Central Champs Open 2013

Hey Competition Cats

So I put my advice in the last blog into practice last weekend and won the 63kg class and came 3rd overall on Sinclair formula at the Central Champs Open at Lilleshall sports centre. It was a fantastic day and my first comp with my team mate Kermit. It was the first time I had no nerves to walk out on stage - it was liberating. I could focus all my panic and fear on my lifts ;)

I wore my new suit too for the first time and it felt good.

Here's the video of my lifts:

BRING ON THE SOUTHWESTS

Into a volume phase now so my legs are sore (:3 

Power on pumas x 

The week before a competition...

Hey Bar Buddies (:3

As I have a competition coming up I thought now is a good time to talk about competition preparation so here's how the Bear prepares:

1) making weight: let's address this straight away because it'll be on your mind. There are ways to balance your body water levels and all sorts of fasting and weird and dramatic methods you can find out of but ultimately I use the following adjustments a couple of weeks ahead to ensure I'm lean but not lacking:
- cut unnecessary sugars: processed and fructose
- increase marginally animal and fish protein and vegetables (varied sources)
- drink lots of water (until 7pm of the night before then none until weigh in)
- IF 14 hours (or 2 meals a day)
- main meal during lunchtime and light meal on a night (easier digestion)
- assisting recovery: vitamin C
I have to add the disclaimer: I'm not qualified to advise on diet (I'm just a bear) and this is just what I do. If it is close on the last few days, ill reduce the portion size down but I try not to leave myself hungry.

2) training: this is really coach's area but from observation I'd say this is a very light week with 1 session going to my openers and lots of sessions of foam rolling and mobilisation. The hardest thing at this time is relaxing and not over training. If you've done your training right, you'll leak at the competition and be bright and fresh as well as full of adrenalin. Get it wrong, overtrain and be impatient and you'll step onto the platform utterly drained.

3) get your shit together. Find your BWLA membership book, passport, spare pen to sign drugs tests forms (no one ever has a pen!) print out your google directions, fill your car with petrol, fill your tyres with air, decide what light meal you'll have after weigh in (stuffing your face will just make you sluggish and heavy; resist the urge to gorge - chew and eat slowly, plenty of water) in short: get organised. I like to write a list. And always, always arrange someone to look after the dog because you'll be out all day.

4) get as ,ugh sleep as you can cram in. Sleep sleep sleep. With an hour a day less than usual, my training suffers. So don't let the tension and nerves get in the way of sleep. Make time.

Speaking of which, time for me to get to bed early (:3

If you've a competition soon, good luck!
STAY STRONG X

Update from the Bear (:3

Hey platform pumas 

As always, lots has been happening. When I last penned this blog my PBs were 47/60. We are now at 50/65 and still climbing. I put this down entirely to our coach and his programming. 

I don't know how he programmes - I hear words like super compensation and peaking and see the weekly programme sent through with a seemingly random pattern of numbers and exercises and I just switch off. As an athlete, I like to be completely ignorant of my session before I start; I don't know anything but the exercise I'm doing. I find it helps me put 100% in the whole time. If I know I have heavy squats at the end of the session, I am going to hold back.
I am excited today as its my 30th birthday and next week we have a competition. I now have new romaleos and a new competition suit so I am feeling armed and ready.
The goal for 2014 is to qualify for the British champs and I am on target with my weights so its looking good.
Hopefully see you there...

How long has it been?

Afternoon Bear Fans (:3

First of all, I am full of apologies to you for the long time it has been since I last posted. I have a number of excuses & no good reasons. However, I have been training hard & making great progress and have a lot to share with you guys (:3 I hope you have all been training too!

To catch you up:

1) I have a training partner now, Kermit - she is absolutely brilliant to train with and we have great fun. Having the right training partner can be a huge boost and really good for your motivation and training. I feel very lucky to have her there :) There is also a new lifter joining our team recently, the magpie, who is also great fun to have on the team :) more on those guys in the future (:3

2) Training has been going really well and my current PB's are:
Snatch - 47
C&J    - 60

3) This weekend I went to the Devon Open at Bournemouth Barbell (thank you Paul Rees for a great day) just me and Coach and we did really well. I have had some medical problems which meant I had to be very careful with my weight and I was 63.3kg so I went into the 69kg class this once, and came 3rd of 5 lifters (I'd have won 63's) & also actually lifted at 63, which is enough for me. A competition PB on each lift - what more can you ask?

