Hudson, WI PL competition

[J]

So it went pretty good.

Sensless (John) had a 1300 total with a 555 dl pr, 445 squat and 300 bench. He also benched 315 but didn't pause long enough on his chest. This was still last place in the 198's but he wasn't too far short of the other lifters and he was the only lifter going raw in his class.

VeganEssentials (Ryan) had an off day. Not positive on all his numbers but I think it was a 1110 total with a 475 dl (he got 520 but they didn't think it looked pretty enough).

I got a 1065 with a 465 dl, 285 bench, 315 squat. I benched 295 but didn't pause long enough (or maybe at all as I was too busy thinking about how heavy it felt), and 345 on the squat but I took a step forward as my balance was off and was redlighted. I almost seriously hurt myself on my third squat attempt as I lost my balance way forward and slammed my left knee into the ground with the weight still on my shoulders. I seem to be OK.... The dl was a 50 pound short term PR and a 10 pound all time PR.

Ryan and I got third place trophies although that was because so few people were in our weight divisions. (Ryan 275 and me 242.) John was actually more impressive and probably has a lot of potential. (If I ate like him I doubt I could total 600.)

It was fun. Took all day though with lots of sitting around. A good learning experience and it was nice to meet Crystal, Ryan and John.

Obviously I'm really happy about that 50 pound dl PR (even though I don't smile much) and look forward to improving more and doing this again.

And great job Ryan and John!

[tylerm]

Sounds great guys! Congrats! I am very impressed with all of your totals, and hopefully you all had a fun time as well.

[JP]

J, 50 pound PR on deadlift is a reason to smile mate That's unbelievable! Also, great job for doing such a good legal bench, the pause really shaves so much from the totals.

Fantastic job guys! Well done!

Did you get any lifts where you got one red light?

[Heyutang]

glad for you guys! Sounds like you had fun. Great that you got to know each other as well.
When's the next comp?

[Mary]

Well done. And congratulations Sensless on going raw!

[J]

JP
For me I don't think the pause really takes much away at all. If I was trying to knock out 15 reps, pausing each time would make a huge difference. But for maxes without a strength shirt the weight is moving so slow it doesn't matter so much. I think I still could have gotten 295 if I had remember to pause it. (Would have been very close though.) (I think John would have gotten 315 also.)

No single red lights for me. All or nothing. Ryan had some issues with red lights. I either lifted right before or after him so I can't report his lifts real well. I believe he had 3 lifts that he made that were red lighted. One each on his first squat and bench I think just for not waiting to be told to rack it.
And his 520 dl was a great effort with just a little too much shaking. I thought he should have been given it. John's 555 dl was also a great effort with a little less shaking and a nice roar at the end. John was with the 198's on the dl but without a squat suit or bench shirt he was behind most of the lifters on squat and bench.

There was at least one single red light for a state record on someone else's lift.

We might do something again next spring.

[JO]

Well, it sounds like a good time! Glad it wasn't a negative experience, like the boxing, J!

Congratulations to all, for racking up some more experience at the v. least, and achieving a PR at the most!

[PaHulkster]

Well, it sounds like a good time! Glad it wasn't a negative experience, like the boxing, J!

Is there a thread about this?

[J]

No thread. I just mentioned it in my training log. Basically the first show I went to was just loaded with the worst kinds of people. People with "chips" on their shoulders looking for fights. Slimeballs with scantily clad silicone women w/ inch thick makeup. Mafioso types. General assholes. (Not all of them, just too many for me.) Even the "nice guys" I trained with had anger management problems. (And I don't just mean when they got frustrated while sparring.)

Anyway the people at the Hudson meet were very nice. We talked a little with the guy who won the award for best lifter while waiting in line to get weighed. He was 5'9" 300 pounds and had a 2050 total. He was a really nice guy as was pretty much everyone else.

[veganjosh]

Nice job, guys! Especially for raw lifts, those numbers are great.

Hopefully I'll get a chance to compete with you all sometime soon, especially since we're all midwesterners.

-Josh

[sensless]

The meet was a blast! I cleared my first two squats, opening at 405 and then tying my PR at 445, then I failed with 465. On the bench I opened with 275 and then went to 300. The 315 felt light and easy and I just forgot to pause long enough, I was a bit annoyed with myself for that. The deadlift I was redlighted on my opener at 500 because I wiggled at the top after lifting it, so I repeated and cleared the 500 and then got my PR 555 deadlift. Woot!

It was a great time. Ryan pretty much only got his opening weight in each lift because he did a poor job waiting for commands or had other technical issues of the like. For the deadlift he was just too tired to give it much of anything.

I have several pictures but I can't post them anywhere. I think Crystal is going to post them either when she gets home tonight or when she has a chance tomorrow.

Ryan and I also did some stone lifting the day before the meet, which was quite fun. Drinking beer and eating pizza the night before the meet probably wasn't the best choice for us but it was all fun. Crystal and I did some stone lifting the day after the meet (today) and now my body can barely move. I need to take a couple days off and just lie on my face, those meets really drain you. I hope to post a 1500-1600 RAW total next year.

Regards,

John Jr.

[Frostfire]

The meet was so fun! Great lifts by all three. I had a great time watching . I posted some pictures on the general section here(thought more people might see them that way).

J - you are definatly the strong & silent type . Wouldn't have ever guessed from your posts (tee hee). It was great to meet you!

Ryan's depth on his squats was great, people in the crowd kept commenting on how low he was going, it was awesome . Loved the Vegan Essentials store, I felt like a kid in a candy shop. Wish I'd taken the time to browse more .

John - I'm still in aw over your traps . Glad you made that picture your avatar so all can marvel at your strength .

The stone lifting was fun, too. I'm hooked. Plus now I have to get me some CoC grippers! I'm going to close that trainer, so help me (tried and failed all weekend). The nail bending by Ryan and John was impressive as well. I should have gotten some pictures of that!

[Oak]

Great stuff guys,

Getting anywhere near personal bests and even beating them on the first powerlift meet is superb! From the lifters i have spoke to, it takes a few to get the timing of strength training right.
Well done - loved the pictures too.

So did anyone where vegan tops? I saw Ryan wearing a vegan t-shirt, fantastic!

So when you guys were watching the other lifters what was going through your mind? "oh dear" or "boring" or "great".

Was it different doing attempting the lifts in the comp as opposed to the gym in terms of mindset? Was it better or worse.

Once again, well done J, John and Ryan,
Oak

[J]

I never squatted facing a crowd and I didn't know where to look. I didn't want to stare at someone as I squatted so I just looked at the ground!!! So of course I lost my balance forward. Next time that won't happen.

Damm! See there in the picture in the general section looking right at the ground! Unbelievable. Oh well. That won't happen again.

You should have got a picture of me on my third attempt almost blowing out my knee Crystal. That would have been a good one.

[JP]

Guys, did it motivate you to do more meets?

J, don't they always advice you to stare up? Apparently good for keeping the spine straight and back up as well.