You either do or you do not do
Time for a ten minute test.
I have to say walking into the park I was thinking about all my little owwies and ouchies that would hinder my performance in this. I was thinking, “Maybe today isn’t the best day, I could do this next week”. I was resolute. So I began, my goal was 175 snatches total.
The nice thing about a snatch test and other things like them is that before long you have to put all that other stuff out of your mind. Before long owwies and booboos go away and you are just breathing and working. My first sets of 20 I realized my hands were sweating already and the bell was getting slick and, oops, I left my chalk bag in the car. I considered that I might run for it if I really needed it. About rep 60 I was feeling it in the hands and was thinking I was screwed, I would never make my goal. Then I realized two minutes had just passed. After rep 80 I thought I was unstopable, I had another 7 minutes and was rockin’. I just barely missed 120 reps at the halfway point and was starting to feel things. by rep 140 I was starting to tire, 10 reps per hand per set was a chore. I started in with sets of five. At rep 160 I wasn’t sure if I could make it, I had time but different muscle groups wanted to quit. Sets became of whatever number I could hang on to. My goal was 175. My final count was 185. I probably should have been docked a couple for dropping the bell at the end of some of my sets. We’ll call it 175 clean repetitions. I made my goal.
175 is nothing to write home about, if you want to be a man you need to be hitting 200 but for a first go from a 253lb fatboy it not bad. I feel like I worked hard today. I feel good.
There is a quote from Henry Rollins on the Albumn “A Clockwork Orange Stage” that I can’t seem to find right now so I will do my best. “You either do or you do not do, some people came to play others came to drive away!” I played.
More on SSST:
Dragondoor
Fitness you can use
Anvil or Hammer 
on March 14, 2007 on 9:07 pm
Nice job Mike – 175 is a bunch of reps – especially done by yourself without the added push of people watching like a real SS test. I would bet with the chalk and the help of a “real” test with other competitors around you, I’m sure you could make it.
on March 14, 2007 on 9:35 pm
thanks Chris, for the the vote of confidence. I gotta say I do feel like a crowd could have helped. Instead I had a random guy wandering by when I had one minute to go wanting to ask questions about kettlebells. I didn’t want to be rude but I told him I still had a minute to go and I could tell him all about it.
Still, 200, no chalk, no crowd, that would be cool…:-)
on March 15, 2007 on 3:58 am
Nice work! There’s something great about setting a date beforehand and going for it, even if on that day it doesn’t feel like it’s the perfect one. I’m not sure if there will ever be perfect days 🙂
on March 15, 2007 on 5:36 am
Thanks Marks. I have to agree with you. For me it seems to be the best way to end excuses and just do something. Not every day can be perfect when you need to perform.
on March 17, 2007 on 2:08 pm
‘There’s something great about setting a date beforehand and going for it’
Love this philosophy.
on March 19, 2007 on 7:24 am
I certainly seems to work. Makes you put your money where your mouth is.