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Kill With Power; Die!! Die!!
Topic Started: Jun 5 2005, 07:37 PM (10,158 Views)
Matt Frost
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Fuckin' SLAYER!!
As Count Dooku said, Nicolo,

Twice the pride, double the fall.
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Lance Peterson
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Great workout man!
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Matt Frost
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Fuckin' SLAYER!!
Thanks, Lance. Tonight's is going to kill me, though.
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Matt Frost
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Fuckin' SLAYER!!
What a fight. The whole day was just one endless fight.

On the way to the gym I got a flat tire, which put my workout off by an hour and a half. That sucked. It really put me in a negative frame of mind, and I didn't need that kind of energy tonight. Listen to me, I sound like a fuckin' hippie.

Clean & Jerk:

110 x 2
138 x 2
164 x 2
198 x 2
220 x 1
235 x miss the clean
235 x miss the clean... seem to be hitting a wall here.
235 x 1- ugly but complete.
250 x 1
260 x missed the clean, PR attempt.
260 x missed the clean again.
235 x 1
250 x 1
264 x missed the clean, fuck, I was so, so close. So very close.
264 x missed again, but had I dropped like that the first time I'd have nailed it.

This was just knock-down, drag out for me. I tried to squat clean as many as I could, but there came a point where I hit a wall at 235 and just lost something. Reggie noticed that I wasn't really getting the shrug in there, so I was losing upward mobility on the bar. I guess I was trying to drop too fast and I was shorting the pull. So, I switched to power cleans, broke the 235 wall that I was stuck at.

The first 260 got stuck on my chest, my elbows were all out of place and I couldn't get them out in front of me fast enough. Second attempt, I just didn't have the gas, so I rested and dropped back to 235... bam. No problem. 250- snappy power clean, with authority. Finally, things were working. Loaded up to 120kg. Got my focus on. Stepped up. I popped that bar to about 2: below my clavicle, but dam fuck it all to hell, my elbows didn't push through. Kirk gave me some more advice on form, telling me to catch it in a front squat, not upright and looking up at the ceiling. Knowing I had the power to do it, I tried again, and while Idid drop into a front squat position, I lost the bar on the way down. Timing tonight was just shit, I was klutzing all over the place. The skin where the base of my fingers meets the palm of my hand (left middle finger) cracked the callus separating, and blood mingling in with the chalk (hence the new title). I moved on to pulls, disappointed but happy that I can still clean 250 regularly, and knowing what I need to work on. All the jerks I did were solid, and I could have easily jerked the 120kg had I cleaned it.

Clean Pulls:

240 x 3
240 x 3
240 x 3
240 x 3

Front Squat:

169 x 3
194 x 3
220 x 3
230 x 2
230 x 2
230 x 2
230 x 2

RDL:

230 x 5
230 x 5
230 x 5.

Blew through the pulls, the front squats, and the RDL's, channeling some of my anger into my lifting. The clean & jerk workout took a lot longer than I had planned, in between misses and troubleshooting.

Ended up getting out of the gym around 10 PM. I need sleep.
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dougmahnke

matt,
ive torn my hands in the same spot a dozen times....its a pain to heal as there isnt any way to grip the bar to let it rest. you can work tape around it and that will help. i split a wide piece of tape about 8 inches down the middle, leaving it intact after that point and on the roll...you wont know how much you will need. snug the split up against the finger of the offending tear and drape the two halfs down the back of your hand, then take the roll of tape down your palm and around your wrist and over the tape on the back of your hand. it wont hold real well but at least it will help your hand a bit. you can use liquid bandaid along with the wrap, but nothing can stand the beating of the bar for long.
good effort on your cleans. ill bet if you drilled 225 for 15 to 20 singles twice a week for two weeks you'd walk in in clean 275 to 280 on the third.
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Matt Frost
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Fuckin' SLAYER!!
Thanks for the tip, Doug. It seems like I will constantly be aggravating that split, so I will try the tape thing tomorrow. I will have to go light on my farmer's walk just in case, I have a contest next week and I don't want to tear it any more than it already is.

