Author Topic: What are good enough numbers to compete? (Read 1316 times)

Jake Harrison · « **on:** Nov 06, 2006, 10:42 PM »

if i ever compete ill probably be either in the 77kg or 85kg class, and im not planning to break any world records lol, just a first time competitor, what will be a respectable total. since im not too strong now i was planning to compete in a year or so when i have more experience and strength.

so far my best snatch is 61 and thats with a few serious workouts with the snatch. and my best C&J is 86 but i have done a double in the push jerk from the rack with 88 so im pretty sure i can do that now. so with my best of 61 and 86 now id total 147. i think maybe in a year 180 will be fine for my first competition, something like 80 and 100 seem alright and realistic goals.

what do you guys think, will 180 be fine?

Shaun Le Conte · « **Reply #1 on:** Nov 06, 2006, 11:00 PM »

Jake, I am sure that 80 kg would be fine. You are stressing without reason. Most of the time it is just nice to meet a new face at a competition and people won't at all be focused on how strong you are. You may make some good contacts and meet some people in your area that are involved in the sport.

Jim Hooper · « **Reply #2 on:** Nov 07, 2006, 12:26 AM »

Jake,

What Shaun said. Get in a meet, get lifts on the board, and have fun. You will find that people are cheering you to make your 65/85 just as much as some guy (or gal) doing twice as much or more. Your effort will be "respected" no matter what the numbers are, if you are doing your best and being a good sportsman (which of course you will). You'll have fun and make friends of all ages and sizes.

If you are safe, know how to lift within the rules, enjoying it and have a plate or two on the bar, time to dive in. The numbers you cite are more than enough to begin competing. Three or four or five years from now, if you work at it, the numbers will be a lot bigger, and you will be thinking back and wishing you could have started even earlier.

If your concern is that others will see that you are not very strong, compared to experienced lifters, well, they WILL see that. So what? Everybody starts somewhere, and it takes most folks 5-7 years to get even close to their potential. The real "competition" is between you and . . . YOU.

Illustration: Two days ago four of my lifters (high school age) competed in a local meet at the OTC. Three of them had no close competition in their weight class (one, literally no one else in his class), and one was in HIS first meet nominally "competing" against Chandler Alford, who is an amazing, national caliber lifter. The first three, competing in their third meet, all hit big new PRs in the CJ and their totals, which are going up by leaps and bounds from meet to meet. Terrific. The fourth lifter, in his first comp, went three for three on his snatches (65/70/75) and jerked 100 to finish "second" to Chandler, who lifted about what my truck weighs. Big fun -- regardless of how the numbers were higher or lower than somebody else's numbers. Best of all, we got to see Donny Shankle hit a PR 204 clean and jerk -- and Donny had no competition, and was just as elated with his 204 PR as my younguns were with their 80, 88, 90, and 100 PRs -- because they are PRs, not because the lifts are X amount more than somebody else. That's what its all about -- getting better. And if you saw how the national-caliber athletes and coaches at the OTC, as well as all the other Colorado WL regulars, befriend, cheer for, and are nice to the young and new lifters of all ages, you would see what is the very best thing about our sport.

So relax and just lift and get better. Get in a meet several times per year, and train toward them. I do not even know you, but I know that you will train harder and with more focus, and have more success and fun, if you are oriented on a competition than if you are just slogging away until some indefinite time in the future when you will decide you are "ready."

How much should you lift in your first meet? Less than what you're going to lift in your second meet . . . . Your goal in your first meet should be to make 5 or 6 good lifts and display good safe technique: if I were your coach, based on what you have said, I would have you open at 50 and 75, for example -- lifts you know you can make. If you smoke those, we might go up 5 in Sn and 7 in CJ, and if you smoke those, up a little higher, but aiming to make solid lifts, no flail and fail.

After you have a meet or two under your belt, you can start to set specific goals, like maybe hitting your training PR on your second attempt and pushing for a new PR on the third. But start at a success-oriented level and work from there. Have fun, don't manufacture meaningless stress and set yourself up for disappointment if you happen to be 2.5 or 5 kg "off" on a particular day.

Life's short and then you die -- play hard and play now. Not to be dramatic, but I think this is actually a useful way to think about the whole project of "going for it": there are literally thousands of young men and not a few women close to your age who have lost one or more limbs in hot dusty places recently: if they could get their legs and arms back, and enter a WL contest, and snatch "only" 60 and jerk "only" 80, do you think most of them would love to give it a shot? Do you think they'd advise you to jump in, or to wait a year until . . . . Of course, its your call.

Best of luck,
Jim

Jake Harrison · « **Reply #3 on:** Nov 07, 2006, 01:02 AM »

Thanks for the advice guys, i know i can make 84 kg in the C&J, i have tripled that weight both in the power clean and in the push jerk. and as for the snatch im very new at it, and i hit a PR of 61 today so im happy with that, but you guys are completely right at ur first competition it is about having fun and doing your best. maybe i shouldnt wait and just get into a meet whenever the next one is, i just wanna get some more experience since im still pretty much a "noob" get my technique down some more.

Adrian Cadmus-Dixon · « **Reply #4 on:** Nov 07, 2006, 01:37 AM »

Are you in with a club yet Jake?

Jake Harrison · « **Reply #5 on:** Nov 07, 2006, 02:42 AM »

Quote from: "AdrianCadmusDixon"

Are you in with a club yet Jake?

not at the moment, i train alone for now

Nick Albert · « **Reply #6 on:** Nov 07, 2006, 04:55 PM »

i would def. advice entering a meet. it will make you train harder and keep you motivated and realize that you love weightlifting (except for the waiting around all day part) i never snatched more than 75 lbs before my first meet (never trained snatch, just played around with it a little) and i ended up at 52 kg.

meets are fun and keep you focused on weightlifting. and there will always be a coach watching you and will usually willingly walk up to you and give you some pointers.

Paul LaDuke · « **Reply #7 on:** Nov 07, 2006, 09:13 PM »

Jake,

I am 39 years old and recently got myself hooked on this great sport. I have only lifted in 2 meets and each time I have come away loving the sport even more.

Every lifter that I have ever met has been positive and motivating. Each of them is willing to help you out if you want it. All of them have cheered for me as I lifted as loudly as I cheered for them.

Do not be down on yourself for not lifting huge weights and therefore miss out on a great experience. Just do it. Once you get your feet wet, you will wonder why you were so nervous and you will be planning when you can do it again that night.

I only wish there were more competitions that I could get to. 4 per year would be great.