What I'm Up Against at the YMCA Summer Classic

What follows are some of the results of weight classes near mine in last year's YMCA Seattle Summer Classic. I've only included those who competed in the RAW division, since that's the division in which I'll be competing. I've included what I anticipate lifting (highlighted) for comparison.

Weight Class	Sqt 1	Sqt 2	Sqt 3	Bch 1	Bch 2	Bch 3	Dft 1	Dft 2	Dft 3	Total
90 kg. 198 lb.	165 kg. 363 lb.	170 kg. 374 lb.	177.5 kg. 390.5 lb.	107.5 kg. 236.5 lb.	115 kg. 253 lb.	115 kg. 253 lb.	195 kg. 429 lb.	205 kg. 451 lb.	210 kg. 462 lb.	482.5 kg. 1061.5 lb.
90 kg. 198 lb.	170 kg. 374 lb.	182.5 kg. 401.5 lb.	192.5 kg. 423.5 lb.	110 kg. 242 lb.	120 kg. 264 lb.	127.5 kg. 280.5 lb.	182.5 kg. 401.5 lb.	217.5 kg. 478.5 lb.	227.5 kg. 500.5 lb.	537.5 kg. 1182.5 lb.
90 kg. 198 lb.	192.5 kg. 423.5 lb.	202.5 kg. 445.5 lb.	215 kg. 473 lb.	127.5 kg. 280.5 lb.	137.5 kg. 302.5 lb.	145 kg. 319 lb.	162.5 kg. 357.5 lb.	175 kg. 385 lb.	185 kg. 407 lb.	537.5 kg. 1182.5 lb.
90 kg. 198 lb.	182.5 kg. 401.5 lb.	197.5 kg. 434.5 lb.	212.5 kg. 467.5 lb.	137.5 kg. 302.5 lb.	137.5 kg. 302.5 lb.	142.5 kg. 313.5 lb.	235 kg. 517 lb.	257.5 kg. 566.5 lb.	270 kg. 594 lb.	607.5 kg. 1336.5 lb.
100 kg. 220 lb.	192.5 kg. 423.5 lb.	202.5 kg. 451 lb.	205 kg. 451 lb.	122.5 kg. 269.5 lb.	130 kg. 286 lb.	132.5 kg. 291.5 lb.	102.5 kg. 225.5 lb.			440.0 kg. 968 lb.
100 kg. 220 lb.	152.5 kg. 335.5 lb.	162.5 kg. 357.5 lb.	162.5 kg. 357.5 lb.	107.5 kg. 236.5 lb.	115 kg. 253 lb.	125 kg. 275 lb.	192.5 kg. 423.5 lb.	215 kg. 473 lb.	237.5 kg. 522.5 lb.	502.5 kg. 1105.5 lb.
100 kg. 220 lb.	160 kg. 352 lb.	175 kg. 385 lb.	182.5 kg. 401.5 lb.	102.5 kg. 225.5 lb.	110 kg. 242 lb.	115 kg. 253 lb.	205 kg. 451 lb.	227.5 kg. 500.5 lb.	235 kg. 517 lb.	520.0 kg. 1144 lb.
100 kg. 220 lb.	182.5 kg. 401.5 lb.	210 kg. 462 lb.	210 kg. 462 lb.	125 kg. 275 lb.	132.5 kg. 291.5 lb.	132.5 kg. 291.5 lb.	225 kg. 495 lb.	245 kg. 539 lb.	250 kg. 550 lb.	580.0 kg. 1276 lb.
110 kg. 242 lb.	137.5 kg. 302.5 lb.	155 kg. 341 lb.	165 kg. 363 lb.	100 kg. 220 lb.	115 kg. 253 lb.	115 kg. 253 lb.	185 kg. 407 lb.			440.0 kg. 968 lb.
125 kg. 275 lb.	115 kg. 253 lb.	130 kg. 286 lb.	140 kg. 308 lb.	130 kg. 286 lb.	137.5 kg. 302.5 lb.	137.5 kg. 302.5 lb.	182.5 kg. 401.5 lb.	192.5 kg. 423.5 lb.	200 kg. 440 lb.	470.0 kg. 1034 lb.
125 kg. 275 lb.	225 kg. 495 lb.			167.5 kg. 368.5 lb.			235 kg. 517 lb.			627.5 kg. 1380.5 lb.
UNL	227.5 kg. 500.5 lb.	237.5 kg. 522.5 lb.		127.5 kg. 280.5 lb.	132.5 kg. 291.5 lb.	137.5 kg. 302.5 lb.	250 kg. 550 lb.	265 kg. 583 lb.	265 kg. 583 lb.	625.0 kg. 1375 lb.
UNL	205 kg. 451 lb.	205 kg. 451 lb.	230 kg. 506 lb.	185 kg. 407 lb.	192.5 kg. 423.5 lb.	197.5 kg. 434.5 lb.	232.5 kg. 511.5 lb.	250 kg. 550 lb.	275 kg. 605 lb.	677.5 kg. 1490.5 lb.