I think coming up perhaps some blogs on competition preparation/nerves in the future (:3

Until then, here's a video of my lifts at the Devon Open...
Here comes ELLIE!

PB

Hey Weight Watchers

How was your Christmas & New Year? Mine was spent mostly on the platform and asleep. It was HEAVEN! I hope you're all training hard and feeling motivated. Don't just want; do.

I have a NYR which so far, so good, I have managed to keep to! I have absolutely no self control when it comes to sugar even though I am more than aware of how rubbish it is for me. So I made a NYR to have no processed sugar in 2013. I am so excited for 2014 new year's day for my next cup of M&M tea :) mmm M&M tea.

So anyway, another great thing happening in 2013 is that so far, I have somehow managed to get a PB of an exercise or lift EVERY SESSION. This hasn't been a conscious effort, but a side effect of the, let's face it, brilliant coaching and planning on the part of my coach (quite frankly, I haven't a clue in terms of programming).

Also exciting, I have a training partner in Hannah. AKA Kermit. She is pretty strong and keen on technique so even though she is starting out, she is getting crazy good fast :) I am trying to help coach her too :)

A very brilliant man often jokes "you don't want to get too strong too fast" - which, in terms of technique keeping up and injury, isn't bad advice, but those aside, I intend on giving it my best shot.

In the back of my mind, and the pit of my stomach, the English Championships are approaching fast. I need to keep my head and stay focussed.

Oh! Dinner's ready; later lifters,
x

P.S. A PB for you all to see: I wasn't focussed and halfway through the 2nd pull, was calculating what was on the bar. Never do this: it will throw you off your A-game ;)
Cleaning up, Again

Revolutionising Weightlifting

High Five Hulks :)

I am back! After a slog after the competition, I have had a good and heavy week. After training today, I foam rolled my legs for about an hour, and they really needed it. I am hoping a really long sleep tonight and I'll recover :)

Until the new week, here is a video of me doing something I have been wanting to do since before the competition but haven't been allowed to (incase of injury...again!) and then I had to wait for the gym to be clear of anyone who might judge my tomfoolery haha

For utter comedy lifting gold, click here

As things move up a notch in training, remember rest and recovery become even more important. Fuel yourself, don't fool yourself
KB x

The week after the weekend before...

 After all the excitement, adrenalin and success of the weekend, I started this week excited, driven and raring to go!

Unfortunately, my body had other ideas. On Monday night, it crashed. Straight to bed after work. Then Tuesday we had a little session planned - nothing heavy, just preparing for the new training programme coach is cooking up. Well, I have never had a competition before and even though I was warned repeatedly, I somehow thought my overwhelming excitement and sudden major aspirations would mean that my training would take on new heights of awesome...how wrong I was. It felt like lifting lead. Everything was hard work. 5 squats at 40kg felt like I'd never make it.

I did an interval workout later in the week and had a riding lesson too - I'd not done either for a few weeks on the run up to the competition due to the back injury and needing to train. I thought these would be like active rest, but by Friday's session I was so ruined. I am writing this from Saturday afternoon - rest day - on the sofa with a hot water bottle and a sleeping puppy on my lap. I feel like I need a week of this before I'll feel normal again.

I think it's times like these, when everything is a slog - work is hard, post grad studies are building up, exams looming, cash flow is bad, the days are short, your body is knackered, the house needs cleaning and repairs, there's never enough time, the puppy gets ill, every training session fails to meet the weights that seem obtainable from the comfort of your office chair, is when you put in the hours that let you have times like last weekend.

I don't often get very long spells where everything goes right. But no matter how hard it gets, I will push on and push hard through because I want days like last weekend again.

And they'll be all the sweeter because of what I had to push through to get there.

Ad astra per aspera
KB x