These last two weeks have been a grind, and though I think I've made some progress, overall, it's been a little more difficult than I would have liked it to be.
The hardest thing to settle into in regards to a strength sport is that there is no single preparation test. There is no one task. They aren't like other sports. In football, you have a position and a job. In track and field, for the most part at the national level, you have a single event. But for strength sports... it gets a little hairy...
In powerlifting, in regards to the squat, the bench, and the deadlift, when an athlete starts to creep into the world of the elite, progress doesn't come as quickly as it once did. I'm finally starting to realize that. Listen, if I go to this meet on January 24, and I don't PR on all 3 lifts, I'm not going to be shocked. If I do, I'll be elated, of course, but I'm not planning on it. Two years ago, if I didn't put poundage on all 3 movements, it was because the program I was following was missing something. Now, I realize that adding 10 pounds (almost 5kg) on the bench after 3 months of training is kind of a big victory. In that regard, if I can put 10 pounds on my bench at the end of 4 three-month long strength cycles, that's 40 pounds on the bench over the course of a year. With that in mind, that puts me less than 3 years away from a state bench press record...
But that's how you have to think in this sport. At the same time, if the world was perfect, and I could put 10 pounds on each lift every 3 months, well then that puts 120 pounds onto my total each year, and it only puts me 2 years away from becoming one of the strongest guys in the country at my weight class and easily the strongest guy in state history weighing 163 pounds...
When I talk to people about what it is I actually do (whether it be lifting or writing), fairly frequently people call bullshit. I'm forced to deal with the idea, at least according to them, that it's either way too much to be doing and that I'm crazy, or that it's not that big of a deal and they don't know why I'm spending so much time doing it. Then, they scoff, as if their lives are so involved and important that they couldn't possibly have the time to dabble in what it is that I do. And then I think, well, sure. That's fine...
But, to be honest, I'd rather agree to disagree and just not have that conversation at all, you know what I mean? I'd rather have people not ask me about any of it because what that conversation does is it calls into question my philosophies on a bunch of other different issues, right? Because I think, well, if in 2 years, I'm one of the strongest SOBs on the planet, and I have a book published, and I get a song or two sold (I do those things on the side for those of you who have not been following), and at the end of those two years, I'm beat to all hell but I've progressed, but that other person is literally in the exact same place they were in two years before... well then what's it all matter anyway, you know? We're just going to have that same conversation...
So when I'm standing alone on a platform at 10PM on a Wednesday, or when I've gotten up early to write at 7AM on a Saturday morning, and because of that, I didn't go out the night before, I'm forced to have these converstaions with myself so as to not go absolutely crazy. It turns into a game of Us VS Them. It becomes a battle between the Warrior Poets (see last week's post) and the peasants. And then that's what gets me through.
And when I think about Christmas or the holiday season or birthdays or gifts in general, all I ever think about is that battle. Because the things I do on any given day are the things that I feel I owe to myself to do. When people ask me "what I want," as a gift, all I can think about is the battle. Because what I want is the freedom and the opportunity to keep on going. That's it. Everything else? The cards and the wishes and the gifts and the language and the bells and the whistles and everything else that goes along with it can burn for all that I care if I don't have the support and the understanding I need to keep going.
So as you all bring in the holidays, there is one very important thing that you all need to understand - and I'm speaking for the Warrior Poet tribe: Support us. That's all we want. Understand us. That's all we want. Not a single gift in the world can measure up to those two things. Remember that...
Peace out cub scouts...
All my best,
C
By the way, here's a great example of how not to pull from the floor. Welcome to Rounded Back City. Population, Me. Sometimes you're the hammer, sometimes you're the nail (a poorly postured stupid idiot nail.)
Here is the following week. I managed to tighten it up a bit, but I still ahve work to do. I'm playing around with where my shoulders are in relationship to the barbell.
And here's one final one. It's probably my proudest training moment. Over the summer, I called a 275 bench by December. Here's 265 for 3. We're on our way, kids:
So I'm 6 weeks out from this meet in North Jersey on January 24th, and I've never felt better. There's a lot to be said for thoughtful stretching and rehab (for those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, check out my last two posts.)