When I am done with this cycle in 3 weeks, I will take your suggestion about cleans under advisement. I also need to do more technique work, shrug and drops, and just drill it into my head so it's instinctive. It's frustrating knowing you have the strength and power to do something, but the technique just falls apart when the weight gets heavier...
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Matt Frost
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Fuckin' SLAYER!!
Didn't go too crazy today. Contest is next week, and I'm feeling decent. Looking forward to a very light week, I could use the rest.

Axle Clean & Press:

151 x 1 clean, 3 strict presses
151 x 1 clean, 3 push presses
195 x 1 clean, 1 strict press, 1 push press, 1 power jerk
195 x 3 cleans, 3 push presses
230 x 4 cleans, 4 push presses.

Contest weight is 250. I should be good for at least 4 if I pace myself the way I did there. Last week I tried to rush it and ended up fatiguing really fast. This time I kept a steady, even pace and I found that it helped me to better ignore the pain and concentrate on breathing. On the fourth press, I goofed a little, hitting my chin. Not hard, but enough to slow the axle down and make me re-press it. Had I not done that, I might have gotten 5 in the 60 second time limit.

Super Yoke:

165 x 80', turn, 80' back.
365 x 80', turn, rest 30 seconds, 80' back.
565 x 30', turn, rest 30 seconds, 30' back.
565 x 80'
785 x 1 pick-up (PR), took two steps and that was it. The pickup was easy enough but walking with it just seemed extremely difficult, and the goal here was not to kill myself. I am getting much better at the yoke, though, and it's only a matter of time before I am walking with 800.

Would have liked to work in some stone loading, but I had to work, and I spent a nice hour and a half extra in traffic on the way to the gym today. Nice.




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NickGiammarresi
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hey, look like 3/3/ then one flip on the big tire in jersey. Little different then the one at ironsport he said on the anvil its got more tread. its 1000lbs



tear it up This Saturday!
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Matt Frost
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Thanks, Nick!

That big tire sounds like a challenge! I could do it, but after six flips of lighter tires, it will be tough.

Looking forward to Saturday!
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Matt Frost
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Fuckin' SLAYER!!
Damn, board moves fast today.

Last night, light snatches up to 60kg, light clean & jerks up to 90kg.

Cardio, 20 minutes.

Stretching.

Rest.

Annihilate on Saturday.
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Matt Frost
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Fuckin' SLAYER!!
Umm quick note to Reggie-

I am not dead.

Though I doubt if he has internet access where he is at right now.
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Matt Frost
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Fuckin' SLAYER!!
Who's the guy in the turban-mullet? Hehehe.
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Matt Frost
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Fuckin' SLAYER!!
Tomorrow is game day.

Axle Clean & Press 250 for reps, 60 seconds
Stones, 6 stones from 240-360
Medley 285 FW/785 Yoke, 60' each
Tire Flip 700, 12 flips 90 seconds.
Conan's Wheel 540
Fire Hydrant Carry 315 for max distance.

KILL KILL KILL KILL!!
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Frozenkilt
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Online douche. GOLD! I need more Gold
You will decimate!

- Sean
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Llamapower
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Not The Mama
Good Luck Matt! :rock
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Matt Frost
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Fuckin' SLAYER!!
First thing you need to know- Muscle Milk's cup of oats or whatever they call it tastes absolutely terrible. Their RTD shakes? Great. Powders? Delicious. Protein-enhanced oatmeal? Tastes like garbage.

Woke up this morning after a fitful night's sleep, having very strange dreams about today's contest. In one dream, me, Colin, and Sean were watching television in between events. In another, I was warming up on the axle, only it wasn't an axle, but a crowd barricade like they have in wrestling at ringside that was plate-loaded on either end. When I asked how we were supposed to clean it, it magically turned into a log. And I didn't even take ZMA, go figure.

So, after a brief drive from Barry Perkins' house, I arrived at the park. I was here last year when Adam Keep won his division handily, and I remembered vividly just how much I kicked myself for not competing then. I got into my gear and went to warm up on the axle, which was about 2" diameter with tires mounted on the end. Empty it weighed 140 lbs. I warmed up with a couple power cleans and presses, and then I heard something that made me so... very angry.

