Easy day at work and final lifting before meet. Again in was only 75 degrees in the garage today due to thunderstorms so the coolness was nice to lift in.
Squats:
135 x 10
225 x 5
315 x 3
405 x 2(belt)
Bench Press:
135 x 10
185 x 5
210 lbs x 2 sets x 2 reps(All pauses)
Standing Crunches:
90 lbs x 15
I’m feeling a bit relaxed and I didn’t get very amped up for this lifting so my mood was somber along with the weather. 2 days till the meet and I can’t wait. Tomorrow I have some work to do but I’m going to make every effort to get it done quickly and do some good therapy for the rest of the day and night. Eating plan is to not eat too much tomorrow night. I will go to the meet site tomorrow night to make sure to get my rack heights set and talk to the meet director just to get a feel for things as well as turn in my openers.
I am planning on opening with a 500 lbs squat, 265 lbs bench, and 475 lbs deadlift.
These should be safe numbers for me to crush and then I will gauge how to proceed after making each lift. Onwards and Upwards. After having several injuries this past year I will be happy to compete and make my debut in the USAPL this Saturday.
I will post soon. Sorry, I’ve been wiped out since the meet. Got a cold while at the meet but it really hit me right after we finished all the lifting and were waiting for our awards. Work today completely tore me down but I am recovering and I have some pictures. Be back soon.
Here are videos of my one green lighted bench(264 lbs) from the meet and my 3rd deadlift(518 lbs). All 3 of my deads were good. My family did not show up until after all squats were completed and I only got my first one in at 501 lbs. This was my worst performance at a meet and I will write it up tomorrow perhaps when I have more energy.
Nice grind on the pull, that had every reason not to go especially if your head wasn’t in a great spot because of the other lifts. Good job sticking with it! Looking forward to your write up my friend.
Thanks for the patience. I’m just getting over this cold or flu. My body has been a wreck since the meet and work has been torturous.
Arrived at the meet about 6:40 AM as instructed to by the meet director who is a great guy and ran a great meet. Weighed in at 218 lbs. I was not sure how to gage the judging so I opted for 501 lbs for my first squat and nailed it easily(all greens). The first squat took place about 9:40 AM so you can see that all the waiting is another intangible factor one must figure in for proper lifting. My next squat I attempted 518 lbs because I wasn’t feeling especially confident about my strength at this point. My mojo was off due most likely to the early morning wake up and wait and it was nearly 40 minutes before the second attempt. I stepped up squatted the weight with gusto, deep as hell, and forgot to wait for the signal to squat so no good. Oops! My third attempt with 518 lbs on the squat was called to high. I thought it was deep and other lifters told me they didn’t know why it wasn’t passed but in the future I will get my shit straight.
On to the bench press. So, I opened with a safe 264 lbs and felt solid about it(all greens). Next, I went to 275 to be safe because I was getting really congested, nose running, etc. and not feeling my utmost. So, I went to bench and it exploded from the long pause but I pushed back instead of straight up and the bar hit the racks. I struggled to push up and they let me try but the bar was pushing against a pin on the racks and no lift. By the time I got to do my 3rd attempt I tried the same weight, 275 lbs, and this time my bench only went 3/4 of the way up with no lock out so no lift.
Finally the deadlifts were upon us. It was close to 2 PM and the deadlifts went fast. I was determined to make all of my lifts. My deads had been suffering as of late and the most I could do a week and a half previously was 475 lbs. So, I opened with 475 lbs which was an easy lift(all greens). I jumped to 501 lbs for another easy dead. For my last dead I went for 518 and another all green lift. It was a nice way to cap off a day of mistakes.
My congratulations to the crew who put on the meet. There were almost 100 lifters so to get done by 3:30 was an astonishingly good performance by the USAPL team. I stayed until just after 5 PM to get my medal for winning the Masters RAW 40-49 group. I was totally exhausted and hurting by the time I drove my truck home. It was a long day that I am happy for completing. I learned what a USAPL meet is like and met a lot of good people. Moreover I learned more about managing by energy and look forward to breaking records in the future. I am not going to be sick the next time or so I hope, and I can see the numbers to get so here I come! Also, I have no injuries from the meet…OH Yeah!
In the mean time I have taken the last days off from lifting due to my cold/flu persisting and my body aching, plus work had been horrendous. I think I’ve lost 6 lbs this week. Going to go back to squatting and benching every day with a deadlift or two every week. My plan is to do another meet by October-December(sometime in that area).
That sounds like you were a few minor hiccups from having a great meet. As it stands, still a very solid performance in my book. USAPL meets are judged about as strict as the come, so getting a nice total under your belt while winning the division your first time out is a job well done!
Thanks Jack, yes the judging is extremely strict and I will be getting my lifts in order to make sure the next time I compete there will be no question about me meeting every criteria.
Nice work GV. The point is you had the guts to do it. I’ve brain farted a ton at meets, and it is what keeps us coming back. We are always trying to do better than the last time. Powerlifting truly is a competition with yourself.
Thanks Crippler and Hawkcapt. Taking this past week off from lifting has been one of the hardest things for me to do but I recognized the need for rest. This cold/flu is still trying to hold on but I am beginning to feel much better so lifting will resume soon.
Congratulations on your first USAPL meet! Now you have a baseline for that fed. Strange, but I so often get sick almost immediately after meets. Or I feel like I was hit by a truck. I think it’s the mental stress I put on myself.
NHLTR-Most definitely, I am itching to go at it hard and strong again. After reading Squat Every Day I am making some revisions to my training thinking and incorporating some of what I was doing. I will be training 6-7 days a week but not exhausting myself and still going heavy.
kpsnap-Yeah, what an experience. I am revamping my mental outlook on my emotional output towards lifting. The book Squat Every Day has opened my eyes to a different mental and physical conditioning. Some of it I already have but there is work to be done.
I think I am mostly recovered and operating fairly well today. Not much in the way of congestion left but a little annoying yellow stuff. Anyway I began lifting again tonight. I going back to everyday lifting with the intention of making 5 lbs of increase on each lift per week. I am starting with weights that are maybe 85% of my max or less. So my program is kind of Bulgarian or whatever.
Kettlebell Swings:
110 lbs x 2 sets x 10 reps(btwn 1st two sets of squats)
Squats:(Raw no belt, no sleeves)
135 x 6
225 x 3
315 x 1
405 x 1
455 x 1(was kind of hard but comp. depth and good for 1st day back-will use belt from now on to be safe)
Close Grip Bench Press(hands 1 inch from end of knurling):
135 x 10
185 x 3
225 x 1(Pause)
245 x 1(Pause)
265 x 1(Pause)
Standing Crunches:
70 lbs x 15 reps
Felt good today and I am drinking less coffee before lifting and cutting down on my pre-lifting supplements.