As far as programming is concerned, I was able to squat 365 for 4 pretty easily yesterday, and my bench is coming along nicely. There's something to be said for benching 3 days a week AFTER you either squat or deadlift.
With all that being said, there's also something to be said for the idea of being a life-long learner. Truth be told, my squat is still pretty nasty as far as position goes. I think that's what most people don't understand when they see me lift locally (nationally, I'm not all that impressive). They look at me and say, "Man, you're tiny. That's a big squat," and all I think about is, "Well, wait until I actually learn how to move the right way."
I'm still playing around with stance width and toe angle and bar placement for my specific body type, and it's maddening (there is no universal rule for movement in the squat - everyone's body is different). In the end, though, that's the game. That's the sport.
Here are a few clips from this week:
Beltless squat session:
And some Deadlift deficits:
I'm still waiting on programming for next week, but I'm expecting the volume to pick up a bit and then drop off as we get closer to the meet on January 24. The goal is to crack into 1200, and with a 425 squat, 275 bench, and 500 deadlift, it should give me exactly what I need. I'd like to go into nationals moving closer to that 1300# mark, but we'll see. It will require a lot less time hanging out with friends and family and a lot more time in the gym and sleeping and eating. Luckily for me, I've got enough friends and family who train with me that it makes the journey a little more forgiving.
What's evermore frustrating is that I'll still need well over 1300# to crack into the top 10 at nationals (I'll need, at the least, 600kg [1320#]), and the higher that number gets, the harder it is to get there. Putting 20lbs onto a total at the novice level isn't really all too difficult to do. With the right program, you could put 20lbs onto a single lift in about a month. However, when you start creeping into the world where you're quite literally getting everything you can out of your body, things start to get a bit hairy.
I'm going to cut this one short for the week. For some reason, Blogger has trouble linking videos from youtube. I'll try to have something figured out by next week, though, and get you all some meaty content to enjoy.
You are defined by the people with whom you surround yourself.
I remember hearing that when I was younger and thinking that I completely understood what it meant. Back then, when I was young and stupid (I'm still stupid...), I just figured, well, the person telling me this information is working to make sure that I know if I surround myself with troublemakers, I may find myself in some trouble. "You are the company you keep."
... that sort of thing.
However, for some reason, it never occurred to me that this advice could work the other way. Not once did I ever think about it. I never thought about how if I wanted to be a better person I should spend time with people who had the potential to make me better...
... and how that sort of thing, that pendulum, especially with social media, swings farther today in both directions more now than it ever had.
I'm not here to preach to you about making wise choices, but I do want to remind you (the four of you reading this), that the person you want to become is only a few conversations away. The journey is right around the corner. There are people waiting... begging, even, for you to buy your ticket; you just have to make the decision.
Now, keep in mind, again, that this thing works both ways. You're going to have to cut ties with some folks. It's just the nature of the game...
... and it's NOT because they are bad people, you dig?
There's a good chance that they are GREAT people...
... but if they can't sail a ship, or if they're afraid of the water, then you need to make a decision before you pull anchor.
Listen... Brian Rose of London Real, Ryan Adams, Joe Rogan, Chad Wesley Smith of Juggernaut Training, the guys from Barbell Shrugged, Bill Burr, the folk/punk singer Frank Turner, none of them know who I am (except Frank, sort of). I get that. But they're a part of my tribe, whether they like it or not, because aside from being wickedly entertaining, they're chock full of information that is of great importance to me; because of that, I can find pieces of who I am in parts of who they are.
Conversely, though, understand that not all of it has to be that far-reaching. There are far too many to name (they know who they are because I make it a point to remind them), but there are people in my life who are friends not because they're just people I enjoy being around. They're too damn BIG for that (and when I say BIG, I don't mean that they are large humans. I mean that they are complete beings - wholesome and wonderful and everything I aspire to be). They're my friends because they light a fire inside of me... they're my friends because they are people I want to one day become. They're warrior poets... and if it wasn't for them, I would have been stranded on some beach somewhere some long time ago... drinking Captain Morgans and eating cold pizza (Time and place, folks. Time and place).