Apparently, the promoter was not allowing continental cleans on the axle, and my weight was 250. My best power clean on an axle is only 200. He gave a very hackneyed justification for the rule- apparently some people were complaining about that technique. I told him it would have been nice to have known that THREE FUCKING MONTHS AGO when I downloaded the entry form. Perhaps then I would have had a fighting chance. I spent my warm-ups trying to learn split-clean technique, and seeing if I could squat clean as well. I did both at 200 pounds, so I thought, OK... maybe I have a chance for one.

Side note- for some reason, the order of contestants was fixed for the whole contest and I was slated last, so I knew what I had to do. A blessing and a curse. You know what you have to do to win the event, but if someone does really well, it can be a little intimidating.

Ahem.. the axle. I didn't clean it. I didn't have the grip to get through the pop. The minute I accelerated the pull, I would lose grip. I attempted an alt-grip power clean, which I would have nailed, but the judge denied it, apparently alt-grip was also a no-no. To make it worse, there were no collars on the axle, the weight was rattling free. Not only did this make the axle unstable, but it made the event dangerous. After the alt-grip clean was turned down I just gave up. And what pissed me off was the guy before me CONTINENTALED but with a double-overhand grip, and he didn't come close to locking out a press. Had I been allowed a continental I would have been able to get 3 or 4 reps easily, which would have moved me up in the final standings.

Let me tell you, I have NEVER bombed an axle event, and this rule was so ridiculous that I am not counting this as a bomb. No strongman contest I have ever seen or participated in that had an axle disallowed the continental clean, and it's doubly unjust because it wasn't stated at anytime beforehand, not on the entry form, and at no time when I was discussing details on the events with the promoter beforehand.

I tried to take my Oly coach's advice. When you do poorly on one event, put it out of your mind and move on. So, I went and sat in the shade for a minute and then went to warm up on the Conan's. Yoda's advice helped me to stay in the moment. It's hard to when you have a subpar performance in an event, even more so when you were blatantly fucking robbed, but I had to. This event is something I had only done once before and I didn't really do well in it.

I watched some people in my weight class do well, and others do poorly. I hoped for the best. I stepped up, 540 pounds on the apparatus. I got under the arm, took a deep breath, and BAM!! Popped that thing up so quickly I startled myself. It was high on my chest. Perfect. So I took it for a walk and got a full turn, which placed me mid-pack.

Redemption. It felt good. The axle hurt me, but I bounced back and there were still 4 more events to go. Time to move.

Stones was up next and there were six of them: 250, 275, 315, 330, 350, 365 (I think, if not it's close enough).

The first three stones were almost black, and on my warm-up I realized how slippery they were. Just a little bit of sweat was enough to make you lose your grip on the smallest stone. So, I went back to my shady place and took my shirt off, toweled off, and got a new shirt. I ripped the sleeves off, wore one on my head to keep the sun off of it.

Before I go on, let me describe the grounds for you. All but one event took place on grass. On and around this grass there were many insects. Biting insects. Deer flies. Ground hornets. Bees and wasps. It was not a pleasant place to be. It made the rest periods difficult because you were always swatting the flies that were biting you, you had to dodge the hornets and wasps and make sure no bees were floating around your water or Gatorade.

OK, back to the stones.

People were struggling with them. Nobody placed all six stones, and only a couple managed to get five. The lighter guys had slightly lighter stones on the last 4, but the first two stones were the same for all of us. Black. Slippery even with tacky. Resting on rubber mats on the grass, which was becoming indented further with every missed attempt.

Again, last guy up. I didn't use a lot of tacky, I only placed a small dab on the back each hand and used the residual amount to get my hands and forearms slightly sticky.

Hands on the first stone... go. First stone, popped. Second stone, popped. Third stone, death. This was the stone that most people struggled with, and it was very hard to get under. I had to roll the stone out of the crater it had created, and finally I was able to get a good lock on it. Yet, after so many attempts I just didn't have the strength to lap it. I came close, but close doesn't cut it. There's no excuse there, I just didn't have the strength, and I should have rolled the stone out of the divot beforehand. Time expired and it was time for intermission.

I didn't feel too bad about the stones because I didn't exactly get blown away. It was still a mid-pack placing even though I only got 2 out of 6.

