Going into this training cycle I had a mission. At 42 years old and after right knee ACL surgery then 6 months later left bicep reattachment surgery I could dig my way back better than I was. I knew it would be hard but what in life is worth having that does not require some hardwork and dedication thats worth having?
My projections for this meet were:
900 squat
750 bench
650 dead
2300 total
How many bench only guys have squatted 900 pounds in only their 4th full power meet or ever? How many full power guys have done that? I didn't care. I was going to get that 900 pound squat and not be just another pretty face with a big bench!
I set these projections back in March this year right after my meet in March. I knew with some real determination I could hit these number. I had 9 months to get it all together. Only if I could keep my body from falling apart I could do this.
My knee was holding up, My bicep was holding up but my left Labrum was not. I just had to train smart, rehab, eat right and stay healthy. My off season training was intense. I pretty much spent the entire summer getting in "shape". My training sessions were intense (well for me) doing thousands of reps and sets each week. I was really focused on building up my back, hamstrings, triceps and quads to handle to the weights I would be tackling once my training cycle started.
As the weeks went on I could really see some changes happening to my body. I could see my hamstring sweeping! My back was bigger than ever, my triceps had added an inch of mass and my quads! I was stoked! I was starting to feel and look more powerful. I knew my body had to be right to go after numbers I never in a million years thought I would ever go after going into only my 4th full power multiply meet but I believed I could do this.
I sat down and discussed some things with some people I trusted and that knew me as a lifter and got some of their opinions and thoughts and started putting a formula for success down on paper. I had never set up a training cycle for myself with these type of lofty goals. I needed to be precise with my approach and be sure I peek at the right time for this. I also needed to get enough recovery, rehab, mobility, have my diet on point and have my mind in the right place during this 12 week training cycle.
The new Training cycle week begins, I am ready. I always start out with bench (imagine that) to start any new training cycle. I would train raw one week then shirt up the next week. This would be my bench philosophy during these 12 weeks. I had to be easy each bench training day due to my shoulder. I would keep board work involved ass well as a sling shot just to protect my shoulder. I still felt like I needed to get in my raw volume but be safe about it. Training around an injury is frustrating and quite a chore. Swallowing your pride and knowing when to back down are key. So I did but it was not easy for me to do so. That damn pride is a b*tch....
My squats and pulls during this training cycle were on point. During my off-season training I totally focused on my technique. Hours upon hours, reps upon reps, sets upon sets I worked. I could tell my off season muscle memory was locked in. I made sure all attempts were solid and to proper depth when hitting over 90 percent ranges. On my pulls, something just started to click and the weirdest thing happened....I started to enjoy pulling! WTF?
As we got to the 2 week out mark of my training cycle for this meet (opener week) I was fully ready to hit my openers, possible 2nd attempts then rest up....
Bench opener week:
As I started warming up I get to 315 pounds and I felt something in my right pec that did not feel right. I shrugged it off but felt it again at 405 pounds. I thought ok, lets get this shirt on, that will provide some support and I will be fine. Nope....I had 5 plates on each side, my shirt on and only taking this weight to a 3 board and the pain in my pec got worse! I panicked and started to shake my head. No! Last week I felt a little sensation in my pec at the end of our raw training but gave it no extra thought. Now here we are and its worse. So I stopped. Disappointed and upset at this set back I knew I had to reevaluate what I was going to do and figure out what could I do.
1st things first. Research. I became like everyone else and got my Internet PHD in full go mode. Sent out several messages to lifters and friends that would give me solid advice. Made some phone calls to help get some questions answered then I sat down and took all of this info and tried to devise a plan of attack. The good things was I had not torn my pec. I had no bleeding out and there was really no pain in my everyday life and general movement.
So here is what I did for the next 2 weeks:
- saline injections
- body tempering of the pec
- massage therapy focusing on my pec
- staying super hydrated
- body buffering of the pec
- cupping to help blood flow
- TENS machine
- inflammatory meds
As I was doing these things I continued on with my squat opener. I needed to open heavy enough with moderate jumps. I always make sure my 2nd attempt will be a PR and my 3rd attempt will be my projection. So the plan would be 820 opener, 860 2nd attempt (10 pound PR), then 900 for my 3rd. My opener went great. Good speed, depth was on point. I put mini bands on the bar for my 2nd attempt and the same results. Good speed, depth was on point again. I called it there. My squat is ready.
