Competition Day

8/22:

Things were going a lot better on Saturday. Alarm went off at 7, breakfast was great, out the door at 8, and we got there nice and early at 8:30. Bench was first, here are my lifts...which were pretty awful to say the least:

Rules for Bench Press: After liftoff, competitor must lower the bar, let it rest on their chest until judge gives the signal to lift, lift the bar and hold it up with arms extended until the judge gives the signal to rack.

First lift, I got up 260, but rules state you have to hold the bar in the up position until the judge gives the direction to rack it. I didn't wait, just racked it. So that lift was disqualified. Second lift I tried 275, but just flat out didn't get it up. I probably started too heavy for the first lift, which left me a little too tired for the second. I have gotten 275 up in the past, but it was not to be which was really frustrating. Third lift was 275 as well (I wasn't aware that you can't go down in weight, only up), and I forgot to let it rest on my chest before pressing. So I lifted it, realized I need to let it rest, brought back down, and didn't have enough energy to push it. FAIL. The guy right after me did the exact same thing, so that made me feel a little better.

Next up, deadlift:

First lift, 435. Not much to say...I had just warmed up at 405, that was no problem and neither was 435. Second lift was 450: not too bad, I felt the form going a little bit but I got it up without problem. Third lift and final lift was 465. I think I get it up pretty well, but if you look closely I let it rest on my left thigh which is an easy call for a DQ. You can see looking a little cockeyed at the bar, then at the judges. Turns out they overloaded the bar and put 485 on, so they give me a do-over on the try at 465. After making sure they got the weight right, I pull the lift all the way up making sure not to let it touch my legs. Success! 465 turned out to be better than almost all of the 198 lb weight class lifters.

So lastly was the curl. Rules are pretty basic, your legs have to stay perfectly straight, back stay on the pad, and wait for the judges commands to curl, lower, and rack.

I had practiced this only a few times before, best I got was 145 so I started my first lift at 125. I get it up no problem. To my surprise one of the mammoth heavyweights (not sure what he weighed in at, had to be 325+) was starting out at the same weight as me, and we were attempting the heaviest in the group. Anyhow, second lift was 140. Again, no problem. Third lift, 145 and this one was a little harder (the state record was 142.5 for my weight class). I knew I had done it before, so when I hit that little hitch in the middle I was able to push through it.

Rules for the competition are, if you make your 3rd lift and would like to go for a state or national record you can go for a 4th lift. The nat'l record for the 181lb class was 147.5, so I decided to go for 150. I wasn't sure if I could get it, but I thought I'd try it just to see what would happen. So, I lift and get stuck about halfway up. I keep pulling and pulling, it felt like it stayed in that position for a good minute without making any progress. I didn't even hear the crowd, who I guess was cheering real loud from the sound of the tape. I end up getting it up, almost DQ by bringing my back off the pad as I bring it down, but it was good and counted. Nat'l record!

So all in all, two first place finishes for my weight class (deadlift, curl). Felt pretty good, and a good start for my first competition. Taking the day off tomorrow, back to work on Monday.