I decided to make a big jump for my third attempt. In retrospect I should have gone for something in the 380s, but I wanted to break 400. 402 was a no go. I got chalk in my eyes, then I rolled my shoulders forward, and could barely get it off my chest.
Deadlift:
Warmups were tough. I worked up to 545 and felt good though, so 600 opener it was. As you can see in the video, that was simple. I jumped up to 633 with the idea I would got for 680 as a big finale for a double bw deadlift. When I locked out 633 I thought it was good. It felt good, and looking at the video it looked good. For whatever reason though, I got two reds (allegedly not locking it out). I decided to play it safe and take 633 for my final attempt, but it was no good- I hitched it after letting it rest on my thighs. I wish I had remembered some baby powder.
Many special thanks to my wife for filming. Even though she is pregnant, she was a trooper, even getting me lunch before deadlifts. Thanks to Linda for putting this on, and to the Boise State strength team for making it a well-attended meet. I met a lot of good guys there and it was well run. I have to say I left a lot of weight on the platform, which makes me glad I am competing again in March.
No comments:
Post a Comment