Meanwhile in the US …
Pat Mendes‘ comeback is going very well so far.
He seems to progress it at a rate that is similar to Ilya’s (at least for the Snatch).
On 13.06.2014 he hit a 186kg Snatch. He got one red light for vertical video though.
Here are more lifts from this session.
Had to dig down deep but after some hard fought attempts ending up making 410lb/186kg Snatch. Bodyweight @104kg/229lb
Post by Patrick Mendes.
More: Watch his 300kg Squat here.
Update: Pat posted a 254kg Front Squat (560 lbs)
Good for him – massive strength to hold that!
Impressive. He’ll probably go 167/195 at Nationals. Always lifted A group Olympian level weights in training and no where near that in competition.
C’mon… It is clear even in this training video alone that it isn’t his maximum strength in the classic lifts that limits his competition numbers – it’s his consistency. Look how many weights he missed before hitting 186. His PRs are very high, but him snatching 186 in training is just as meaningful as him frequently missing 175 in training. It’s not a diss, it’s just the reality…
well, ilya is also far from consistent at heavy snatches in his current training.
illya has trained since he was 5 and has been sponsored since he was a teen to lift full time. Mendes didn’t have those same luxuries he had to work for over a year just to pay for his training. His transformation after his injury is also very impressive. Its amazing how much better he looks physically now also, insane progress as well.
I’m fairly sure that Ilya has never placed anything but first in an international weightlifting competition in his entire career. Mendes has hardly done any national comps, and immediately popped positive if he did. No hate, but the two lifters aren’t really comparable.
That said, that’s a beastly snatch.
Pretty sure he isn’t going to nationals.
How could he? He didn’t do any comps to even qualify for nationals.
AFAIK, he hasn’t qualified for Nationals and the deadline has passed. Perhaps someone with more WLing knowledge can confirm. (PLing is my scene.)
Just to clarify. Since he’s still on a ban (I think?) or at least has been for quite a while, this means that he is no longer being regularly tested by USADA? I guess the fact that he hasnt competed in a couple years also means he doesnt get tested as well…?
His ban is over and he’s been getting tested during the ban and still is.
thumbs up
Got it. Thanks
He hasn’t been tested since the ban ended, and is not subject to testing until he enters a meet (which is presumably why he isn’t competing yet.)
Where did you get this information?! He has not been tested since 2012 according to here:
http://www.usada.org/testing/results/athlete-test-history/
Yea I have to second Evgeny on this claim. Clicked on the link and the last recorded test for him was in 2012.
i know its always easy to critize one from the distance, but i really didnt get the sense of this kind of training. he is missing so many attempts.. maybe its this bulgarian training approach, but bulgarian world class athletes had already reached technical perfection and consistency which pat doesnt have. i would more like to see him doing solid doubles to build up to a reliable opener for the nationals.
had to remember of this interview with adam maligov, where he tells he misses 1-2 lifts in 3-4 months..
I remember a story of Jon Broz where he spoke about himself breaking a personal record in the snatch after 50 attempts. This was while he was training with the bulgarien super heavy weight. Maybe that is this Bulgarien approach. Many other coaches don’t like misses in training like Tommy Kono.
Either way a very impressive attempt. I hope to see him do that in competition as well.
the question is: does a training pr justify the risks and the stress of 50 misses? is this really the most effektive way of preparing for a competition?
if you look at pat misses with 184&186: they’re not because of little pulling height, but of technical inaccuracies (raising the butt too fast, overpulling, etc).
just my guess, if he would be training with the russian national team for a few years, he would be able for 190-200kg in competition.
What is the point of this?
I never heard of this guy until a few months ago because he’s not an international name. Apparently (to be frank) he gets doped up significantly and puts big lifts onto video. He then never really competes or if he appears lifts rather poorly. He doesn’t appear to be in contact with the national system.
Is he getting paid to train like this? This whole approach seems silly, and very US-American.
Mendes is clearly an exceptionally talented athlete. One has to wonder what he could do with quality coaching. His ability to snatch 186 kg after multiple failures suggests that technique, not strength, is his weakness. Undertaking so many failed attempts may be unnecessarily ingraining flawed neuromuscular patterns. I could be wrong, and maybe Mendes is doing exactly what he needs to do, but after watching this I have to question his coaching. He is without doubt a superb athlete. I hope I am wrong, and that he does reach his potential
You’re making a lot of assumptions based on training videos. He’s going for a PR here and getting after it, not sure we need to infer anything else. He certainly needs to improve his technical consistency if he’s going to win meets.
The Bulgarian philosophy argues that “good technique” can only be developed by handling maximum weights. Abadjiev did not believe that training at 80%, for instance, could develop the technical readiness for a given weight. Only 100% was sufficient.
OMG! Powerlifting knee wraps and a belt on the front squat! This is Broz-heresy!