Got in a session with the team

Since Vivian and I are playing golf tomorrow on account of the long weekend (Canada Day) here, it gave me a chance to get over to the Boyle's for a training session with my Toronto Rex Powerlifting Club teammates.  My plan today was to continue training weak lifts and get in work that doesn't aggravate my rapidly healing leg/back.

I had planned on going much heavier and harder on my first exercise, stiff legged deadlifts with a snatch grip but my hamstrings were too tight from yesterday's squats and leg presses so I just did some light sets to try to loosen them up.

Since I never have a 'camera-person' for training sessions, I decided to take advantage of having training partners today and film myself doing barbell rows.  While they felt fairly sloppy with alot of heaving, they don't look too bad on video.  As I fatigue, it's pretty obvious how I get progressively more upright.  Barbell rows, like leg presses, are another exercise I don't like to do and subsequently suck at doing them.  Thus, they'll stay in the rotation until further notice.

Barbell Rows, 225x8, never seen myself do these before.

I worked on some bench presses; my back was still intolerant of letting me set up with my feet on the floor so I did them with my feet on the bench.  Pressing without any leg drive sucks.  It makes it very apparent how much I depend on my legs and my lats for speed off the chest.  When I press with a flat back and no leg drive, I get no 'blast' off the chest and the repetitions turn into a 'bodybuilder-esque' constant tempo/constant tension type of set.  Hopefully the silver lining is some useful adaptation that will carryover to my competition bench once I'm able to get back into a correct set-up.

SLDL:  135x10x3 sets, hamstrings too tight and sore to progress further
Barbell Rows:  95x10, 185x10, 205x8, 225x8, 225x8
Bench Press:  135x10, 185x10, 225x8, 225x7, 225x5  feet up on the bench to take stress off my back
Weighted Back Extensions:  53x10x2 sets, used 24kg kettlebell for weight

Training with the team is always good fun. Mark cracked me up with a, "time to get serious" during my third set with 225. I had gotten the first 4 reps and was taking a couple breaths before trying to get a couple more reps when he threw out the encouragement.  Not expecting to hear anything, I lost it and started laughing.  He pulled the bar off me and after a 10 second rest, was able to get another rep.  I guess training alone with the sole company of headphones as made me unaccustomed to training partner encouragement.   That and I think I was embarrassed to need encouragement with 225 lbs.

Mark hit a nice chin-up PR with 22 reps and Tannis brushed up her bench press form.  She's looking to qualify for Provincials and only needs to add about 70 lbs to her total.  Since she's just scratching at the surface of her potential, it should be well within her capacity to hit that at her next meet in August.  I found out she had been deadlifting with a double overhand grip, no chalk.  Just fixing that piece alone for her next competition will find at least 25 lbs.

Training is improving, body weight is dropping.

As an experiment, Vivian and I decided to cut out gluten containing foods while we try to drop some body weight.  While I know that I am not sensitive to gluten, we hadn't ruled that out for Vivian so it seemed like a good time to eliminate it to see if she noticed any changes.  So far she hasn't noticed anything after about three weeks gluten free but I've observed an interesting benefit.  All the foods I uncontrollably overeat contain gluten:  pasta, pizza, hamburgers, cakes, cookies, muffins, doughnuts.  Not eating any of those things has really helped with my weight loss goals.  Prior to the meet on June 2, my walking around weight was 242-245.  Right now it's 235-237 so I'm on my way to my intermediate goal of a 225-228 walking around weight.  I'd love to eat a pizza or a couple or three hamburgers or half a dozen doughnuts but I'm pretty motivated to get my weight down so it's been relatively easy to avoid so far.

Comedian John Pinette pretty much channels the voice in my head that commands me to eat foods with gluten.

My left leg is feeling better by the day and as best as I can tell, it's virtually back at full strength.  For the first time since before the injury, my squat warmup sets felt fast and coordinated.  Having a left leg with a sudden, significant weakness in the glute, hamstrings and calves really messes with squat form proprioception and I'm glad it seems that I can finally get past that awkward stage.

I did make a minor adjustment to my squat form today. Instead of the traditional low bar position, I worked with a medium bar position.  To be honest, prior to a few months ago, I always thought there were only two positions, high and low bar.  However, powerlifting great, Joe "Ironman" Norman released an ebook called, "Squat like a Powerlifter" that he was giving away for free during the first few days of publication (it's still a great value as a $0.99 kindle edition) and in the ebook, he described three bar positions.  His description certainly made sense and explained why you see so many multiply squatters with a bar position other than the traditional low bar hold.

