Yesterday marked the start of week 3 of training since the last competition. It has been going great! Brandon wrote me a really awesome program that is kind of a mixture of a couple different things and is doing wonders for my squat, which has been my main focus since it was kind of lagging behind my other lifts.
I had my first training session in my Olympic shoes yesterday-I think those things are magic! It was a great workout and my squats felt soooo much better with those shoes; hitting depth was much easier.
For this cycle, I'm focusing a ton on recovery. I do a ton of foam rolling and mobility drills and it really is making all the difference. Every day I practice my breathing as well. Who would have thought I didn't know how to breath? Turns out I haven't been breathing through my stomach but instead my chest. Also as part of my new program, I'm doing 100 pushups and 100 pull-ups every week, which will help drastically with both strength and physique.
I'm back to carb back loading as opposed to carb nite and I definitely think it's the better option for me. Apparently, my body needs carbs more than once a week, which is A-Okay with me! I've been keeping the back loads clean: a lot of white rice and potatoes, and the occasional trip to Orange Leaf; the best and worst thing I could have possibly discovered!!
With my bench, I'm really emphasizing the pauses because in competitions I feel like that's my big weak spot. Deadlift had been going really well, but that's my favorite lift :) I'm really very pleased with how everything has been going during my training sessions. I'm looking to compete again in October so my plan is to stay focused and get STRONG!!!
More updates to come! Work hard and enjoy the week!
Forging Female Fitness
Monday, July 29, 2013
Thursday, July 11, 2013
NASA Open Nationals Meet Write Up
After much sweat, hard work, and determination the meet is officially in the books! It was not only a great meet but also a terrific learning experience. I ended the day going 8/9 on my lifts, which I have no complaints about at all. Here's a little recap of the whole experience.
I had the pleasure of competing in this meet with Brandon; which doing a meet with him was something I've been wanting to do for a long time and I loved every second of it. Our good friend Marshall also competed and it was great to spend time with him as well!
One of my goals for this meet was to compete in the 148 pound weight class. This meant dropping a few pounds and learning about weight cutting, which was not an easy task. I ended up weighing in at 146.8, which I was absolutely thrilled with! Goal one had been completed and the competition hadn't even begun yet.
Squats were first and I was feeling a little uneasy. I've been having some trouble with my squats, so much trouble that a few months back Brandon and I completely started over at square one with it. I've been working a ton on mobility issues but I was still feeling a little uneasy after warming up. I opened with 150 and got 3 white lights. Whew! That was a relief! I went up to 160 for my second attempt and it was also good and I didn't even struggle. I contemplated going up to about 185-190 for my third but my gut told me to play it safe so I stuck with 170. Again, the lift was good. Not huge weights but considering the struggles I've had with squats I was beyond happy with that.
Hitting all my squats was a great confidence booster for the day! Once squats were out of the way, my nerves began to calm down a bit and I was ready for bench. I opened at 105 and got it easy. Next up was 115, which was also good. I went for 121 on the third attempt and had my only miss for the day. This training cycle I'm really going to focus on my pauses because that is what is really getting me I think. I had certainly hoped for more on bench but it was still a tie for a comp PR and at a lighter weight class, so no complaints at all.
After bench I had some time to relax before deadlifts so I enjoyed my Arby's chicken fingers and curly fries, compliments of Brandon's parents and then enjoyed some cookies for dessert. I must say, cutting weight was difficult but having two days of being able to eat anything I wanted was super!
Once deadlifts came around I was starting to feel a little drained for the day but was excited because deadlift is my favorite event. I opened with 210 and it felt good! Second was 233 and third was 248. I hit all three and ended with a 3 pound PR! What an awesome way to end a fantastic day!
Brandon also had a really great meet! He also had a deadlift PR and rocked on squat and bench too! (all at 132 pounds!) I really couldn't have asked for a better meet. Everything went really smoothly and I'm very happy with how it came out. I ended up winning the junior and novice divisions for my weight class and B won best overall lifter!
Brandon, Marshall, and myself...such a great group!
Brandon and me with our awards
Proving to myself that I CAN squat well
Giving Brandon a hand off
I had the pleasure of competing in this meet with Brandon; which doing a meet with him was something I've been wanting to do for a long time and I loved every second of it. Our good friend Marshall also competed and it was great to spend time with him as well!
One of my goals for this meet was to compete in the 148 pound weight class. This meant dropping a few pounds and learning about weight cutting, which was not an easy task. I ended up weighing in at 146.8, which I was absolutely thrilled with! Goal one had been completed and the competition hadn't even begun yet.
Squats were first and I was feeling a little uneasy. I've been having some trouble with my squats, so much trouble that a few months back Brandon and I completely started over at square one with it. I've been working a ton on mobility issues but I was still feeling a little uneasy after warming up. I opened with 150 and got 3 white lights. Whew! That was a relief! I went up to 160 for my second attempt and it was also good and I didn't even struggle. I contemplated going up to about 185-190 for my third but my gut told me to play it safe so I stuck with 170. Again, the lift was good. Not huge weights but considering the struggles I've had with squats I was beyond happy with that.
Hitting all my squats was a great confidence booster for the day! Once squats were out of the way, my nerves began to calm down a bit and I was ready for bench. I opened at 105 and got it easy. Next up was 115, which was also good. I went for 121 on the third attempt and had my only miss for the day. This training cycle I'm really going to focus on my pauses because that is what is really getting me I think. I had certainly hoped for more on bench but it was still a tie for a comp PR and at a lighter weight class, so no complaints at all.
After bench I had some time to relax before deadlifts so I enjoyed my Arby's chicken fingers and curly fries, compliments of Brandon's parents and then enjoyed some cookies for dessert. I must say, cutting weight was difficult but having two days of being able to eat anything I wanted was super!
Once deadlifts came around I was starting to feel a little drained for the day but was excited because deadlift is my favorite event. I opened with 210 and it felt good! Second was 233 and third was 248. I hit all three and ended with a 3 pound PR! What an awesome way to end a fantastic day!
Brandon also had a really great meet! He also had a deadlift PR and rocked on squat and bench too! (all at 132 pounds!) I really couldn't have asked for a better meet. Everything went really smoothly and I'm very happy with how it came out. I ended up winning the junior and novice divisions for my weight class and B won best overall lifter!
Brandon, Marshall, and myself...such a great group!
Brandon and me with our awards
Proving to myself that I CAN squat well
Giving Brandon a hand off
The video of all my lifts
I plan to compete again before my birthday in November so I can compete in the junior division one more time. I don't have an exact meet picked out yet but next week I start my hard training again. I took last week off and have been easing into this week.
I would like to end this post by giving a huge THANK YOU to Brandon. He helps with write all my programs and is always so happy to answer all my questions and he bends over backwards to help me. I certainly would not be the lifter or person I am today without all his guidance and support. I can't wait to see what the future has for the two of us because I just know it will be fantastic. He is an amazing person and lifter and has so many great things coming his way and I am very blessed to be able to share this journey with him.
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