Moreover, most Friday nights, I find myself standing in the gym or sitting in front of a note pad and thinking about how insanely lucky I am. I'm lucky to have found the idols I look up to. I'm lucky to have those amazing warrior poets in my life. And I'm even luckier to have such a supportive family and local friends and the single greatest group of lifting-goons a guy could ask for (I would lay in traffic for all of them).
And when I hear about what there is "to do" on a Friday night, I think about how maybe five years ago I'd feel bad about not going out. Now, however, I feel bad for not doing what I love with people I enjoy being around. It's a crazy, uplifting feeling...
At the end of the day, you have a damn good opportunity to build the world you want to live in...
Anywho...
Onto the programming:
No video for you guys (I forgot this week).
With that being said, I'm finally feeling pain-free (and more mobile, to be honest), and I was able to squat 335 for a set of 4 without any pain and without a belt. Hopefully, as my programming opens up next week, I can hit 340 or 345 for a set of 5 without a belt, and then 365 for a set of 4 with the belt later on in the week.
My deadlifts have been feeling quite nice, and where I struggled with a pull of 445 with a belt last week, this week's 445 for 4 came pretty easily.
I'm most happy with my bench progress this week, as I managed 255 for a set of 4. If I can hit 260 next week for a set of 5 (something that I think I'm up for), that means that I'll have benched my competition PR for 5... so if I don't hit 275 at the meet in January (by the way, I signed up for a meet in North Jersey on January 24), I'll be pretty pissed.
The goal is to qualify for nationals with a 1200lb total, so if I can squat 425, bench 275, and pull 500, I'll be right where I want to be. Anything after that will just be a bonus.
And to think, there was a time when I thought I'd never total over 1000lbs. Who knew? Not bad for a high school cross country runner, huh?
This post is going to be brief. I had a bunch of stuff written already, but I lost all of it somehow (thanks Google).
Two weeks ago, I tweaked my knee. It turned out to be super-minor tendinitis in my patella (that's in the medical books somewhere, I swear). As a result, I had to dial down the programming big time.
I also had a chance to see Dr. Shane McCann at South Jersey Sports Chiropractic, and he was able to set me straight with a few things I could do to get me back on track. That, coupled with some Mobility WOD tutorials, and I seem to be right as rain.
It's been an interesting two weeks, though, as I was forced to realize something very important. As you age, if you want to train, you absolutely need to take care of yourself.
Most of us get away with a lot in our early 20's. We eat whatever we want. We move however we want. We drink however we want.
And then, as we roll over into our 30's, we say, "I'm getting too old... blah blah blah."
In reality, though, most of the reason why we can't do things the right way in our 30's is a result of the poor habits we established while in our 20's. The good new is, there is hope. The bad news is that it's going to take you longer to warm up, longer to cool down, and you're going to have to pay more attention to how you sleep, when you sleep, and what you do to recover. It's the price you have to pay.
The only way you're going to be successful is if you make success a priority. It's that simple.
Training Recovery video #1 - After two weeks of light rep-work and tons of mobility/pre-hab/re-hab, I'm back up to a comfortable and confident deadlift. Here's 445 for 4. My hand slipped on the last rep, but I'm counting it because all i was concerned with was the volume. I can settle up with my grip strength later;
Training Recovery video #2 - This is something I'm really proud of. I'm back up to squatting 365 comfortably. I'd originally injured the knee squatting to begin with (the squatting wasn't what caused the injury... I'm phrasing it that way to give you an idea of WHEN it happened, not HOW). Here's HOW the injury happened: Overloaded quads and not enough rehab/mobility work. I was a time-bomb, more or less, especially because I'm a quad dominant squatter:
All in all, though, I'm happy with my progress.
Both Jess and I were able to sign up for the Winter War powerlifting meet in north Jersey on January 24th, so I'm hoping to crack into a 1200lb total by then. That would help my placement going into nationals. The goal for January is to hit at 425 in the squat, bench 275, and pull around 515. We shall see.