The medium position is simply a position between holding the bar high on the traps like an oly lifter and low on the rear delts. For me, it feels like the bar is just above the shelf created by the spine of the scapula.  I decided to work with this position for a couple reasons.  The most proximate reason was my left shoulder hurt when holding the bar in the low bar position.  Avoiding pain is an easy to understand motivation.  However, if I didn't think there was a functional benefit, I would've probably just gutted it out.  Instead, I decided that after seeing pictures and videos of my recent competition squats, that I would likely benefit by using a squat form that allowed for a more upright torso.  My poundages may take step backwards until I become accustomed to the form but I believe it will allow me to more effectively use my legs and hips.

Overall today's workout went well, I was able to add some extra squat work and I hit a new rep PR in the leg press.   I still hate the leg press but I'm slowly getting better at it.

Squats:  135x10, 225x5, 275x5, 315x5x4 sets
Overhead Presses:  135x5x3 sets
Leg Press:  450x10, 540x10, 630x7 (PR)
Incline Dumbbell Press:  75x10, 90x8, 90x7  I set the incline a little higher today, 45* instead of 30* to hit the shoulders harder.
Ab Crunch Machine:  45x10, 90x10, 90x6, 70x6, 70x6, 45x8
Dumbbell Curls:  40x8, 40x6, 40x6

Gym time, rebuilding muscular endurance

Back when I first started back in the gym in November 2007 I started out on a 5 day/week schedule where I'd basically work my entire body each day.  Since I was so de-trained, I couldn't tolerate much work each day so I just came back each day and did the same thing.  Low volume, low intensity until my body was conditioned to handle a more intense workout.  I probably did that for the first 3-4 weeks until I could transition to a more traditional every other day schedule.

Since my leg/back issue precludes me from the heavy powerlifts and rules out flat benching and pull ups entirely, I've gone back to a similar schedule in order to re-build my endurance so I can once again handle workouts in the 30 work set/8-10 rep per set range.  I'm doing three worksets per exercise and training for the moment to 1 rep short of failure on most sets.  I'm trying to keep my reps on secondary exercises in the 8+ range.   It's tough to do given how long I was training the powerlifts almost exclusively and for rep ranges of no more than 5 reps.  Feels good to do something different though.

Front Squat:  135x10, 185x5, 225x3x3 sets

Barbell Floor Press:  135x10, 185x10, 225x6, 225x5, 225x4  minimal rest between the final three sets

Barbell Rows:  225x5x5 sets

Leg Press:  450x10, 540x10, 630x6  I don't count the weight of the sled since I don't know what it weighs.  All I know is these are hard even though I'm not using very much weight so it's definitely an area of opportunity.  They don't aggravate my leg/back either and it doesn't feel like I'm pushing asymmetrically.

Incline Dumbbell Press:  75x10, 90x8, 90x7

Pullups:  3,1  couldn't do more, for some reason these really fire up my back/sciatic pain as I pull up to the bar.  Looks like pulling motions in the frontal plane are out for the time being and I'll have to substitute barbell and dumbbell rows.

10 days of rest are over, time for gym

This past Sunday the Niagara Powerlifting Club held a fundraising event for injured Canadian powerlifting great, Tom Nichols.  The event was hosted by top Canadian lifter, Andy Childs at his gym, Phoenix Fitness in Stoney Creek.  I had considered lifting in it but decided to enter to show support for Tom but passed on actually lifting.  My back or more specifically, my left leg, still wasn't back to normal and there wasn't any point on delaying the recovery.

It's always tough to watch a lifting competition because it's way more fun to participate.  The event was a deadlift for reps competition to determine finalists and the finals were decided with a good ol' battle to the highest 1 RM adjusted by Wilks coefficient.  The men had to do as many reps as possible with a weight equal to a 120 wilks score and the women used a 100 wilks to determine their weight.  Had I lifted, I would've had to rep out with approximately 445 lbs.  Even healthy I would've been lucky to do 10 reps so it was amazing how many lifters, male and female blew right past that number with the top performers doing 20 or more reps.

After doing the equivalent of as much as a deadlift widowmaker (20 rep set), the finalists had a short break and then had three attempts to put up as much weight as possible for a single repetition.  The top female eked out a narrow, less than one point, victory with a wilks score of approximately 146 if I remember correctly.  The top male lifter, the current National Champion in the Junior division (under 23), won with a lift that scored 170 wilks points.  All in all it was a very impressive showing by a great field of lifters. Full results here.

