Justin and AC are traveling to Georgia today. I don”t know if he”ll get to comments and emails or not.
What are you going to do in 2010?
Today is 70s Big Letter of Intent Day where we commit to competition in 2010. It’s where we state our competitive goals for the coming year. If you’re already competing in something, stay the course. If not, browse the web, find a local comp, and circle the date.
I don’t want to hear any crap about how you can’t win. Competition isn’t all about winning at the amateur level as much as it is learning about yourself. Hell, I don’t win most of the stuff I compete it (in fighting, you have the added benefit of possibly breaking something or being choked unconscious), but I keep going back, and I get better every time.
Guess who did linear progression.
Competition puts your training into focus. A date on the calendar forces you to taper your program (hell, HAVE a program), tweak your nutrition (especially if you’re in a weight class), and arrange your schedule (sleep comes to mind).
You also get instant feedback on your training program. You will quickly find out if you did too much or too little conditioning, spent too much benching and not enough squatting, or didn’t work your technique enough.
You also learn game day management. I’m talking about how to pick lifts, when to warm up, what and how much to drink before your event, and the myriad other things that don’t come up during training. This can ONLY be learned by competing. Most of it is learned by watching and asking other competitors, many of whom will become your friends.
Everybody reading this could at least do a PL or OLY meet. If you’re a CrossFitter, find (or host) a CrossFit Total competition (and make sure the damn thing is run correctly). If you’re not close to one of those places, find a training group, and enter a Tactical Strength Challenge. Find SOMETHING.
Finally, manage your expectations. If you’re squatting 400 in training, don’t open with 500. You probably won’t win your first time out, either. And that’s ok. But you’ll learn a lot that you can take back to the gym with you.
Consider Jared Allen your inspiration for the day.
I’ll go first:
• Win gold at the Texas Brown Belt Championships. I took silver last year, but I want the big prize.
• Get three scoring throws in the caber at a Highland Games. I won the novice division at a Games next year and threw the B caber for one score. I don’t expect to make any noise in the B’s, but I’d like to throw that damn pole.
• Go 100/130 at an OLY meet. This would force me to actually practice the lifts. Since I only do power versions of the lifts, this sounds pretty reasonable.
• Enter and finish a mountain bike race. It’s been four years since the last one.
• Schedule permitting, do either a Strongman competition or a Masters Track Meet.
Highland games are for real men, also considering rocking some kiddie division on my MTB.
after my ankle heals.
…
Goal #1: Break USAPL Raw Total Record @ 220.
Goal #2: Up that record to 780kg by years end
Goal #3: Qualify for USAW American Open (260kg total I think)
*cough* monkey armed deadlifter :)
I am going to win a gold medal at the Internationals in Brazil for Blue Belt senior 1 light heavyweight division. A world championship for my 40th birthday!
There is a highland games here in Houston on May 15-16. I am going to go give it a shot. This will be my first games. In addition to focusing my training, this will force me to find a place to toss a caber (and find a caber as well), as my back yard is too small to do so (I live near downtown). Everything else I can practice in my home gym or at the nearby high school, so this should be both do-able and fun!
Win local strongman challenge. (Came 2nd last year)
Deadlift 700lbs. And fill my neck up with traps.
Gain 10-15# of solid weight.
Increase cardio to help with impending zombie attacks.
Goal #1: Qualify for the local 1000lb club
Goal #2: Max out the USMC Combat Fitness Test
Goal #3: Score above 290 on the USMC Physical Fitness Test
Goal #4: Snatch Body Wt/Clean & Jerk 1.5xBody Wt
None may seem singularly difficult. Combined, however, is a different story (particularly for a non-genetically gifted dude).
Justin, I””””””””ve been using the old CF/Starting Strength hybrid program from the WFAC link and have had great results. Do you have a similar program that incorporates the O-lifts?
—–
IIRC, Justin is doing the Texas Method with some modifications for weightlifting and his travel schedule. Weightlifting progressions are a bit different than regular strength progressions. It””””s noteworthy that he is focusing on getting strong while improving his Olympic lifts rather than focusing only Oly technique and back-filling the strength lifts.
-Gant
PS The snatch is typically 80-84% of the C&J (depending on class).
I”d like to take a blue ribbon in at least one highland event. Will probably be either Braemer stone or caber, as that is where my technique is most solid. Might be able to seriously rock the WOB if I can get my throws more consistantly over the bar.
Hey Justin,
Does this also include scrawny people like me who struggle at squatting 150 lbs who dont want to end up embarassing themselves at PLing meets?
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Yes. We all start somewhere. If you struggle with 150 today, struggle with 200 tomorrow. Just show up, open with weights you know you can hit, and go from there. You””ll be glad you did it, and you””ll have the respect of your fellow competitors.
