Two weeks and counting

It’s now exactly 2 weeks to USPA Drug Tested Nationals.

I’m doing my final training this week (next week will be a rest week). It’s tough! I’ve been coming back from the gym exhausted.

This week I’m practicing lifting heavy, and trying to figure out how much I can realistically lift in competition. So the weights are at 90-95% of my estimated maximum. That’s HEAVY.

As the weights get heavier, form becomes much more important. Being off by even half an inch can make a lift fail.

For example, here’s a video of me deadlifting 295 pounds last week, clean and sweet.

And here’s a video of me failing to deadlift 315 lbs:

If you look closely at the second video, you can see that, just as the lift starts, my shins hit the bar and it swings forward, away from me. Not much, well under an inch. But that teeny diversion is the difference between success and failure. (It’s not a strength issue; I’m perfectly capable of lifting 315 pounds.)

(I was going to write something about the precision and discipline that I’ve learned from powerlifting, because it’s a much more interesting sport than you might think, but honestly, I’m just too tired. Wait ’til after Nationals!)

My favorite lift right now is bench press. The weights are FLYING!

Here I am benching 165 pounds:

It took effort, but not significant struggle. Extrapolating, I should be able to lift 175 pounds in competition. That’s a HUGE improvement over last year, when my max lift was only 165.

I have two personal goals for Nationals:

1. Lift a total of 800+ pounds across the three lifts. My total from my last competition was tantalizingly close – 793 lbs – but not quite there. Fingers crossed.
2. Break the California state record for bench press, which is currently 77.5 kg, or 170.9 lbs. Fingers crossed.

I have three stretch goals:

1. Break the California state record for squat, which is currently 140 kg/308.6 lbs. This is do-able on a good day, but my squat form has been a bit squiggly lately, so I’m not sure I can do it.
2. Break the California state record for deadlift, at 155 kg/341.7 lbs. This is a bigger stretch, but not impossible.
3. Break the California state record for meet total, which is currently 810.2 lbs.

With luck I’ll come back with at least one state record!

In fiber news, I’ve made considerable progress on the phoenix scarf. I’ve spun over 1000 yards of yarn on my drop spindle, and should be able to finish the last 300 yards within the next two weeks. I’ve started weaving samples on the jacquard loom using commercial yarn. Here’s a quick peek so far:

I’m weaving the sample in 60/2 silk, which is about 15,000 yards per pound. That’s about the same size as my handspun yarn, so it should give me a pretty good idea of how the math will work out. The warp in this sample is bright magenta, but the actual scarf will be woven on dark blue warp instead.

If I haven’t spun enough yarn by Nationals, my plan is to take my spindle with me to Las Vegas. Hey, if an Olympic diver can knit in the stands, I can spin at a powerlifting competition!