So I just flew in from Ohio and boy are my arms tired.

Only the old guys are going to get that.

I’m posting this report late because I caught some kind of virus and have had a bad case of the Screaming Eagles (Urban Dictionary #6). Pretty sure I lost 20 pounds in two days.

TPS had a few athletes at the Arnold and here is what I know:

Zach DiCostanza took 1st place in his class USAPL. No numbers from him yet but 1st is 1st.
Lodrina Cherne took 3rd in her class USAPL with a 275 squat, 176 bench and 380 deadlift if my memory is correct.
Nick Cambi and Brittany Diamond had pretty good days in Strongman but did not advance past day 1.
Cambi is a lightweight Pro but competed as a Heavy amateur and gave up a lot of weight in his class.
Jane Stabile had a tough day. She bombed in the squat at XPC. I take the blame on that one.

Jane was the first lifter in the first flight so I had no reference on where to call her on depth for the squat. Yeah I know, we should know these things and depth should not be an issue but it was.

I am known as a pretty strict judge in RPS and I figured if I called her up at a depth I would 100% give a white light she would be ok. Yes we asked about rules and I was told “you know the f**king rules”.

Apparently I did not.

Anyway, I called her back, back, back, UP!

She stood up FAST and smashed the lift. I didn’t even look at the lights because I was sure it was a good lift. She got two reds.

Depth.

No big deal, I’ll watch the next few lifters and see what they are calling at. Holy crap. It’s almost USAPL depth.

No sweat.

The plan was all easy on the squat. We were taking the squat and bench conservative and pushing the deadlift and expected a 5-10-pound meet PR. She opened at 355 and I put her in for the planned 2nd of 375. She smashed her opener, this should be a no brainer.

Time for the 2nd. I call her back, back, back but she stopped moving after the 1st back and then shot up about 6 inches too high.

OK, still no problem, we’ve been here before and she always saves the day. We stay at 375 as we planned for this. I had all the variables figured out if she missed a lift so that she could still hit a 5-pound meet PR.

Time for 3rd’s.

Back, back, back, UP.

She flies out the hole. I am now psyched because the weight is flying. Then, she dumps it.

That’s it.
Day over.

Even though she bombed this meet was a success. We learned a lot in this training cycle, she was the most coachable in the warmup room and on the platform that she ever has been and she handled the loss well.

We’ll go back to the drawing board and smash a bigger meet PR at Lexen next year.

Did I mention that I went out to eat with JL Holdsworth and a few friends the night before and he pulled to old “Z and Todd” routine on me?

2016-03-03 20.53.36

Z and Todd are two of my friends and they like to order double drinks for someone without them knowing they are the only one drinking 50 shots.
The moral: if you have something to do the next day early, don’t drink with JL.

TPS crew at the S4 Compound

TPS at the compound

Anyway, there were more shenanigans over the next few days including a trip to the S4 compound and dinner with Spud and Dale, more drinks. Then I worked at the Spud Booth at the Arnold.

TPS Murph Spud Cubby Dale

Murph, Spud and Cubby Dale

First time for that. I actually had a good time working my ass off for no pay.
I told the fat man he better send a commission check.
My milkshake brought all the girls to the booth and they all bought straps and belts.

Ok, onto the training.

I told you all I’d get a video up on jump landing so you don’t blow out your knees and here it is.

One thing I see done really wrong almost every day is someone doing jumps, box jumps and plyos without knowing the basics. When we teach jumping, the first and most important thing we teach is the landing.

Knowing how to land is critical to performing the exercises safely and effectively.
It is also the best way to not blow out your ACL and spine.

Take 4 minutes and watch the video below and learn to land.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RyMR_LIZ9mQ

Ask me a question-Be sure and Type to Murph in the header

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Vincere vel mori

Total Performance Sports