| Kill With Power; Die!! Die!! | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Jun 5 2005, 07:37 PM (10,150 Views) | |
| Matt Frost | Dec 2 2005, 06:50 PM Post #326 |
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Fuckin' SLAYER!!
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I'll definitely have some pics. I hope. May not be the best quality but there should be something. Last night's training was very light, just mucking around with 40-50kg on both lifts. I am a little nervous, but no more so than before a strongman competition. It's a combination of excitement and curiosity, of wondering how far I can go with only three attempts at each lift. I am opening on the conservative side, and how I feel plus the wisdom of Yoda will determine the second and third attempts. My goals are simple- 1. Have fun and 2. Make a total and not bomb out. Thanks for the good luck wishes, a report will be forthcoming. |
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| Frozenkilt | Dec 2 2005, 07:35 PM Post #327 |
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Online douche. GOLD! I need more Gold
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You will dominate and PR on both lifts, if only because you are ready and will be lifting (I assume) on a shiney Elieko competition bar. - Sean |
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| Matt Frost | Dec 4 2005, 03:17 AM Post #328 |
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Fuckin' SLAYER!!
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Meet Report Kennedy's Gym Christmas Meet Saturday, December 3 (Olympic Lifting, USAW sanctioned) I arrived at the gym early on a cold, windy, but sunny morning. Took me a while to locate the place. I stopped in at a Burger King and asked directions, and while there I was bedeviled by the Enormous Omelette Sandwich. I purchased one with two OJ's. Oh, the gym was right behind the BK, inside a plaza on top of the hill. As I parked my car out front, the gym itself looked deserted. This plaza looks like something time forgot, and that's saying something as Morgantown, PA is a stone's throw from Amish country. A family of stray cats cluttered around the entrance as I walked up to the door. Locked. Hmmm... Around the side of the building was a huge stack of tires chained to a post. They ranged in size from large pickup truck size to the big earthmover tire we have at Iron Sport. I went back to my car, called up Yoda. Said to him, this doesn't look right, are you sure the meet is at the gym? That's what the flyer said. OK. I think I found the entrance, it's under a tanning salon sign. The Electric Beach. Sounds like a place to take the family. Who needs Florida? I grabbed my gym bag and walked inside. The gym looked well-worn. I don't want to sound like I am insulting it- I actually liked it. Not a plant to be found. Mirrors were sparse. The equipment looked timeless. Actually, some of the equipment was in a bit of disrepair, but not the stuff I would use, like the cable crossover machine. Still, it had what one would call "atmosphere". First things first- weighing in. Didn't even bother to strip to my skivvies. I knew I was going to be the heaviest competitor there. Yep, 347 lbs, still fat. Filled out my USAW application, paid the $70- half for the membership and half for contest entry, and I was on my way. The locker room at Kennedy's makes Iron Sport's look like a stadium by comparison, and here I thought Iron Sport's was small. The good thing, though, was that Kennedy's had their toilet in a separate room within the locker room with a fan. I'd kill for that at Iron Sport. Mark, my training partner and direct competition for the day, got into our gear and before we knew it, warmups were commencing. Before the lifting began, an 85 year old WW2 veteran wanted to deadlift, and he pulled three attempts at 145, 155, and 165 lbs. Double-overhand, no less. He made them all. Earlier, as I was weighing in, this man asked me if weightlifters take their trousers off to lift. I said, well, we wear certain garments for it, we don't go out there naked or practically so like bodybuilders do. Then, as I was beginning to warm up, I look over and here's the guy in the second row of seats taking off his pants!! At that point I didn't know he was going to lift, I had no idea why he was disrobing down to a pair of black spandex biking shorts. But- man, for 85 years old, and still getting up there pulling some weight, respect must be given. There were a lot of young lifters there- children as young as 9, boys and girls. There was one 15 year old who had great form and was strong as all hell for his size. I didn't get to watch as much as I would have liked, due