Lance, Eric, and our friend Heath were all popping their competition cherries this weekend in Dubuque, Iowa. I was told that Dubuque is the first place that a European set foot in Iowa. I imagine his name being Jean-Luc Pontillier Dubuque. He was probably a fur magnate with a coon skin cap, a huge killing knife, and a beard down to his belly button. The French were much hardier in those days.
Lifting was on Saturday starting at 9:30 in the am. Heath was in the first flight and Lance and Eric were in the second. Powerlifting competitions always go squat, then bench, then deadlift. Heath opened with a nice and easy 405. He jumped up to 418 for his second attempt and made it look silly. He went 440 on his third and got stuck at the bottom. He thinks he lost concentration and went too far down.
Eric opened on squat at 420 and was down and up in the blink of an eye. 450 went pretty much the same way. He then called for 501. This was one of his goals since he got back into training. His setup and focus were perfect. The lift was never in doubt and he probably left 20 pounds or so on the platform. Awesome job. I was so proud.
Lance didn't squat because his diapers were too tight.
Both Lance and Heath were having shoulder issues and probably didn't do as well as they had hoped on the bench. Heath made the rookie mistake of finishing the lift but not waiting for the rack command on his second attempt. He came back and got it on his third. Lesson learned. Lance and Eric both missed third attempts by bringing the bar down too close to their necks. Lesson learned.
Deadlifts were next. Heath opened with a 405 that was a little herky-jerky. I gave him some pointers and he had a smooth as silk 440 on his second. He then went for the gold and called for 479. It broke the floor by about and inch but wasn't moving from there. He had a great day and now has a 1st Place plaque and three meet PRs.
Eric went 420, 460ish, and 485 on deadlift and smoke-showed all of them. His last two attempts were both PRs. Eric took first in the super heavy weight division and also has a nice plaque to hang above his mantel. He's made awesome progress in his short time back in the iron game and I'm expecting a lot of good things from him.
Lance went 440 and 485 on his first two attempts and killed both of them. Like, literally murdered the shit out of them. He called for 501 on his third and was brought back to justice. The weight didn't move. Either he had a great day, took first, and has also made a ton of progress. He's got a lot of mobility issues that are starting to clear up and he's going to be making great progress as well.
As a coach I can't complain with three first place efforts. The guys set some nice PRs along the way and I couldn't be prouder. This is why I chose to become a strength coach. I've helped get some guys interested and passionate about strength training. Eric in turn has gotten his brother, Steve, into it as well. I imagine this is why teachers find their jobs greatly rewarding. Watching and helping others grow towards their goals is something that will never get old for me.
After the meet it was Mexican food, Monster Margaritas, and a lot of beer. Great time in Dubuque. We'll definitely be back.
Today it's a lot of oranges, water, and sitting around with Saxon. I have a feeling I'll be laying low for a few weekends to come.
Song of the Day
"A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops." -Henry Adams (for all the teachers out there)
No comments:
Post a Comment