Here's some Kelly Starrett goodness for you all before you go:
So... I felt like I needed to get that out into the open and use it as a driver for this week's update.
Here's what happened in a nutshell:
I was supposed to work up to a heavy set of 5 belt-less squats, and upon working up to 335 (82% of 1RM), I my knee started to feel yucky and my right quad had become insanely sore.
When I walked away from the rack, I'd found that I was having trouble walking, and any tracking at all of my knee over my toe which resulted in my shin angle to break 90 degrees sent a sharp pain into my patella.
For most of this week I nursed the knee...
Here's what I think lead to this injury...
1.) Poor sleep.
2.) Stress.
3.) Rushing of stretching / warm-ups.
4.) Attempting to fool around with low-bar while warming up and not appropriately situating back and shin angles in the squat (I think this was, ultimately, what did it...)
A few thing to talk about regarding the first 3
1.) Sleep - This is simple. I don't get enough of it. How bad can that affect your training? Check out the video below (I know it says "for Crossfit", but shut up and watch the video):
2.) Stress - Life happens, and I think I was letting all of the things that I shouldn't bother me cause me to lose sleep eat away at me bit by bit. The solution, really, is to re-evaluate my goals and prioritize accordingly. We build our own prisons, people. Here's a brief article about stress and recovery:
3.) Warming up - This shouldn't come as a shock. If you don't appropriately prepare your body for the demands you will be placing on it, then you're going to set yourself up for failure. If you don't believe that, then talk to me when you're 30. At 15 or even 25, your body has a better chance at dealing with negligence. At 30+... not so much. Here's a fun video about resolving knee pain:
At the end of the day, I'm taking ownership of my injury. I'm not blaming it on coaching or programming, and I don't think I'm going to be out too long. I worked under some pretty light loads for the rest of the week, and followed my bench and deadlifting work. Though my deadlift felt a little nasty at the beginning of the week, I managed pull 80% (385) with a 2 inch deficit pretty comfortably, and as I hit this weekend looking at 2 rest days, I'm looking forward to what Monday brings.
With that being said, on Tuesday, I'll be seeing a sports chiropractor friend of mine who has never done me wrong. I recommend, if you're an athlete, you check this guy out for routine maintenance. I've sent several friends to him, and he knows his stuff.
His name is Dr. Shane McCann, and he owns South Jersey Sports Chiropractic. You can check out the website by clicking on the link below:
http://southjerseysportschiropractic.com/
In other news...
I benched 255 for 5 for a touch and go and it felt nice. Big ups to Big Steve for the spot and the great coaching on that final rep. This puts me at something like a 285 TnG bench. Let's rock and roll, people!
My voice sounds funny... I blame it on the overall excitement from the accomplishment. At the end of the day, though, Taylor Atwood (the guy who won nationals in my weight class), can smoke 335 for 3 pretty easily, so I have a ways to go.
As promised, here are some tracks to jam out to:
Have Mercy - Howl
Trash Boat - Perspective (click link below... for some reason the viewer isn't loading)...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eV4mTlJ2lHM
Close Your Eyes - Digging Graves (click link below... for some reason the viewer isn't loading)...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ksUQwzA_2A
As for the podcast - be sure to give that Barbell Shrugged video up above some of your time.
First, let's talk about Mr. Ido Portal ( I'm aware that that guy pictured above is NOT Ido Portal...)
For those of you who did not see my last blog, I highly suggest you give it a whirl. Moreover, at the bottom of it, I feature one of the people whom I've become obsessed with over the last year or so of training, and I only recently found out that Ido has been training THE NOTORIOUSSSSSSS (Insert Bruce Buffer voice) Conor McGregor...
Check the video here:
Movement matters.
And just for kicks, Conor also took a few shots at The Mountain:
DISCLAIMER: If Conor gets smoked by Aldo on December 12th, it's totally not my fault.
... #Ido2016 ya'll.
Next - Week 1 of training.
