I’ve committed
myself to lift in the 198 lb. class vs. 220 going forward with the goal of
beating the 2010 USAPL Raw Nationals total of 1,438 lbs. I posted at 198 back
in July of 2010. That was four years ago
at age 51 and besting that now at age 55 will be a challenge, but in my mind it
is absolutely doable if I can stay healthy.
This meet was my qualifier for the 2014 USAPL Raw Nationals in Denver
this summer and my goals at the Classic were to get all three squats, benches
and deadlifts passed, and to total within 50 lbs. of 1,438 as part of my
progression for nationals.
I went to
this meet without a crew to handle me which is pretty much out of the norm. But when lifting raw (belt only) it’s not the
issue that it is when you compete in gear, which really does demand that you
have two handlers minimum to help you warm-up and execute properly through an
entire meet. One of the very special
things about the sport of powerlifting is that you can
show up at a meet without help and without really knowing anyone, and help will
just find you. Throughout the day I met
people like Pete Bush, Arthur Bui and many others who “adopted” and helped me
with my warm-ups, pre-lift preparations and a ton of encouragement when I
stepped onto the platform. All I could say
to them was “thank you” for making it a fun meet and a great day at the Classic.
So here are my meet results from the Classic at 198 compared to mine from
the 2010 USAPL Raw Nationals:
Raw Squat Bench Dead Total
2010 540 292 606 1,438
2014 513 286 601 1,400
Var (27) (6) (5) (38)
Bottom line, I feel pretty good about where I am right now using these
numbers as a benchmark. I was able to go
9 for 9 on my lifts at the Classic, which was good. I also finished within 38 lbs. of my raw total
at 198 lbs. at the USAPL Raw Nationals 4 years ago, which was good (and a
relief). And I felt like I had more in
the tank on my squat and my deadlift, so there is some upside there to beat 1,438 which
is also good. I know my bench will never
be what it once due to the c6/c7 disc rupture in my neck years ago and
the resulting nerve damage to my left shoulder and arm, but the squat and
deadlift are still a go!