I’ve wanted to compete for a while now, but seeing the weight some other guys in my gym throw around I’m not sure if I’m strong enough to do it.
25 years old, 5’10 185-190lbs (fluctuates). raw PR’s: squat 470, deadlift 485, bench 293. Total: 1248
With that total do you think I could be competitive? I havent been able to break any of those PR’s in 4 months so I dont think I’m going to get any stronger than that.
I’m in AZ. Where do I look to get involved in an amateur comp? Thanks a lot
[quote]iammikewatts wrote:
I’ve wanted to compete for a while now, but seeing the weight some other guys in my gym throw around I’m not sure if I’m strong enough to do it.
25 years old, 5’10 185-190lbs (fluctuates). raw PR’s: squat 470, deadlift 485, bench 293. Total: 1248
With that total do you think I could be competitive? I havent been able to break any of those PR’s in 4 months so I dont think I’m going to get any stronger than that.
I’m in AZ. Where do I look to get involved in an amateur comp? Thanks a lot[/quote]
You can definitely compete and you might do reasonably well with those numbers, particularly with the squat. You would be in the 198 lb class if you didn’t change your body weight. Here is a link that you might find helpful:
http://www.rawpowerlifting.com/classifications.htm
Also plwatch.com will have good links for up coming meets.
I also have to point out that your statement “I don’t think I am going to get any stronger than that (where you are now)” is short sighted to be blunt and idiotic to be a bit more direct. I am only trying to “slap you in the face” like that not to be a dick but to get you to realize that you can definitely improve and likely improve big time. At 25 years old you have in no way reached your potential. Go do a meet, hook up with some knowledgeable PLers and start working with them and it won’t surprise me if you put 100 lbs on each lift in a couple of years.
I love powerlifting and I try to support it, and in turn I try to support new lifters. I honestly am encouraging you but sometimes people need a bit of tough love (hence the above paragraph). Your numbers are very similar to where I was when I started out (although your squat is noticeably better). Good luck with it.
I’m going to hijack your thread a little since I don’t want to waste thread space with this question.
I am 6’2. What class should I be aiming for to compete in? 220 or 242.
I’ll give more details if needed.
100% Raw holds meets in AZ, I would check them out, I regularly compete with them and they usually run good competitions.
Here are 2 links from previous meets:
http://www.rawpowerlifting.com/results/AZ/2012-03-31Prescott.pdf
http://www.rawpowerlifting.com/results/AZ/2012-06-23Cottonwood.pdf
Your 1250 total would have done very well at both of those meets
[quote]BigRedMachine87 wrote:
I’m going to hijack your thread a little since I don’t want to waste thread space with this question.
I am 6’2. What class should I be aiming for to compete in? 220 or 242.
I’ll give more details if needed. [/quote]
No way to tell for sure but if you just want the highest total likely 242 (or 275). You might be healthier at 220 but if you are just interested in strength generally moving up in weight at that size is a good thing.
[quote]iammikewatts wrote:
I’ve wanted to compete for a while now, but seeing the weight some other guys in my gym throw around I’m not sure if I’m strong enough to do it.
25 years old, 5’10 185-190lbs (fluctuates). raw PR’s: squat 470, deadlift 485, bench 293. Total: 1248
With that total do you think I could be competitive? I havent been able to break any of those PR’s in 4 months so I dont think I’m going to get any stronger than that.
I’m in AZ. Where do I look to get involved in an amateur comp? Thanks a lot[/quote]
I’m not a powerlifter so take this however you want it.
If you don’t think you’re going to get any stronger, you wont. Why on Earth do you want to compete if you don’t think you’ll get any stronger?
Now if you want to use competing as a way to validate how strong you are, go for it. Just don’t plan on winning with an attitude of “I don’t think I’ll get any stronger”.
With some training for a meet and the huge rush you get when it’s all or nothing, you might just nail a 495 squat, 505 dead lift and 305 bench at your meet. I guess you wont know if you don’t try.
[quote]BigRedMachine87 wrote:
I’m going to hijack your thread a little since I don’t want to waste thread space with this question.
I am 6’2. What class should I be aiming for to compete in? 220 or 242.
I’ll give more details if needed. [/quote]
Just remember:
[quote]BigRedmachine87 wrote:
you dont have to be a fatass to be strong[/quote]
Ok that was a pretty negative thing for me to say. I appreciate the encouragement. It’s just disheartening when I was making such huge leaps in weight at the beginning, and now things have seemed to come to a halt. The first time I ever did a deadlift was this past january. Working out with a buddy I tried to lift the weight he was using for a warm up set, 315. I couldn’t even break it off the floor. I started training deads twice a week and within 6 weeks I pulled 365. And now I havent even been able to add 2lbs to my lift in months.
More than anytging I want to break 300 in my bench. I get it about 70% of the way up and my arms begin to shake uncontrollably, and I lose the lift. gotta be my tris, right? Crazy amounts of close-grip and board presses have done nothing for me.
[quote]iammikewatts wrote:
Ok that was a pretty negative thing for me to say. I appreciate the encouragement. It’s just disheartening when I was making such huge leaps in weight at the beginning, and now things have seemed to come to a halt. The first time I ever did a deadlift was this past january. Working out with a buddy I tried to lift the weight he was using for a warm up set, 315. I couldn’t even break it off the floor. I started training deads twice a week and within 6 weeks I pulled 365. And now I havent even been able to add 2lbs to my lift in months.
More than anytging I want to break 300 in my bench. I get it about 70% of the way up and my arms begin to shake uncontrollably, and I lose the lift. gotta be my tris, right? Crazy amounts of close-grip and board presses have done nothing for me.[/quote]
I’d start a training log and get some advice from guys like VT Balla, they wont bull shit you and they know how to lift hard and heavy!
Ive kept a continuous log for 2 year, and thats where 90% of my motivatio has come from.
Not to push my own stuff but I wrote these programs for people exactly like you:
Hope that helps
Tim
[quote]iammikewatts wrote:
Ive kept a continuous log for 2 year, and thats where 90% of my motivatio has come from. [/quote]
I meant more, online and here! Good luck and read Tim’s stuff!
[quote]iammikewatts wrote:
Ok that was a pretty negative thing for me to say. I appreciate the encouragement. It’s just disheartening when I was making such huge leaps in weight at the beginning, and now things have seemed to come to a halt. The first time I ever did a deadlift was this past january. Working out with a buddy I tried to lift the weight he was using for a warm up set, 315. I couldn’t even break it off the floor. I started training deads twice a week and within 6 weeks I pulled 365. And now I havent even been able to add 2lbs to my lift in months.
More than anytging I want to break 300 in my bench. I get it about 70% of the way up and my arms begin to shake uncontrollably, and I lose the lift. gotta be my tris, right? Crazy amounts of close-grip and board presses have done nothing for me.[/quote]
No, it’s probably because you can’t create enough velocity at the bottom of the movement. Get better at the bottom. Also, just get stronger.
Thanks Tim.
Black_angus I dont think i’m having trouble at the bottom. I can bang out a 300lb pin press with pins set 6-8 inches above my chest. And that’s without the benefit of the muscle tension from the eccentric phase.
4 months? Pssh try 4 years, then come complain