One of the factors many who have never competed in anything don't realize is the nerves leading up to it. Again, one reason I say gym lifts don't mean a thing. Its real easy to hit a PR in your normal environment where you can control all variables. Quite different to do it at a meet.
Glad you are healing up and can push on. Keep the second/third attempts as loose as possible. Feelz will really determine the numbers so planning them should just be a rough guestimate anyhow. All that matters at this point is that you hit your openers and don't miss any commands.
Remember to wait for the squat command before starting and remember the rack command before racking. I can't tell you how many people miss their first attempt because of this. If you are like me you won't see anything but the front judge. I focus on him/her and can barely remember much else. Trust your training and you will go into auto-pilot. Another reason I say hit each rep in training as consistent as you can. Having to think about depth or anything else is tough when the nerves are on fire.
I'm excited for you! Can't wait to see the results. No more lifting- time to eat and rest.
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Thread: PtReyesGreg's Workout Journal
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08-10-2016, 06:14 AM #3091
- Join Date: Jul 2011
- Location: New York, United States
- Posts: 15,251
- Rep Power: 123365
☻/
/▌
/ \ Don't care what you do crew.
Former natty ☠ 101- lift heavy things consistently over time as often as you can recover from.
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08-10-2016, 06:40 AM #3092
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08-10-2016, 09:47 AM #3093
Thanks Doc. Definitely no more softball...although it's a sad commentary on my cross training fitness when swinging a 34 oz bat can do such a number on me. I'll have to start swinging a sledge hammer or something for accessory work once the meet is over.
Thanks TM. I'm excited and ready to get after it.
Thanks again for all the input and advice John. Yeah the nerves only start to kick in when I think about it...which is every 5 minutes. Seriously though settling on the openers took a lot of pressure off. Now I just have to hit those lifts. Once I do that I'll definitely follow your advice and go by feel from there using my planned numbers only as a rough guide.
I'll be sure to wait for the commands. I plan on paying attention to the lifters who come before me (as much as I can between warm-ups) to see how the commands are paced for them. I've tried watching videos but I think in person it will be much easier to see how they work.
No more lifting for me until the meet. I'm also knocking off my running too for the rest of the week. Between now and then I plan on doing some light stretching to stay loose and other than that just taking it easy, eating, and resting up.
Thanks Moose Man. All that's left now is some soreness in my side when I sleep on it or twist funny. I just plan on resting up, taking it easy, and continuing to use my Arctic Sports Balm and head into the meet as rested and strong as possible. AND I don't plan on crushing anything but the lifts.If in doubt, squat and run hills. So you walk into the gym and don't know what to do? Then squat and run hills. Have a miserable day at work and want to break someone's neck but aren't sure who's? Then squat and run hills. - Wendler
ISSA Certified Personal Trainer
My Blog: https://slavinstrength.wordpress.com/
IG: @greg_slavin
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08-12-2016, 05:52 AM #3094
I wanted to post a few good videos I found showing the PL competition commands for squats, bench, and deadlift. These have been helpful in getting ready for my meet tomorrow and I wanted to keep track of them here. Plus, I figured they might help any others who are getting ready for a meet.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBNWSUGIsVM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5y67F7tIOYQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5iLDXKHk-E
This morning I'm going to head over to South Lake Tahoe (~2 hrs away) for my weigh-in and gear check. Then I'm going to come back home to do some things around the house. Then it will just be a matter of waiting for the meet to get going at 8 am tomorrow. The trickiest part will be getting the family up so we can leave here by 5:45 am tomorrow so I can get there in time for the rules briefing at 8.Last edited by PtReyesGreg; 08-12-2016 at 06:10 AM. Reason: Added YouTube Links
If in doubt, squat and run hills. So you walk into the gym and don't know what to do? Then squat and run hills. Have a miserable day at work and want to break someone's neck but aren't sure who's? Then squat and run hills. - Wendler
ISSA Certified Personal Trainer
My Blog: https://slavinstrength.wordpress.com/
IG: @greg_slavin
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08-12-2016, 06:01 AM #3095