 Pictures of some of the male competitors repping out their 120 wilks weights.

 Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures of the women's competition.

 After the weekend's events, I was motivated to get back into the gym after taking 10 days off and allowing my back to heal up.  I've seen the chiropractor three times and it seems to be helping with the muscle spasm that was pinching my sciatic nerve.  My left leg is starting to regain strength so it was time to start working again.

Since I'm in the midst of actively trying to drop body weight, I'm not too shattered that I'm as weak as a kitten but it's still humbling to have regressed so far so quickly.  It's a good lesson learned to not underestimate the impact of a pinched nerve on one's lifting progress.

Squats:  135x10, 225x5, 275x5, 315x5x3 sets
Overhead press:  45x10x2 sets, 95x10, 135x5, 155x5, 175x5, 155x5
Ab Crunch Machine:  45x10, 90x10, 90x6, 70x6, 70x5, 45x6
Landmines:  45x10, 45x8
Dumbbell Curls:  40x6x3 sets

Gotta get serious about dropping bodyweight

After last meet's under-achievement due to the decision to cut weight before my 2 hr weigh-in, I decided that I needed to drop my 'walking around weight' so my training lifts would more accurately reflect an expected meet performance.  The more practical benefit would be reduced wear and tear on my body from carrying less unnecessary weight.

Prior to the meet, I was walking around at 242 lbs, give or take a couple.  As of today, I'm 239 give or take a couple.  My weight has fluctuated over the past 12 months or so, dropping as low as 231 and going as high as 250.  Based on my past, it seems my body wants to hover around 240 lbs so my goal right now is to try to drop that 'hover point' to 230 or less.  Since the weight class limit is 105 kgs or 231 lbs, 230 lbs or less would be ideal from a competitive standpoint even if it's still too high for someone 5' 9" to carry into middle age.

If I were motivated by appearance, it would be easy to take progress pics and motivate myself with dreams of visible abs.  Unfortunately, I have no desire to make a public spectacle of myself in that way so it'll have to be a matter of faith that I look appropriately sloppy as one would expect 5' 9" and 240 lbs of 15-20% bodyfat to look.

I will be tracking my scale weight and my measurements since I've found in the past that as long as my waist/hip measurements drop faster (relatively speaking) than my arm measurements, it's usually a sign I'm losing more bodyfat than lean mass.

As of tonight, my measurements are:

as of 6/21/2012
in inches	Right	Left	n/a
neck			17.5
forearm (flexed)	13.25	13
upper arm (flexed)	17.5	17.38
chest			48.75
waist (belly button)			40
waist (hip bones)			39
hips			43.5
thigh	27	27
calves	16	15.75

I'll redo measurements when my weight drops to 230.

Deadlift fundraiser for great Canadian lifter, Tom Nichols

Not long ago, Canadian powerlifting legend Tom Nichols was seriously injured in an accident at a race track.  He suffered injuries that will require a long and challenging recovery and in response, the Canadian powerlifting community is rallying to raise money to assist his family with the new and unexpected expenses.  The Niagara powerlifting club is sponsoring a "Deadlift Fun Day for Tommy" on June 24, 2012.  Link here if you're interested in participating.

While I've never actually met or spoken with Tom Nichols, I have been fortunate enough to fluke into standing on the podium with him.  In my short competition history in Canada, I've really been blessed to lift with some great lifters.  Each one of them is an inspiration and the experiences are cherished memories.

I've only lifted in one National meet in Canada, the 2010 Canadian Powerlifting Union Nationals in Quebec City.  Based on who was entered in my weight class, I didn't expect to have any chance to medal but the experience of lifting at a National meet was too big to pass up.  In addition to Tom Nichols, another great Canadian lifter and also a former World Champion, Mark Giffen was in my weight class along with a recent medalist at the previous years' World Championships, Andy Childs.  I wasn't and still am not close to their caliber of lifting so I figured I was lifting for PR's and memories.  Turns out Andy Childs elected to lift without using any of the allowed squat suit or bench shirt.  While Andy was and is a far stronger lifter than I, without the added benefit of a squat suit and bench shirt, I was able to out-total him and luck into a third place medal.

Tom getting the gold medal

I'm standing next to the best in the World!

