Girl power!!!
Next up we have Sophie Lynch competing the following day on the same A/BPU North West competition.
I turn up at 9am at the same gym as yesterday (SILA/Strength Therapy) and find Soph has already weighed in. We go over to the monolift and give our rack heights in. Soph comes from a Thai boxing background and i can see the natural born competitor in her eyes. She is laser focused to get the job done.
We warm up on squats in the same rack as the lads did yesterday along with other lifters in her flight. We take our last warm up of 80kg which looks like speed rep we are ready for business today i can tell.
We wait for the announcer to tell us its our turn to take our opener. Soph steps to the platform chilled ready to smoke her 90kg opener, which she does just that sinks the depth and fires straight up no problem. She gets 2 white lights, i head over to speak to the ref that gave her the red light she explains to me that after the start comand she double dipped her knees. I relayed this information to Soph.
Second attempt we chose 100kg a PB for Soph in knee sleeves (she has squatted this in the gym with knee wraps). Alot more of the same, easy squat fires up like a piston. I also got a thumbs up from the ref telling me that she had aknowledged the double dip was no longer there. Third attempt time I chose 107.5kg i had a goal of mapping out a 300kg total and was trying to peice that together. Soph steps to the platform and hits 107.5kg just like the other 2 lifts, light work and 3/3 squats a good start to the day.
After squats we have abit of a break, She has some food and chats to her friends and family who have came to support her. I laugh and joke to her ‘this is abit better than getting punched and kicked in the head’ we laugh and look around as there is people smoking and eating cake, you couldnt imagine this inbetween rounds in a fight!
Bench next Soph is a good benchpresser. I have spoken to Soph about this she is a subtotal lifter this meaning that she will do her best work in the squat and bench giving her a good lead and will just have to maintain that with the deadlift. The downside to this being a subtotal lifter is you rarely get to deadlift a PB in comp as you are going for a number to secure a win not a PB.
Bench gets started she takes 60kg for an opener which looks just as an opener should. We move on to 65kg for a second attempt which looked hard compared to how she has been looking in the gym, i played it safe and opted for a small PB of 67.5kg for a third attempt. I told her she needed to get super tight for this as she looked a little loose and was just pressing straight up as opposed to throwing the bar towards her face. She was ready and back with the focus which I think dipped slightly with the break, she walks over to the bench sets up looks strong i hand her the bar, the bar lowers she gets a good press command and drives the bar up and over like i asked, a good solid lift- 3 white lights and a PB.
Deadlifts next, here I am trying to peice together 300kg, we have got every lift so far so we are looking great. We need 125kg to get 300kg, we have an opener of 105kg i am in 2 minds where to go after that, i know she can do 120kg but that will tax her for her third attempt but if she fails her third attempt that leaves her with a bigger total, but we want 300kg so i thought 117.5kg for a second attempt leaving more room for a balls to the wall third.
Soph walks to the platform for her opener of 105kg which she pulls with ease. 117.5KG next for her second she executes this perfectly a great combination of strength power and technique, here we go 125kg in for the third.
I remind Soph to not get too giddy as 1 small mistake with a sumo deadlift and you will be out of position, she aknowledges that and heads to the platform with the perfect combination of adrenaline and focus. She sets her feet and hips perfect the bar breaks the floor gets to just above the knee and couldnt lock out. So close to the 300kg total but just not quite there on this day.
A brilliant performance 8/9 good lifts with PBs on squat bench and total. First competition completed.
Soph is brilliant to work with I love coaching individuals like her who are natural born competitors, who will do whatever it takes to win. She attacks everything i ask of her with the best of her ability and if she has a bad day at the gym she moves on and pushes hard next time. She is a great role model for the gym showing that females can be super strong too, so girls get yourself to a barbell it will be the best thing you can do for yourselves!
Ewan Cunliffe
owner and coach
Alliance Barbell Club/S+C
