First Time Competing...

I pull conventional. I've tried sumo in the past, but I'm long limbed, and I feel I just can't generate the same power or speed out of a sumo stance.

Bench session this weekend was dissappointing.

Worked up to a single of 255...handled it rather smoothly. Decided to give 275 a run again after getting pinned 2 weeks ago. Didn't get pinned this time around, but definitely hit a sticking point about 2" off my chest. I suppose that could be considered "progress", but I've always been an extremely quick learner when it comes to new sports, and with the way my deads and squat have been improving, I was hoping to see the same results with my bench. I've definitely been humbled, but I'm fired up to keep working at it!

I'm heading to a training seminar this weekend at Ultimate Fitness in Renfrew (just outside of Ottawa) being hosted by Paul Vaillancourt (3x Ontario Strongest Man) and his wife Sarah Leighton (4x Ontario Provincial Powerlifting Champ). From what I hear, they are the best in the biz in Ontario, so I'm looking forward to getting some real in-depth coaching in person. Should be a humbling experience to say the least.

Till next time...

Just my 2 cents. That is a big jump going from 255 to 275 when you missed 275 last time. I think it would have been better to try 265 and depending on how that feels either call it a day or rest for awhile and try 270. In terms of confidence it would be better to master 270 then keep missing 275.

Bench is one of those lifts where you can feel strong and just a 10 pound jump can leave you pinned.

Thanks for the 2 cents Thorgrim. You're absolutely right. If I was giving advice to someone else, I would be saying the same thing - unfortunately, I think I let my ego get in the way of my progress at times. I know with time I'll learn to leave my ego at the door...but with the meet less than 3 weeks away, I'm hoping to bust through that 275 plateau.

A week tomorrow is the big day! I pop my powerlifting cherry!

The seminar last weekend was AWESOME. Definitely worth the near 1000KM I put on my car to get there and back. Paul and Sarah are incredible coaches, and really helped make some important tweaks in all of my lifts.

On the deadlift, Paul recommended that I narrow my stance a little, and bring my grip in as well. Combining that and shortening my set up time...my previous 455 plateau...no longer a problem.

On the bench, Sarah noticed that my elbow tuck was actually TOO excessive, and it was stealing all of my power at the bottom of the lift. Going to do one final run at testing my opener on bench tomorrow, and see where I'm at. Worked really hard on keeping strict form last weekend though, and I definitely feel more powerful and stable.

It's amazing how a few little tweaks can be the difference between a PR and crushed sternum LOL.

Absolutely! I am always looking to improve form. Fastest gain you'll ever make.

One last post before the big day tomorrow...time to pop my cherry!

Focused on perfecting my technique and mobility work this week. Excitement level is an 11 out of 10! Going to do my best to keep the adrenallin and ego in check for tomorrow, but I am ready to lift some big iron.

Thanks everyone for the support and advice. I'll post results on Monday.

Good luck.

look forward to hearing the results!

What a very humbling and exciting experience this past Saturday was. Ended up being 30 competitors in total, which made for a very cramped spaced. The organizers ran into a BUNCH of issues the day before/morning of the meet - but considering how the day went, you probably wouldn't have known it. Being as there wasn't an official "warm-up room", the lifters had to get creative to find a way to get ready for each flight, but we all made due.

Weighed in 109KG - I feel really good at this weight - subsequently, this also put me in the most competitive weight class at this particular meet.

Decided to open with a 235 bench. This was definitely one of the lower openers, but I wanted to make sure I nailed it, and had some room to improve on my second and third attempt. 235 went up very smooth. After the lift, one of the judges pulled me aside and said that he felt I was a bit quick on the press command - he gave me the benefit on the first lift, but said he'd be watching very closely on my next attempt. I attempted 245 on my second attempt. Was doing my best to wait for a full press command before I moved the bar back up, and I lost my tightness. I was able to grind the rep up, but before I knew it the head ref called the spotters in. I didn't feel that the bar was coming down on me, but that's the judges call. Missed the lift. 3rd attempt I went for 245 again. This time I worked on really keeping tight, waited for the press command, and again, as I was pressing, the head ref called the spotters in. I actually managed to get the weight to full extension, but racked the bar prematurely. Not sure if holding the weight would have made much difference as the head ref had already called the lift off - but I was a little disappointed I missed the last lift.

The last flight of bench had mostly equipped lifters...this made that flight take MUCH longer due to lack of warm up space. I was anxious to the deadlift, but I used the time to do some more foam rolling and mobility work to stay loose.

Deadlift was great for me!

I opened with 425. Again, something I've hit countless times in the gym, so I knew it'd be a breeze, but I wanted to make sure with the lengthy wait between lifts that I hadn't cooled down too much. This was not a problem. I gripped the bar and ripped the weight off the floor. It was a nice confidence booster after how the bench ended. Decided to attempt 455 for my next attempt. 455 didn't have the speed of 425, but it was a nice smooth rep - no shaking, no grinding, just a real nice lockout. After consulting with some veteran competitors, I decided to attemp 480. The day before the meet, I had mapped out what I thought would be 3 reasonable weights for my 3rd deadlift attempt. If I was feeling really strong, the most I figured I would hit was 475, so 480 was not only 25lbs heavier than I'd EVER deadlifted, but it also exceeded my expectations for myself. I walked up to the bar, and I admit, when the bar hit mid-shin, there was a split second when I thought it wasn't gonna happen - but I kept on pulling, and I managed to get 3 white lights! I was beyond pleased with myself.

As you can imagine with a 715lb total, I finished last in the 110 class. If anything though, my results have given me the motivation to train harder and enter more meets in the future. I'm really happy I decided to compete. My placing was a bit disappointing, but I suppose there's nowhere left to go but up from there.

I haven't decided officially yet, but there is a full meet on June 16th in Mississauga that I am eyeing as a potential next competition. Part of me thinks that now that I've done one competition, maybe I should take the next 8-12 months to concentrate on getting a lot stronger. The other part of me thinks I should just sack up and jump right back into the deep end of the pool.

With the current program I am using, I feel like the added volume of the "off-season" phase will allow me to progress faster than the "pre-competition" phase, which requires less volume, and more heavy singles.

Either way, I'm hungry for more PR's!