to my own warmups and discussing things with Yoda and Mark. And of course, horsing around, which Yoda hated. good thing he didn't have his PVC dislocation bar or we'd have welts on our thighs. I took warmups of the bar, 40kg, 50kg, 60kg, 70kg, and 75kg, and an opening snatch of 80kg. I had wanted to go to 85 as an opener, but I am glad I stuck with 80. It was a rising bar on the platform, so Mark and I were close to last in order. We were taking first attempts while the lighter competitors were finishing up. Mark opened with a very strong 75kg snatch, he practically put it through the drop ceiling. Within a couple of lifts, it was my turn. When my name was called, I said, this is it. I got some encouragement from Yoda and my two Iron Sport brethren Mark & James, and I was standing on the platform. Yeah, I was a little nervous. It's different than strongman. People were golf-quiet as I got into position I took a breath or two, got set, and hit the 80kg like it was air. The down signal was given and I remembered to control the weight down. The ice was broken. And I was thoroughly hooked. Three whites. After that, everything happened so fast. I put in my next attempt at 87kg and waited. Mark took 80kg easily, and then 85kg, also quite easy, which was a PR for him. I was called again, and, brimming with confidence, I said a quick thanks to God and walked onto the platform. 87kg was a sizeable jump but I hit it with little difficulty. One more lifter, a teenager in the 105kg class, smoked 87.5 with the narrowest grip I had ever seen. Very impressive strength there. My final attempt, 91kg, would be a personal best. However, it was not to be so, as an old flaw asserted itself. I didn't have the balls for the curve (Thanks MILO). I was afraid to get under it, and I didn't pop it near high enough for a full power snatch. Still, 2/3 in the snatch and a meet PR of 87kg is a great place to start. Warmups began for the Clean & Jerk right away I was feeling good, and though my lower back was a little crampy early on in my snatch warmups, by the time I was taking attempts it had relaxed and I had no discomfort or pain. I took warmups in the C&J at 40kg, 50kg, 60kg, 70kg, 80kg, 90kg, 95kg, 100kg, and 105kg. My opening attempt was 110kg. I was a little concerned, though. It seemed my cleans were, well, sucking. I decided to stick with power cleans (and same for the snatch). But I noticed my speed was lacking. Yoda mentioned that the bars I was using and the mats I was warming up on were nothing like the platform with the gleaming Eleiko bar and perfect (and level) lifting surface. He told me to relax, and relax I did. The same thing happened here as well- as Mark and I took our openers, the rest of the field was finishing up. It ended up being a shootout between Mark and I. He opened with an easy 105kg, the power clean was flawless and the jerk was dead-on. I came out swinging with a strong 110kg, which felt lighter than my last two warmups due to the better bar/platform situation. Mark hit his second attempt at 110kg, threw me a smirk, and I came up to take 115kg. This clean felt every bit of 115 kilos, but I got it and jerked it easily. Mark wasn't going to let me off that easy, he came up and annihilated 115, getting another PR for himself and pushing me towards my dreaded wall- 120 kilos. ***Let me take you back. Last year when I started studying the clean under Yoda's tutelage, I was pretty gung-ho about cleans, and I boldly proclaimed that I would be cleaning 120kg by January of 2005. After all, the climb to 110 took mere weeks. But then, things started to stick. It wasn't until almost spring of '05 when I finally hit 115 off of a hang clean. Full-cleaning of 115 didn't happen until summertime. In August I worked up to a 120 attempt only to miss it three times. A couple weeks later I came so very close- hitting 261 lbs, only 3 pounds shy of my nemesis mark. I tried again in October to hit 120, and again, missed it in three attempts, though I was closer to it than ever. I could taste it. I wanted it so fucking badly. To say I was frustrated would be an understatement. I was completely and utterly vexed. And now, here it was again, staring me in the face, standing between me and victory. Several other competitors had the luxury of being the only lifters in their weight class, but not me, and I was doubly challenged because a tie at 115 would go to Mark on bodyweight. So, there it is. 120 kilos. 