4/27/7, Empire State Games
Hey, fellas. Sorry it’s been a while since I last posted, but the Empires were coming up and all my focus was devoted to that.
The Snatch:
Warm-up
40kg x 3
50kg x 2
55kg x 1
60kg x 1
70kg x 1
I was feeling strong, though quite a bit nervous. My nerves usually don’t get to me, but this was a big competition and I wanted badly to do my best.
Snatch, 1st Attempt, 75kg
When getting into the starting position, all I could think about was how important it was to make this lift. I rushed it and, though the pull was easy and explosive, I swung the bar and lost it behind.
75kg x MISS
Snatch, 2nd Attempt, 75kg
I calmed down a little bit, focused my energy, took my time in the start, and nailed it. Easy.
75kg x 1
Snatch, 3rd Attempt, 82kg
I took a big jump because it was my only hope of taking a bronze. I got into position and checked my grip (a big limiting factor for me). I didn’t feel I had a solid grip, but rather than re-adjusting, I rushed it and missed the lift at the punchout.
82kg x MISS
The Clean and Jerk:
I’m a natural-born snatcher, and usually in competition I do great in the snatch and not so great in the clean and jerk. Since, for the first time, I had done not so great in the snatch, I was going to make damn well sure I did the best clean and jerking of my life. Anybody who’s read my log knows I’ve had trouble with my jerk technique. In the past month however it’s been really coming along. I felt confident.
Warm-up
50kg x 3
60kg x 2
70kg x 1
80kg x 1
85kg x 1
90kg x 1
Clean and Jerk, 1st Attempt, 95kg
The original plan was to open with 90kg, but I felt strong and in good form, and I needed to make up some ground. I was gonna make sure I got this lift.
I pulled the bar as hard as I could and, expecting it to be heavier, snuck under the it quickly. Unfortunately, I pulled it so high that, though I was already in the catch position, the weight was still traveling. I caught the weight, with all of it’s momentum, right in the windpipe.
I couldn’t breath, but like I said, I was gonna get this lift. I stood up with the weight and quickly jerked it to end my agony.
95kg x 1
Clean and Jerk, 2nd Attempt, 101kg
This was a PR attempt I remember thinking it was nice to be in the position to have two attempts at a PR on the platform. I wanted this bad. I got psyched (not crazy psyched, just angry and focused) and stepped up to the bar. I pulled it harder than I knew I could, caught it, and stood up with it.
The clean wasn’t easy but now came the really hard part. I emptied my mind, dipped, and threw the weight. I caught it in a nice, deep split. In my mind, I had gotten a PR but the judges didn’t see it that way.
Though I had gotten the weight up, my elbows rebounded in the lockout, so I was turned down 2-to-1. My coach told me the reason I rebounded like that was because My traps and shoulders were tight and scrunched up before the jerk.
101kg x MISS
Clean and Jerk, 3rd Attempt, 103kg
Rather than take the same weight, I figured, fuck it! What’s 2 kilos? Now if I even wanted 4th Place, I had to make this. Silence fell upon the auditiorium as I stepped up to the bar. Remember how I said I wanted that last one bad? I wanted this one worse.
I put everything I had into that pull. I was later told by teammates that in full triple extension my feet actually left the platform and I got under the weight so quickly and slammed into the platform with so much force that a cloud of chalk burst out from underneath me. I stood up with the weight easily.
I got set for the jerk, and remembered to relax my traps. I threw the weight up and split quickly and forcefully. With the weight locked out overhead, I recovered to standing and got the down signal for a good lift. 3 white lights.
103kg x 1 (PR)
RESULTS
Snatch 75kg
Clean and Jerk 103kg
Total 178kg (PR Total by 8kg)
4th Place, 77kg Class
I was happy to take 4th. Honestly, going into the contest I expected to take 7th or 8th. 3rd would have been a stretch (I would have had to made 85kg and 110kg or something like that). The main thing I took out of this competition is that it’s crucial to take your time getting set.
Anyway, now it’s on to the next phase of training. My goal is to put on 10-12lbs of muscle and lose 5-8lbs of fat and increase general athleticism. The plan is to raise my activity level and up calories to match that activity level.
This is an experiment in G-Flux. If it works, at energy balance I should be able to gain muscle and lose fat simultaneously. Well, until next time…
James