Took a breather, drank an energy drink, scarfed a cheeseburger, and then it was time for the medley. I didn't warm up too much for this, just did one pickup of the FW implements with 225/hand on them. The medley consisted of a 285/hand FW and a 780 yoke, 60' in each direction.

I did not do well. I picked up the implements solidly, took four or five steps, and lost my left hand grip. Not good. I picked up again, better than the first time, but as soon as I started moving with the implements I felt them slipping. I just moved my feet as fast as I could and got maybe 8 more feet, but I couldn't pick them back up.

Now I was starting to get down on myself, but I checked it. There were two more events yet, and it's not over. It's not fucking over yet. But I do realize now that my grip sucks and I need to work on it. It killed two events for me, that can't happen again.

The next event was the tire flip, and I knew I was going to do well. I did a warmup on the tire and it felt light. That's the advantage you get when you train on a tire that weighs 927, and then you go to a contest where the tire is 680. Sweetness.

I put on my headphones and zoned out to some Lamb of God, Unearth, and Dragonforce. Only one guy in the HW class got all 12 flips in the alloted time. My training partner, Doug Kirby, who won every event up to this point, only got 10 flips, and this was just due to inexperience in the event. One of the heavies dropped out of the contest at this point. I was determined to slay everyone in this event.

At the beginning of each rep, I imagined that I was flipping The Pig. So when I drove into it I did it with such force that I didn't have to rest it on my knee before I pushed it up and over. The first six reps were seamless. I paced myself, I took my time, but not too much. Just enough for a breath and to find the right lugs to grab. I started to tire a little on the next couple. 7. 8. Just plug away, was all I was thinking. Keep going. I got 9. The guy following me with chalk said to me, one more rep and you'll tie for second. I snapped at him, "I don't want to tie for second, I want to WIN." But it was that moment that I lost my rhythm. I grabbed the wrong lug and pushed into the tire but I slipped, and I only had 10 seconds left to regroup. I attempted another drive, and then another, but the whistle blew and I was done. Ended up third in the event, but it was a close third. Had I gotten that 10th flip I would have beaten Doug on time. Still, once again I felt the sweet peace of redemption. I do belong here. And I am not going home empty-handed.

It was down to the wire. I was in a dead heat with two other guys in the middle of the pack. Doug had already won, even if he bombed the last event he still would have placed first. The guy who got away with the continental was currently in second, a bitter sting reminded me of the axle. I pushed the thought aside and stayed in the moment. The final event- carry a 315-pound fire hydrant for max distance. And I had never done this event before.

One of the guys I was close in points to, Barry Perkins, was up first. He picked up the hydrant and carried it 25'. It looked so hard, and picking it up was 75% of the hassle. It was standing upright on the ground, you had to bend down and pick it up. Only one person managed to get it high enough to carry it in a husafell-type position. Second guy I was close to, first name Gavin, who is an amazing 20 year old powerlifter, lifted the hydrant with relative ease. After all, he boasts a 700+ deadlift and an 800+ squat. Static Lift is this kid's middle name. However, the walk proved awkward for him and he, too, only managed 25'. Two others didn't pick up the hydrant. Doug carried it 120' total. Mr. Continental got 75'. It was down to me.

I had to beat 25' to take third. If I didn't make 25' I would have gotten fifth. And I was worried as hell about picking up the thing to begin with. Even the lighter hydrant that the LW's used was 280 and I struggled with that.

Last lifter of the day. Gut check time.

I got my breath, said a silent prayer, and approached the hydrant. I got down into a full squat, wrapped my left arm around the top of the thing, tilted it to one side and gripped the lip on the lower end. It rested there while I caught my breath. With one final intake of air, I tilted my head skyward and drove my feet through the ground like my life depended on it. The hydrant rose. In fact, I found myself slightly taken aback. No time for that, I began to take steps forward, leaning back as far as I dared. My hamstrings felt like they were going to separate from the back of my knees. Pain shot through the top of my right quadricep. I ignored it, forging on. Stay on target. One step at a time. The pain was becoming unbearable. I had to keep going. Each step seemed like an eternity. Finally, I felt myself starting to lean forward. No way I was going to hold on, so instead of merely dropping it, I used my remaining strength to push the hydrant as far forward as I could. I fell forward with it, though, landing chest-first on the lower edge. I rolled off the hydrant and got helped up. My hams were burning, and I think I pulled a muscle where my quad inserts into my abdominal area. Checking myself for lumps and touch sensitivity, as I was worried about a hernia, but there were no bulges, bruises, or touch-sensitivity. Still hurt to walk.

