15 Jun LCS Kalamazoo meet report
Bomb out meet report
No lifter ever likes talking about having bombed out. It sucks. But, it’s all part of the game. We’ve all done it at some point. No matter how well things are going, sometimes there are just things out of our control. What we have to be able to do is learn and grow. Not easy when all you want to do is pout and be angry but growth isn’t always easy.
I should have known something was up when I dropped twelve pounds in 3 days. Sure I was cutting carbs and starting my weight cut. But 12lbs. That’s excessive. By Wednesday morning I was 218lbs. Down from 230lbs on Sunday. I woke up Thursday morning at 216lbs. About lunch time I started reintroducing carbs back into my system. While I cut water back, I never eliminated it. I still think I drank just over a gallon on Thursday, along with 300g of carbs. I weighed in at a whopping 216lbs. With food and water. After enjoying the biggest doughnut I’ve ever seen (thanks again Brandon), it was breakfast time and that set the tone for the rest of the day.
I felt good from the stand point that I was hungry all day long. I ate and ate and ate. While still managing to put back down almost 3 gallons of water/Gatorade/pedialyte. I was actually 236lbs going to bed Friday night. Despite sounding like an 80year old smoker after a week-long binge drinking fest, I didn’t feel nearly as bad as my upper respiratory cold made me sound.
Dan Dalenberg had a helluva venue and ran an excellent meet. There were zero misloads all day. The spotters were on point and nobody got hurt. That’s fantastic!
Warming up, I felt good. No great but I figured it wasn’t something that a little caffeine couldn’t fix. Last warm up went well. I thought, no problem. We’re good. My opener was only 40lbs over my last warm up. I got out on the platform, got it unracked and it didn’t feel bad. Got to depth when I heard Zane call me up. And nothing… not even a little pop. Shit. Kept the weight the same, tightened the suit a little and went at it again. Same result. Just nothing. I was tired at this point. Looking back, I know now that I just sick. We cranked down on things, cinched the suit like it was a third attempt and went at it again. Got down and grinded out my opener. A horrible grinding lift. I was in the meet though.
I suck at squatting. I’ve talked with Brian, Zane, Byrd about this. I’ve got a lot to work on here. I’m okay with that. On to bench. This training cycle has gone really well with my bench. 2 new Inzer shirts and both I have been feeling really strong with. Opted for the navy shirt since it was a little smaller and has a bit more pop off the bottom. Again, warm ups felt good. Nothing felt really “off” but nothing was popping like I’m used to. I just figured fatigue from grinding a squat and travel. No big deal. More caffeine.
My bench opener was light. Initially so for cutting and travel. Something I’ve doubled in training multiple times. If I can’t get a bench in, something is off. 1st attempt, smashed half way up. Right arm just completely gives out. 2nd attempt, we cranked the shirt a bit more, get set up tighter… same result. Smashed half way up. Zane and I talk with Marc mentioning a couple things he’s seen. Here’s where being part of such a tremendous group is completely humbling. I’m honored and grateful every day to have such amazing friends and teammates. So completely unselfish, knowledgeable and helpful. We made a few adjustments, cranked the shirt like a 3rd attempt and despite my best effort same result. At this point, I felt horrible. Not just mentally and emotionally but physically. My head was pounding, my throat hurt and I had a hard time breathing.
Dan was going to let me pull for grins and giggles. Especially since I had come out all that way. I knew it wasn’t worth it though. There was no way I was pulling a PR if I hadn’t been able to get out my openers. My day was done. It was time to spend the rest of day cheering on the rest of crew and talking to new friends.
While as a competitor I didn’t have a great day, I did have an amazing weekend. Seeing friends I don’t see nearly often enough and getting the chance to pick at the brains of some amazing lifters isn’t an opportunity to pass up. Did I just want to crawl in hole? Sure, but I don’t pass up chances to hang out with friends and potentially talk shop and shoot the shit.
Getting out of my normal comfort zone and doing something like this is experience you just can’t get staying in your normal circles. Doing local meets are fun and convenient. But if you want to grow as a lifter you have to get out and go through the experience of cutting while on the road. The challenges that come with travel are not always easy to anticipate. So much can go wrong so fast. These are valuable lessons. I don’t have delusions of grandeur about setting world records. I do plan on being the best I can and giving it my all to compete against the best. I love competing so that’s what I am to do.
I’m fortunate that I have a loving wife that understands my desire to compete in a hobby. I’m lucky to have a great training crew that help me to train on a daily basis. I’m grateful to my friends and teammates that help/coach/support. Powerlifting is an individual support on the platform but there’s a host of people that are behind the lifter cheering them on and giving their support. Thank you!
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