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08-12-2016, 06:12 AM #3096If in doubt, squat and run hills. So you walk into the gym and don't know what to do? Then squat and run hills. Have a miserable day at work and want to break someone's neck but aren't sure who's? Then squat and run hills. - Wendler
ISSA Certified Personal Trainer
My Blog: https://slavinstrength.wordpress.com/
IG: @greg_slavin
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08-12-2016, 06:15 AM #3097
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08-12-2016, 06:27 AM #3098If in doubt, squat and run hills. So you walk into the gym and don't know what to do? Then squat and run hills. Have a miserable day at work and want to break someone's neck but aren't sure who's? Then squat and run hills. - Wendler
ISSA Certified Personal Trainer
My Blog: https://slavinstrength.wordpress.com/
IG: @greg_slavin
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08-12-2016, 06:46 AM #3099
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08-12-2016, 06:59 AM #3100
Great vids Greg, I will be using them for reference as well! Have a great meet bud, lift hard and have fun! Can't wait for the write up
And no offence but I have to ban you from my squat party tonight in light of the fact you are competing tomorrow☻/
/▌ Sm2sm crew (---Squat Moar to Squat Moar---)
/ \
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08-12-2016, 08:30 AM #3101
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08-12-2016, 10:56 AM #3102
- Join Date: Oct 2014
- Location: California, United States
- Age: 47
- Posts: 2,516
- Rep Power: 15919
So awesome to see you are able to do the meet Greg! I'm getting some waves of adrenaline just thinking about this..I'm pumped for you man!! Best of luck to you tomorrow. I'm pulling for you Greg
☻/
/▌ Sm2sm crew (---Squat Moar to Squat Moar---)
/ \
10/22/16 Meet: 350/220/505 1075lb total
04/29/17 Meet: 390/240/535 1165lb total
11/04/17 Meet: 424/254/551 1229lb total
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08-12-2016, 10:05 PM #3103
Thanks Moose Man. I appreciate it...I've always liked that slogan btw.
Thanks Shawn. Yeah those videos have really helped ease my nerves. It's nice to be able to anticipate more about how the commands will come. The one that really has me nervous is the bench...waiting at the top to start, waiting at the bottom to press, and then waiting again at the top to rack seems like a hell of a lot of waiting. I'm wishing I would have done more pause reps. Oh well...it's too late to worry now.
It looks like you had a heck of a good squat party tonight with your dogs. I'm jealous of that...I've got a house full of in-laws and nephews right now. I guess they helped keep me distracted but they kind of messed with my pre-meet relaxation plans. I'll hit the road by 5:30 am tomorrow to get there for the rules briefing at 8am and then it's show time.
Thanks BP. I'll try to harness some of that spirit tomorrow.
Thanks Andrew. I'm pumped too. I went over there today for the weigh in and to get measured for squat rack height and bench height. I also had to give my opening lifts and sign the card so it's on now.
I weighed in at 203.1 pounds so I'll have to go in the 220 class. After weighing in I was super hungry so I headed home and stopped off in Pollock Pines at the Pizza Factory for a pizza and salad. Then tonight I had a real junk food craving and went to Burger King for a small burger and 2 chili cheese dogs...hopefully it'll help fuel some good lifts tomorrow.If in doubt, squat and run hills. So you walk into the gym and don't know what to do? Then squat and run hills. Have a miserable day at work and want to break someone's neck but aren't sure who's? Then squat and run hills. - Wendler
ISSA Certified Personal Trainer
My Blog: https://slavinstrength.wordpress.com/
IG: @greg_slavin
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08-12-2016, 11:46 PM #3104
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08-13-2016, 03:23 AM #3105
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08-13-2016, 10:09 AM #3106
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08-13-2016, 05:38 PM #3107
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08-14-2016, 05:55 PM #3108
Thanks guys. I appreciate the positive energy.
*******************
Yeseterday I competed in my first powerlifting meet. It was the Lake Tahoe Classic USPA meet and was a lot of fun. I'm sorry for the delayed post of the details but it was a LONG day (the meet lasted from 8 am to 4:30 pm) and when the meet was over I drove over with my family to spend the night in Reno. The hotel had spotty wi-fi so I wasn't able to do any posting last night.
I wound up doing OK at the meet. For the most part my sore oblique cooperated and I managed to hit 8/9 of my lifts. My max on squat was 140 kg (308.65 pounds), bench press was 130 kg (286.6 pounds), and deads was 182.5 kg (402.34 pounds) for a total of 452.5 kg or 997.59 pounds.
