So I FINALLY competed…federation was “100% Raw Powerlifting”
http://www.rawpowerlifting.com/pdf/welcome.pdf
Lifts were:
Squat:
1st-496 pass [stance a tad too wide, went up rough]
2nd-507 fail [better stance, went about 2 inches below parallel, couldn’t get it back up]
3rd-507 fail [good stance and depth, but by now was too gassed from previous 2 attempts]
Bench:
1st-308 [butter, no effort]
2nd-325 [again, easy peasy]
3rd-330.5 [smooth, solid rep…wanted to go for more, but as far as getting an elite total went, I didn’t think the rewards outweighed the risks if I were to go for 336]
4th-336 FAIL [form didn’t feel quite tight enough…I’m still getting used to the whole paused benching thing lol]
Deadlift:
1st-626 [nice smooth lift, easy]
2nd-644.7 FAIL [gripped too far inside with right hand, as I approached lockout it slipped out of my hand]
3rd-644.7 PASS [went up fast and smooth…made a point to get plenty of knurling in both hands, since I knew the strength was there, just grip was FUBAR on first 644.7 attempt. You live and you learn…]
4th-655 FAIL [this lift was for record purposes only, wouldn’t have counted for total purposes anyways, so no biggie…was gassed from all the previous lifts]
So story time…
I’d only found out about this meet about a week beforehand, so didn’t have much time to prepare. Basically just took 2 days that week easyish, then took 2 days prior to the meet completely off. During those 2 days I drank almost no water, and lived off of protein powder, to cut weight so I would make weight for the 198 lbs weight class.
Turns out my gym’s scales run 7-9 lbs heavy…I ended up weighing in at 189.7 the morning of the meet…after blasting the heat for the whole 3 hour drive there! Was pretty pissed that all the suffering was unnecessary, but now I know…and knowing is half the battle 
Weighed in at 8am, lifting started at 10am…my first squat was around 11-11:30ish. The moment I stepped off the scale, I started pigging out on iced coffee, gatorade, cereal bars, a protein shake, water, etc etc. Kinda made the suffering all worth it haha. After the squatting, me and Chris (guy who got me to enter the meet) pigged out on jelly donuts to get our bloat on [further] for benching, and it seemed to work pretty well.
I picked up a lot of good tips/observations on how to bench better, it should show in my next meet and my training for the next couple months. Was thoroughly pissed at missing my 2nd DL attempt because of a stupid mistake like not gripping enough knurling…because of that, I was conservative with the 3rd attempt and kept the weight the same, since that was exactly what I needed for the elite total.
I won overall best lifter, and broke several records for deadlift, and the military record for squat. Also get a free entry to the World’s meet in Vegas this fall, so I’m going to do my best to clear it with my superiors so I can make it. I’m gonna start looking to get a sponsor for supplements and such…it would make things much easier financially obviously.
hint hint if T-Nation is looking to sponsor anyone…I’m all ears
Overall thoughts/tips for anyone considering a first meet:
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Make sure your gym’s scales are accurate before you decide whether or not to cut weight
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Know EXACTLY what parallel is for squats, don’t go an inch lower than you have to
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Grip enough of the knurling on the bar when you deadlift (if you pull sumo) so you don’t miss an attempt for lack of grip
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Bring LOTS of carbs with you. LOTS. More than you think you will need. Gatorade, cereal bars, donuts, protein bars, candy bars, etc. Also, have caffeine pills/powder/drinks with you, to keep energy up.
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First meet is one of the biggest and longest adrenaline rushes you will ever get. I guess totaling elite helps with that too
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Have something to do, people to hang out with, etc, after the meet. The crash afterwards could be potentially depressing if you’re alone. Some light/moderate drinking and a movie, and/or eating out with a friend or two is a good idea. Especially if they were at the meet.
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Just do a meet! The atmosphere is as positive as it gets, and afterwards, the tips you can pick up are awesome, the general sense of partnership you have with everyone is superb…there’s nothing quite like it.
