12 Nov Dan Dalenberg- 1500-2000, Part 3: Goals Realized, Meet Write up
As a part of my meet write up for Relentless Detroit I would like to share more information on my background and growth through 10/20/Life. This is 1500-2000 Part 3, Goals Realized.
The meet was finally here! Thank goodness. I was ready. I was confident in my training and my abilities. So here’s the best part of the 3 article series: Meet writeup- Goals Realized.
The Weight Cut and Friday
The cut to 242 was easy. I made it almost there without sweating. A couple rounds in a makeshift bathroom steam sauna and I was there. Made weight easily at 241.4. Funny how powerlifting will make you very comfortable with being mostly naked in front of a lot of people. Weigh ins were busy but I was thirsty and ended up walking off the scale in just a pair of Hanes to put down 2 Gatorades. Too busy to put some shorts on you know?
The weight started to come back easily. A massive breakfast kick started things. Brian had come up from Florida to handle me. We met for lunch and hung out at the meet Friday evening. 3 meals, countless snacks and a quick pump workout later and I was back to 255. Lots of laughs and good times Friday, had to skip desert though. The other guys had some ridiculous looking chocolate brownie that surely would’ve put me in a coma. Next time.
Saturday
I woke up ready to go. I was in the first flight so we got on the road early to hit up breakfast and get to the church. Got there good and early, staked out a spot and started getting ready.
Squat
Warm ups went ok. I knew it would be a little rushed; we had a big flight and probably started a little late. I was also on edge since I had 4 lifters in the meet, two clients and two training partners. Brian talked me off the ledge and made me sit down. I had to focus on me and what I was doing so he forced me to chill out. Thankful for that, stress was getting me worked up. After that my last warm up felt great and we got a chair to wait.
Turns out I didn’t have to wait long for the opener. Brian told me to slow it down and hold a little back. Don’t blow my wad on the 1st attempt or miss it on depth. So I put it in the bucket and hit a smooth 710.
760 was up next, stuck with the plan. My stance crept in a little and I got one red on depth. It still moved well though and I knew I could get my stance perfect for the last attempt. I asked Brian, 785 or 800? 800 of course, that’s what we came to do.
800…. GOOD. My stance was perfect, everything locked in tight. Wedged under that motherf’er and locked. Hammered this attempt and was leading the pack. Dan Maki (308) hit an 810, but I knew on formula I was looking good for best lifter.
Bench
Long wait to bench and my back got pretty tight. Thankfully my handler was a 265 pound licensed massage therapist and he made quick work of a knot in my right side. Warm ups moved great and I was feeling good.
460 opener- Good.
490 second- Harder than I wanted. I couldn’t quite get tight enough and had to grind.
505- miss.
I wasn’t worried. My pull has been strong and I was set up to go 2000.
Deads
My warm ups felt better than they ever have at a meet. Usually I feel like garbage.
Hit the platform with an EASY 625.
685 second for a nice total PR and a 5 pound pull PR.
710 for 2000.. A lot to say about this lift. Waiting for it I keep getting messages from my teammates telling me to kill it. It meant a whole hell of a lot to me to have the support of so many, pretty motivating when some of the best in the game are telling me to get after it.
I knew this lift would be all heart and desire. Brian and I are standing on the platform and he pulls my earbuds out to get in my ear. Three quotes that got under my skin and I knew I couldn’t miss:
“A lot of talk these past few weeks, you better put up today. You miss this and those 25 pounds are going to eat at you for months. You really want to live with that?”
“You better not fucking quit on this. You pull until you lock out or that bar falls out of your hands.”
“You miss this you total 1975. NOBODY gives a shit about 1975. You haven’t done ANYTHING yet.”
He was right. I hadn’t done anything yet. That one stuck with me. You see, significance is a big part of my personality. 1975 didn’t feel significant, I have already totaled 19xx. 2000 was going to be significant. So I took the platform to do something about it. I hear my guy Kelly yelling 2K, Kenny screaming “You gotta want it.” So I got locked in, pulled the slack out and pulled on that damn bar as hard as I could. I felt it slow in the middle and leveraged it into me and kept pulling. FINALLY a down call. 3 whites.
And it was done.
I had totaled 2000 and realized a long term goal. I won’t be a tough guy and lie to you; this was an emotional moment for me. It was surreal and after a little celebrating, lots of handshakes, high fives and hugs, I found a quiet corner in the church. I needed a minute to enjoy it and let it sink in. Relentless is intensely charged meet and I was overcome with emotion, joy and a sense of accomplishment. Best raw lifter of the day.
Once the rankings get updated I believe that my squat will be ranked #8 all time and total will be #18. I am pretty damn proud of that.
Some thank you’s
Brian Carroll- Dude. What can I say? My friend, having you in my corner has changed my game. Thank you for coming. I appreciate your support, advice and friendship more than you could possibly realize.
Kenny Richardson- Thank you for getting video and getting in my ear when I needed it. Having someone experienced such as yourself who just flat out gets it goes a long way.
Marc Terejo- It was awesome of you to show up and help out.
Ezra Salmon- Thanks for coming and taking care of my guys. I owe you one for letting us use the big squat bar too. 2015 is going to be a big year for us.
Tommy, Clay, JJ and all of the DBB crew running the meet- Excellent work. Relentless is a circus and you guys were able to run a good meet and keep things moving throughout a long day.
Kelly, Cory and Will- Thank you for putting up with me, keeping me safe and being there when I need you. On to the next one.
The rest of my Power Rack teammates- You have no idea how much it means to me to get your dumbass Facebook messages. The funny shit kept me calm and words of encouragement coming from all over was awesome.
Most importantly- My beautiful bride-to-be, Chelsea- Thank you for at least trying to understand why I do this and for supporting me. I love you. [share title=”Share this Article” facebook=”true” twitter=”true” google_plus=”true” linkedin=”true” pinterest=”true” reddit=”true” email=”true”][author title=”About the Author”]
Daniel Dalenberg
Latest posts by Daniel Dalenberg (see all)
- A Binge for the Record Books - August 20, 2018
- Training on the Go - July 6, 2018
- Dan Dalenberg | Deload and 5k week! - June 18, 2018
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.