Mountain Man: Powerlifting Quest

[MountainMan]

Rack pull and deadlift night.

Rack Pulls:

135x3
225x3
315x1
495x1
675x1
855x1
1035x1

Deadlifts

175x1
285x1
375x1
465x1
555x1
645x1
735x1 (This lift would beat the current world record in my class by 13lbs. I have 4 weeks to go, and I must keep myself healthy!)

MM

[Revilo]

MountainMan,

Do you know of any power lifters who have gone through back surgery? I have a problem with a disc in my upper back due to a car accident that bothers me from time to time. I would like to start power lifting but at this point it is not possible. I have an nice gym at home but since my injury I have been doing bench presses and leg presses but I have avoided putting much weight (more than 70lbs.) directly on my spine with other exercises. If you have any recommendations I would appreciate your advice.

Thanks,
REVILO

[jason1221]

Originally Posted by MountainMan

For those of you that do not know (and I must assume that is everyone) I am a powerlifter. I am about 6 feet tall and my weight has been well over 300lbs for about 9 years. I currently am weighing 355ish.

I have been competing in powerlifting (squat, bench press, deadlift) since I was 18 years old. I am the strongest I have ever been right now. I do not use illegal performance enhancing drugs, but I find myself competing at times against those that do.

My first foray into international competition was back in 1998. My first American record was achieved in 2006 and my first World Records were set recently in April of 2009.

I am decent at the squat, but due to an injury in 2000 that took 6 years to figure out I have lagged behind in that lift. My best squat in competition is over 700lbs, but lately in training I am killing that number.

I am marginal in the bench due to long arms and fairly narrow shoulders. I am to the point where I can challenge some of the weaker world records (I barely missed one in April 2009), but I am no where near the elite bench specialists.

My lift is the deadlift. I pick things up off the ground like no other. This year I have already set world records in one league and I want to set world records in two other leagues. This would be a major accomplishment in my little world.

Being this big is truely a liability for long term or SHTF situations, but it truely enrichens my life. I get very frequent health check ups to make sure I am not overly risking my long term health. I had originally planned to drop down a full weight class after the April National Championships, but I have found that multiple world records are within my reach and I will not pass such an opportunity. Too few people get to live a moment of true excellence, and I will not deny myself such moments.

So this is the quest:

July USPF national (take back my American Record)
August qualify for WABDL Worlds
October WABDL Worlds in Reno NV 766+ deadlift
November WPF Worlds in Las Vegas 744-771 deadlift

my best bench was 440 not comp and my best reps was 420x3 then i went down to 315x18 squats i avoid dead lift don't do.I want to try 450 or more soon.congrates on your power lifting i don't compete except with the other patrons at the gym.

[shawn]

Wow great numbers. I tried to get into powerlifting but was always the wrong body type I think. I am trying to set some kind of record for myself with pushups and situps but military requires that. Any chance you would give some examples of your daily diet? And what do you do for flexibility?

[MountainMan]

Wow, caught a nasty cold. Missed my squats because of it. Feel miserable...

[MountainMan]

Originally Posted by Revilo

MountainMan,

Do you know of any power lifters who have gone through back surgery? I have a problem with a disc in my upper back due to a car accident that bothers me from time to time. I would like to start power lifting but at this point it is not possible. I have an nice gym at home but since my injury I have been doing bench presses and leg presses but I have avoided putting much weight (more than 70lbs.) directly on my spine with other exercises. If you have any recommendations I would appreciate your advice.

Thanks,
REVILO

I know of many competative lifters that have soldiered through serious back injuries. Three of my team have had back injuries. One broke here back squatting in college, and the other two have had serious disk injuries. All three are now very strong. The girl is a 500+lb squatter at about 200lb body weight. One was only squatting 225 in the spring and is now repping in the mid 600lb range. Another is now squatting around 700lbs after not squatting over 200lbs for years due to back pain from a slipped disk.

The stronger you make the muscles around any injured area the less symptomatic the injury will be (it will hurt less and be less inflamed). I would recommend trying to contact Louie Simmions at West Side Barbell (Ohio). He is the top strength coach in the US. He wouldn't know me from Adam, but he has helped some local athletes over the phone that have had severe back injuries. He helps because he damaged his back so badly he was told he would never lift again... He fixed that to say the least. He invented a couple of pieces of equipment that are vital to back rehab, so that is why I recommend talking to him...

[MountainMan]

Originally Posted by shawn

Wow great numbers. I tried to get into powerlifting but was always the wrong body type I think. I am trying to set some kind of record for myself with pushups and situps but military requires that. Any chance you would give some examples of your daily diet? And what do you do for flexibility?

My daily diet varies according to my activities, my hours of rest, my workout intensity and volume, stress, and time of year. But there are some consistent rules I follow (and if I need to I will break even them).

1. No Alcohol, pure empty calories that get me nowhere closer to my goals. I have NEVER broken this rule. Along with this I don't smoke or use illegal or dangerous drugs or supplements.

2. Soft drinks: I avoid these as much as possible. Their sugar content and CO2 content harms performance and messes up my blood sugar levels. I do like Mountain Dew, but I might drink a 12oz can a month. "Energy" drinks are in the same class IMO.

3. Avoid fast food. The exception is when I am in need of a massive influx of calories and I don't care about their quality. Fast food is expensive for what you really get (very low nutrients, high starches/fats/cholesterol).

4. Protein I need more when I am training for competition, less for 'normal' training, less for certain times when I am not training (hasn't happened in years).

5. Vegetables: I try to get as many as possible all the time. I have my own garden and at this time of year I binge. For example I have been eating as many as 8 baseball sized tomatoes per day for the last month (usually about 4 per day) I have peppers, beets (had a larg bowl yesterday and today), onions, peas, etc. I use veggies to help drop my weight and keep energy up.

