Saturday's saving grace

It was my first proper session lifting since I got back from training with Charlie Hamilton in Scotland. On the Thursday and Friday I had done some active recovery with some bar and back work along with flexibility, ice baths and a trip to the sauna. When I rocked up to the gym on Saturday, I felt reasonably fresh and energetic, but when I started to lift, everything felt a bit stale and stiff. I am lifting in a competition in Glasgow on the 5th of September which will take me nicely into the Club Nationals on the 3rd of October.

Ben Watson was in Dublin so he trained with me in Herc's, so it wasnice to train with a skilled lifter. He clearly has a lot of potential: his technique is sound and he has great flexibility. He is also only 19 and he weighs in at 90kg and has lifted 125/148 in competition but has lifted more in training. i have included clips of his training in the video below, so have a look and leave a comment if you have any.
Anyway, here is what I did:

Bar work to warm up

Snatch--3x3@40 1x3@50, 60 1x2@70, 80, 90
1x1@ 95, 100--which was underpulled--I then missed 100 due to a lack of urgency in finishing the pull and getting it into position, but I got an ugly lift 20 seconds later. I then got it for one more single.

Clean and Jerks--I worked up to singles with 100, 110, 120 and 128. I then missed the Jerk with 128, then misssed the Clean with it. I was thinking to myself, I am fatigued. That is why I am missing them. But in reality, I was simply not focusing and putting enough pressure on myself. It was a 90% lift and I was giving it 80%. So, for the next two reps I gave it everything I had and I got them both. I imagined how the Scottish boys would have reacted and I knew I was being soft on myself. Ben asked the simple question of "how did you miss that? The bar was in place." The lifts I made after this minor epiphany were very rough, but I had ot get them, so that was what counted.

Ii did not have squats or pulls which was nice. It was great training with Ben and as you will see on the video, he is a great lifter and I wish him all the best. My lifting was very ropy, but it is not always pretty I suppose.