Summary:
I was very happy with the lifts. I didn't hit my goal of 1000 pounds but I came very close. I missed my last bench press attempt at 135 kg (297.62 pounds). I came close on that lift and should have had it but honestly my mind lost focus on that lift...my mind started wandering and it cost me. Oh well at my next meet I should be able to improve on that and exceed 1000 for sure. One other funny thing is that I got 1st place in my age group and got a medal...I was the only person in my age group but hey a medal is a medal right?
Lessons Learned:
Plan for a full day next time. I need to take more snacks, water, and Gatorade...I started running short and was hungry by the end of the day. Also, I need to keep plugging away at my training and do more paused reps in my bench training. It was funny because I was most worried about squats and deadlifts but they went OK and I wound up missing a bench attempt.
All in all I had a lot of fun and really enjoyed the meet. It was great to be around other lifters. Some of those guys were moving some serious weights and it was cool to see them doing their thing.
Here are my videos...sorry if some of them show a little extra but my wife was filming and I didn't have the chance to edit them down yet:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKhCHLxFSbk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEemzMRryY4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvShOED3r3g
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lt9fHIRcxJU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bX_r5Jrjlf4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbjUMBWWagM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9O0XerkElQs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1DYwEiiaTyc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRreRHc4Zi0
Pics from the meet:
Me and son on platform after meet:
With 1st place medal from my age group (I was the only one in the group):
My meal at casino today to build up after meet:
Last edited by PtReyesGreg; 08-14-2016 at 06:12 PM. Reason: Added pictures
If in doubt, squat and run hills. So you walk into the gym and don't know what to do? Then squat and run hills. Have a miserable day at work and want to break someone's neck but aren't sure who's? Then squat and run hills. - Wendler
ISSA Certified Personal Trainer
My Blog: https://slavinstrength.wordpress.com/
IG: @greg_slavin
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08-14-2016, 06:12 PM #3109
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08-14-2016, 06:21 PM #3110
- Join Date: Jul 2011
- Location: New York, United States
- Posts: 15,251
- Rep Power: 123365
Congrats again on your day. I think my favorite part of any vid was your sons reaction on the 182.5kg deadlift. I'm sure you'll take what you learned from the day and build on it.
Hey and a medal is a medal. You beat everyone in your age group who did't show up
How many lifters were there? Hard to tell but it looks like a small venue.☻/
/▌
/ \ Don't care what you do crew.
Former natty ☠ 101- lift heavy things consistently over time as often as you can recover from.
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08-14-2016, 06:25 PM #3111
Sincere congratulations on all your lifts Greg! Been excited to read this and you didn't disappoint! You have done something pretty rare in stepping on the platform in most circles.
Awesome awesome work and strong lifting!!
Question: the 140 squat showed red lights? It looked good to me so was wondering why?
Great total, so have you got the bug to do another one?
Squats: looked really really good and strong, you have cleaned that up perfectly
Bench: you are just an awesome bencher and stuck to the commands perfectly
Deads: you were sandbagging bud, and they were all far too easy
Beautiful and inspirational job yesterday. Definitely enjoyed the little bit extra video shot as well and awesome to see the boy there supporting
More pumped than ever to compete!☻/
/▌ Sm2sm crew (---Squat Moar to Squat Moar---)
/ \
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08-14-2016, 06:57 PM #3112
- Join Date: Oct 2014
- Location: California, United States
- Age: 47
- Posts: 2,516
- Rep Power: 15919
Pure awesome Greg! You did great, looked like you had more in the tank too, especially on the squats. Cool how the family was there and your son was so excited watching you in the vids. Priceless experience all around. My nerves are firing now, seeing your vids and thinking about the meet in Oct in Portola. Grats on the medal and that buffet looked so good. Looked like Atlantis?
☻/
/▌ Sm2sm crew (---Squat Moar to Squat Moar---)
/ \
10/22/16 Meet: 350/220/505 1075lb total
04/29/17 Meet: 390/240/535 1165lb total
11/04/17 Meet: 424/254/551 1229lb total
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08-14-2016, 07:15 PM #3113
Thanks Dave. Yeah it was a blast. I am seriously considering going to the meet in Santa Cruz in December. I really want to hit my goal of getting at least a 1000 pound total and I think I could definitey achieve that with another couple of cycles of training...1050 might be a possibility.
I think you'll have a blast going to the competition with Shawn and John. Honestly I was nervous going into it but once I got the first squat set under my belt it was all good. Doing it with the other guys should make that even better for you.
