New Eyes

Wade came to talk to Brian and I about my benching today. Wade weighs somewhere close to 340 lbs. and he benches well over 500 lbs. I did a bar set and then a set of 95 lbs. The verdict was everything I ever expected it to be. My trainer has missed nothing and I just have to go do it.

I've said for a year and a half that Brian is the best of the best. He's followed the best until it has made him the best right along with them. That's what kind of made me sad about our conversation on Friday, because I could tell that he analyzed my lifts as much as I did, trying to figure out what he can do to get me better prepared, even mentally, next time. But, it's not his issue. It's mine. After watching me today, Wade said my technique is absolutely perfect. There's nothing more to add. After talking to Brian about suggestions that he had, Brian checked each one off the list as already having it on the list and trying it with me. He's covered everything. He's taught me everything. There are still a few lat concepts that sometimes I struggle with, but, it's still my issue. He's given me the information. I just have to make my brain click with it.

Wade made some suggestions about loosening up my pec minors, and we do that...he made some other suggestions and Brian said "Wade, we treat her royal(i think that's the word he used). She gets massages once a week and gets stretched every day and gets a diet and trains 4 days a week. And she still emails me 10 times a day!" We laughed and Wade said "Did you tell him, that's what Olympians get?" .....Wade said seriously that there really isn't anything he can think of that Brian hasn't thought of already. Then, I started to feel kinda down on myself when we were wrapping up and Brian was stretching me. I started to think "It's such a shame that I have all this knowledge and dedication from a trainer at my finger tips and I just can't get the job done when it comes down to crunch time." Brian went upstairs and Wade and I talked for a few more minutes and he said something in a way that it hasn't been said to me yet. Brian tells me A LOT that I haven't been doing this all that long so I just need to give myself some time. But as Wade and I were talking, he said "Were you in sports when you were growing up?" And I wasn't. I dind't really have that much of an opportunity to do so. Wade said "Well, then I really understand what you're saying about not knowing how to muster up your aggression and knowing how to use your emotions. I've been playing football since I was 6 years old. So, I've had a lot of practice at getting mentally focused because It's been so long. If you've never competed before, you're learning a whole new ball game. Competition is a whole other mental game."

That made a lot of sense to me; and also made me feel a lot better about believing that I WILL figure out how to take all this knowledge and dedication from my trainer, and from myself, and turn it all into motivation to help me perform at crunch time. I didn't hear anything today that I haven't heard before and Brian grinned at me the whole time Wade talked because he's the one that has said every bit of it to me for over a year and a half (well, except that he's the best of the best....but, he is because he doesn't think he is). But, we both know that I'm an extremely habitual, repetitive person..and I think it really helped me to hear it from someone new. And next week when I go to Cincinatti, I'll probably hear it again from them...the more I hear it, the more I'll be able to get a grip on it and use it. .....I think a little bit of that is, even though I've always said Brian is the best of the best, sometimes you don't REALLY realize how good you have it. So, he could tell me all day long how ready I am, and it isn't that I don't believe him, but I get used to hearing it from him...but to hear it from other objective people that are also the best of the best kinda opens my eyes to realizing that I have it more together than I think I do.

It'll happen. Brian and I are the perfect fit for the job. I might be a little behind him in producing results, but, I don't give up until it happens and is done right. Everything has clicked to this point. It'll click again. Wade even said today that all it's gonna take is one meet. I'll get all three lifts and feel like I have a ton left over and wonder why I didn't go for more.