I competed in the:
308 weight class
full power multiply - open and masters division
I competed at The 2016 IPA Press Fitness Tennessee State Championships March 5, 2016 in Murpfreesboro, Tennessee 9 weeks back. This was my first full power multiply meet in almost 5 years (Including this meet this only my 3rd multiply full power meet) and also since my torn ACL, MCL, Meniscus surgery - recovery I had that took place back in December of 2013. It has taken me 2 full years to come back from that knee surgery and be able to squat real weight again. At 42 years old things don't repair as quick as they used to and getting my mind back on track to lift and train heavy again without being nervous has been a battle for me. Plus tearing my left bicep tendon off and having it reattached only 7 months after my knee surgery just compounded the situation even more so. Adversity has been ever so present over the past 3 years for me but without adversity there is no progress and there is no growth.
“And once the storm is over, you won’t remember how you made it through, how you managed to survive. You won’t even be sure, whether the storm is really over. But one thing is certain. When you come out of the storm, you won’t be the same person who walked in. That’s what this storm’s all about.”
― Haruki Murakami
I planned out a 14 week training cycle for myself for this meet after the past two training cycles I had done were proving to me my knee recovery was on track and that I was getting stronger, raw and geared. I had also been really trying to figure out what shirt was going to work best for me during this training cycle that would allow me to have a better chance to hit a bench to solidify the squat I was aiming for if all went well. I had been having trouble getting down in my Ace and my Jack too.
Now I have always been a slow descender in a bench shirt but it was now even worse. For me I think I was well, thinking too much. I love tight shirts. I love the slow decent. I love the thought of 700, 800 pounds in my hands. There was only one problem....my torn labrum in my left shoulder. I did this during some raw bench reps with 475 pounds back when I was rehabbing my knee and I refused to get it fixed and since then it has only gotten worse. After the knee surgery I was not ready for that type of surgery knowing I would be down even longer and I would not be able to really do anything. Then what guess what happens?, I tear my left bicep off....SMH....
What it came down to looking back, is that I was an idiot with my training during my recovery period in the beginning. I could not take not doing anything (training wise) so I thought I would train harder doing other stuff. As you can see that was not so smart to do and the other stuff put me in worse shape than I already was in so instead of taking it easy like I was told to do and should have done but obviously did not do added to this current dilemma....SMH again....
“There's a lot of difference between listening and hearing.”
― G.K. Chesterton
Back to bench shirting stuff....I decided to give the new Metal Pro in original material a go. I will say I hated this shirt in the beginning because it allowed the weight to come down on me way faster than I was used to or liked. Now all my Teammates loved it and thought I looked much better in it. I agree things went much smoother but I just did not like the feel. Kinda like letting someone else cut your hair after loosing your barber of 10 years that has always cut it before. Something just did not feel right....
Now that I had the shirt I was going to train in for this meet picked out and my training cycle on paper ready to implement, it was time to do this and get prepared for my return to the platform....
Everything during my training cycle went well. No glitches or injuries. No personal stuff got in the way. My eating was on point and my weight was exactly where I wanted it to be. Then comes the sinus infection 2 weeks out from the meet. Just when I was ready to hit openers and rest up during the deload week before I became terribly sick. Coughing like crazy, ear infection, sinus infection, loss of appetite, you get the idea. Over the next two weeks I went to the hospital 3 times, went through 2 rounds of antibiotics, 2 types of nasal spray and 2 types of cough medicine and none of that stuff was touching my ailments.
I was really concerned if I was going to be able to even make the drive to the meet which was 5.5 hours down the road. I sucked it up and me and my Team hit the road for the 2016 IPA Tennessee State Championships....
After arriving and enduring the grueling drive being sick we got to the meet hotel and checked out the set up and then went to our rooms to unpack and then get some food. There was 7 of us competing and everyone that was cutting was ready to pack the weight back on. I ate a small meal called it a night then went to bed.
