The shirt is from the most recent Allsouth Open. I'm 80% sure it's not AI-generated, but the posters I've seen for the meets themselves makes me doubtful. Fits great though
The yell on the way up from the second rep kinda came out on its own
HUGE meet for me. My total last year was 134kg, so to put in the work since then and improve it to 147kg was nothing short of amazing. The lifts are not perfect, of course. I had a generous early arm bend, some initial hip rise, overextended neck after catch, etc. which are more obvious in the video than they felt on the platform.
However, I finally figured out how to jump hard since some of my warm-up attempts might've gotten flagged for a press-out. I went 5/6 on my attempts. Missed one snatch at 62kg but got it on my third attempt
Awesome crowd for all sessions. I didn't stay late enough to see the second men's group lift, which had some strong athletes
Absolute blast. Hopefully my weigh-in won't be at 6am for my next comp in October (maybe)
I know I often say, "Ohh, I got this one piece of advice, and it changed everything about my lifts." Usually I end up discarding the advice a week or two later after trying it out. But this cue I came up with made a huge difference in my mental
I don't always feel confident approaching the bar. Any logical part of the human brain will take issue with throwing some factor of your bodyweight over your head and squatting underneath it. It's not rational. But it is fun, and you do it often in this sport
As a result of getting anxious over this, I often bounce up and down before starting the lift as a way to delay everything that comes after. I'd tell myself that I'm getting my hamstrings tight or setting my hips, but that wouldn't be entirely true. The heavier the weight, the more I tend to bounce and shift before moving the bar
So I was thinking about this. What could I do to be more confident? And I came up with this: "Once my hands are secure and I move down to brace, the next time my legs come up, I better have a barbell coming up with me."
What happens after? I commit to the lift. My hips don't shoot up as early. I jump harder. My catch position improves. I didn't film everything this workout, so trust me when I say things were moving in a way they haven't
Believe in yourself. It does wonders
So I got a pointer from prince MicroMash to narrow my starting stance for the snatch. By sheer coincidence, one of the coaches today suggested I also try narrowing my snatch grip a smidge because I missed two low hangs behind at this weight (50kg)
I found that even the slight change in my grip engaged my upper back, elbows, and shoulders in a way that felt totally different than normal. Rather than having to balance in the catch using my elbows, I could use a lot more to keep the weight overhead. It was shaky but in a good way
About one week out from comp next weekend. Hoping these small changes carry over to the platform 🏋️♂️
Trying something new with the snatch setup. Once I get set and have my hamstrings tight, I make sure the bar is touching my shins. The NEW part is the slight hip dip just before the pull. I try to keep everything else still, and it feels like I can recruit my legs a touch more than before during the first pull
Got lazy with the cleans. Enjoy the tomfoolery happening behind me
Working on not headbutting so much in the catch position. Posted a comment showing the position I'm trying to get more comfortable sitting in. Overall happy that I got above 60kg
First rep of a double always feels great. Second can be iffy. I missed behind just before this video
C&J was after this, and I couldn't get down into the split. Basically ended up doing a jump-press of sorts and dropping the bar in front. Decided to move on after missing twice. Right knee wasn't happy
Knees were a little tight today, but things were moving fine overall
I've started to have some nerve pain in my right wrist from snatch grip. Interestingly, the pain does not occur with jerks. Physio thinks it's the ~palmar branch of the median nerve~. Waiting on some Onyx low rider buckle straps as a temporary fix
Working on staying upright in the snatch catch position. I have a habit of really pushing my head through, even though I don't need to. Trying to unlearn it by pausing at the bottom, correcting, and then standing up
Comp in about a month 🏋️♀️
New shoes, new gym, and (almost) new PR. Took May off from training due to travel, and I've been consistent on a gym program for about 3 weeks. Gotten a lot of small tips from the coaches that have a cumulative effect on my form...Amazing what can happen within a short timeframe
At the end of last year, I hit a 110kg front squat. At the time, my best back squat was 128kg. It's been a weird training year, and I failed this rep at about 100kg. Made the previous 97.5kg
Got some work to do
Would've had the 67kg if I'd stopped going down after the catch. Getting the 64kg was still huge, given my competition best last year was 56kg. Progress! 💪
A little shaky on the recovery, but this one felt good. Still have bruises on my collarbone and shoulders