6. Fruits: I am morecareful with these as they can cause my blood sugar to go on a roller coaster.

7. Starchy carbs: these are grains and grain products, potatoes and other starch 'tubers' or roots. These I also am careful with as I can put on weight quickly if I go too fast. But at the same time when I am training hard I need more of these...a double edged sword.

The hardest part of my diet is maintaining weight and being healthy at the same time. Most people can not exist at over 300lbs and be healthy, let alone super-human strong. I try to compete at 335lbs as it is a sweet spot for me. I don't use performance enhancing drugs so it is that much more difficult...

I'll keep you posted.

MM

[Revilo]

Originally Posted by MountainMan

I know of many competative lifters that have soldiered through serious back injuries. Three of my team have had back injuries. One broke here back squatting in college, and the other two have had serious disk injuries. All three are now very strong. The girl is a 500+lb squatter at about 200lb body weight. One was only squatting 225 in the spring and is now repping in the mid 600lb range. Another is now squatting around 700lbs after not squatting over 200lbs for years due to back pain from a slipped disk.

The stronger you make the muscles around any injured area the less symptomatic the injury will be (it will hurt less and be less inflamed). I would recommend trying to contact Louie Simmions at West Side Barbell (Ohio). He is the top strength coach in the US. He wouldn't know me from Adam, but he has helped some local athletes over the phone that have had severe back injuries. He helps because he damaged his back so badly he was told he would never lift again... He fixed that to say the least. He invented a couple of pieces of equipment that are vital to back rehab, so that is why I recommend talking to him...

MountainMan,

Thank you very much for the advice, I will try to get in touch with Louie. Good luck with your competition and try some zinc lozenges for your cold they always help me.

Take Care,
REVILO

[MountainMan]

Almost don with the cold. I started training again on Wednesday and went to 645 on the deadlift (my opening attempt at worlds) and pulled it three seperate sets. My energy was not 100% but that was good enough considering.

Sat was a squat/leg day and I am hammered. I went to 905x3 on the squat and then did a couple more hours of other leg stuff. I cut the heavy leg presses a little short as I need to start conserving energy for deadlifts. Too much today will hurt me still on wednesday. I need to pull 645, 735, 745 on wednesday.

Still on track and feeling good.

MM

[MountainMan]

Whole body is really tired. Not much soreness or stiffness yet, but that would happen tomorrow.

MM

[MountainMan]

Wow, Tuesday night and the Saturday workout still has me exhausted. I hit the bench workout last night but only worked up to a 495x5. I am tapering everything else down as I can feel that my entire system is becoming fatigued. If I am not careful at this point I will be overtrained and miss my goal.

MM

[MountainMan]

Wednesday: Worked up to a 735 deadlift, but didn't move the 745 off the ground. My very lower back was WAAAAAY fatigued bfore the start of the session, so I feel really good about pulling the 735.

Saturday: Worked up to a 945x3 Squat (really short range of motion) but was still hammered by the three previous workouts (Sat, Mon, Wed). I will be skipping Monday's Bench session to heal for my last deadlift session.

Almost there.

MM

[Chewy1]

Go get 'em, MM! I'd say that we're pulling for you, but I'll let you do all the pulling!

[MountainMan]

Terrible depressing news. Somebody bumped up the world record that I am going after. Instead of it being 722lbs it is now 738lbs. That is 3lbs more than I have ever lifted, right at the ragged edge of what I can do.

Doubts can kill a man.

MM

[shawn]

I've always thought if you had no one to chase you would never have a higher goal to shoot for. But could be wrong.

[Raith]

Hey there MountainMan, read the thread and just popped in to say I for one am rooting for ya to get that world record. powerlifting alway interested me but i never got into it,and i'm too old to start now. You truly are one of the few folks out there that can say they are trying for something great.Good luck.

[MountainMan]

Well, here it is. Worst news ever. Tonight with doubts plaguing my mind I went out and pulled 745lbs. I set my workout up exactly the way I would do things at Worlds and easily pulled what would need to be pulled to set the world record. It is the most I have ever pulled and did it with ease while sore and tired. With 11 days of rest I likely would be able to pull 755lbs. Why is that the worst news ever? Just before I went out and did that my brother (who I was counting on to come with me as a coach/handler) todl me that he absolutely could not come. Nobody that I trust can be there for me (trust me this is something that can't be done alone). AND, what is worse is that I found out today that my finances are such that I can no longer afford to go. If I go I will likely return home to no job (long story).

So, even though I CAN now set the world record (being a drug free guy competing in a league where they don't test for drugs) circumstances have stepped on me pretty hard. I am depressed at a time which should be a moment of triumph. I have never missed a meet for which I have trained. This league holds their world championships in the US only every 10 years. What an opportunity lost.... I just can't stand it.....

mm

[Te Hopo]

I'm sorry to hear that bro, I've been lurking in this thread watching your progress for a while now.

Just keep looking to the future, you'll get your chance again if you really want it.

[shawn]

Sorry to hear that MM.

[MountainMan]

Epilog:
I guess that is what I can call this. Last saturday (Nov 14) I went ahead and lifted as if it were the contest. I warmed up and pulled three attempts just as if I were doing it for real. I "opened" with 645 and pulled it easily. I jumped to 745 and pulled it quickly, good lift with what would have been the new world record. Third attempt and 755. I pulled it 2" off the floor and had no more. My hands were thrashed from the 745 pull and they couldn't give me more.

All in all it was a good 26ish weeks of training. I am now stronger than ever. I will not let this dissppointment go unanswered, it is not in my nature. I am now as strong as the drug users and will not go unnoticed!

Thanks to all who were pulling for me. I hope to do better for you all next time.

MM