Monday
Squat 2x2 @ 290
Deadlift worked up to 275, then shut it down due to quad pain
Did some light accessories
Wednesday
Squat - 325, 340 (miss)
Bench - 195
I was definitely in my head for the last one. 325 was slow and I got a little out of position, so I knew a 15 pound jump was gonna be tough. In my head I wanted to take 325 again and do it cleaner, but I didn't speak up to my coach regarding that. But we had also had conversations about me being confident with the weight and I was trying to do that..... so it was an internal battle, which wasn't good to begin with.
Bench was super smooth so I ended on a good note.
Friday
Was supposed to deadlift heavy but did not due to the pain I was having.
So, my overall thoughts regarding the Arnold....
I won't lie, I had moments where I was frustrated and angry and upset. Mostly with the deadlifting issues I have been having and not being able to find any relief with that. I do believe that pulling sumo at the meet is going to be tough, so I'm fully prepared to pull conventional if I need to.
I was also super frustrated with myself for missing that last squat. I knew, as a competitive lifter for 20 years, what I should've done. This goes along with a recent article that Dave Tate wrote. While this has absolutely nothing to do with the "coaching" aspect, it has everything to do with "Only you know yourself best."
I brushed it off and am confident that with the taper and energy of meet day that it will be there. Plus having someone else wrap your knees is always better. 😉
So, I'm confident and excited for the meet. Some say if you're not nervous or anxious then you're not ready. Well, those nerves will come but I do my best to keep them at bay until meet day. Expended energy in that form is a stressor to the body... don't need any of that right now. I've been visualizing, recovering, taking baths and doing all the little things I need to. The training is done. Putting the numbers on the platform is not a strength issue at this point.
So, it's time to have fun, set some PR's and represent EliteFTS on one of the biggest stages.