We got up fairly early that morning to get a couple of my guys weighed in that had not yet then get some breakfast. Everyone made weight, got their first attempts turned in, rack heights set and were paid up well except me. I was feeling rough and coughing my head off. The frustration was setting in. All I could think about was how hard I had trained to get back to the platform. The months of preparation and rehabbing. My Team supporting me each and every day, week and month helping me back. Knowing that many folks thought I was done and my lifting was behind me. Then it happened....
A good friend of mine Jason Lawson came over to talk to me and gave me some encouragement and also he challenged me. He told me what I needed to hear at just the right time and place and he had me all kinds of pissed off and fired up. Off I went and got weighed in just in time and my openers put down on paper, rack height dialed in and my focus was where it needed to be. This all happened in a matter of minutes. Its like Jason knew what I needed and how I needed to hear what he told me. I love you brother and thank you for being there and giving me the pep talk that fueled my decision to get up and suck it up. I felt like I had been run over by a truck, I was coughing my lungs out and snot was running down my face but my mind was where it needed to be and my focus was locked in. Its time to compete and hit some PR's! Lets do this!....
The meet venue was awesome. Just enough room, just enough lifters, great equipment to use, great competent non-self entitled-non drama stricken- veteran judges on hand judging, awesome atmosphere, cool trophies, bad ass championship belts to win, money to win, my entire Team on hand, My daughter by my side, Melissa by my side, old heads that I have known and competed with and against everywhere, positive environment, and my swag reappeared.... Today was going to be a good day.
My squat warm up were going ok. Everything was feeling heavy but that's how it always goes for me. This only being my 3rd full power multiply meet I still have some confidence issues with going full power. Truly I am still a full power virgin. I think a lot of people forget in my 22 years of competing I have mainly been a bench only guy. Luckily there was quite a few older veterans back there running the monos for lifters, helping out, giving advice and mainly just talking shit, just how I like it! It helped them all being back there for everyone. It really helped settle me. As I got closer to my final warm-up rep. I could feel myself becoming more serious and more locked in.
After my last warm-up I headed out to the platform got my stuff together, took a seat and anxiously awaited my 5 year layoff from full power to recommence. Redneck Tim was talking to me and giving me the pep talk and getting me ready for my knee wrap for my opener. As I stood up my daughter told me she loved me and today was going to be a good day and go do what I came to do....That's all I need to hear....
1st attempt - 770 pounds - good lift!
I was in the meet! Pressure is now gone. Lets go and get that PR....
2nd attempt - 810 pounds - good lift! 10 pound PR!
PR in the books, 2 for 2, now lets go after what I had been training for....
3rd attempt - 850 pounds - good lift! 50 pound PR!
Wow I just went 3 for 3 on squat in my 1st meet back and hit a 50 pound PR! BOOM!
Now off to the bathroom to puke....
Coming out of the bathroom I started to cough my head off for about 5 straight minutes after leaving my breakfast in the toilet. I had a ton of adrenaline pumping through me right now and I did not want it to stop or I would crash. I returned to the warm-up room and gave my Team some hugs and thank yous. All of our Team had hit PR's on the squat and was ready to start benching. Since I was in the last flight I was able to help my other lifters get ready in the warm-up room and handoff during attempts. This allowed me to stay busy and not stay seated and crash down and tighten up. I got Melissa to buff my body from head to toe to help me out and get me ready for the bench-press. It helped. It helped a lot!....
I knew bench press was going to be a pride swallowing day but I came to solidfy a squat and a PR total. I needed to get a bench in and be confident. I opened with the lightest weight I had opened with in over 10 years. Here we go....
1st attempt - 650 pounds - good lift!
Awesome! Squat is still safe and now I am 4 for 4!
2nd attempt - 700 pounds - good lift!
Boom! Now we are talking. Not 800 but not a bomb either. 5 for 5!
3rd attempt - 715 pounds - good lift!
WTF!? 6 for 6! I am so stoked right now!
