"Friends come and go. But two hundred pounds is always two hundred pounds." – Henry Rollins
Once upon a time, Mondays may have been your "chest day." Maybe you found a bench press at GloboGym; maybe you attempted radical change by using dumbbells instead of a solid bar. Though the shine had worn off 3 sets of 8 reps looooong ago, you dutifully stuck to the khaki-coloured routine because, um, well…..
Now, you know different. You know what physical capacity means. You know what fitness feels like. You know how your nerves feel under heavy weight.
Powerlifting was borne of the 'gym lifts' performed by Olympic Lifters. Now its own 'assistance lifts' – grip work, heavy carries, shirt presses – are becoming sports with their own following, while the originals have declined in popularity. Though a very worthy sport, most people don't start Olympic Lifting for its own sake anymore; they're introduced through CrossFit, or a training program geared to another sport. Most maintain a passing acquaintance with the Clean through their athletic careers; many embrace the speedy grace of the perfect Jerk; some fall in love forever. That's us.
Though Powerlifting was our first high-school-style crush, OLY lifts have become a big deal around here. But so has work capacity. So has the element of gamesmanship. And so, too, have pullups.
In true Catalyst form, we're asking you to complete a full OLY meet: clean and jerk to max, and snatch to max. Also, a full powerlifting meet: Back squat to max. Press to max, standing. Deadlift to max. Also, a CrossFit favourite: weighted pullup to max. And we're asking you, unrealistically, to complete a max lift in all six in three hours or less.
You. Bar. Chalk. Strain. A little math.
December 19, you're going for it. You have 3 hours to capture the best meet-legal total (sum of best attempts) in the Snatch, Clean and Jerk, Press, Back Squat, Deadlift, and Weighted Pullup. Order is important, but entirely your choice. 180 minutes to post a max lift in all six. You must complete all six lifts, even if some are not all-out maxes (it's easy to waste 30 minutes trying to add 5lbs to your snatch, when you could add 30lbs to your deadlift if you had extra rest time.)
Start anytime on the 19th, but your lifts have to be videotaped by Catalyst staff, and are subject to full meet rules, to be released shortly. Your 6-lift Total will not be official until approved by Catalyst Coaches. Winner gets a brand-new, sparkling spot in a brand-new category on the Record Board.