In February, I got to knock out the first of my two big fitness goals for 2024 — complete a 50km trail ultramarathon.
Last Saturday, I got to take a crack at the second goal: a 1200lb powerlifting total.
In order to meet that goal, I knew I was going to need to squat something in the low 400s, bench something in the high 200s, and deadlift something in the low 500s. My heaviest training lifts prior to the meet were a 390lb squat, 280lb bench press, and 500lb deadlift (1170lb total).
Squats went pretty smoothly. The worst part of any powerlifting meet is the anticipation leading up to the first squat, so it should always be an easy or “last warmup” type weight. I took down 358 and 391 with no issues. I picked 413lbs as my final attempt—a weight I had missed in my last 2023 meet. The unrack of the bar and the walkout were a little dicey—my shoulders and elbows had been feeling pretty beat up from training. I took my time, settled into a good starting position, and successfully squatted the weight with surprising speed. In fact, my heels even came off the ground at the top of the lift. It felt great to go 3-for-3 on squats and set a big PR.
Bench press did not go as planned. I opened with 248, but it did not feel as easy as it should. My second attempt was 265—which should be very manageable after hitting 265, 270, 275, and 280 in training over the course of the last several months. Unfortunately, I missed it. It took longer than expected to get my “start” and “press” commands, and I lost control of the bar on the way up. I repeated the weight for my third and final attempt, focused on technique, and completed the lift.
When deadlifts started, my total sat at 678lbs, meaning I would have to deadlift 523lbs (a 23lb personal best) in order to surpass the 1200lb total goal. I opened at 441 and jumped up to 480 for my second. Both of these went up without a struggle. They loaded the 523lbs for my final lift of the day, and I approached the bar as The Stroke by Billy Squire played throughout the gym—all of the lifters got to choose their third deadlift song, which was cool. To my surprise, it went up with no problem at all. I guess I have Billy Squire, ammonia, and my adrenaline to thank for the massive PR lift.
Overall, it was a very successful meet. I was hoping to go 9-for-9 and hit a heavier bench, but I was able to set huge squat and deadlift PRs and beat some adversity en route to hitting my 1200lb total goal. The meet was ran professionally and efficiently, and like the other meets I’ve done, I connected with some awesome new people. We also got to share the platform with and cheer on several Special Olympics athletes, which was awesome. Kudos to Liz Strain on hosting a great event!