264 pounds. Sitting on the bar, smirking at me once again. This was it. I had a laser-like focus. I heard the voices of my friends and other spectators rooting for me, but at the same time I didn't. Nothing much mattered. There were only two things in this room- myself and the barbell. I even pushed aside Mark, because in my head, this weight was much more personal to me. I had a vendetta to settle. Once again I ascended to the platform, I took everything in. There were lights in my face, I could see the silhouette of the front judge as I looked straight ahead. I didn't think. I just got into position like always, got set, started my pull, and the next thing you know I am holding the bar across my clavicle. I think to myself, how the hell did I get here? Where is here? Oh yeah, I am at a meet. It's my last attempt at the Clean & Jerk. Wait a second, what's on the bar? 120? HOLY SHIT!!! The jerk was executed with such an exclamation point, I can still hear my feet as they strike the platform. I can still feel the bar oscillating as it's upward motion is cut short by my grasp. I can still see myself step up and hear the judge give me the down signal, and then time starts again. That was the final lift of the day, and after that, they presented the awards. I got a nice first-place trophy and Mark got a plaque. I kind of like his plaque better, but the trophy means more to me. Mark was right there encouraging me the whole time, as I was for him. He's a true sport, and he's going to make a lot of progress with Weightlifting. It's good that he's there to train with and compete against, because we'll always be pushing each other. I don't really have someone that close to me in the events as a strongman, I'm always catching up. It will be good motivation to keep training together and keep competing against each other. For the remainder of the day, and even now as I write this, I am wearing a smile from ear to ear. In the grand scheme of things, I realize I still have far to go if I am going to compete in Weightlifting. Hell, I still have a long way to go as a Strongman. But these are roads that have no end in sight. My time and progress is dictated solely by how much I am willing to commit to them. Last, but certainly not least, was the level of sportsmanship from all competitors and their friends and family in attendance. Everyone was cool to each other and supportive of each other, and it made for a great time. Nobody got huffy if they were red-lighted or complained about anything. I will have some pics up eventually, and even some video, but I need to get them sent to me from the people who took them. The short version, last- Snatch: 2/3 (80kg, 87kg, missed 91kg) Clean & Jerk: 3/3 (110kg, 115kg, 120kg) Total: 207kg So, how do I reward myself? Tomorrow the gym is doing a powerlifting meet similar to Iron Sport's total night, and I figure, what the hell. I'll enter that too
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| StrohPA | Dec 4 2005, 05:33 AM Post #329 |
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Fresh out of jail
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Great work Matt, congratulations on the meet victory and the personal one as well, glad to hear you killed that 120k! -Craig |
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| Llamapower | Dec 4 2005, 10:59 AM Post #330 |
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Not The Mama
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Great stuff Matt, Well Done! |
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| Frozenkilt | Dec 4 2005, 04:30 PM Post #331 |
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Online douche. GOLD! I need more Gold
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Awesome work on your first contest, Matt! And this:
Had me in tears. I remember putting down a donut on the table during weigh ins and then just smiling at the officials. Good times. - Sean |
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| Tom Jones | Dec 4 2005, 05:08 PM Post #332 |
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Administrator and don't you bastards forget it
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Truely superb Matt, can't wait to see the video. |
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| MaxPower | Dec 4 2005, 05:26 PM Post #333 |
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Follower of Branigann's Law
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Good stuff Matt. :rn |
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| Jamie | Dec 4 2005, 05:55 PM Post #334 |
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First Moderator on the SDF; first to have moderator title revoked.
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Excellent, Matt! Good write-up, too. ;) |
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| Matt Frost | Dec 4 2005, 09:27 PM Post #335 |
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Fuckin' SLAYER!!
