Meet Wrap-Up
I cannot tell you how many times I’ve competed. After 11 years in this sport, all of the events start to fade into each other. However, I can tell you this…I’ve had lots of great meets, and more than a few really, really shitty ones.
This past weekend was one of the great meets.
First, I’d like to acknowledge some great teammates and competitors: Johnny, Justin, Ashley, Nicole, Everett, Isaac. I’m proud of them all. They invested in the show and made the drive. They managed the cramped venue and sporadic pace of the meet. And most importantly, they performed very, very well on the platform in front of a pretty big crowd.
There were some missed lifts, some broken records, and a bit of injury, but everyone will come back stronger because of this experience. If you are thinking about competing, I would encourage you to do so. It may be a bit nerve racking, but it is well worth it. I promise.
Also, I have to thank big Richard. He wrapped knees, managed attempts, and worked to keep the whole crew motivated throughout the day. This is probably much harder than actually lifting in the meet! Well done. I hope to return the favor ASAP.
On a personal note, I’m very happy with my performance.
In the past, I would spend at least 12 weeks preparing for a contest. I would agonize over the programming. I would closely monitor every rep of every training session. I would spend most of my free time studying for the meet…watching videos of my lifts, visualizing my attempts.
Well, I don’t do that anymore. This time around, I just had fun lifting heavy things with my team. I think there’s a big lesson there. You need not worry about programming perfectly. That’s a myth. Just focus on the basics…Work on your form, train hard, don’t overthink, and rest when you need to. You’ll do fine.
So, here are a few observations from the meet.
Squat
For the last few months, my squat training has been hit or miss. For every great rep, I would have one or two shaky ones – cut depth, slow bar speed, forward position. There’s always something to work on, which is good. I can get much better.
On the day of the meet, I was a bit nervous. As always, it takes a few sets to settle into a new rack and barbell. But as I moved up from 150 to 350, I felt odd. My legs were a bit wiggly. My balance was not great. This made my attempts feel slow and awkward. I went on to 440, which was marginally better. I guess that’s why they call it a warm-up!
At this point, the judges announced that the meet would start in 5 minutes. My intention was to get one more warm-up rep in at around 540-550. But with a big line of lifters still taking their attempts, this seemed unlikely. I made the call to change my opening attempt to my last warm-up weight. That turned out to be a good thing. After a bit of a mix-up at the judges table, I was rushed to the platform for my opener of 550. Luckily, it was a very easy lift. Had I chose a heavier attempt, I might have been in trouble at the very beginning.
Lesson for the reader: Treat your opening attempt as if it were a warm-up. Make it light!
I moved on to an easy rep at 600lbs., but I could feel myself drifting forward near the top. That caused me to slow down. I tried to correct this during my 3rd attempt at 650, but couldn’t. I came out of the hole fast, but failed mid-way up. There’s just not much room for error with that sort of load.
Lesson for the lifter: With better form, I should be able to lift 650 easily in a raw meet. If I can also get a bit stronger, maybe I can make a run at something closer to 700.
Bench Press
I must be honest. I’m no longer a huge fan of the bench press. It kills my shoulders and arms. It’s a bit boring. I just think that the incline press and standing press are better ways to pass the training time. But, it’s a contested lift, so we must be competent.
I only managed two or three heavy bench press sessions over the last three months or so. This was just enough work to be able to judge my attempts wisely. I think I nailed it. My only goal was to press 400 with a close grip, and that’s what I made.
I did nearly blow the lift. I let the weight down very fast, which caused the bar to come into my chest a few inches. That’s a no-no. Couple that with the close grip and you’re really making the lift tough on yourself.
I’m not really sure what I would like to bench the next time around. I plan on dropping my body weight down to 275. So, it would be very good to repeat this performance. Maybe I will try for a 425 press with a moderate grip? I’m just not sure. I won’t be losing sleep over it.
Deadlift
Now, I do care about the deadlift. For me, this is the biggest challenge and test of my strength.
I went into this lift feeling pretty good. My back felt solid. My energy was up…All signs were positive. I kept my warm-up attempts minimal.
Lesson to the reader: Do not excessively warm-up for the deadlift at a powerlifting meet. You’re already pretty damn warm!…and getting tired. Save what you have left for the platform.
I pulled 245 very easily, then moved on to 405. My speed was excellent, but I did feel a little twinge in my right glute. This has been a recurring thing with me for a year or so. After a little stretching and bridging, I pulled 500 fast and pain free final warm-up.
I opened with 600 lbs. (as I’ve always done for every meet I’ve ever lifted in). And to be honest, I’ve never pulled it easier. I was really confident that 650 would go. So, I got motivated for the second attempt, tightened my belt…and missed it!
In fact, I really didn’t budge it from the floor much. This was the only real bummer of the meet. As soon as I let the bar go, it seemed that I was just not strong enough. But as I walked around, I really felt my right glute start to cramp up and get sore. This is the weak link.
Lesson for the lifter: If I want to finally move my deadlift up towards my lifelong goal of 700 pounds, I’m going to have to address this issue. There must be a focus towards building strength right off the floor. The lockout will take care of itself.
Here’s video of my lifts. Pay attention to the second bench attempt. You'll see my right arm falter at the top a bit. for some reason, I just couldn't get my right shoulder to warm-up. It was really odd...like the muscle was on standby mode. It would have liekly been a very easy attempt on a good day.
The wrap-up
Over all, I have no complaints. My primary goal was to have fun and perform well. I did that. A raw 1600lb. total is just fine.
Moving forward, I’m now focused on dropping some weight and improving my conditioning moving into spring. But I have my eye on another meet around that same time. I believe I can total 1,700 raw at 275, all while treating my prep as recreation.
Oh, and one final note. I need to give a big congrats to another one of our team members, Sam Byrd. Sam competed in the Raw Unity meet in Texas this same weekend. He managed a PR squat, bench press, and total…all while dealing with an injured leg no less!
Once he has healed up, he’ll be in position to total well over 2,000 raw…maybe even at a bodyweight of 198!
Here’s video of Sam squatting 788.
Back under the bar this Tuesday,
Chris