So, earlier this week Kev, (My sweet pop-punk soul mate and current coach), sent me more RPE programming, and so far it's feeling pretty great. For those of you who don't know what RPE is, the programming is a little different from what most of you may be accustomed to.
Here's a quick example:
Back Squat x 6 (-1)
^^ What that means is that, for this lift, I will be working up to a heavy set of 6 until I reach a point where I feel like I only have 1 more rep in the tank after hitting my 6th rep.
There's a science behind this whole thing, and I have no idea what he's thinking when he sends me the programming each week. I just do what I'm told. (I am also not smart enough to figure it out... which is why I pray to Kev each week for him to send me down the programming from the mountain tops #GloryBe).
Typically I'm hitting 3 movements a day. If you looked at my programming, you'd see something like:
Deadlift x 4(-1).
Floor Press x 3 (-1)
Front Squat x 4 (-1)
And then I may or may not have some accessory work to do. It will either be some carrying or some bodybuilding movements.
As promised, here's another very short training clip. Here I'm weighting around 165# and hitting 235# for a set of 6. All indicators, even now, are pointing me towards a 280 bench, at the least, so we'll see how it all shakes out. I won't be happy until I can comfortably hit 315, but you know how it goes. My grip here is NOT competition width. The goal was to work somewhere in between close grip and my competition grip. I feel like I should have paused longer on the reps but #YOLO!
The man you can't seem to take your eyes off of is John. He is my spirit animal and gives the world's greatest high-fives.
With all of that being said, let's talk a little about recovery, shall we?
RECOVERY PART 1
Take it seriously, people. Especially if you're fading off into your older years (... like if you're 30).
When I was in my early 20's, I could live off of donuts and Tequila and still manage to head into the gym on a Sunday morning and knock out a pretty nasty workout. I can't do that anymore.
This last Monday, over the course of 4 hours, I drank a almost bottle of wine (3 glasses? I don't know). (Never mind the fact that when I was 22, I wouldn't be drinking wine to begin with... ). What's important to note is that I was't drunk by the 5th hour when I was laying in bed for the night. In my mind, I thought all was well, especially since I'd trained earlier that day. I figured, well, I got the workout in so what does it matter... right?
Wrong.
The following morning, I was destroyed. But here's the interesting part - I wasn't hung over.
I was just terribly terribly terribly sore... more sore than I'd ever been before.
And then the light bulb went off. Oh yeah... alcohol affects the body's ability to record. And then there I was. And here I am. And now I'm an idiot.
Long story short - I will not be consuming a drop of alcohol for the better part of 2016. To be honest, I don't know how the rest of 2015 will fare either. Ultimately, if I have to pick between an additional 10kg on my total at nationals next year or 10kg less for the sake of a few nights of boozing, I think I'm taking the 10kg and a few more places up the standings.
Everyone can get drunk, and that's why everyone does it. I'm trying to build a world for myself, not tear one down.
RECOVERY PART 2
Carbs. Eat them. Eat a lot of them.
I'm a huge fan of Mike Israetel, and after reading his book on The Renaissance Diet , though I don't follow it to the letter, I've come to realize that only consuming carbs before/during/after a workout is easily what works best for my body. I will eat sushi until the cows come home after a hard workout, and there's a good chance that, come the following morning, I'll feel pretty great.
NOTE: I still have a cheat meal once (twice...) a week.
I'm not going to tell you that it's the end/all be/all, but it's a way to look at nutrition that makes the most sense in my head, and I can apply it pretty easily on any given day.
PODCAST!:
Need a new Podcast!? How about we stick with some London Real BUT we check out Mr. Kelly Starrett? This interview is like music, people. It's like music.
And finally... some tunes for all dat cardio you gotta do this weekend...
I made a promise to myself that I'd keep a log of my training.
However, when I really took the time to think about it, what I realized was that I didn't need to keep a log of my training at all...
Because that's the easy part, you know? If you really care... if you're any good at what you do... you already have a working log of you're progress because it's all you ever think about anyway, know what I mean?
