Super Hero

Sometimes after "3...2...1... GO!" you have to just go.  Stop thinking about whether you can do it, whether you're fast enough, whether someone else is faster, whether you should slow down in case you get too tired later on.  Sometimes you have to just GO and trust your training, your instincts, your body.  Tell the mind that its job is to stand by and cheer as the body takes over.

[To be clear, while you are developing proficiency in a movement, or if you're nursing an injury, sometimes it's necessary to be cautious - this will likely be the subject of a later post.  However,  sometimes in the absence of a physical limitation people are still hesitant, and in that case I say (to myself first and foremost), just GO!]

As an Olympic Lifting coach I watch people try for PRs all the time.  Some people PR by a few pounds practically every time they snatch. Some people hit mental roadblocks and stay at the same weight, two wheels for example, for months.  Oftentimes the difference is what they say to themselves.  The difference between "Oh my gosh, I've never snatched 100 pounds before" and "This is only 5 pounds more than I got last time, it's almost the same thing" is quite often the difference between a miss and a make.  Victory vs. defeat.

I am sure to be inadequate if that's what I let myself believe. Before I can accomplish anything I have to convince myself that what I am going for is possible for me on that day.  I'm tired of losing in my mind. It really doesn't ever happen that someone else beats me. Sure they might be faster, but only when I give up do I lose. And I never give up because of them, I give up because of me. Because I fear that I am inadequate.

Leading up to Femme Fit 2011 my PR in the clean was 225.  I cleaned 240 that day.  Leading up to NorCal Recovery Comp in April, my PR (and the last time I had jerked heavy) was from Nationals in March.  I jerked 225 (because I accidentally added 10's to the bar instead of 5's and decided to go with it).  Finally, last week my deadlift PR (a lift I'm convinced I'm not good at) was 335.  Working up to that weight I was feeling strong and told Rob he could put whatever he wanted on there.  I deadlifted 370 (surprising even him - he thought it was 360).

Had you asked me before those competitions if I could do those things, I would have told you maybe... someday.  But in a competitive environment, knowing that people are watching - some cheering and some sending miss daggers - ambition can outweigh fear.  This is one of the reasons I encourage people to compete.  If you can create a training environment for yourself in which you can quiet your inhibitions and focus only on your achievements you can give yourself a clearer view of your capabilities, which, once known, can't be unknown.  GO, and let your body blow your mind away!