A few days later I did my deadlift opener. Now for my deadlift I just like to take my opener and be done. The pull for me is this. Either you got it or you dont on that day. My opener would be 585 pounds. I smoked that with no problem. My best pull ever was 10 years ago raw with 615 pounds so at the meet my 2nd attempt would be 620 pounds for a lifetime PR lift. I knew this would be there. Then of course I would go 650 pounds on my 3rd no matter what. Deadlift opener was done and it was time to rest up and get this pec healthier....
Openers were done. Pec rehab was in full effect. Now its time to rehab, eat and rest. Simple right? Well life aint simple and life dont care what you have planned ahead. Life can and will send you curve-balls when you least expect it. Curve-balls hurled....
6 days out from the meet and all seems good. My head is good, my body is healing and I am focused. We are all sitting at the house just relaxing and whatching TV. My daughter Katelyn gives me a hug and kiss before she heads out to meet a friend to go shopping. Then the curve balls start coming....
5 or so minutes after Katelyns leaves to go shopping, my phone rings and its Katelyn. For some reason I knew something was wrong. I answered the phone and the first words I hear are, "Daddy I have been in a wreck please come get me!" I go into immediate Mach 10. Out the door hauling ass down the road to find my baby girl. As we pull up Katelyn is standing on the side of the road. Im thinking at this time good she is ok, it must not be that bad. I was wrong.
Katelyn was rounding a curve when a car coming in the opposite direction crossed over the center line causing her to swerve to keep from colliding with the oncoming car. When she swerved off the road she could not recover the car to get back onto the road. From there she hit a tree that spun her car around in the air hitting another tree forcing the car down a 30 foot bank. We could not even see the car from the top of the road because it was so far down the hill and in some thick brush. I was a mess. I was trying to gather myself and make sure she was ok.
Katelyn was shaken bad. She had whiplash, a huge bruise across her neck and chest from her seat-belt and mentally shaken. We took her to the ER and had her scanned, looked at and tested for a concussion. The hospital gave us great news that all checked out well and that she was very lucky. I was so thankful. God protected my baby. He also was not done with her and her purpose was not yet fulfilled. I dropped to my knees and thanked him. My stress level was 1000000000000! All I could think about is how thankful we were and how thankful I am to our Lord.
For the next couple days she rested up. Katelyn didnt even miss basketball practice or a game that next week. SHe was cleared but she is stubborn as well (I wonder where she got that). Now that I new she was good I could settle down some. I was not even thinking about the meet at this point and almost considered just not doing it. But what would that prove? Katelyn told me she was good, she was going and she wanted me to hit my numbers. Thats all I needed. Focused is not even the word now. Locked the F@ck in is more like it!
Katelyn had a basketball game late Friday evening so right after the game we left for meet. It was about a 4.5 hour drive from her game. We got in about 1 am that morning and straight to bed we went. I got up around 7 am and started getting my stuff together. We met our Team for breakfast, talked about the meet and got ready to rock.
There would be 4 Team Nebobarbell Teammates competing at this meet. Each of us qualified for this meet this year at a couple qualifying meet The IPA had. This meet had around 50 lifters and over half were multiply! You just dont see meets lie this anymore. There was $600 up from grabs, huge metals for winners, big money checks, a lifters run type of meet, tons of veteran lifters in attendance, great judges, great spotters and loaders, 2 warm-up rooms, huge fans in the warm-up rooms, loud jamming music, great table and announcing, fantastic venue (hotel, room, venue, restaurants, bar, pool one stop shop) and more. There was actually 2 flights of multiply squats on the wall! And....Louie Simmons was there with several Westside lifters competing.
I was in the 3rd flights of squats so I was not rushed and could help, support, call depth and so on for my 3 lifters also competing. My guys competing went 6 for 9 on squats each hitting huge PR's! Brandon Snowder (open) hit a 675 pound raw squat at 220 (100 pound PR), Mike Allison (masters) hit a 575 raw squat at 275 (50 pound PR) and Sammy Santes (Jr) hit a 600 pound squat at SHW (60 pound PR)!
