Now we come to it, Adventurers. We have spent the last few posts discussing how I fell in love with CrossFit, what it gave me, and how I ended our relationship on as good terms as possible. Since that breakup, like many breakups, led to the decline of some friendships, and some time spent doing some heavy revaluation. Was I making a rash judgment? Was I doing the right thing for me? I am truly happy that I made the decision.
So, what has followed? My first post when I started this blog was about creating my new garage gym. Pictures and details of the days to turn that little corner of my garage into my little workout area. I’m still refining it, shifting some things, finding better ways to store things, but none of that is fun or exciting to talk about.
Anyone who has spent time with me on heavy lifting days knows that my favorite lifts have always been squats and deadlifts. The day I broke 300lbs and the 325lbs on my deadlift were two amazing days. I have been striving to break 300 lbs. with my back squat and believe I will do it before the year ends. But I did not choose to pursue powerlifting in the next stage of my love affair. I chose Olympic lifting. I also know it can be unclear for people who have not been in this world for a while. So, I wanted to take some time to talk about the exact differences between Olympic lifting and powerlifting and why I picked it.
In powerlifting, the focus is on three main movements: bench press (gross), squat, and deadlift. I joked for years that the way my legs are built, I was meant to deadlift. Have you seen these quads? These quads were made to move weight! If you watch powerlifters, especially in a deadlift, it can be a movement that seems slow, the lifter is fighting the second that the bar leaves the ground to push the ground away and make full extension of their body. Squatting can be the same way. Down? Down is easy because that bar gets heavy. But the hard part is standing back up. I recommend videos from a strong man competition; The Arnold Strongman is a beautiful place to start, or any lifting video from Hafthor Bjornsson (The Mountain).
Meanwhile, Olympic lifting focuses on more explosive lifts. The Clean and Jerk, and the Snatch (pausing for my friends floating around 15 mentally). These movements focus on pulling the barbell from the ground and “dropping” under the bar before moving into an upright position and ending with the bar overhead and a fully extended body. One of the things that coaches tell you is that you should not have “quiet feet.” When you push that bar away from the ground and then drop, your feet leave the ground, and you should hear that they reconnect with the platform. These lifts will never be as heavy as your squat and deadlift. My current clean and jerk is 135 lbs, and my snatch is 105 lbs. If you want to see true beauty in form here, Mattie Rogers or Mirabai Chanu are great ladies to look at.
Now, it is absolutely worth noting that in Olympic lifting, we are still doing squats and deadlifts, moving the bar off the ground, and building those big, beautiful tree trunk legs, which is so important. Choosing Olympic lifting was a difficult decision for me. Deadlifts are my passion, and I picked a thing that didn’t focus on those. I don’t do them heavy all the time. But last week, something amazing happened. As I climbed and worked up, I assumed, re-testing my max weight on my snatch, I was incredibly nervous when I stepped up a bar loaded for 90%. The plan was straightforward: I would pull that snatch four times, with a minute or two between each pull.
Adventurers, I have a habit. When I would be lifting with people in the gym and the goal was to get close to or over a new max weight, I would never look at the weight I was putting on a bar until after I had either made or missed the lift. I will psych myself out. But now, I’m given direct numbers to use. That is rough for me. So, I knew when I stepped up to that bar that it was heavy. But then, it wasn’t. The bar went up smoothly, and I felt so strong and right when I stood there, holding it. Adventurers, this was what I left CrossFit for. This feeling, this movement, and this sense of right.
My lovely and brave Adventurers, if you are struggling because you aren’t feeling the right, the love, the joy, the whatever. I encourage you to step back, take a moment, and drive forward. Dive under that barbell, slam those feet onto the ground, and feel your connection to the mat. Take that chance.
Take me home!