2012 In Review

2012 In Review

I have been thinking back on 2012 and all that has happened.  I had a very cool year in powerlifting.  I came into 2012 with a total of 1830 (680-510-640) after a year of multi-ply training.  My training had been going okay; I was following a basic Westside template.  I had put 200 lbs. on my total from my first meet in February of 2011 to December 2011.  The first meet that I had picked for 2012 was an SPF meet in Fort Lauderdale on April 14^th.  The meet didn’t go that well.  I had a terrible time squatting and pulling.  I got my opener on the third attempt on the squat and then missed my opener twice with the dead.  I got pissed and went for a PR on my third attempt and somehow got it…  I had a good day benching though, 40 lbs. PR.  That was the first meet that Brian Carroll and Team Samson helped me at.  I really think I would have bombed on the squat if not for Tony Garland.  I was really thinking and evaluating my training after that meet.  I had gotten a good total PR, 90 lbs. but there were just some things that were off.  Not too long after that meet it was announced that the APF Gulf Coast Championships in New Port Richey was going to be a qualifier for the XPC Semis.  I think when I decided to do the meet it was 8 weeks out.  I just jumped back into meet prep and started going.  About that time Brian texted me and asked if I was ready to squat 800.  We talked and I was hesitant to spend the money but my wife Mindy told me if I was going to do this I should get a coach and go all in.  Brian sent a 6 week program and we got rolling.  It was hard to completely change everything I had ever done in training and I was worried about the outcome but I pushed on.  I wasn’t box squatting, I wasn’t using bands, no speed work, nothing was the same.  Of course when it was meet time I had a terrible sinus infection so I wasn’t sure what would happen.  I only needed an 1890 total to qualify so that was the goal.  I got a PR squat of 766, bench was off and only got my opener of 524, and I pulled 644 for a 1934 total.  All things considered it wasn’t terrible.  I had about 18 weeks until the Semis in October so I took it easy for a couple of weeks and then I got a 5 week offseason raw plan.  I really hate training raw so this sucked big time.  I pushed through and was beat up pretty good.  I see the necessity in sometimes training raw but that doesn’t make it any better.  Multi-ply is so much more fun.  I could give three craps about what some guy in Russia is raw pressing.  Play your game, and I’m more than happy to sit here in the greatest country in the world and play mine.  American multi-ply is awesome and it’s all I’ll ever do.  Finally I got my 10 week geared meet prep program and thank you God I was back in gear.  I trained my ass off and really got beat down about half way into the program.  I went up to Jacksonville around this time and squatted and benched with Brian, Clint, and Adam.  I couldn’t pull anything; I was off about 100 lbs.  We were all trying to figure it out.  I deloaded around this time and we cut the volume on my deadlift training way back and I could feel myself starting to peak, that was a first.  The XPC Semis was by far the best meet I’d ever had.  9 for 9, with a 123 lbs. PR total.  PR’d all my lifts… total faith and trust in Brian’s programming.  He’s the best coach out there.  So, here I sit at 9 weeks out from the Arnold.  Unbelievable… my training is going very well and all is good.  This last year has been awesome.  1830 total to 2055 for a total PR of 225lbs.  I have met and become friends with so many cool people.  I can’t wait to see y'all in Columbus in March.  This meet is going to be awesome.  So to everybody out there Happy New Year!  God bless AMERICA and God bless Multi-Ply Powerlifting.