In my HG last year, there was a dude that was barely 120 pounds. I thought the heavy weight for distance was going to kill him. He didn””t do well, but he showed a lot of sack that his fellow competitors and spectators appreciated.
-Gant
2010
Win the Rugby Super League (Denver Barbarians)
Get a spot on the USA Eagles National Rugby Team
Power Clean 300(265)
Squat 500(425)
Bench 395(350)
Crazypiss – especially you. Get on it.
Personally, I”d like to hit 230/140/250 in the 242 class this year, raw of course. Stretch goal of deadlifting 600 in a meet, since that”s my least favorite lift. Also press 200lbs and get rid of my shoulder pain.
# get the 1st Offense Fullback jersey on my football team (Modi”in Pioneers)
# squat 160kg (125kgx4)
# bench 140kg (102.5kgx3)
# deadlift 200kg (155kgx3)
# powerclean 100kg (80kgx1)
# gain 10kg and be an adult male for fuck sake. 80kg at the moment.
My local Crossfit affiliate is going to start doing quarterly CFTs…may also be offering CFFB programming as well. Up till now have been very metcon biased, so maybe some hope.
Goal for 2010: CFT 1000.
Prior to starting gomad/linear strength progression in October, CFT was 780; plan to hit 875 next week…then to increase by 50, 25, 25, 25 over the next 4 quaters.
At Georgia Southern Strength Competition this April
Deadlift 400
Squat 350
Bench 225
Help my best friend achieve good numbers at the competition also. He will win the competition his senior year, and I”ll come in second. That”s my long term plan for over two years from now.
Start as middle linebacker/fullback.
earn a college scholarship.
squat 430lbs.
bench 250lbs.
deadlift 450lbs.
bodyweight 210-220.
kickass.
man oh man, i can”t wait to kickass at middle linebacker, watching dick butkus break people”s spines is fucking awesome.
by the way, today”s my 17th birthday
deadlift 500
squat 450
bench 135
press 185
powerclean something sexy
My goals are rowing related, want to be the fastest rower on my squad. Want a 17:30 5k, a 6:30 ish 2k, and 8500 metres on a 30 minute time trial.
Need to get my press up over 1 plate, my bench up past 2, squats to 3 and deads to 4.
DaveG, good luck, and happy bday. Make sure you are working with your coach already and letting him know you are serious about a scholarship. Start collecting vids, etc now.
I, gzt, being of sound mind and body, will enter at least one powerlifting meet or weightlifting meet. The PL meet may be easier to find, since the gym I”m at sometimes runs them. I”m going to gun for a bodyweight snatch.
I like the idea of competition. I”ll have to see what kind of comps they have here in Louisiana. As far as personal goals, I really don”t have any. I”m just trying to exhaust the linear progrssion while keeping my conditioing up. Its difficult with a full time job and a family. Sometimes I don”t make it to the gym until 9pm. So sometimes its a daily goal just to get my training done.
Back to the cometitions, I don”t think lifting meets interest me. The Highland Games seem intriguing. Any other suggestions for athletic contests outside the realm of barbell lifts? It would be a nice change of pace to actually have a defined goal to attain.
Number one goal for next year is getting through the SUCK known as Ranger school. I don”t have to go, but they have slots and I am volunteering. I”ll probably be one of the oldest ones there, but fuck it, right.
Looking to qualify for the Fire Fighter challenge nationals again this year. Hoping to beat my PR of 1:48. I would also like to hit a PL meet this spring with some improved numbers.
Bw:210
400×1 squat (350×5 now)
500×1 DL (405×5 now)
300×1 bench (225×5 now)
As far as training goals go:
Squat-400 lbs
Bench-300 lbs
Deadlift-500 lbs
Press-200 lbs
P.Clean-225 lbs
And learn the Oly lifts.
My goal is to have this all accomplished by Thanksgiving.
I m starting off the year with a PL meet. Plan to do at least one more after that in 2010, and then maybe a strongman comp. this summer if I decide to cut down to 230 or less. I do not want to compete with the heavies my first time.
Jacob, you damn near had those numbers already. If you get that shoulder healthy you will have no problem. I plan on seeing the 600 from you next year.
Squat 400
Deadlift 500
Bench Press above 250, rep 225
Play Rugby for a d1 team next season
there”s a submission grappling meet in February here in Atlanta. though my prior experience with MA is in striking, i will enter and attempt to place top 3 in the novice or beginner class, 170# division.
The lower back pain ive been having was resolved today. Before, i never bothered to look down while squatting; instead, i looked straight into the obnoxious mirror in front. 145 was pretty easy. im going to crush 150 on thursday.
I only have mild back pain but im sure i will adapt as the weights and correctness of form improve.
