Learn when to "back off".

After having to fantastic workouts on Friday and Saturday and a great rest day on Sunday, I figured my workout today would be great. It was during my first easy snatch set (16kg 4mins per arm, 10rpm). It was a good set and I felt that it was a good easy start.

Now was time to get the heavier bell and go to work. I grab the 20kg bell, chalk up, set my timer (once again 4mins per arm), hit start and get to work. Although now, I feel sluggish. I feel myself struggling to maintain my grip on the bell on the back-swing. The bell isn't laying into the fingers like it should. For some reason its getting stuck in the mid-palm. Whats happening here? I am thinking....this is wierd, I usually don't think when I'm mid-set. I just go. I time my breathing, create a rythm and move according to that rythm. For whatever reason, I am thinking about stuff. I am thinking about my day that passed and whats left to come. "Finish what you started" is what I tell myself. "Slow the pace down and just flow". I complete my set, but just barely. Not a very satisfying feeling to just squeak by.

Now next up according to my plan was the 24kg @ 3mins per arm. Should I do it? Or shall I "live to fight another day"? I put the bells back and decide that if I'm not feeling it, the I should "back off". Listen to your body. This is something I have ignored in the past and it has got me into trouble. I want to be an intelligent lifter. Somebody who can recognize when its time to go for it, and when its time to say "relax, you can do this tomorow when you are fully prepared".

I place the bells back on the rack and get on the floor and stretch out. I sat and stretched for 30mins. Having a really good stretch at that. I was getting great range of motion though the joints, fully relaxing on every stretch and feeling really good. Only after taking a shower and leaving the gym did I realize that prior to the stretch, my snatch set wasn't so great. Its funny how in the same workout I went from feeling unsatisfied to feeling like a did a fantastic job.

What I did was I backed-off what was bothering me telling myself, "you can do this when you are ready, just not today" and let my body dictate what it needed. It needed to relax. It needed something that could make it feel open and rejuvenated. It just needed to back off the aggression, and up the relaxation.

By Muk Venkataraman