  Tom Nichols would go on to win a gold medal for Canada in the I.P.F. Master's World Championships.  Mark Giffen, the second place finisher isn't in any of the pictures because he was selected for drug testing (which he passed).  He's a great lifter and coincidentally, was a spotter and a judge at my last meet.  I give him alot of credit for helping me make my second attempt squat--he was back spotting during my squats so I could hear every word he said.  The confidence in his words inspired me to push through a tough squat and no doubt fuels his own super-human lifting.

Mark Giffen squatting a lot of iron

Giffen with a big pull

Big Tom coming out of the hole with north of 700 lbs

So, I'm going to show up and support Big Tom at the Niagara Powerlifting Club's fund-raiser because it's the least I could do for a lifter that has been part of some once-in-a-lifetime memories and remains an inspiration.

As for my own lifting at that fund-raiser, I'm not sure to what level I'll participate.  The contest is deadlift for reps with a weight equal to 120 wilks points based on bodyweight.  At my current bodyweight, that would be approximately 445 lbs.  Normally that wouldn't be too heavy and I'd probably shoot for about 10 reps.  However with my recent back and leg issues, I may not be ready to push very hard on June 24.

I saw a chiropractor yesterday and while it never really feels like they do anything, I did feel much better today from the massage, ART, and interferential current therapy that I received yesterday.  I guess it'll just take some time for everything to fire on all cylinders.

Today's workout was supposed to be part prep for that event and a continuation of the volume work I've implemented to re-build a base of muscle and strength.  What was supposed to be fairly easy sets of 5 with 455 turned into not so easy sets of 5 with 405.  Nothing hurt but overall I felt weak.  It's very strange to feel such a significant drop in strength with very little physical discomfort.

After that I moved on to the rest of my workout and it's definitely an adjustment doing more movements for higher rep ranges.  It's so much easier to count to 5 than 10 or even higher.

Deadlift:  225x5, 315x5, 405x5x3 sets
Overhead Press:  135x10, 135x9, 135x9
Leg Press:  450x10, 540x10, 630x5  just getting used to these again, I might grow to like them
Incline Dumbbell Press:  75x12, 75x9, 75x9
Ab Crunch Machine:  45x10, 90x10, 90x6, 70x8, 45x8
Dumbbell Curls:  35x12, 35x10, 35x10
Rope Pushdowns:  55x10, 55x10, 55x8   triceps actually cramped up after these

Rebuilding a base w/some volume work

The muscle spasm in my back is much better and I can feel the weakness in my left leg starting to go away slowly.  The joint sprain is still there but since sprains heal slowly, I expect I'll have to work around it for a few more weeks.  Since I can't set up in my normal bench press arch, I decided it would be a good opportunity to spend some time with floor presses to complement my incline dumbbell presses.

I was happy that I was able to add an extra work set of 315x5 in the back squat.  As my leg improves and regains strength, I'll keep adding volume until I'm doing three sets of 10 reps with 315.  I'll do sets of 10 for 3-4 weeks before dropping to sets of 8 for the next 4 weeks.

After the short back squat workout, I moved to floor presses.  Before, when I could set up in an arch and use a max width competition grip, the bar would actually touch my chest when doing floor presses so I never spent much time on them.  Now, with a narrower grip and a flat back, the bar is still 2-3 inches above my chest when doing floor presses so I can actually work them in a range of motion that is different from my competition bench press. I didn't go heavy on these as my goal is to eventually work up to sets of 8-10 reps but I did notice that it was difficult to generate speed from the stop point at the bottom of the press.  Since this stop point on floor presses is right about where my sticking point starts on my competition bench press, I think floor presses should have some very beneficial carryover.

After floor presses, barbell rows and incline dumbbell presses were next.  Since I'm still building up my tolerance for a different workload, I limited my worksets on these.  I finished up with dumbbell curls, rope pushdowns and some sets on the ab crunch machine.  I have alot of opportunity for improvement in all of these areas so I'm looking forward to the next 8 weeks of base building as a launching pad for my training for  the Ontario Powerlifting Association Classic Provincials on November 24th.

Back Squats:  135x10, 225x10, 315x5x2 sets
Floor Presses:  135x10, 185x10, 225x7, 225x6, 225x4
Barbell Rows:  135x10, 185x8, 225x5x2 sets
Incline Dumbbell Presses: 75x10, 90x10, 100x6
Dumbbell Curls:  35x12, 35x8, 35x6
Rope Pushdowns:  50x10, 50x10, 50x8
Ab Crunch Machine:  45x10, 90x10, 90x8, 90x4, 45x10

27 total sets is more than I had been doing during my last pre-competition training cycles and it feels good to get in some workload density.  Increasing my work capacity is another huge area of opportunity for me and improvements in this area should also go a long way towards my goals of PR's come this November.

