31 May APF Equipped Nationals

Proud of this kid.  Nic has come a long way and is still moving up. It was a long weekend but he showed some real perseverance and that he’s a competitor. Training doesn’t always go as planned but all that matters is what happens on meet day.

In all reality the day of the competition went really well. A few hiccups here and there but no day is ever perfect. If you’re expecting a perfect day to compete on, I’ll let you in on the secret that it’ll never happen.

Squats set the tone for the meet.  I’d heard that they had been strict all weekend so we weren’t taking any chances with his squats.  Nic is a helluva squatter and where he puts the biggest numbers.  Despite being a few pounds lighter than in training we were able to crank down on his Inzer Ultra Leviathan Pro and get it as tight as we needed it. His opener of 600 was super easy. As it should be.  I never tell Nic what my real plans for his attempts are.  He gets something set in his head and it throws him all off.  (Sorry buddy but it’s the truth.)  I knew if he hit a 2nd squat well I’d take him over 700.

After his opener, we started cranking on the squat suit hard. Got everything set right and he smashed a 655 (5lb PR) squat. As easy as it was, I wasn’t going to change a thing with the suit. He mentioned his unrack felt a little unstable. I had noticed it looked a little low on his opener but thought he would be good for the 2nd. Despite the extra weight, his 2nd attempt unrack was still low. I opted to raise the hooks one pin. Between 2nd and 3rd attempts Nic felt his legs going to sleep. We knew where to set the suit so we loosened up the cords a bit to give those legs some blood. The hips were real tight and probably being seated between attempts wasn’t helping.

A couple lifters out we got him up and started to retighten the suit. 2 lifters out we got his knee wraps on and got the squat suit’s straps set. With the pin height up one his unrack looked solid. As soon and he broke at the hips, I knew he had it. 710 for a 60lb PR. With still some left in the tank.

This meet was hauling ass. With 2 platforms and some tight judges and excellent spotters and loaders, benching was going to happen quickly. Nic was having a bit of issues with cramping at this point but putting down some mustard, pedialyte and food held them off enough to get through the benches.

Now Nic has struggled benching through this training cycle. He’s used to a tighter shirt but had just out grown his old one. It took him a long time to get comfortable in a looser shirt and he finally seemed to do that on meet day. When it counts. Opener was easy. 420 in the books. 450 was next. We didn’t make any adjustments to the shirt. Nic is a strong pressed but something about being in the shirt throws him off. I was relying on him to be calm and just use the strength I knew he had rather than make any adjustments to the shirt. Smashed 450 and made it look better than his opener.

I took him 485 for his third attempt on bench. This would be a 15lb PR. Took the bar out well, great descent with it. Got the press command and drove it up but let the shirt do too much. By the time he realized he had to put in a little effort the bar had made a downward movement and was red lighted by the judges. Just goes to show how much was left on the platform. With a few adjustments, if he doesn’t bench over 500 in November I’m kicking him out. (Joking, somewhat)

Moving on to the deadlifts and things were rolling smoothly. Meet was still hustling along and with only a few minutes of down time it seemed like the cramps had subsided and it was time to pull. Warm ups went well and everything looked good. His opener of 500 was a joke. I always have my lifters open stupid light on the deadlift. I don’t feel making big jumps on deads are a big deal but come the end of the meet I don’t want them opening too heavy and getting caught off guard. Build momentum for a strong third pull.

Nic’s 2nd attempt was 540. Looked like a last warmup or opener. We went 585 for his third. This would have been a 20lb PR but he rushed the set up and it got away from him. As he pulled it back into him there was a second where the bar drifted back down as he fought with repositioning it. He finished the lift but received 3 reds. Rookie mistake of getting rushed but we’ve all done it.

80lbs we left on the platform for mistakes. The strength is there. With his performance and 2nd place as a junior he qualified for Worlds in November. With the potential to go over 1800 there we’ve got some work to do.

He’ll rest now and we’ll start to hammer away at these weak points soon. For now… I’m proud of him. Big squat PR at his first national competition and qualified for Worlds. As a coach and a handler, I always wonder what I could have done differently. It’s a learning experience for all involved. I have a better idea of things we need to focus on. I have a better idea of how I’ll have him approach every lift. Coaching is dynamic and the coach needs to be too. I still believe a good coach takes none of the credit. Nic did all this. He had to show up. He’s a competitor. He puts it together on meet day. That would have happened with or without me. But blame, that I take. There’s plenty I could have done. Hindsight is 20/20. I’ll just know not to make the same mistakes again.

I excited for every one of my competitors. We’ve got a few more coming up and mine as well. Seeing my guys do so well motivates me to try and perform as well. It was a great weekend and I’m glad I could be there to help. Onward.

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Low Country Strength

Will Kuenzel is the owner of Lowcountry Strength (www.LowcountryStrength.com) in Charleston, SC. Will started his athletic endeavors as a pole vault; finishing up his collegiate career with a best vault of 16’9” at a whopping 160lbs. He the track and field world to pursue bodybuilding, his first show in 2005, he won 1st place in Men’s Novice as a middle weight. One year later he took 2nd as a Men’s Junior heavy weight. Since 2007 he has been a competitive powerlifter and totaling elite as a 220lber. His best lifts in multiply equipment are a 710lbs squat, a 605lbs bench press, a 615lbs deadlift and a 1930 total. In 2008 Will started Lowcountry Strength out of his garage. Since then it has moved into a 16,000 sq/ft facility and shares space with a mixed martial arts studio. With all disciplines of powerlifting, strongman, MMA, jiu jitsu and other sports in the Charleston area getting trained under one roof, Will heads up the strength and conditioning for a wide variety of athletes and clients.

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