Thanks John. Yeah my son was super excited on that lift. It was a LONG day for all of us but he was amped up each time I lifted.
It was a good experience and I'm glad I went ahead and lifted. My oblique was bugging me during warmups but by the time I lifted I wasn't feeling anything. With the exception of the missed bench I wasn't too nervous and was able to put the crowd out of my mind. It was great to get that first meet under my belt. Next time I'll have a much better idea what to expect.
There were 60 lifters total divided into 3 flights of 20. I was in the 3rd flight and since my lifts were relatively light compared to the others I led off most rounds for my flight. There were probably about 200 people in there (it was held in a Crossfit gym) altogether including family and friends so it wasn't real big but the people that were there were very friendly and supportive. It was a good size for my first meet I think.
Thanks again for all the advice you gave me. It made me much more ready for it than I would have been otherwise. I owe you for that.
Thanks Shawn. Yeah if you watch the 140 squat when the lights first come on they were read then they switched to white (you can see the whites around 1:05). Their lighting system wasn't the best so they came on like that sometimes for some reason. A couple of times they would come on white and then switch to red which made for some very disappointed lifters. I was just happy in my case they went from red to white and not the other way.
Yeaah I was happy with the total but I really would have liked 1000. I wish I would've gone a little heavier in the squats or deads but I wasn't sure with my oblique and I wanted to make sure I didn't fail a lift. Next time I might push lift #3 more across the board. I'll definitely do another contest, I'm just not sure when. Part of me wants to do the one in December to break 1000 this year and meet that goal...part of me thinks I should wait at least another 6 months so I have time for bigger improvements before competing again.
The bench was the toughest for me just because of the commands. You have to hold it at the top, then pause at the bottom, and then hold it at the top at the end. That tired me out a little by the 3rd set. I need to practice more for that next time. John mentioned it early on to me but I just didn't do enough of that honestly.
I don't know about sandbagging it on the deads but it did feel like I had more in the tank there. Next time I'll definitely push those some more. I need to push the squats more too. Now that my form feels better I should be able to work up to some higher weights there as well.
I'm glad you're pumped to compete. With your lifts I think you'll really kick some butt. Plus, competing with John and Dave will be a blast. I didn't know any other lifters there and still had fun. People were friendly and asked me about my lifting and it was fun finding out more about other lifters in this area. Plus, like you said it was great having my family there. They were a little bored by the end of the 8.5 hour meet but they helped root me on and for the most part had fun too.
I'm going to be looking forward to your meet now and enjoying the build up to it. Are you taking your family with you? I think you mentioned your wife might compete too, is that right?If in doubt, squat and run hills. So you walk into the gym and don't know what to do? Then squat and run hills. Have a miserable day at work and want to break someone's neck but aren't sure who's? Then squat and run hills. - Wendler
ISSA Certified Personal Trainer
My Blog: https://slavinstrength.wordpress.com/
IG: @greg_slavin
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08-14-2016, 07:23 PM #3114
Thanks Andrew. It was a blast...and really a great experience. I think you're going to really enjoy your meet in Portola.
The squats definitely felt like I had some more in me. I'll have to push those more in my training.
You called it...that was at the Atlantis. I definitely got my money's worth today. I had 3 plates of food and 2 desserts. I've got to get back to hitting the training tomorrow to put that to good use.
I'm seriously considering doing the meet in Santa Cruz in December. It's put on by the same guys that did my meet on Saturday and should be a good one.If in doubt, squat and run hills. So you walk into the gym and don't know what to do? Then squat and run hills. Have a miserable day at work and want to break someone's neck but aren't sure who's? Then squat and run hills. - Wendler
ISSA Certified Personal Trainer
My Blog: https://slavinstrength.wordpress.com/
IG: @greg_slavin
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08-14-2016, 07:32 PM #3115
Ah figured it was a light screw up, the lift looked great!
When we go to Syracuse it will just be my wife and I. Dragging my 4 boys with me will just be an added stress to the day for us both
I hope she is going to compete but I will say it's 50:50 right now. I'll see how her training goes. Either way she is coming though and will be great to have her there. I would love to have my boys there of course but with it comes a lot more stress trying to parent, as well we have to fly to southern Ontario then have a decent length drive after that, so the flights alone will be very expensive with 6 of us!
