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The Road to Humiliation: My First PL Meets

lifterdead

lifterdead

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I'm finally doing what I should have done a long time ago: competed.

I've been lifting on and off for years. I've made progress, lost progress, and cameback several times, but one thing has always nagged me. I've never actually competed in an official powerlifting contest. After wasting most of this past year doing jackshit in the gym, I decided the best way to motivate myself and fulfill my ambitions was to sign up for the IPA Jersey States Championships.

Due to graduate school, a new job, moving, being married, and general poverty I couldn't get into the gym more than once or twice a week this past year. Not being able to afford a New York gym membership, I was forced to rely on the City College's gym. It's only open Mon-Fri and closes by 830pm. Working full time and taking classes at night I only could hit it up now and then. Typically, I would pick one major exercise (squat, deads, or bench) and build a workout around it. My diet went to shit. I drank pitchers of beers and ate cheetos for dinner. As expected, my weights went down and I got fat.


Where I stand now:

5'9, about 160 pounds. Very pudgy, large belly.
Current Lifts:
Bench: 250x1
Deadlift: 315x1
Squat: 275x1

All lifts are full range of motion, paused. Deads are sumo style.

Where I want to be in Jan:

Compete @148
Bench: 275
Dead: 330
Squat: 315


My plan:

Since I've never competed before, I plan on using the IPA meet in January to get my feet wet. I'm competing in the RAW amateur division. Not expecting win, just want to get the feel of the meet. Then, in 2010 the IPA New York Championships are in August. With one meet under my belt, and over 6 months of training, I'd like to compete again and see how I do.

Ultimate Goals:

RAW, Drug Free.
Bench: 315
Squat: 400
Deadlift: 400

Total: 1,115@148




HOW TO USE THIS LOG

Comment! I'm going to post lots of questions and ask for lots of advice. Give it freely. For example, I'm at a complete loss for 2 month prep programs.


Anyone know any good meet prep programs?:omgwtf:
 
tim290280

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All I can say is good luck!!

I aspire to doing a lifting competition too, it is one of those things that unless you sign the forms and pay the fees you always seem to pullout at some stage.

If you are only able to go a couple of times a week make sure that you are doing loads of ME and DE work in each session. ME for upper, DE for lower or vice versa. Make each session count and look to have days between each session.
 
lifterdead

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Tim, could you explain what ME and DE work is?
 
lifterdead

lifterdead

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Thanks El Freako, very helpful.
 
lifterdead

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Soooooooooooooooooooooo

I've started a relatively low-carb diet this week. I need to drop about 10 pounds by Jan. 30th, and I figure approx. 4 pounds of that could be water. This morning I weighed in @ 158 or so.


Any diet advice? Should I avoid cardio, or is some ok before a contest?
 
X

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Cardio is fine.

I did recommend HIIT or some steady-state cardio.

What i do, when i do some HIIT cardio at the crosstrainer is this.

6 min steady state
8x 20 seconds sprint/10 seconds off (4 minuts)
10 min steady state.

That's 20 min of cardio and around 250-350 calories.

Besides that i'm a big fan power walk. Takes abit more time, but i like it.


Diets advice:

Well if you just want to loose the weight by water, i would start drinking alot of tea since it's making you pee alot and therefor loose water :) (I lack som english words :p)
 
lifterdead

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Got on the scale this morning: 155 pounds!

Hard to believe a week of low carbs will do that. I weighed 161 before I started.


Just this past month I switched to sumo deadlifting for good. It feels better, and I seem to lift better this way. Banged out 315 for a solid 3 reps, felt I might have done more.

I'm still embarrassed by my squat and deadlift. I benched 225 for an easy 5 on Thursday, and it seems lame that my other lifts are so low. I hope I'll be able to get into the high 300s for the next meet in August.
 
PrinceVegeta

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Just keep doing what you love doing and it will all be fine soon! keep lifting hard buddy!
 
El Freako

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What program did you settle on for meet prep?

There must be some powerlifting clubs around you somewhere in NY. You should find one and join it so you can get some tips and tutoring for your comp. Warm-up, calls, etc.
 

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lifterdead

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Today I did some light deadlifts, 255 for 8-10 reps.

LIFTERDEADS QUESTION OF THE WEEK:

I sumo deadlift. With a W-I-D-E stance. Overall, I feel more comfortable and stronger deadlifting this way.

What does this say about my squat?

If I sumo deadlift, do I have stronger hips, or a stronger lower back? Should I squat with a wide stance too??????


:omgwtf:
 
El Freako

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Today I did some light deadlifts, 255 for 8-10 reps.

LIFTERDEADS QUESTION OF THE WEEK:

I sumo deadlift. With a W-I-D-E stance. Overall, I feel more comfortable and stronger deadlifting this way.

What does this say about my squat?

If I sumo deadlift, do I have stronger hips, or a stronger lower back? Should I squat with a wide stance too??????


