Competition cycle!

Snatch: (75% x 1, 80% x 1, 85% x 1) x 2
Front squat: 85% x 2 x 3
Snatch pull: 95% x 2

That's right, we are now into the performance phase of our complete 12-week cycle! The next four weeks are geared towards getting us ready to snatch and clean and jerk big weights, and to prepare us better for the competition environment. We will end this cycle with the meet down at Thrush and likely another informal gym meet as well (stay tuned for details on that).

This cycle introduces a training methodology which we will refer to as ``segment training''. In this scheme, we will repeat a given loading sequence multiple times through. For example, today we have snatches up to 75% for a single, 80% for a single, then 85% for a single. After the single at 85%, we drop back down to 75% and repeat. This is meant to simulate what can (and does) happen in competition: we may make an attempt on the platform, then have to wait around for 10-15 minutes or more before our next attempt as we wait for other lifters to take weights between our two attempts. In this case, it's a good idea to head back to the warm-up room and make a few good lifts at lower intensities to stay warm and prepared for hitting the next big lift. I didn't make this stuff up; lots of top-level coaches have been doing this for years. This should also help us improve consistency in our lifts by working up to heavy lifts multiple times. If all this is too confusing, don't worry, it's already programmed into your worksheets as usual; all you have to do is put the weight on the bar that it tells you to for each set. Oh, and make your lifts of course :-)

This week will be just slightly lighter than last week, but we will really ramp it up next week, so get ready!