I gazed back- I wasn't sure, but I think I did it! The hydrant was a little more than halfway down the 60' course!!

I wasn't certain until they handed out the awards, but I did indeed get third place, knocking Barry into 4th and Gavin out of placement. Talk about a dramatic finish. I would have been satisfied with the hydrant regardless, seeing as it was my first time at the event. While it still twisted in me that I would be in second had I been allowed to continental the axle, I was glad enough for a very hard-fought third place finish.

I will have some pics up as soon as I get them. I got a mild sunburn, a pulled muscle, lots if insect bites, a headache, and a good excuse to sleep in tomorrow.
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Llamapower
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Not The Mama
Well done Matt - good comback to get 3rd. I have never heard of a continental clean not being allowed before, that really sucks.
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Olly Jackson
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Yeah thats hard lines, seems like bullshit decision to me. If its good enough for the pro's then it should be good enough for any comp.

Great effort though, 3rd place after a no pointer is great stuff.

Make sure you get that injury taken care of, sounds like it could be a hip insertion. Rest and ice it.
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Matt Frost
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Fuckin' SLAYER!!
I am SORE today. All over. In a way it's good, makes my strain seem less painful.

Feels like my adductor, right where it meets the quad and lower abdominal, but it only hurts when I move a certain way. I tell you, I am glad I've been keeping up on my core training, that really made the difference for me.

I reconciled the axle issue with the promoter afterwards. My only real complain was, if that is to be the rule then it should have been stated on the entry form. How one cleans the axle is a huge part of that event, it's not as crucial as, say, a rule stating that the conan's arm won't be adjustable, or no straps on a deadlift. And I also brought up his reasoning. Yeah, some complain if people rest the axle on their belt, but that's against NAS rules. From what I gathered there were some people with big chests and smaller midsections that felt that a continental clean was unfair to them, so they pressured and whined and stomped their feet until they got their way, but it ended up screwing a lot of guys over. I don't begrudge any promoter their own rules, though- just that I had no idea beforehand and it should have been clearly stated so I could have trained for it.
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NickGiammarresi
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Awesome right up and Aesome Job on the events!!!!! Hey at least we wont have to worry about that no contenetial shit in Jersey. Rest up......
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Matt Frost
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Fuckin' SLAYER!!
Yeah, I am going to slay everything in Joisey. I'm pissed now.
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Frozenkilt
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Online douche. GOLD! I need more Gold
Awesome job, Matt, considering you got screwed right away. And the promoter changing the rules because the athletes were whining is sad.

Athletes are whiney little bitches most of the time and usually get whinier the better they are. If it's a question of safety, fine, but if it's just because one athlete or another can't do something, the promoter should just tell them to fuck off.

Good that you stayed focused, though.

- Sean
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Matt Frost
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Fuckin' SLAYER!!
Well, I don't want to sound whiney myself. Overall, the contest was well-run, it didn't take forever to get through the events, the trophies are nice, and it was all for a good cause (to help the victims of violent crime in the area). I'm not going to let one stupid rule sour the whole experience. I'm just going to have to beware from now on and ask these questions of every promoter and get a guaranteed answer, even if it's something as obvious as allowing a continental clean. And if there is some rule like that I would like to see it actually enforced when someone else breaks it.

I have no regrets, and I had a great time, and I'd have done it anyway even if I knew the rule in advance and still failed the clean.
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Tom Jones
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Administrator and don't you bastards forget it
Nice work Matt.
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Caber McJock
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I agree
Quote:
 
And what pissed me off was the guy before me CONTINENTALED but with a double-overhand grip, and he didn't come close to locking out a press.


Wait a minute... the rule was no continentals, but they let this guy do it?
That is such bullshit.
Still, you had a good gut check moment and your triumph with the hydrant at the end should help give you some positive motivation in the future.
Great stuff Matt.
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