Amazing intensity on that deadlift video. Thats pretty good news, glad you dont need surgery. Keep up the good work keo!
I love the reaction of the people behind you when you start screaming. They go like "Holy shit, WTF, and lol, this guys serious"
I'm sure some people find it ridiculous, but I train in a commercial gym where I can't make a lot of noise and draw attention to myself, so this is my one opportunity to allow myself to be emotional. I certainly don't do it on every attempt, but I will on occasion call upon it if it's an important one.
I'm actually in that group kind of narrating Kyle's actions to a fellow (new) team member. I recall telling her that Kyle sometimes yells himself hoarse at meets. I LOVE watching Kyle deadlift at meets, it's a freaking gift. The room actually gets dead quiet after he's done with his amping up and goes to put his hands on the bar--dead quiet. It's seriously the one time during these meets that this happens. I've seen it multiple times now and it's one of the cooler things I've seen at any meet.
My opinion is that meets SHOULD be fun to watch; I'm certainly not trying to perform, but at the same time, you shouldn't be afraid to show that you care. I'm not one of these guys who thinks that there's any one "proper" way to act when competing--everyone has their style.
Do they announce the weights and make a big deal of 573@148 or does he attract that type of audience on his own?
Sometimes they do, sometimes they don't. It just depends upon who's announcing. I've been doing meets in this town for the last few years now, so you meet a lot of people over that time. I'd imagine I've probably already met--or at least competed around--a lot of the lifters and spectators there.
The announcers don't usually really make a big deal out of it--they just announce the weight, sometimes his weight class. It's seriously Kyle's actions around the lift that get people this into it, and it's not like that's really his intent, I think, with those actions--at least not the majority of the intent. He just generates this energy in the room that's kind of amazing. I think it's one of the most concrete examples of this almost unearthly self-possession he has. He's so absolutely self-focused in that moment, and there's a purity to that focus that I think people strive to achieve for decades that he has found at this stage of his life. That's the best way I can put it, anyway--yeah, I'm his girlfriend, so "I would say that," but perhaps it's one of the reasons I'm his girlfriend. It's amazing. A personality like Kyle's is the difference between being able to persevere through training as consistently and intensely as he has AND achieve what he has and...not.
Alright, man, I'm just going to stop myself. People are going to start ragging on me. But I will say that strength training is far more than physical training--there's so much to the psychology behind it, and how you comport yourself psychologically can be the difference between mediocre and great. The remarkable thing about Kyle's log here is that you DO get to see the thinking behind the actions he takes, at least periodically.
I enjoy those moments tremendously; they occur so infrequently that it's a pretty monumental occasion for me. For context, I've missed 573 lbs. twice already in competition; the first time I missed it was at least a year ago. So, I had it in my hands over a year ago, and now I have another chance to complete it. A lot has gone on over that period, and it's being compressed into one tiny segment of time, and I appreciate being able to have that sort of an experience.
Ultimately, I just try to enjoy those moments--I don't really feel any pressure to get the lift or not at that point. I try to build myself up emotionally, and I think other people respond to that. Let's be honest--I've done hundreds of deadlifts just to go from 568 to 573 in competition. A lot of work is done for a few pounds, and I think if you allow that to come through, people will respond. If you can get an audience invested, then you can draw energy from them.
It's just hard for me to articulate what's so great about these moments. You get to have this showdown with an obstacle that's so condensed in time that it's been distilled down to a matter of seconds; you put all your energy into it and just see what happens. It's a pretty special experience.
In seriousness, it is wonderful to have the support of loved ones, makes a huge difference in many areas of life. I also see what you are saying about Keo's intensity, being in the groove, etc.
Agreed! What I like about doing meets here is that interest builds over the course of the meet--by deadlifts, you get big groups of lifters and spectators watching. And we had thirteen team members competing at this meet; you can feel their support as you lift, and you don't want to miss anything and disappoint them.
Well.... I've got nothing on that intensity.
lol. I just get to save it up for the meets. It's different when you're quiet in training for months.
