SS Challenge - Greensburg, PA - April 24, 2016
I spent then night at my parents' house, seeing as they are 10 minutes from the gym location. Weigh-ins were 7-8 AM. I weighed in at 257.2, which was a bit higher than I had thought, but okay by me. I have to admit - my nerves were getting to me as we started off with the squats first. They broke up the lifters into three flights, and I was the last flight for all three lifts.
Squat
I opened up with 385 and I was about fifth from last for each attempt. Frankly, I was nervous as shit and didn't want to bomb out. I actually completed the lift with ease with three whites...I'm not sure what it was (adrenaline, support from the other lifters, solid wooden platform), but it seemed LIGHT. My second attempt was 425, 5 lbs less than my personal best. It was slightly more difficult than the first attempt, but it was not too tough. Again, three whites, and I was really happy to have gone 2/2 thus far. Last attempt - 440 lbs, a 10 lb PR. I was concerned about having enough in the tank, making depth, etc. Well, it was tough, probably an RPE of 9, but I received three whites and a PR to boot. I was very happy to be 3/3...and even more pleased that others on ss.com talked some sense into me about setting realistic lift attempts for my first meet (thanks, Van!).
Press
This is my best lift...I can't really explain why, but I've always had an above average press. I was the last lifter to attempt his lift on all three attempts, which was not something I expected at all. First attempt was 215, which should have been a piece of cake...and it was. I gained a bit of confidence going into the second lift. No other lifter attempted anything greater than 200 for their first attempt. 2nd lift attempt was 235 - 5 lbs less than my all-time training PR of 240. I was really worried I'd fuck this up because of seeing a lot of disqualified lifts during this round. The SS judges were fair, but strict on the press. I took on 235 and it was about an 8.5 or so. All whites - I was feeling great! The final attempts for all lifters came rather quickly. I was going for 245 along with one other lifter. This other guy (I forget his name) was a real beast. He manhandled the 245 up, but got three reds. I think he failed to lock out both elbows, but I'm not sure because I was at a bad viewing angle to the side of the platform. I was next...and I just didn't have it in me. I got about 1/3 of the way up and knew there was no way I was going to get the lift. Bummer. 2/3 with press. 5/6 attempts overall.
We broke for lunch and would end the day with deadlift.
Deadlift
I was trying my best to relax and conserve energy prior to the start of deads. I was the second attempt on the third flight, so I had a bit of time prior to my first lift. I started out at 425, which should not have been a problem (did 420 for an easy double two week prior). I felt really good after 420 - three whites as well. 2nd attempt was 475, 10 lbs less than my all time PR. It was not too bad, but I could definitely feel my back getting taxed. I was thinking my last lift was going to be tough for a couple of reasons - it would be a 20 lb PR, and this was a very tiring day of lifting. So, the final lift of the day for me was 505 lbs. I had never pulled five wheels on each side of the bar, so this was a bold attempt for me. I had to give this sonofabitch all I had to get the weight up and locked out. It was truly a 10 RPE and a helluva struggle...but I was successful!
Summary
BS - 385, 425, 440 - 10 lb PR!; 3/3;
Press - 215, 235, 245 - failed; 2/3;
DL - 425, 475, 505 - 20 lb PR!; 3/3;
I'm very satisfied with the results. Also, thanks to Nick Racculia and the other SS coaches present for running a very smooth event. Unfortunately, I'm pretty damn sore today...but I will be resting at least until Wednesday, before I complete my deload week.
I'll upload some videos later today/tomorrow as I was lucky enough to have my parents record all 9 attempts.