Not a whole lot to report on July’s training. It was fraught with mishaps and I’ll write about how I dealt with them in a longer log entry next week, but for now, I want to discuss some of the opportunities I’m pursuing and some I’m passing up.
Reebok Record Breakers
My next meet will be Reebok Record Breakers on November 11. I’ll be competing in the 198 class for this one, and shooting for a 2000+ total. I’m not necessarily done with 181, but at the very least, I need a break from cutting weight for a little while. I’m good at it, but cutting from 205 to 181 on a regular basis takes a toll on the body and on performance, and there’s no reason I shouldn’t have totaled 2K by now.
Unfortunately, I’ve pretty much given up on “filling out” the 198s. To really max out that weight class, I’d want to be around 215-218, and that’s just too big for me -- I’m not comfortable walking (waddling) around at that weight, I can’t get in the right position for deadlifts, I don’t like to eat all the time, and I do like to be able to tie my own fucking shoes. So I’ll be 210 and not really cut at all for Record Breakers. I’ll be giving up a little potential, but at this point in my career, I’m not going to do something that’s not fun.
Super League
If you’ haven’t heard of Super League, it’s a pretty interesting concept run by Stan Efferding and Dorian Yates and sponsored by Bodybuilding.com and Nike. The competition has a pretty simple premise: athletes are evaluated quantitatively on both their physiques and their strength. Body measurements are scored in comparison to a standard “ideal” physique similar to Dorian’s in his prime. Strength is scored based on completion of twelve-rep sets in a variety of different machine-based exercises. Highest composite score wins $10,000.
Sounds cool, right? Early this month, I was invited to be part of Team LA, coached by Mike O’Hearn. I decided to pass this one up for one big reason: despite repeatedly contacting several members of the Super League team, I still have no idea what the fuck it would mean to be on Team LA. It sounds like a great opportunity with some big names, but I didn’t want to commit to traveling to Vegas, restructuring my training, and competing against complete unknowns with absolutely no information.
Since turning down the invite, I’ve learned that my friend Andy Huang is competing, and I wish both him and the Super League the best of luck. I think it sounds like an amazing idea, a fun competition, and I truly hope it turns into something huge, but right now, it’s not at that point, and so it’s not right for me.
WRPF World Championships
My boy Joe Sullivan and I were both invited to this one in Moscow. I’m not totally sure what Jo’s decided, but I’m turning down this invite because I can’t fucking afford a trip to Russia. C’est la vie.
Moving Forward
I’m pumped to finally be (mostly) healed up and more than ready to get back into some heavy training. Stay tuned for some big numbers and intense sets next month!