Didnâ??t even know the show was taking place until Tue â?? had to start my cut by drinking two gallons of water on Wed before Iâ??d even decided 100% that Iâ??d do it!
-Weighed 244.6 when I cut water 8pm Thu, woke up at 234.4 at 6am, weighed 231 at 9am,back to 240 by noon-ish, woke up next day 236.
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Rode up with my dad, felt good, focused, a little nervous for first contest in over 6 months and one of the few chances Iâ??d have to qualify for Nats
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First time Iâ??ve done a non-Bigg Dogg local show since â?¦ Battle at the Barn â??11??
Events
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Press medley: 250 axle, 250 log, 150 Bigg Dogg DB. Happy to be one of the first and set the lead, tied for first w 7 reps on the DB. Was able to touch and go all reps. Previously Iâ??d done 8 reps in a min w/ 150, so what with doing the axle and log first, Iâ??ll call this a PR. Press Medley 250 axle, 250 log, 150DB - YouTube
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Lactic buildup was killer, I took some beta alanine as well as one of the five half-rations of Mikeâ??s PWO drink Iâ??d packed
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DL medley: 500 barbell, 500 axle, 600 trap bar, high handles. One of the interesting things about jumping into a contest without training is not having been able to try out the best approach to an event. I hadnâ??t pulled in my deadlift suit on a straight bar in over a year, and I wasnâ??t sure whether Iâ??d go with a suit and briefs, briefs only, or raw until my last warmup of 455 (went with the whole kit). Bit of confusion as I thought we were going in the second lane after the 200s. Turns out we were in the first before them, so I was lying down relaxing when somebody ran and grabbed me and told me I was up. Had to hop up and run over and get Paul to pull my straps up. No video with all the confusion. I did 8 touch n go reps on the trap bar, which Iâ??m happy with, as just the day before I was debating whether it was even worth trying the trap bar or if I should just stop after the axle. Still only good for 7th. Cambi, who tied me on the press won this event, and Blajda, who had also tied us, got 5th.
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700 yoke/325 huss medley. The rogue yoke is way less stable than the Bigg Dogg yoke and the Texas power Systems huss is evil (thicker, squatter). Very glad I played w the huss beforehand, but canâ??t believe I forgot to take the contest weight on the yoke in warmups, just to feel it. I think 19.xx here, second place behind Cambi. I guess Blajda was 4th because he and I were tied for second after this. With Camby winning the first three events it looked like there was only one Nats spot left up for grabs, and weâ??d be fighting for it the rest of the day. http://youtu.be/31isnwZaxaw
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300 farmers/275 keg. I THINK these were Williams Strength handles, my nemesis from every contest prior to â??10, so Iâ??m glad my grip held up. Everything felt good, but I stopped the clock at 22.9, which put me in 4th. Camby and Bladja had tied for second, so I was 1.5pts back going into the stones. Iâ??d just have to go as fast as I could, and then hope. 300 farmers to 275 keg - YouTube
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Stones on the run: 300 stone 10â?? carry to 48â?? load, 320# 5â?? carry to 48â?? load, 360# to 42â??. At Nats I had mistakenly thought a lot of people wouldnâ??t finish and opted for a â??slow and steadyâ?? approach, shooting myself in the foot. This time I committed to swinging for the fences, going as fast as I could. We had to wait a LONG time, but finally it was my turn, I was fired up and ready. I managed to one-time the 300, kind of waddled with the 325, but then managed to load the 340 with minimal lap time. It really hadnâ??t felt fast, and certainly doesnâ??t look fast on video, but I stopped the clock in 16.xx, good for the lead at that point, and knew Iâ??d put myself in a good position. Stone carry and load 300 10 ft to 48, 325 5ft to 48, 340 to 42 - YouTube
I wound up taking 2nd place and qualifying for Nats, which was all I said I wanted to do in the first place. I was happy with each of my individual performances, even if expectations are slightly lowered when you havenâ??t trained in a while â?? not dropping 300 farmers isnâ??t really something that should be a relief, but Iâ??ll take it. And it was back and forth with Jeff all, which was fun, if a bit harrowing. On the other hand, I didnâ??t beat Cambi in a single event all day, and Iâ??d like to think that I can be more competitive with a top 10 amateur than that â?? always something to strive for. Oh well, Iâ??ve been wanting to do a Lightning contest forever because it is a sick, sick facility, I got to see old friends â?? Mastell and Stef and Gabe, Kearny had his fat man waddle down perfectly, Big Steve B is still the worldâ??s strongest landscaper, and Big Nick is down to 235 now - and meet new people. It was a fun contest, a good battle Jeff, and I donâ??t have to compete again until nats!