Happy New Year, everyone!!! This year I'm celebrating New Year in Lisbon, Portugal! Mm, what fun it has been!
So with a couple days into 2014, I wanted to reflect on my fitness goals from last year and make new ones for this year with a weightlifting focus.
My goals from last year:
So with a couple days into 2014, I wanted to reflect on my fitness goals from last year and make new ones for this year with a weightlifting focus.
My goals from last year:
2013 Fitness Goals:
- Solidify split jerk technique
- Clean & Jerk: 1.5x BW (USAW standards, no press outs, see above)
- Qualify for the American Open in the 53kg class (plus maybe gain 5lb)
- Kipping Bar Muscle Up
- Front Squat: 190#
- Butterfly chest-to-bar pull-ups
- Get my left and right splits back
- To be able to do Isabel in a reasonable amount of time Rx, and ideally with a few power snatches.
When I wrote goals for 2013, I did it with CrossFit as my focus, even though the seeds were planted for weightlifting. Up until the summer, all I did was CrossFit and the twice-a-week barbell class at Catalyst Athletics. At the beginning of 2013, I never thought I would stop CrossFit. However, dynamics changed at the gym I was going to right around the time Aimee and Greg Everett invited me to be on their weightlifting team, independent of CrossFit. After lifting for Catalyst Athletics under a real coach at Nationals, I decided on my own to stop CrossFit and focus my fitness efforts on weightlifting with the Catalyst family.
That being said, I did make most of my 2013 goals, and came really close to others. I can do a kipping bar muscle up and string a few butterflied chest-to-bar pull ups, even though I rarely CrossFit now. I have an 85kg (~187lb) front squat and I can still do a left split, and the right on a good day. I didn't test my Isabel time, nor do I plan on doing so. I can't quite clean and jerk 1.5x BW yet, but if you take my best clean and best jerk, I'm 2kg off. It's not going to be easy but it's a goal that will carry over for 2014. My split jerk is still a working progress, but I did go from pressing out 90% of my jerks to about 20% of the time when near my PR.
The biggest fitness accomplishment I made last year was lifting at the USA Weightlifting National Championships for the elite Catalyst Athletics women's team, and lifting in the A session for both Nationals and Americans. This totally beats my goal of just qualifying for Americans! Back in summer 2012 when I did my first weightlifting competition, I totaled 94kg: 38kg on the snatch and 56kg for the clean and jerk. Then in summer 2013, I snatched 49kg and clean and jerked 60kg for a total of 109kg, qualifying for the A session at Nationals. By the end of 2013 and after being coached by Greg Everett for half a year, I added almost 10kg to my total before Nationals and almost 25kg since my first weightlifting meet! With a full time job and a busy schedule, I'll take it! In addition, since I stopped CrossFit, I've been injure-free and stronger than I've ever been.
I'm sure there are a lot of things I missed. That being said, 2013 was a year of change for me. I switched from CrossFit to weightlifting, got a real coach, the star, Greg Everett himself, and joined the Catalyst family. Although weightlifting is a side hobby and a part-time gig, I learned after the American Open that I really care about it. It was the first time I became emotional about something other than school, work, family, or friends, for better or worse. With my fitness focused shifted towards weightlifting, here are my 2014 weightlifting goals:
2014 Fitness Goals:
- Snatch 60kg (1.25x BW), and also just a cool number
- Clean & Jerk 72kg (1.5x BW)
- Total >120kg (carry over from Nationals goal for Americans)
- Back Squat: 96kg (2x BW), 100kg would be icing on the cake
- Front Squat: 90kg
- 45# Weighted Strict Pull Up
- Not to get dinked for a press out at any meet
- Still be able to butterfly, walk on my hands, and do muscle ups, just because
Those are my fitness goals for 2014. Maybe I should rename my blog to Jes' Weightlifting Blog. I'll be heading to Paris and London for a few days and then I'm homeward bound. Hopefully I don't come back too round. Happy New Year, everyone!
Related Posts: Happy New Year 2013 | Happy New Year 2012 | Jes' CrossFit Beginnings
2012 Highlights: 2013 USAW American Open Championships | 2013 USAW National Championships | National Qualifier Meet | First USAW Meet