APF/AAPF Powerlifting Meet

 

Many of you know that I have trained for many years in many different fashions.  When you have trained for so many years you find yourself wondering if there is more out there.  What I mean is the "feel good" of being fit and in shape starts to diminish and you need more.  About 5 years ago I realized that I needed more.  I just wasn't sure what it was.  I had trained to be "big" for so long that it just lost it's good flavor and I didn't care to be big.  I wanted to be more...  I was lucky to have a good friend and training partner at the time who had reached the same point.  We started pushing each other harder and started exploring new ways to train.  We found crossfit...it was something we fell in love with and took to immediately.  A few of our hard core friends soon followed...one being Lindsay Hassell up in Ogden.  We soon found John Welbourn at SoCalSC and began using his program and corresponding with him often.   After months of training like this and a few small crossfit competitions I still needed more...it wasn't quite what I needed.  I had a fire burning inside me and I just couldn't direct it appropriately.  One day I was reading a crossfit article online and it mentioned the man himself..Louie Simmons at Westside Barbell.  I jumped over to his website and was instantly pulled in.  Dudes benching 800lbs, squatting 1000lbs, and deadlifting 800lbs??!  I knew then and there that I wanted to compete...I wanted to be a powerlifter.  The transition from the crew was a tough one for some because they didn't understand what I was doing.  I knew exactly what I wanted and was not going to waste another minute.  I have been training to increase my Deadlift, Squat, and Bench Press exclusively now for just under a year.  My personal bests are a 545 Bench Press, 655 Squat, and 606 Deadlift. 

I was fortunate enough to enter an AAPF/APF Powerlifting meet this weekend at John Madsens gym in Riverton.  I had attended the AAU World Push/Pull meet in Las Vegas last fall but other than that had never even seen a meet, let alone competed in one.  They are very rare in Utah.  I had no idea what to expect.  There was a group of guys that I had heard of but never met out of Roy, UT called PSM Barbell.  Jason Gibson is the coach up there and has set state and national records in the Sport.  I was fortunate to be placed in the same flight as that crew and they took me under their wings from the minute I walked in the door...particulary Ed Kinsey and Kurt Larsen.  What great guys! I ended up with a 606 squat, 405 bench press, and a 606 deadlift for the day.  I struggled to get my bench press worked out and had to go in a little single ply Bash Shirt. I pressed 463 without a problem, I just missed the "press" command!!...rookie.  Nonetheless, I came away with 1st place in the 242lb geared division @ 232 bodyweight.

I also came away with a passion and love for a new sport, a new group (family) of friends, and a reformed desire to perform at the highest level I possibly can.  

This experience would not have been possible without the support of Lather N Locks salon.  They sponsored me in order to get all the gear and dues paid necessary to be competitive.  Be sure to check them out over in Centerville, UT.

Sweet Trophy!!

 606lb Deadlift (Final Attempt)

 606lb Squat (Final Attempt)