:omgwtf:

Sumo deadlifting actually entails a lot more quad work than conventional, sooo...

(Actually you posted in this thread too)

An electromyographic analysis of sumo and conventional style deadliftsESCAMILLA, RAFAEL F.; FRANCISCO, ANTHONY C.; KAYES, ANDREW V.; SPEER, KEVIN P.; MOORMAN, CLAUDE T. III

Abstract
An electromyographic analysis of sumo and conventional style deadlifts. Med. Sci. Sports Exerc., Vol. 34, No. 4, pp. 682–688, 2002.

Purpose: Strength athletes often employ the deadlift in their training or rehabilitation regimens. The purpose of this study was to compare muscle activity between sumo and conventional style deadlifts, and between belt and no-belt conditions.

Methods: Six cameras collected 60-Hz video data and 960-Hz electromyographic data from 13 collegiate football players who performed sumo and conventional deadlifts with and without a lifting belt, employing a 12-RM intensity. Variables measured were knee angles and EMG measurements from 16 muscles. Muscle activity were averaged and compared within three 30° knee angle intervals from 90 to 0° during the ascent, and three 30° knee angle intervals from 0 to 90° during the descent.

Results: Overall EMG activity from the vastus medialis, vastus lateralis, and tibialis anterior were significantly greater in the sumo deadlift, whereas overall EMG activity from the medial gastrocnemius was significantly greater in the conventional deadlift. Compared with the no-belt condition, the belt condition produced significantly greater rectus abdominis activity and significantly less external oblique activity. For most muscles, EMG activity was significantly greater in the knee extending intervals compared with the corresponding knee flexing intervals. Quadriceps, tibialis anterior, hip adductor, gluteus maximus, L3 and T12 paraspinal, and middle trapezius activity were significantly greater in higher knee flexion intervals compared with lower knee flexion intervals, whereas hamstrings, gastrocnemius, and upper trapezius activity were greater in lower knee flexion intervals compared with higher knee flexion intervals.

Conclusions: Athletes may choose to employ either the sumo or conventional deadlift style, depending on which muscles are considered most important according to their training protocols. Moderate to high co-contractions from the quadriceps, hamstrings, and gastrocnemius imply that the deadlift may be an effective closed kinetic chain exercise for strength athletes to employ during knee rehabilitation.

But as far as squats go, for a raw lifter conventional is the best stance.
 
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lifterdead

lifterdead

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Thanks, Freako.

I actually recalled Tim saying something about sumo using more quads, too.


My squat sucks right now, still looking for the right "groove."
 
El Freako

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Thanks, Freako.

I actually recalled Tim saying something about sumo using more quads, too.


My squat sucks right now, still looking for the right "groove."

Look up 'Smolov'...
 
lifterdead

lifterdead

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I've heard good things about Smolov. Seems like a big commitment, but worth it.

Maybe I'll give it a shot after my meet.
 
tim290280

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Another less crazy option is to just do a couple of sets of squats every time you are in the gym. Gives you the feel for squatting and can help get some of the muscles firing correctly. Oh and sets would want to be mildly heavy, say 70%. Something that doesn't require too much warmup time and eat into recovery but heavy enough to stimulate everything.
 
lifterdead

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Funny how little things can make a big difference.



I just got my first PL belt for Christmas. I've used small, skinny leather "weightlifting belts" before but I stopped using them long ago. Until now, I always trained without a belt. This year, for my meet I ordered a standard PL belt from Inzer. Great belt! Tons of support, really made a difference in my squats, except......

I think it's too big. I ordered size M, 30-38. Usually I can fit into any pants smaller than 32, so I figured this would be fine, and yet I it doesn't seem very snug.

How tight should a belt be? Maybe I'm wearing it too high. Above the hips, partially covering the belly button?

I was planning on taking to a shop tomorrow and getting another set of holes punched. Good idea, bad idea?


Happy Kawanza.
 
lifterdead

lifterdead

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Got more holes punched in my belt, it fits like a dream now.

Ok, just 3 more weeks to go.

One month out a ran a tentative "test" day and hit the numbers below
at about 150 pounds.


Squat: 275x1, felt pretty light. On track to hit 300 or more at meet.
Bench: 250x1, also light, easily could've been a double or triple.
Deadlift: 285x2, using an extra-wide sumo stance for the first time. (feet almost touching the bar) felt very good.

There it is.

I'm thinking of this for the meet:

Squat: 250, 275, go for broke
Bench: 240, 255, go for broke
Dead: 275, 300, go for broke

I'm aiming for an 850+ total. That would make me a CLASS II raw lifter.


One thing I know I did wrong and it's too late to correct is the weight loss. Wendler has mentioned in articles a beginner should NOT worry about making weight and I think I fucked myself out of an easy 25 pounds on some lifts by dropping over 10 pounds. Next time, fuck it. I'll just compete at 165.
 
El Freako

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Have you been getting any lift coaching?
 

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