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Thanks guys, I had a great time. But, the Oly meet was only the first half. Today they had powerlifting. The weather was nasty when I got up, with snow and freezing rain making a huge mess of the roads. Fortunately I didn't have to weigh in again and I got there just in time. There were more competitors today than yesterday, a lot of high school athletes. However, Mark didn't make the trip, and I was alone in my weight class. That still didn't prevent me from trying for the best total, and some of those high school kids were pretty damned strong. I struck up a friendship with one of them who was just graduated. His name was Brian and he looked like Jerry Seinfeld. As he and I conversed I realized that he sounded like him too. He didn't look nearly as strong as he was, either. He squatted 480, benched 315, and pulled 405 at a bodyweight of 170 lbs, age 19. So... here's how it went down. The meet was divided into two flights, under and over 15 years of age. Rising bar applied. Warmups on the squat went easy. I decided to stick with an Oly squat since I haven't trained power squat in a long time. I took a conservative opener at 440 lbs, the weight I doubled for two sets last week. Made it with ease. Second attempt was 485, and this felt a little stickier coming out of the hole, but I was able to drive through and nail it for three whites and a PR in the Oly squat. Last attempt was an all-around squat PR try at 505. I knew, though, once I had racked the bar, that something was off. The bar was too high because the squat stands had been narrowed. Chalk that one up to inexperience. With the bar so high, I ended up losing my arch and almost falling forward. I struggled to save it and blood started running out of my left nostril. The spotters took it, but the one on my left wasn't as quick and I felt the weight pulling me forward right towards the head judge. They wanted me to stick with the bar but my flight response was starting to take over. Then, the left spotter gained control and I was able to stand and, with help, rerack the bar. That was a scary moment. The nosebleed wasn't serious, and I started warming up for the bench. I didn't expect much out of this, as the bench is not my strongest lift at all. However, I was, up until a couple weeks ago, benching regularly, so my form was much improved. I took an opener at 255, based on my getting 7 reps @ 225. Maybe it was a little low but I didn't want to miss my first attempt. 255 went down and up like nothing. We had to pause the bar at the bottom but not for too long. I called for 285 and waited again. This time, I came out of my groove just a little but still made the lift. Then I called for a PR attempt of 315, but I didn't even come close. I barely moved it off of my chest. I think I may have relaxed my triceps at the bottom of the lift, so there was no tension on the bar at all, and no drive coming on the way up. Oh well, it's better than I expected. The first flight of deadlifts started up and I went to grab some eats. Mmmm, cheesesteak.... I ate half and began my warmups, concentrating very hard on my form from my very first pull. This is not a clean. This is not a clean. It helped a lot, as I was able to keep my shoulders rounded and get down enough to engage my posterior chain effectively. Warmups went well. I got some "you're fucking crazy" looks for using a hook grip, but hey, I have to. My opener here was 455, a weight I can make regularly in the gym. Easy, fluid pull, strong lockout. Three whites. My new friend, the Seinfeld look-alike, said I should go for 5 bills, so that's what I put in. This would be a PR for a hook grip, as well as a strapless DL. I stepped up, locked in my grip, got set, and pulled. The bar came up, I locked it out, but horror of horrors, my grip was slipping! I held on hard and fast. I could see the bar begin to slip, and just as the judge gave the down signal I lost my grip. I was able to follow the bar down and make it look like I hadn't dropped it, though. Thing is, I *barely* made that lift. In fact, as I looked back, I expected to see at least one red light from the left hand side, but no, three whites. I passed on my final attempt, as my hands were now hamburger and nobody else had any higher lifts anyway. Afterwards, I collected two more trophies for my collection- 1st place in the 300+ and an award they give to people who compete in both days. I totaled 1270 pounds in my first PL meet, and I am pretty jazzed about that. So... once again, the short version: Squat: 440 485 -- 485 Bench: 255 285 -- 285 Deadlift: 455 500 -- 500 Total: 1,270 Overall, not a bad weekend. It was fun and now I am very, very tired. |
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| Llamapower | Dec 4 2005, 09:37 PM Post #336 |
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Not The Mama
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Quality weekend's work Matt! Just one question.... What is a cheesesteak? Is it as calorie laden and fantastic as it sounds? |
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| Frozenkilt | Dec 5 2005, 12:06 AM Post #337 |
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Online douche. GOLD! I need more Gold
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Awesome work, Matt! So 120kg, 485, 285, 500#. I'll add those all to your PL week total too. For a whopping 1534.5#. Way to put it all out there this weekend, Matt. - Sean |
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| Jamie | Dec 5 2005, 12:08 AM Post #338 |
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First Moderator on the SDF; first to have moderator title revoked.
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Great stuff, Matt. Nice hook gripping.
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| Matt Frost | Dec 5 2005, 02:50 PM Post #339 |
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Fuckin' SLAYER!!