Each week, I get an email from my coach that tells me what to do, and some people, once they get the programming, break out their notebooks or whatever it is they use to "Keep It Together," and they start going to work...
But I don't do anything like that. I just remember...
I'm at the point in my training now where I know what 80% feels like. I know what it's like to hit a heavy set of five. I know what it's like to hit a pause for 3 seconds at 50%...
I just know.
So as far as a "training log" is concerned... it's not something I worry about all that much.
But when I thought about documenting things during a long drive home from work the other day, what I realized was that it would probably be best for me to keep a log of where I'm at emotionally and spiritually and philosophically.
What I realized was that there was a lot more to this whole "Strength Sport" thing than just showing up and putting in the milage.
And after listening to a series of PodCasts, what I realized was that I needed to develop a series of healthy habits...
I'd learned that, regardless of who it was I was listening to or who it was that was being interviewed, the road to greatness, regardless of endeavor, was paved with healthy habit after healthy habit.
So maybe this is a log of health habits, spiritual or emotional or otherwise, and not really a Training Log with a Capital T.
I don't think I'll get around to updating this thing weekly, but I think hitting it monthly is definitely something I can handle (life's about tangible goals, people). As a result, what you can expect to find on here are a few training videos, a podcast recommendation and a recommended episode, and 3 songs that I listen to to help me settle into a specific headspace in an attempt to perform a certain task. You can also expect to find a few philosophical musings of what it takes to make this journey (or other ones... because writing a book and finding an agent has been just as brutal for me).
Welcome to The Road to the 2016 USAPL Nationals...
First:
I can honestly say that the time off from training has been pretty enjoyable. With that being said, most of that reason has a lot to do with the fact that it's allowed me to move away form my programming and fool around with a few benchmarks I'd been curious about for quite some time.
My "rest weeks" have resulted in a 265lb clean (10lb PR), which I completely forgot to record (so... maybe it never happened?).
After that, I remembered how much I missed Crossfitting, so I figured, why not film me hitting FRAN for the first time in 3+ years... (Wound up coming in about 15 seconds slower than my previous personal best).
Attention Keyboard Warriors and Trolls: There were definitely a few No Reps in there but... you know... I'm a powerlifter and I don't plan on going to The Games anytime soon.
Later in the week, I decided, well, why not see how many times I could bench 225. That's some sort of standard, right? (Note: The summer of 2014, I could only bench 225 for a really really ugly single...)
And recently, I decided, well, I like the idea of a 10 rep max, so why not give 275lbs a whirl in the front squat (The bar started to slide off of my delt on the last rep, but I think I know what it feels like to almost drown now...)
Ultimately, I'm excited to put all of this craziness to bed, to be honest, and I'm looking forward to my first program cycle. I should have it by Monday...
As far as PodCasts and interviews are concerned, if you don't know what London Real is, I suggest you look it up. Here's one of my favorites: Ido Portal is a hero of mine who is slowly becoming a philosophical Go-To when I need a bit of re-focusing (and if you ever want some REALLY interesting discussions about what it means to be human and what it means to move, he'll keep you entertained for hours...):
And as far as music goes, these 3 tracks make 30-40 minutes of light cardio flash by in a blink:
1 - The Story So Far - 680 South.
2 - The Wonder Years - You're Not Salinger, Get Over It.
3 - Knuckle Puck - But Why Would You Care?
I'm going to hold off on the philosophical musings for now. I've given you all enough to read.
When I first started this blog, it was something that was supposed to be updated regularly. That never happened. However, I can at least say that it was for good reason. There are some things in life that, out of necessity, need to be placed on the back-burner. This blog was one of them.
Regardless, that's not what this is about. I'm sorry. You get it. Let's move on to the meat and potatoes, shall we?
The Good:
Let's be honest. I was just happy to be there. At the end of it all, I am now officially ranked 20th in the country. Unofficially, I'm sitting at about 5th in the state of New Jersey (give or take). With that being said, we've got some really really strong people living in this state.
