Last Saturday, I earned my first elite powerlifting total by totaling 1500 to win the 198 open amateur raw modern division (in knee sleeves) at the 2015 RPS Gate City Gauntlet in Nashua, New Hampshire.
I went 9-for-9 and squatted 540, bench pressed 385 and deadlifted 575. All lifts were all-time PRs and the total was a 65-pound meet PR.
It was hands-down the best meet of my career and exactly what I’d prepared for after having a pretty lousy meet in October 2014.
Here are the highlights:
I came in with the main goal of hitting an elite total of 1475. My planned second attempts would put me at 1465, meaning I only needed to make up 10 pounds with my third attempts. After going 3-for-3 in the squat with a 540 third attempt, I knew I had a great shot at 1500, and thanks to the tremendous coaching of Greg Robins, I got it with some left in the tank.
My second squat was 530 and it was a bit shaky. It wasn’t terribly hard but I lost my tension in the hole and it came up slow. With some encouragement from Greg, I got a better set-up and reversed out of the hole much better with 540, which came up no problem.
Bench went about as well as it possibly could have. 355 and 370 were jokes, so I took 385 for my third and smoked that for a 5-pound all-time PR and 20-pound meet PR. We got fast press commands all day which helped too.
I was very confident going into the deadlift knowing I only had to pull 550 to hit an elite total. Warm-ups felt kind of slow but things turned around once I hit the platform. 550 was easy, so we called for 575 to get to 1500. That came up smooth too, putting the exclamation point on the best meet of my career so far.
I can’t say enough great things about Greg. He’s written my programs for over a year now and the progress is undeniable. My technique and mental approach have improved by leaps and bounds. I have 100 percent faith in Greg as a coach and I cannot recommend him enough.
Along with Greg, I had an awesome crew of supporters from Cressey Sports Performance and 212 Health & Performance to cheer me on. It was incredibly flattering to have so many people there to watch me and I felt the love all day. Thanks to everyone who came out!
My next goal is to total 1520 to qualify for the 2017 XPC Finals at the Arnold Classic in Columbus, Ohio. I’ll plan to compete again in the early summer (after I get married in May!) which gives me plenty of time to prepare. Until then, follow me on Instagram to stay up to date with all my training.