Saturday, February 18, 2012

POST RUM 5 THOUGHTS AND WHAT'S NEXT

Raw Unity Meet 5

330-200-320= 850kg total
DISSATISFACTORY

This meet was by far my worst meet...  
Not necessarily 'total'-wise in that I did not increase my total, but just the general sense of victory, success and competition with others and myself.  I feel that about 4 guys at this meet had the capacity to close in on that 2000 lb barrier and I honestly thought that if my back were back up to speed that I would be able to hit my third attempts and I would arrive at my goal.  
335-215-357.5=907.5kg is what's written on the wall at my gym as my goal and about 5 weeks prior to the competition I felt that it was going to happen...it was exciting.
  After injuring my back around Christmas time and not even being able to deadlift an empty bar....spending Christmas eve, at my uncle's, lying on my back on the dining room floor with my feet on a chair while everyone unwrapped gifts I wasn't even sure if I was going to compete.

A week later, I tested my squat, hit a PR 700lbs even though my back hurt...and so I bought my ticket and made up my mind to compete because I knew I would squat and bench well and hoped that by then my back would feel well enough that some adrenalin could overcome any pains or doubts.

Squats: 694 went up like butter and the thought of going 727.5 and then 750 crept into my mind.  2nd attempt 727.5, I had zero doubts that it wouldn't go up although in actuality it went up with quite a fight.  So I third attempted 335kg(740lbs) keeping that 2000lb total in mind.  3rd attempt....fail....I walked away KNOWING that I can do that weight though..I KNOW I CAN...I should have stood up with it...but I didn't....NO EXCUSES..Next time.
Video: 727.5lbs



Bench: opener 200kg felt heavy.  The pause felt awful.  2nd attempt 210kg, I've only done this in a competition once before(and a couple times in the gym sans pause), and I failed it on the 2nd AND 3rd attempts(just like last year)....bye bye total.

Deadlift:  Opened with 320kg(705)...went up fairly easily but not as easily as I would have liked.  My back felt okay but I wasn't sure if it would be able to stand a heavy 2nd and 3rd attempt so I just went for something that I would be happy with, 750lbs.....  failed it on 2nd attempt...misloaded third attempt by 55lbs one side...this did not feel good and my back has been sore since.....I got to attempt 750 again because of the mislead but I had nothing on it.  I have in the past failed a weight on a second attempt and come back on a 3rd to crush it...but that day, whether it be strength or confidence, I simply did not have the strength to pull it...no bullshit...just wasn't there that day.  
  Inside- I know I am capable of pulling 770+ and I don't see any reason why 800 should not be held above the ground in my hands tearing my calloused hands apart yet feeling OH SO DAMN FUCKING GOOD!!  Soon....






THOUGHTS:


NEGATIVE:  A year has gone by and my total hasn't increased.  All reasons aside...big picture...total has not increased.  Changes need to be made.  I learned a lot and made a lot of correction to staying healthy for a meet..but I learned them too late for this particular meet.  So I must continue to take care of myself and stop just thinking that training extremely hard and eating well is enough....recovery is a BIG part of the game...


POSITIVE: I threw my back out less than 5 weeks from the competition and wasn't sure if I would even compete.  I learned a lot about my injury, and previous injuries, and about rehabilitation and prehab...and I have learned a few things about staying healthy, recovery etc.......my 'big picture' is a little different.  I am happy with my squat PR, but more so that I know I can squat that 738 that i missed...because that means I'm looking towards 750.  I am more motivated to cross past that 2000lb total barrier @ 220.  I am almost glad that I didn't get it this meet because if i could do it after overcoming an injury and having doubts about myself..then it would have been too easy...instead I have ended up treating this as a personal defeat...anyone who was at the meet would have seen me holding my medal yet walking with my head down... 


" A STRONG MAN BECOMES STRONGER AFTER DEFEAT." - Voevoda




REALISTIC:  MY BENCH NEEDS WORK.  MY DEADLIFT NEEDS WORK.  I need to bench closer to the 500 realm.  I NEED TO ATTACK MY WEAKNESSES which are my triceps.  MY DEADLIFT IS GOING TO GO UP....DRASTICALLY...I LOVE TRAINING IT.....EMBRACING THE PROCESS WILL BE EASY...Need to be stronger at getting the weight off the floor.




NOTES:


A lot of guys got injured this meet.  Me before the meet, Jeremy Hamilton on the deadlifts, Sam Byrd attempting an insane 804 squat...the calibre of competition was very high and guys were shooting for the stars.  Joel Boulianne and Dan Green showed HUGE improvements from last year.  Joel almost benched 500 and Dan almost pulled 800!!  The 220 class is in my opinion the best class in powerlifting.  We are the smaller guys, but we are still big guys...and we still lift weights that compare to the big big boys...ie...a 700+ pounds raw squat is huge no matter what, same for a 500lb bench, and a 750+lb deadlift...these are freakish numbers anywhere.  Walk into a gym throw 7 plates a side on the squat rack, and in just a belt attempt to squat it...and thats still a warm up set.  


...the 220's are the smallest of the BIG WEIGHT MOVERS....of course this is just my opinion. There were a handful of guys at RUM 5 that are going to be moving extraordinary weights in the next year...if not already...I think new standards are being set because we are all pushing ourselves further.
SAM , JEREMY, DAN, JOEL,...I look forward to sharing a platform again.  CASS, KELLUM...hoping I'll get the privilege soon as well. And I have already shared a platform with Belyaev and been inspired.  


HIGHLIGHT OF THE MEET: SAM BYRD SQUATTING EVERYTHING BUT THE KITCHEN SINK...  opened w 738 ( previous ALL-TIME record was 735), hit 782, almost 804...and I think he could have hit it.







KADE WEBER posting a 1901 total @242 at 22 yrs of age....2000 next year...AFTER ME.
Here's Kade Pulling the 800 that he failed at RUM one week later at the DYNAMO.





WHAT'S NEXT??


Putting together a meet in May CPF RAW NATIONALS
COMPETING IN EITHER "504 CLASH 4 CASH" in NOLA or WPC RAW WORLDS in Vegas....both in September.