Gonna see a physiotherapist tomorrow

Even before tonight's session, I had already booked an appointment to see a physiotherapist about my sciatic pain but after tonight, there was absolutely no doubt it's necessary.

While it didn't hinder my squats or deadlifts in the competition last Saturday, now it definitely seems to be affecting the function of my left leg.  I didn't notice it much on front squats but when I did a test set of 10 reps with 225, it was pretty clear my left hamstring was not firing.

I also tested it out with some single-leg leg curls and my left leg was at least 30% weaker than my right.  It's all kind of puzzling to me because there is no significant pain or discomfort in my back or SI joint area when squatting or deadlifting.  There is pain when I'm standing upright and in lumbar extension as the sciatic pain flares up pretty good when I'm doing overhead presses.

Hopefully my assessment tomorrow morning with the physiotherapist will indicate nothing significantly wrong.  As it is, I can train incline presses, curls, seated rows, barbell rows, tricep pushdowns, ab work, etc.  Plenty of stuff to keep me busy and coincidentally involves areas of opportunity for me that have been neglected for a while.  Should also be able to do quad work (leg extensions and leg presses), another area of opportunity that should benefit both my squat and deadlift.

Front squats:  135x10x2 sets, 185x5, 225x3x3 sets
Back Squat:  225x10

Overhead press:  45x10, 135x10, 135x8, 135x7

Ab crunch machine:  45x10, 90x8, 90x7
Leg curls:  both legs, 90x10, single leg, 40x10/8, 40x10/8
Dumbbell curls:  30x15, 30x10

Back in the gym, working on my plan

There were a couple people taking pictures of the meet this past weekend and I was fortunate enough to get copies of some of the pictures.  They were excellent pics and I'm grateful to have them.  Thanks to Harnek and my teammate's friend that took pictures of the lifters!

in the hole with my 1st att squat (200 kgs)

coming out of the hole with my 2nd att squat (207.5 kgs)

Getting my first place medal from Mike Knott

Mike Knott w/105kg class, Frankie Mayer, me, Dane Blimkie

My goal for the next couple of months is to lose weight and try to strengthen areas that need improvement.  I want to lose weight so I can train under the 105kg wt class limit and gain weight leading up to my next competition on November 24.  By doing this I should be able to carry my training poundages into my competition with greater certainty while also allowing for the building of areas that need improvement, notably my quadricep and abdominal strength.  I'll also be able to train my upper body more comprehensively than ever so I expect I'll probably be able to put on a little muscle there as well.

I don't expect my fledgling Provincial record in the deadlift to last very long but I'm hoping I'll be able to make a good effort at re-taking it in November by putting up a number that's a little more respectable of a provincial record lift.

Today's workout started with good intentions but it was clear very early that my body wasn't quite ready yet.  In my head, I felt ready to go but my body was not in any way ready to do much of anything.  I had thought I'd work up to three sets of 10 with 315 in the squat but two sets of 5 wore me out and caused such a back pump that I could barely load the leg press.  Those went okay but my back was still fired up.

I hobbled to an incline bench and did three sets of incline dumbbell presses.  It felt good to do them--my shoulder issues had eliminated any dumbbell pressing for at least the last year.  While lying on a bench took the load off my achy, pumped up lower back, I just didn't have any endurance.

I finished up my 'workout' with some weighted crunches on an ab crunch machine and then three sets of pulldowns.  Afterwards, I felt like a piece of crap that had been run over by a truck.  I'm looking forward to see how things feel Thursday.

Squats:  135x10x2 sets, 225x10, 315x5x2 sets
Leg Press:  450 lbs loaded on the sled, 3 sets of 10
Incline dumbbell press:  60x10, 75x10, 90x10
Ab crunch machine:  45x10, 90x6, 90x6
Pulldowns:  150x10x3 sets

2012 OPA Toronto Super Show meet report

Well, today was the Ontario Powerlifting Toronto Super Show meet.  My training had been going very well leading up to the date of competition and I was fully expecting to set a whole bunch of PR's.  Perhaps I was over-confident because of my last meet in the 100% Raw Powerlifting federation where I cut 18 lbs with a 24 hr weigh-in and proceeded to lift right to expectations.   I did set some PR's but there were much less than I had planned.  There were definitely silver linings in the clouds of today's results and I'm looking forward to being much better prepared for Classic Provincials on November 24, 2012.

