Post-Meet Reflection Part Deux: Running the Numbers

I’ve had a chance to reflect more on my personal performance at the kettlebell meet last week- to look a little more objectively at what I wanted and what I actually did on the platform.  Yes, I was disappointed in myself when I put down the kettlebells.  I wanted 50 reps, and I got 45, plus a no-count.  John and Mike told me as soon as I could stand up again that I was making it look so easy, that they were shocked when I quit.  Andy, a friend at church, saw the video and jumped on me as well- “you just quit!  You had two more minutes, and you just quit because it was too hard!  What kind of a man are you?”  Don’t get me wrong- I want my friends to push me and hold me to a high standard.  As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.  Without their friction, I won’t get sharper.  I appreciate their honesty and their high standards.  I don't want losers for friends.  I want friends who push themselves as hard as they push me.

That said, let’s run the numbers.  My previous best was 41 clean and jerks, in just over 8 minutes.  Saturday I did 46 clean and jerks, in just over 8 minutes.  One was a no count for a fast drop, but I cleaned it and jerked it, so it counts in terms of total work capacity.  I wanted 50 reps going in.  In round numbers, that’s a 20% improvement.  I wanted to do 20% more reps than I did less than a month ago, which was my all-time best with this weight.   Is that a realistic goal?  Of course not.  At my age, with this weight, as long as I’ve been training, 20% jumps just don’t happen.  So what did I do?  I made a 12% improvement, and got 90% of my goal.  I did 46 clean and jerks in the time it previously took me to do 41.  A 12% improvement is great- I’ll take it, and I’ll quit beating myself up for not hitting 50.  Fifty reps was never a realistic goal to start with.

Speaking of numbers, I should have been lifting 20k’s. I psyched myself up for this meet- “I’m finally lifting greens!”, but I was not ready to make a strong showing with greens, so I came and put up a mediocre performance. I’ve hit 70 reps twice with the 20k’s, and 60 reps probably 8 or 10 times.  I’m just now getting decent numbers with purples- what made me think I could do well with greens?

So what’s next?  I’m going back to purples, and working on owning 80 reps.  The most progress I’ve ever made, was made using a template someone else had written, telling me every rep and set to do for 6 weeks.  It was not creative or imaginative or fun.  It got boring.  It also took me from 56 jerks with 2x20k to 81 in six weeks.  Right after I finished, I hit CMS in the single clean and jerk.  Who needs fun, imagination, or creativity when you can have results?  When I can consistently hit high reps with the 20k’s, I’ll think about the greens again, and when I do, I’ll be a far better athlete for it.

I got Thierry Sanchez’ new long cycle program, called “Bogatyr Rising”.  It looks great on paper- increasing time and density, first with shorter intervals, then with longer sets.  Rudnev recommends the same approach.  I may substitute some bodyweight stuff for the barbell assistance lifts- I’d rather hone my pistol and one arm pushup right now than my back squat and bench press, but like Thierry says- don’t sweat it.  It’s assistance work, not powerlifting.  The substance of my training will be his long cycle progression, and long cycle-specific assistance lifts.  I thrive on a program that says “just do this”.  I do it, check it off, and hit the showers.  Left to myself, I get creative in my training, which means I get inconsistent. 

My next meet will probably be in Atlanta on August 18, exactly three months after this last meet.  Will I be lifting greens then?  I don’t know, and at this point, I don’t care.  I’ve got my hands full with purple.