I know its only 715 pounds. I know its not the big 800 but you know what after what I have been through and came back from it sure did feel like I just benched 800 pounds because of the same excitement! I had never been 6 for 6 in my other 2 meets prior and I was not sand bagging either. That 850 was my projection and my 715 bench was a shot in the dark to be honest because I was and still am not quite sure what my shoulder can or even could handle. Either way I don't give a damn. I am so happy. My Team is doing well and hitting PR's and I am at 6 for 6 going into the deadlift. The day is good....
After bench there was several flights of deadlift and I took this time to try and eat and stay hydrated. My coughing was crazy at this point and I am sure everyone at the meet was scared I was going to get everyone sick. This sinus infection was hitting me hard around this time and I could feel myself dwindling away. I was tired and emotionally drained. I was worried if I was even going to be able to get my opener on my deadlift due to me being so exhausted. I laid in the floor and watched my Teammates warm-up on their pulls and cheered them on as they lifted. Luckily there was a ton of geared lifters at this meet which was awesome. Maybe 20? A lot to me anyway you just don't see many geared lifters anymore. Its mainly raw and when there is only a few geared lifters it makes things a nightmare quick. You realize the meet is going a lot faster than normal and rest time is cut in half for you. Today was great because of all the geared lifters in attendance. Everyone was treated well, raw and geared and each given their proper time in the warm-up rooms to be ready. Judging was great all the way around FOR raw and geared. That's what happens when you have competent veteran judges in place....
I downed an energy drink to try and help salvage whatever energy I could muster up for this last go. The dreaded deadlift....My worst lift and my nemesis. My projection was 600 during training but I knew for that to happen someone else would have to pull that amount for me today because it wasn't happening. Not being negative, just being realistic. I was done physically and emotionally. I had put everything I had into those prior 6 lifts. I had nothing left. But I have to get one pull in to save this entire meet and day for myself. I knew the total I wanted was out of reach today but I could still finish with a very positive and productive first meet back. I just need to get this opener and I was done.
1st attempt - 500 pounds - good lift!
My squat, bench and total were now saved. I really did not want to take another pull but my Team pretty much demanded that I did....
2nd attempt - 550 pounds - good lift! 50 pound PR! (last multiply full power meet I tore my hamstring and only pulled 500 pounds)
I am now 8 for 8! That last pull did me in and I knew it. There was nothing else to prove today for myself. I came and did what I intended to do, compete, hit a PR squat and total and most importantly not get hurt! All things accomplished.
3rd attempt - passed
I was so happy. I was so exhausted. I was so proud of myself for getting through this meet. When all was said and done this was to me the best meet of my life. Numbers are not always the indicator of achievement. Obstacles and life can be road blocks at times. Getting knocked down is guaranteed in life but to me its how you handle those obstacles in life and if you can get back up from that punch and keep coming. Now that says more about who you are and what you stand for to me.
I am a very blessed man. I have a wonderful daughter who means the world to me and is my hero. I have a woman that loves me and treats me like a king everyday. I have a Team at Nebobarbell that is my family and supports each other like a family/Team should, good and bad. I have folks that believe in me and that have helped me make this return to the platform. I thank each and everyone of you. I want to thank Dave and Traci as always for believeing in me and giving this old redneck country boy a chance. Its an honor being apart of Team Elitefts. I want to thank USPlabs for keeping my supplementation on point at all times. I want to thank Minna and Ano for making the best gear in the world to lift in - Metal. I want to thank Bobby B., Jason D., Jason L., Brent T., Mike B., Gina B., all the spotters and loaders, judges, ladies running the tables and everyone else that helped run and organize this powerlifting meet. I thank you all again. Now back to the drawing board and chase some more numbers for the next meet!
I finished:
8 for 9 on attempts
PR - squat - for full power multiply
PR - deadlift - for full power multiply
PR - total - for full power multiply
3rd place finish for 308 full power multiply open division
1st place finish for 308 full power multiply masters division
