Last weekend, I competed in the IPA Strength Spectacular in York PA. My apologies for taking a week to put the report up, but Immediately after the meet, I went on a mini-vacation to Hershey PA with the family, followed by the Powerlifting Experience this past weekend (report coming soon).
For the first time in a long time (maybe ever), I went into this meet with almost no expectations performance-wise. Instead, after a 6-month layoff from lower body training and only a short ramp-up over the last few months, I went to simply have fun, and see how my back held up to the demands of a full meet, versus training.
And after the kind of day it was, I’m glad this was the case. Because while I’m very happy with my performance, I had so many curveballs thrown my way, I’m convince that my laid-back approach to this one saved my ass.
Since I wasn’t going for specific numbers, I opted not to cut weight, and lift at 220. As is usually the case when I don’t cut, I subconsciously interpreted “don’t cut weight” as “put on as much weight as you can, fat boy”. So after walking around at 210 for the last few months, I found myself sitting at 224 the day before the meet. Losing the 4lbs for weigh-in was easy, and didn't really require a “cut”… I basically just waited till after weigh-ins to eat or drink that day.
Sunday morning, I got to the meet feeling full and strong. Squat warm-ups went well as I progressed from raw to my brief. When I put my Original Metal Pro suit on, however realized that the additional 14 lbs now made my suit too tight, to the point I couldn’t even stand up straight in it. “OK, no big deal”, I figured. I had brought a Jack suit that’s a size larger and just changed into that.
I took my first warm-up with my suit bottoms on, and I moved 525 exactly 3 inches.
Jumped to 615, and go to about 6 inches above parallel.
Shit.
There was no way I was ever going to get anywhere near parallel in this thing, and despite what the average internet expert says, I was actually going to need to break parallel to get a squat in at this meet. I was starting to feel the same anxiety I felt at WPC Worlds, when I bombed out due to bloating out of my shirt.
With few other options, I changed once again, this time taking my brief off, and wearing just the suit.
I repeated my 625 warm-up, got it to about an inch above parallel, and blasted it back up.
Got 675 an inch lower with the same result on the ascent. I was starting to feel confident for the first time since I started warming up.
Opened with 725 and crushed it like an opener for 3 whites.
Moved to 775 on my second, with the same result.
Feeling confident, I called for 810 on my third for a 5 lb pr.
It was a grind, but it got it!
So a pr wearing less gear than I’ve ever worn since starting multi-ply? I’ll take it!
I knew going in that the bench press was going to be another learning experience. With my 52 Ace officially too small, I had decided 2 weeks prior to the meet to bench in my size 54 King Prototype. It’s a little too big, but I knew I would be able to make attempts in it and make my squat pr count.
Warmed up without incident, and opened up at an even 600.
Made my opener easily, but my technique was a little off, and I clipped the rack on the way up. Fortunately it was ruled by the judges to be incidental contact (neither helped me or caused an infraction) and was passed.
I decided to stay conservative and go 625 for my second, 25 more than I’ve ever lifted in this shirt. Looked exactly the same as my first. Easy, but with the same rack contact. Three whites.
Took 650 on my third, but lost it just short of lockout. I’m sure that part of the issue is my arcing towards the racks too much, as well as the fact that the shirt is big, and isn’t supporting me at lockout quite as well as it should.
Oh well, 5 for 6 for the day so far, things were still looking good.
Finally it was time to deadlift, and this was the lift I was coming in with the most trepidation about. I just had no idea how my back would hold up. I was feeling pretty good after squatting and benching, so I was already ahead of where I was last year.
I knew that my 50 Jack squat suit (my normal DL suit) was not going to fit with the extra bodyweight, so I went right for my 52. It fit fine, but the larger, longer legs kept catching the bar just short of lockout, pulling it out of my hands.
I had to call another audible and lift in unfamiliar gear. Sonofabitch!
Since the legs were tighter, but the suit was stretchier, I put on my Original Pro, which I had planned to squat in. It fit fine without the brief, and I repeated my last warm-up before heading out to the platform.
My opener was 545, which is the most I’ve pulled from the floor since returning to full PL training. For some reason, York uses a non-traditional deadlift bar, that’s a little thicker with lighter knurling than I’m used to. With my bloated chubby hands, I had trouble setting my hook grip, and the bar popped out of my hands halfway up.
Well that’s just f*cking great.
I’ve been pulling with the hook grip for over a decade, but I knew that the only way I was going to hold onto the damn bar was to switch to over-under, which I think I’ve competed with once in the last 15 years. I also took the advice of my old friend Matt Wilson, and headed to the bathroom to scrub the hell out of my hands, in order to remove any oil or dirt that had built up on my hands over the course of the meet.
Repeated the 545 and made it easily. The grip felt really strange, and I did
t even know which hand was supposed to be over or under. I asked my training partners,
While I had wanted to hit over 600, I decided to take a 45lb jump to 590, which would give me a 2025 total. Not a pr, but within 50lbs of my all-time best, which I knew would be a huge confidence-builder going into my next meet.
Made it, and in retrospect, I did have over 600 in me. But since this was only supposed to be a tune-up, I was just fine leaving a few lbs on the platform, and finish the day healthy. Especially since I had to pull in an unfamiliar suit, with an unfamiliar grip.
So at the end of the day, I finished with a 2025 total, including the 5lb pr squat. Although it’s not a pr total, I’m really happy with this considering how the last year of training has been going, not to mention all the back and forth with my gear.
This meet was really a tester to see if I’m healthy enough to start competing in full meets again, and it looks like I got my answer.
Based on how the squat went, I’m even considering scrapping the brief for the next meet as well. It really seems to help me sit back into the suit, and the faster descent allowed me to pop up out of the hole more explosively.
While I had a very good day, My training partners Justin Enes and Steve Rizzo had amazing days, with Justin making a 50l total pr, including a 900lb squat! Steve also had a great day, taking home a 100l pr, including his first 600 squat and 500 bench! Awesome job gentlemen!
I have to give a huge thanks to the guys who came out to help, Anthony, Rob, Lauren, Tina, James, Karen, Not to mention Demetrius and Jess who couldn’t make it but are there week in and week out for our training.
As always I need to thank Dave, Traci, Mark and everyone at elitefts.net for being the best sponsor a lifter could ask for.
Most of all, Thank you to my wife, for spending all day with our son James, so I could spend father’s day doing what I love!