My most recent competition this year was the Mid-Atlantic State Championships and Military Nationals on May 6. It was my first time competing in any RPS (Revolution Powerlifting Syndicate) meet.
If I’m being completely honest, my primary desire to do the meet was to possibly take home one of their immensely sculpted trophies.
My secondary desire was to maybe, just maybe hit a number that was a goal squat number of mine for the past year. A month earlier I competed in a local USPA meet and hit some meet PRs but I was itching for more because I came so very close.
How was the meet you ask?
Hectic. Hot. Fun. Close to a hundred people in a small space and speedy warmups on a windy yet humid day makes for an interesting meet experience, to say the least. Many of teammates hit personal bests and we all left with some hardware.
How did I do?
- I weighed in around 187. I wanted to stay strong without cutting too much to get to my normal 181.
- I think I still have some work to do on my bench form. Although I was not a fan of the benches used; I could have dug my lats in more to effectively use the arch.
- I hit a 430-pound deadlift PR but lost gas and my form on the last deadlift attempt of 440 pounds.
- I HIT THE DREAM NUMBER. 450 POUND SQUAT!
If you were to tell me I would hit such a number 5 years ago when I started lifting I would have thought you were nuts. (Just ask my Coach)
When someone asks me why I compete. The answer is simple. It allows me to prove to my biggest critic (myself) that a crazy goal is not only achievable but surmountable. Powerlifting is more about mental strength than it is about programming and physical strength. Like much in life, I rely on my faith and the support of those around me to push forward.
Onward and upward to the next ‘dream number’.