What a journey. About a month or so into my quest to compete in the 198 lb powerlifting class, I almost called it quits. It's been over a year since I put parameters on my fat loss and pardon the pun, but it was weighing heavily on me.
Although this process is not necessarily fun, the results are. I have become happy with how my body looks, but not what the scale was telling me. I started to panic and that just made things worse. Much like anything worthwhile though, you just need to persevere. I did, and now I'm within striking distance of the 198's.
I weigh myself daily. My lightest weight is usually Saturday morning. This week I was 213. My heaviest is Sunday morning after my Saturday high carb day. It's about a three to four lb swing. This has been consistent which is great. I need to know my numbers to plan properly for my weight cut.
The weight cut is only about three weeks away. I can't wait. (For those unfamiliar with weight cutting, it's a strategy implemented by athletes in many sports to compete in a lighter weight class. It's a process of stripping the body of water. It starts about five days out through special diet and water manipulation. The last 20 hours or so an athlete will cut fluids and often sweat out additional water weight if necessary. Yeah, and it will be necessary in this case. It's temporary and one wants to be only at that weight for as little time as possible. Cutting weight is not a requirement of the sport, but it's a way athletes try and get a leg up on their competition. It's kind of brutal, but if you know me, I like challenges. I have cut well over 20 lbs in the past, so this shouldn't be too difficult). I know it sounds crazy to be looking forward to a weight cut, but I have multiple reasons for that. First, I'm just curious what I will look like at 198. Second, I'm looking forward to putting back on the 15 or so lbs I strip off that day. I get to eat a little more liberally when that time comes.
I'll go over that day and process when I recap the meet results. Otherwise training is going well. It is funny however when people ask me how my strength has held up. I mean come on people, I have lost 115 lbs to date.
From 328.5 to 290 I was equally as strong which was awesome. I was able to hit a 600 raw bench in competition and a 900 equipped. It's been a different story the last 70 plus lbs. That's ok. Once I accomplished the numbers stated above, my journey was no longer about strength. I achieved everything I wanted to in that department. Now my goals are feeling good, looking good, longevity, and helping others.
I'm curious where this journey will take me after the competition. If you have been a loyal reader, you know I have to have a goal. I guess I should finish this one before I start thinking about the next. Stay tuned and thanks for reading.