So, back to the training...it had been going very well, the only thing was, I was training at a bodyweight of between 242 and 245 lbs.  Frankly, I had been somewhat lazy with my diet so I ate a caloric surplus too many days of the week.  It helped add some upper body muscle that had wasted away while I tried to work around my painful shoulder but was I also gained some extra fat.  I decided to cut to 231 lbs or 105 kgs because I didn't want to compete in the 120 kgs class barely weighing 110 kgs.  The cut itself was not difficult and I weighed in at 104.2 kgs (229.7 lbs).  What I did not expect, until it was too late, was that with 2 hr weigh-ins as is customary in any IPF affiliate federation, that re-hydrating 11 lbs in 2 hrs was impossible and that I would never recover the strength levels of earlier in the week.

I stuck with my planned openers but from my first squat it was apparent that they were not nearly as easy as they should've been.  My opening squat at 200 kgs was not fast and my second attempt with 207.5 kgs nearly stalled.  I missed my third at 210--a weight I was fully expecting to make as my second attempt earlier in the week.

First attempt squat, 200 kgs, good but not easy

Second attempt squat, 207.5 kgs, good but it was all I had

After the reality of the squats set in, I decided not to lower my bench opener because I was confident that I had plenty in reserve to get it.  It ended up being completed but was difficult and two subsequent tries at 145 kgs were nowhere close.  This was very frustrating since I had pressed 147.5 kgs only a week ago.  It was a good lesson in knowing how my body responds to an aggressive weight cut (for a 2 hr weigh-in).

First attempt bench press, 140 kgs, good but needed to grind it out, could not press even 5 kgs more.

Finally it was time for deadlifts.  I generally don't enjoy deadlifting but it is my best lift and I feel like I can always giv'r if I need to.  Today would be a real test because I wasn't going home without deadlifting at least 280 kgs.  After my customary abbreviated warm-up, today it was 315x1, I opened with 260 kgs and it was pretty good.  I called for 280 kgs on my second attempt and started to prepare mentally.  I find the deadlift has a huge mental component in a competition.  The deadlifts come last and it's when people make moves on the leaderboard.  While I wish my squat and bench were better, I like having a good deadlift because it feels like I have control over where I place instead of waiting to see if other competitors fail.

My pull with 280 was slow but I was never going to give up on it and when it got to my knees I knew I would finish the lift.  It ended up putting me in first place in my weight class by 7.5 kgs and also broke the existing provincial record for both Open and 40-49 age groups.  It also exceeded the current National record but since there weren't three national level referees in the chairs, it didn't meet requirements for that record.  While setting a record sounds cool, one caveat is the Canadian Powerlifting Union recently adopted both the IPF 'classic' (raw) criteria and the new IPF weight classes only in the last 18 months.  As a result, most of the record categories have not seen alot of action yet.  In fact, there have only been 5-6 competitors in my age group across the entire CPU since the new weight classes and the classic division were adopted.  So, me breaking a record right now is more about being first in with a number rather than me setting a precedent improving on years of recorded history.  If I pay to have it registered, I'll hold it but it's not an elite number by any means.

First attempt deadlift, 260 kgs, nice and smooth

Second attempt deadlift, 280 kgs, a very tough pull but worth it!

I ended up passing on my third attempt deadlift because I was spent.  I didn't actually pass it though, I put in a number, I just didn't come out for the lift.  I did this because I wanted to give the lifter following me an extra minute of rest.  In some meets, after bomb-outs in the squat and bench and after lifters grind out their second attempt deadlifts, some lifters will pass on their thirds.  This ends up making the final round of third attempt deadlifts very short.  In our meet today, it seemed like there were only 6-7 deadlifts-no one bombed out but the flight was very small to begin with.  The guy going last in the flight only had about 5-7 minutes between limit attempts.  If other lifters had instead put in a number and just not answered the call, he would've had a more customary 10-15 minutes between his second attempt and third.  That could've made the difference because he barely missed his third attempt at lockout.

All in all, it was a good day.  I won my weight class, always a bonus, and I learned some valuable lessons that I can apply in my preparations for the Classic Provincials in November.  I also figured that my worst day was still 5 kgs better than a good day one year ago.   A special thanks to my Toronto Rex powerlifting teammates and Adam Taylor from Custom Bodyworx for all of their support.