As for the lifts, here's a short and sweet discussion:
Squat - 407lb (185kg): This was a 27lb meet PR and a 22lb training PR. If you follow me on Facebook, you can check out that video there. I genuinely believe that I had about 10-15lbs left in the tank, so I'm excited to see how this next training cycle goes.
Bench - 258.5lb (117.5kg): This was a 10lb meet PR, but it was NOT a training PR. To put this in perspective, two weeks before the meet, I could easily bench this with a 2 second pause for a set of 3. I will discuss this a bit more in the Uglysection of the write-up.
Deadlift - 490lb (222.5kg): This was a 40lb meet PR and a 30lb training PR. I was really excited about this, especially since, through out the whole training cycle, I felt that my deadlift had been lagging.
The Total - 1155lb (525kg): This was a 75lb meet PR, and it almost didn't happen. After the squat, I'd gone into the bench feeling very confident. However, during the bench, the judging wasn't all that great (more on that in the Ugly section) and, as a result, I found myself 15lb shy of my 1155lb total goal that I'd set for myself moving into the deadlift. With that being said, I'd found myself in a conversation about next year's qualifying total. Though it hadn't been posted yet (and who knows, I could be wrong, but who cares) apparently the 2016 qualifying total for my weight class was also going to be 1155lbs. I'd opened with 450lb in the deadlift with the hopes of jumping to 465 and then 475 with 475 being my original deadlift goal. However, with this news, I figured I'd take a risk. 450 had felt pretty easy and, really, what's a 25lb jump compared to a 10lb jump when it's time to go to war? I told the woman at the desk who was taking second attempt numbers to move me to 473 and hoped for the best. When it was my turn again, I smoked it. With that in mind, I walked over to the desk and told her to move me to 490 for attempt 3. In my mind, all I could see was that scene from Rocky IV where Ivan Drago says, "If he dies, he dies." In the end, really, who cares, right? I was just happy to be there.
490 got 3 white lights, and I hit my 1155lb goal. Life is good, people.
Parking: Parking cost me $3 and I parked right across the street in the hotel parking garage.
Atmosphere: Between Crossfit and Olympic Lifting, I've competed in a bunch of events over the last few years, and I remember saying this about my first powerlifting meet I did back in May: There is nothing like the kindness and camaraderie of a bunch of powerlifters. At Nationals, everyone was cool, from the teens to the masters - everyone was happy to be there and happy everyone else was there, too. I'm a big fan of a guy named Brian Rose (Click his name to check him out). In a Ted Talk he did recently, he discussed the difference between having friends and having a tribe. I'm paraphrasing, but he said something along the lines of friends being people who love you for who you were (and that's not a bad thing). In other words, they don't want you to change. However, a tribe is a group of people who appreciate who you are and where you're going. Now, eventually, everyone becomes a friend, even the people in your tribe, but the idea of a tribe is important because with a tribe, essentially, you're collecting these people and these philosophies that help move you from where you are in life to where you want to be. They become catalysts. They become muses. They become your journeymen and journeywomen; and at Nationals, I never felt more like I was a part of something (actually, I'm lying. I feel this way when I'm with performers and songwriters... yes... I do that on the side, too. You'll hear more about it in the future). At a certain point, it's not about "feeling home." It's about NOT feeling home. It's about feeling good being AWAY from home... and I've never felt more grateful for something like that...
Here's Brian's Ted Talk:
To the people I met at Nationals and the people I've met on this wonderful journey so far - Thanks for everything. I couldn't have done this otherwise.
The Bad:
No food: For anyone who's done this sort of thing, there's nothing better than walking up to a booth and parting with a few bucks for something yummy. However, that never happened at Nationals. If you wanted food, you had to hit up the restaurant on the first floor of the hotel who had no idea what they were up against as far as patron volume was concerned. Burgers were taking hours to cook and they were struggling to find change. I thought one coach was going to tear some poor waiter's head from his torso. Needless to say, I didn't eat there.
