Overall a well run meet. I think their were around 30 lifters total. 1 long flight for squats (19 folks, I believe), 3 flights for bench, and 2 for deadlift. Flights were fast, which generally means that the folks running it are doing a good job.
Training leading up to the meet... Injured my back 4 weeks out, which caused a gap in squat training for a couple of weeks. My train-up was about 4 weeks of moderately heavy work, followed by 5 weeks of balls to the wall heavy stuff with Al Caslow and his guys. A great crowd and I'll continue to train with them, even though it's a 45 minute drive.
Wanted to stay light (Army stuff) so I cut to the 242 class from 255, which means I lost 15lbs the week of the meet. Training hard and trying to lose weight was too hard. Weighed in a 239lbs at 6PM, then competed at 0930 the next morning. Not the best plan, but it was my only option, really. The weight loss screwed my gear up more than anything else. I wore a Titan Boss (with Metal Pro Briefs) and Metal single ply Bash, all built for the bigger guy that wore them during training (me).
Squats - no issues during warm-ups. Had to bring a neighbor as a handler, and he isn't a powerlifter so we were both nervous. Luckily, Matt Reynolds and his STRONG gym crew were there, so I got some help. Much thanks to those guys. A serious group of beasts... So I went with the plan, 725 (good), 770 (good), then 800 (depth...). Frustrating, but I wasn't 100% with my borrowed suit.
Bench - fast warm up due to flight speed. Managed to take last warmup at 405 off 3 board for 3. Opener, 495 was good, but heavier than it should have been. Then to 510, which strayed a little too far towards the feet and got dumped. Took it again and nailed it.
DL - A noticeable lack of conditioning by this point. I was dog tired and everything felt heavy. Warmed up to 495 and was ready. Opened at 600, which felt like 800. Got 615 OK, then tried 630. Somehow I picked the bar up an inch, then set it down, then picked it up for a full lift. Not sure what happened. It was fast, but a "no lift". Oh well.
Overall, I wasn't super-pleased, but all things considered I guess I wasn't too bad. Really wanted to squat 800 and pull closer to 700, but didn't train for it. Hindsight...
The meet was in Branson, and Branson is a trip. It was a 5 hour drive after school and barely made it the weigh in on time, too. Lots of great teams there, which was nice.
Attached is a photo of the 770lbs squat.
Last edited by damonwells; 02-27-2011 at 05:44 PM.
Great job man. It was cool watching you lift. I wish I would have been able to watch a bit closer, but we were always like one guy apart when we were on the platform.
Also, you are in excellent shape for a 242-er. You easily look thick enough to be a 275, but still really lean.
Hope you get to make it to Wichita Falls in a couple weeks and we can murder some buffets.
Matt, thanks. I will be down there around 17 March during a house hunting expedition in Lawton, OK. Hopefully I'll get out your way for some training before I leave here.
Thanks again to you and your crew. First class lifters.
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Meet Report: SPF Ozark Classic
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