Awesome job again, thanks for sharing the experience!☻/
/▌ Sm2sm crew (---Squat Moar to Squat Moar---)
/ \
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08-15-2016, 02:31 AM #3116
- Join Date: Oct 2012
- Location: United States
- Age: 50
- Posts: 7,996
- Rep Power: 6740
Congrats Greg! Great job!
You've got the first one out of the way now. I'm sure this was an incredible learning experience for you and now you can use it to build upon. First time anxiety is now gone and you'll know what to expect going in next time. Great to see the family there pulling for you. Priceless.
I'm sure you'll hit 1,000 + next go!
Again, congrats! Great job man!"Never Give Up. Great Things Take Time."
- Frank Zane
IG: the_macro_mechanic
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08-15-2016, 02:57 AM #3117
- Join Date: Dec 2015
- Location: North Carolina, United States
- Age: 44
- Posts: 5,340
- Rep Power: 7751
Congrats Greg! Those were some very respectable lifts! That deadlift went up really easy in my opinion. I think you had a little more there. Actually, none of your heaviest lifts looked like they were that hard for you. Next time you'll leave 1000 in the dust. Thanks for sharing the videos along with your experience, and great job!
All-Time PR's and Info:
M, 5'10", 175 lb
Powerlifting: Squat: 315, Bench: 255, Deadlift: 420
Running: 5K: 22:46, 10K: 49:49, 15K: 1:28:08, 13.1: 2:03:00
Metcons: Murph: 29:43, Double Murph: 1:12:01, Cindy: 29 Rounds
IG: trentmas.nc
Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7v5c_ToyBkd6_3hP2jl94w
Galatians 2:20
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08-15-2016, 04:52 AM #3118
That's awesome your wife is considering competing. I've been trying to talk my wife into getting into lifting but so far it's just a little bit here and there. There were a lot more women competing at my meet than I thought would be there and my wife enjoyed watching them. I'd say it was probably 35% women. Some of them blew away my squat and dead numbers...I think I had them beat in the bench for the most part though. There was a 62 year old man there named Manny (who they said was some sort of California powerlifting legend) who squatted in the 500's and set a new state record by pulling somewhere in the upper 600's. That gave me the idea that I have some good years of lifting ahead of me hopefully.
It sounds like you have a good plan for Syracuse. I also think what you're saying about not bringing your boys makes sense too. I had my son and my nephew there for most of it. My brother-in-law showed up around noon and took my nephew away to go look at the lake. That was good because having both boys there was a little much as they were getting fidgety and bored and it's just extra work to watch after them when you're getting ready to lift.
Thanks Doc. Yeah there was definitely some first time anxiety at play there. It really came together well though. It reminded me of baseball in a way...where you're up there at the plate by yourself and you have to block everyone else out and focus just on what you're doing. Once I started doing that it was a lot of fun.
Thanks TM. The deadlift did feel pretty good. That was my first time over 385 so that was a pretty good PR. I followed your advice and switched to the mixed grip for the meet and it did feel much stronger and the bar felt more secure. I'll probably keep training double over hand for the most part (to keep building my grip strength) and then use the mixed grip for my heavies sets.
I was kicking myself for missing the bench but realized there was nothing I could do about it after the fact. I'll just have to get it next time and leave 1000 in the dust.If in doubt, squat and run hills. So you walk into the gym and don't know what to do? Then squat and run hills. Have a miserable day at work and want to break someone's neck but aren't sure who's? Then squat and run hills. - Wendler
ISSA Certified Personal Trainer
My Blog: https://slavinstrength.wordpress.com/
IG: @greg_slavin
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08-15-2016, 05:07 AM #3119
fantastic news Greg
congrats on being just 3lb shy of the 1000lb target you set for yourself
like you say, you can get that 3lb and probably more by next time as you will not be as nervous and hopefully will not have just had an injury issue leading up to it.☻/
/▌ Sm2sm crew (---Squat Moar to Squat Moar---)
/ \
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08-15-2016, 06:04 AM #3120
Great job Greg! Looks like the whole family enjoyed the trip. Nice lifts, and only a couple pounds short of a 1000 on your first try. All the lifts looked great, and you had a 1000 in you. Dead lifts you definitely had more in you. Squats looked great.
Going into December if you decide to do another one, you will definitely break a 1000.
You looked good on stage. Legs looking thick, and you definitely can tell you lift.
Great weekend Greg. Congrats man!
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