Instead, I had to walk 2 city blocks to a small market similar to a WaWa and grab a few sandwiches. They weren't all that bad, and they weren't expensive, but who the hell wants to walk 2 city blocks to grab a cold roast beef sandwich after driving 3 hours and weighing in? If you own a food operation and you're reading this, get a booth at next year's USAPL Raw Nationals. You will make a KILLING.
No Coach or company: Luckily, I was able to meet up with friends and a few familiar faces. Moreover, because everyone was so friendly, I was able to make new friends, too. With that being said, however, had that not happened, I would have been screwed. There really wasn't anywhere to put your gear, and you were taking a risk every time you left your stuff to use the restroom.
It also sucks when you don't have a coach. People couldn't believe that I'd driven 3 hours alone to arrive and complete solo only to hop back into my car and drive back home at 9PM alone. Next time, I need to hook up with a handler and bring a bit more of a support system. The last thing you want to worry about after weigh-in is where to find hot food, where to put your stuff, and when to use the bathroom. By 8:30, I found myself wandering around the hotel lobby alone and exhausted. The only thing that really saved my sanity was that the feeling wasn't really all that foreign. A few years ago, when I'd pursued the romantic act of becoming a singer-songwriter, I'd become used to driving an hour or so alone, performing in front of people who didn't care, and then driving back home defeated and beaten. For me, the bright side was that I didn't have to worry about breaking a guitar string.
No signs. No direction. All Chaos: As I've said before - I've been in a lot of competitions. However, I have NEVER been to a more poorly run event in my life. There weren't any signs providing direction. There weren't any announcements providing updates. There weren't any monitors providing assistance. TV screens were continuously shorting out and freezing. You were 100% on your own to figure most things out yourself. If you had a handler, things wouldn't have been too bad... they'd be the ones running around like a maniac in an attempt to provide you some direction. However, when you're on your own, you're truly on your own.
The Ugly:
The Calls: Holy hell... The calls were BAD. Most of the guys on my platform had one complaint or another. The biggest ones were probably the bench calls (which is why my numbers were so low). Many of us were forced to hold the bar at the top position for 7-10 seconds, and many of us were forced to hold the bar at our chest for 2-3 seconds. It was an embarrassment to the sport. I understand the USAPL's attempt to have the highest standards in the sport. It's what makes it what it is. I can respect that. However, take a look at this video:
On what planet is that a bad lift? Hear the sound of the crowd? That happened often...
Final Comments:
There weren't enough volunteers: A week before the event, we all received emails asking us to help out and volunteer our time if we could because they felt that they were short-staffed. I didn't think much of it but, man, they were right. They could have easily used 10-15 more people floating around the event and providing information, guidance, and direction.
The venue was too small: I don't think they truly understood what would happen with having 1100 competitors on the roster. For next year, I think the increase in the qualifying total was a good decision. Hopefully, the event will become a Friday-Sunday event and not a Thursday-Sunday event. Less competitors will also mean less spectators/family members/friends wandering around the warm-up areas. They definitely underestimated consequences of the increase in crowd volume.
Overall: I'll see you guys next year. It was an amazing experience and I wouldn't trade it for the world. I think the USAPL is in uncharted territory, and they have a lot of people to thank for it, mainly the sport of Crossfit. It's getting a lot more people to press and pull a barbell, and because of it, people are crossing over to things like Weightlifting and Powerlifting, and I don't see it slowing down any time soon. With that being said, the USAPL is going to continue to become more competitive, and I'm up for the challenge. My goal for next year is to crack into the top 10 and for the following year to place. It's crazy to look at the next two years of my life in those terms - that, all of a sudden, I'm 32 in a very young man's sport. Out of the top 20 competitors in the country, only 4 of us were 30+ years of age. One guy was 47... he's definitely a hero of mine.
So here's to moving on and moving up. I will be updating this blog more often with my training and a bit of discussion on how things are moving. Hopefully it will be able to provide you with some insight and, more importantly, some entertainment and inspiration.
One last note: Check out a company that is now sponsoring me. They are called Iron Will Apparel, and they are from Southern New Jersey. Here is a link to their website. Great guys. Great idea. Great gear.