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Oh Colin, if you only knew the glory that was a cheesesteak!! It's made with thin slices of steak that are cooked on a flat-top grill, shredded by hand, in some cases to almost a fine powder. Then, you can add all sorts of cheese to it. "Whiz" is, well, cheese whiz, and it's a populat topping in Philly. "With" or "without" denotes whether or not you want onions. Some places add a marinara sauce. You can also get American cheese or provolone. Me, I take it cooked in A-1 or Worcestershire sauce, topped first with American cheese, toasted in the oven, and topped a second time with mozzarella cheese. It's protein. Sean- thanks for adding that to PL week, I was going to ask you to do that. You just going to count the C&J or does the 87kg snatch count too? Jamie, thanks! Next PL meet in February I'm going to add to those numbers. It was such a great weekend, and I am paying for it now. I'm not so much sore as I am drained. Having a hard time with the get up & go. But, I'll be okay. Today is my 33rd birthday, and I only wish I had the damned day off!! |
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| Tom Jones | Dec 5 2005, 02:56 PM Post #340 |
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Administrator and don't you bastards forget it
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Happy Birthday you big lug |
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| Llamapower | Dec 5 2005, 03:05 PM Post #341 |
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Not The Mama
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Happy birthday! Get yourself another Cheesesteak and stick a candle in it!
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| Caber McJock | Dec 5 2005, 03:42 PM Post #342 |
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I agree
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Dude, happy birthday and great lifting. Man, how far have you come since your first log on the old board. I swear if we had all that stuff it would make a great, Arnold-esque book. Someday, I am gonna come to Philly and lift at Ironsport and get a cheesesteak with you. |
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| dougmahnke | Dec 5 2005, 06:05 PM Post #343 |
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well done matt! great write -ups as usual. |
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| StrohPA | Dec 5 2005, 06:27 PM Post #344 |
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Fresh out of jail
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Sounds like an awesome weekend brother, and Happy F'n Birthday! Oh yeah, how did you like the 93' training hall tape? Ill talk to ya soon. -Craig |
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| Jamie | Dec 5 2005, 07:11 PM Post #345 |
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First Moderator on the SDF; first to have moderator title revoked.
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Happy Birthday, Matt! I'll celebrate by eating a pizza for you.
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| Matt Frost | Dec 5 2005, 08:01 PM Post #346 |
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Fuckin' SLAYER!!
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Jeff- you're on about that cheesesteak. Craig, the video was sweet. I'll drop it off Tuesday. And I just talked my mom into buying me some brand new Eleiko 10-kilo training bumpers for Christmas. Well, also for my birthday. Anyone born in December knows the pain of getting "combination" gifts. Well, if that's the case, I am going to make it count! |
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| StrohPA | Dec 5 2005, 09:33 PM Post #347 |
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Fresh out of jail
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I know all about the combo gift Im on the 29th. |
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| Matt Frost | Dec 6 2005, 02:49 PM Post #348 |
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Fuckin' SLAYER!!
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Bunch of stingy bastards. All of them. |
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| Matt Frost | Dec 7 2005, 05:26 AM Post #349 |
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Fuckin' SLAYER!!
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There's something to be said for trying to go too far, too fast. I hit a wall tonight. Not a big one, but the training I had planned was just too much for post-contest, and two of them at that. I started off OK in the power snatch, but 85kg felt like a ton, and I missed my first attempt. Made the next two and moved to clean & jerk, and I just got worn down quickly. 90kg felt heavier than the 110 I opened with on Saturday. What sucks is that going in, I didn't feel fried at all. I was eager to lift, full of energy, but it dissipated quickly. Finally, I just stopped. I hate doing that, but better to stop than force myself through a workout that will only get worse. What I should have done was find the light week of the training cycle and do that, then start week 1 over again. I have to remember that I did two weeks pre-contest in my 85-90% range, so I should be backing off a little. Thursday's training will be adjusted accordingly. |
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| Frozenkilt | Dec 7 2005, 02:09 PM Post #350 |
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Online douche. GOLD! I need more Gold
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Cardio, stretching, light pump'n'pose stuff for the rest of the week. 2 contests back to back will fry your CNS even if you feel all rested up. Damn nice work this weekend, Matt. - Sean |
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