My squat warmups felt good and strong in the back. I could just feel today was going to be a good day. My attempts:
1st attempt - 820 pounds - good lift - rack was too high so lowered it for next attempt
2nd attempt - 840 pounds - good lift - 10 pound PR!
3rd attempt - 900 pounds - good lift - 50 pound PR!
3 for 3 on squats and hit my projection!
Now for the bench I was not sure of how my pec was so I decided opening with 155 pounds would be the best thing to do just in case. After I hit this I went back to the back and continued to warmup, tesing my pec. Everything was good till I put my shirt on at 5 plates. I hit that weight to a 3board and could feel the pain of the tweaked pec. It was not ready. I decided to shut it down and pass on my next two attempt and not take a chance at tearing something off.
My attempts:
1st attempt - 155 pounds - good lift
2nd attempt - passed
3rd attempt - passed
1 for 3 on bench
Deadlift time! Im excited now! WTF?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
As I started to warmup I wont lie everything was feeling heavy. Real heavy. I drank a pre work out concoction, too in some 02, got my head cleared and visualized my attempts. Each one I could see myself killing it. As I walked up for my opener the music was banging and the crowd was cheering. My daughter yelled at me to kill this. Done. After my opener I called for 620. Same thing again. Killed it. All time PR! For my 3rd I called for 650 pounds. Now for most lifters 650 is nothing but for me this is a number I never thought I would go after. Straight Outta Compton came on for the music. Sweat started pouring down my face. I could hear my Team yelling, I could hear my daughter cheering me on telling me I could do it, Lifters from the back were coming to the platform to watch, hell even Louie Simmons was cheering me on as I chalked up. This weight was mine! BOOM!
My attempts:
1st - 585 pounds - good lift - 35 pound PR! (for full power mulitply)
2nd - 620 pounds - good lift - 70 pound PR! (all time PR, best raw full power - 615 pounds)
3rd - 650 pounds - good lift - 100 pound PR!
3 for 3 on deadlift and hit my projection!
7 for 9 on attempts
PR squat
PR deadlift
1st place mens masters full power multiply
2nd place mens open full power multiply
I want to thank the Good Lord Above for keeping my baby girl Katelyn Smith safe. I want to thank my Daughter for loving me, supporting me, always being there for me and making me a better person. I want to give thanks to my lovely fiance Melissa Byrd. Im cant even begin to list all she does for me. She is my rock. She keeps me healthy, she keeps me straight and she loves me. Im so lucky to have these two women in my life. Without them both I am nothing. Huge love to my Team. Team Nebobarbell has grown so much not, just as a Team but as a family. I cant thank each of you enough for being there for not just me but for everyone on our Team. 20 Team Nebobarbell Team members and family came to this meet to support 4 of us competing 5.5 hours away! That speaks volumes! I want to thank my training partner Brandon Snowder for pushing me like never before this training cycle. Congrats to my Teammates on their meet today Each of you did fantastic! Brandon - 5 for 9 (675/475/615 @ 220) Won best overall light weight lifter $2000 and won best raw bench money of $500! Mike - 8 for 9 (575/390/650 @ 275) 1st place win! Sammy - 5 for 9 (600/330/520 @ SHW) 1st place win! Huge thanks to Traci and Dave Tate for believing in me 9 years ago and always supporting me and my lifting. I cant thank you two enough for all you have done for me over the years. I want to thank USPlabs for keeping me stacked with the best supplements on the planet! Huge thanks to Bobby Betts, Jason Davis, Josh Weatherholtz, Harley Timbs, Brent Tracy, Mike Beatty, the spotters, loaders, DJ, announcer and anyone else involved in putting on such a great powerlifting meet. I can not emphasize how awesome this meet was. The venue, atmosphere, lifters, music, money and equipment was all top notch! Fianlly congrats to all the lifters that put it all on the line to compete. I respect each of you and look forward to seeing you all again on the platform!
And also:
My fan boy side came out after the meet today when Louie Simmons came up to me, shook my hand, smiled real big and said, "Joey, you are no longer just a bench only guy. Impressive lifting today." - Louie Simmons....That was Awesome!
9 months of training my squat and deadlift paid off for me. Hardowrk does payoff. This 42 year old man aint done yet....
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