1st set of goals by spring break
Late March Early April
.75 body weight press (130)
Body weight in bench press (185)
1.5 x Body weight in squat (275)
2 x body weight in deadlift (385)
Get weight to low 240”s (260)
Current PR in ( )
June goal
Local PL meet
200, 300, 400, 500 (Press, Bench, Squat, Pull)
6:00 mile. Should be good metcon for soccer and hockey, and frighten the 90”s small hamsters doing their endless loops.
1.)Squat 315 (should be done by early jan though :))
2.)Get to and maintain ~220 lbs
3.)Do more conditioning workouts
4.)Save the world – twice
5.)Deadlift 4 plates by years end
Unrelated holiday post
http://www.sketchysantas.com/
Enjoy
Goals:
Learn and Play Rugby
Graduate College
Fix up my El Camino
Grow A mullet
Oh yeah Squat 300
Bench 225
DL 425
Press 185
Ok I am gonna set some lofty goals!
There is a Push/Pull meet October 9th less than an hour away from home. I will compete in the 220 class and will push 335 and pull 525! Raw+Belt! Current weight 254lbs/5”10″ and current maxes,push 275lb and pull 435lb. Doable? Only been training about 5 months so far and following SS protocol! Almost ten months. Whaddya think?
well there is a georgia southern lifting meet sometime this semester I wanna do and then the APC has an event on april 10th that I want to set the squat record of 490
squat:490 by april currently 350x5x3
bench:300 currently at 240x5x3
Deadlift 500 currently 370×5
Jared Allen seems like my kinda guy…
Goals:
-Compete in a power lifting meet in Washington (preferably one with squats. Most of ours are bench and deadlift competitions only)
-Hit 500lb Deadlift, 400lb Squat, 250lb Bench Press, and 160lb Press.
-Be more athletic – Occasional metcons and decent bodyfat levels.
Pretty much what my friend Ben said. There”s going to be a strength competition at Georgia Southern. We”ll see how much we can lift by then. A goal I have is to get to at least 170 pounds body weight by May…and hopefuly by late January finally get squats 3sets of 5 300 lbs.
ben and gustavo i go to southern as well when do yall usually lift
We”ll be lifting MWF around 6 next semester.
Goals:
1) Win SHW (275+) USAPL Collegiate Nationals in April 2010
2) Set collegiate DL record by 45 lbs. at USAPL collegiate nationals
3) Run a 1/2 marathon by July 2010
4) Complete 55 mile ruckmarch to NYC by July 2010
Goals:
Get strong.
Discover a sport to compete in.
Not die.
Lifting goals by May 1:
SP:160
BP:200
BS:315
DL:385
PC:175
Get my vertical jump up enough to hang from a basketball rim or standing jump over a 4ft fence.
Run White Rock Half Marathon barefoot on 12/12/10.
Compete at the Houston Open June 19th in DL. Hopefully I will be up to 425 by then.
pbjorge
Where in Washington are you?
with strength training and milk, does skinny-fatness eventually go away? Im pretty lean right now but i can feel a small layer of fat on me. Or is this just paranoia? I want to keep adding weight. Here are some links:
http://s855.photobucket.com/albums/ab119/sushi362/?action=view¤t=DSC01219.jpg&newest=1
This pic, you guys might find a bit- gruesome because of the back bones
http://s855.photobucket.com/albums/ab119/sushi362/?action=view¤t=DSC01219.jpg&newest=1
btw, i signed up for a PL meet in philly in december. Will i be seeing anyone there?
2 Wheels in the press
3 in the bench
5 in the squat
5+ in the dead
Good luck everybody!
oh yeah, and thats per side….
Goals:
-Compete in either a PL meet or Oly meet or both.
-PL Meet would probably be at Sunshine State games in Dec.
-Compete in the Dunedin Sprint Triathlon in June.
-Get a 70”s Big t-shirt early 2010
– Maintain BW above 200 currently 186
– Squat 400 (currently 270)
– Deadlift 500 (currently 315)
– Bench Press 250 (200)
– Press 190 (155)
– Power Clean 250 (170)
At this point, I”m planning to compete in the USAPL in Princeton, NJ in February. Hoping to hit 500 in squat and near 600 in deadlift and I”d be happy with something near 405 on bench if my shoulder is up to it. Still in the first couple weeks of the novice progression (week 5 for me) and just hit my first stall due to not eating enough this weekend on squats 365/5, 4, 2. Will demolish 365 on Wednesday.
pbjorge – kittensmash and I are both in WA. There”s an unoffical event in Lynnwood on Jan 3rd and a USAPL event Feb 27&28 in Olympia. Keep an eye on the WA USAPL site: http://www.nwusapl.com/wa/ because there are several more throughout the year.