Why?

Altered states…

That’s sort of what you condition yourself for when you get ready for a competition in Olympic weightlifting.

This usually involves weeks and months of training, manipulating your food intake, and doing everything possible to try to get enough rest to get ready for the next workout.

But perhaps the most trying time is the night before the competition.  You are physically and mentally loaded with preparation for about two minutes worth of maximum neurophysiological output, with no place to air it out yet.

To add to this maybe you’re having to make weight… maybe you have had to lose a lot of weight.

In this photo, taken on the eve of a local meet in Michigan in November 2010, I have just returned from the YMCA up the street, where I basked in a lovely 210 degree sauna for about an hour.

Despite the gaunt appearance, I’m still about 2.4 kilos over the 62 kilo limit.  There was more to do on the morning of the meet, but it all worked out well and I went down to Lake Orion for the contest.

Weighing in at 61.11 kg, my lifts went as follows: snatch 78miss, 81, 83miss, clean and jerk 92, 97, 101.

This all worked out splendidly as it qualified me, at age 63, for both the 2010 American Open and the 2011 USA Weightlifting National Championships.

Why do I do this stuff?

It’s really simple….I don’t play golf.

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