As you can see, I probably wouldn't win in the unlimited weight class; all the more reason to lose the weight in time. However, in the 125/275 class, I look pretty competitive. Looking back through previous years' results, it looks like I could win!

Day One, Week Two: Heavy Bench Press Day

Back to day one for the second week, which focuses on the bench press. Note that originally I had reverse bench press two days a week; today my trainer replaced that with the triceps pressdown for day one:

Heavy Bench Day
Exercise	4/9 2010	4/16 2010	Week Three	Week Four
Bench	135x5	135x5
	185x5	185x5
	225x5	225x5
	275x5	280x5
	290x5	295x5
	300x5	305x5
	305x5	310x5
	310x5	315x4
Dumbbell Bench Press w/Rotation	60x12	80x12
	70x12	85x12
	80x12	90x10
Pushups	12	15
	10	13
	12	12
Triceps Pressdown		175x12 (Y)
		185x10 (Y)
		185x8 (Y)
Reverse Grip Bench Press	135x10
	135x12
	140x10

(Y) Machines at the YMCA

Thanks a Lot, Osgood and Schlatter...

So, I saw the orthopedist today, and it went pretty well. Long story short, the X-rays don't show any problem with the bones, and it doesn't look like I need surgery or anything. I'm going to see a physical therapist once a week for a month and then have it looked at again. Thank God; I really didn't want to stymie my powerlifting "career" before it even began, by having surgery or something otherwise invasive.

Basically, it looks like the Osgood-Schlatter disease I had as an adolescent has left me with a fragmented tubercle in my left knee, and this may be the source of some of my pain (along with maybe some IT band issues). You can see the fragmentation in the pictures at top left and at right (it's circled in each; click for a larger view). The pain, apparently, can be mediated through therapy, strething, that sort of thing.

So, no big deal at this point. Praise the Lord!

Slow and Steady, I Guess...

Well, after 6 straight days weighing about the same or slightly more than I did when I last posted my weight, I'm down a whopping 1.2 pounds. As they say, slow and steady wins the race. Just over 8 pounds 'til I reach my goal weight for my competition in June.

Seeking Prayer: Appointment With the Orthopedist

Please pray for me if you have a moment or two to spare. I have an appointment tomorrow with the orthopedist (is that what you call them?) to look at my left knee. Over the past month or so what used to be an on-and-off again pain has been slowly and steadily rising, and I'm nervous. Is it something serious, to repair which will require something invasive that will prevent me from competing for a long time? Worse, is it something that simply can't be fixed and will require that I not compete at all?

Lots of thoughts going through my head. I trust God, and His will is better than mine. Still, I've really been looking forward to lifting competitively, and am praying that this won't interfere.

Cardio Hour at the YMCA

Went to the YMCA today to burn a few calories. Spent 40 minutes on the Adaptive Motion Trainer, one of my favorite forms of cardio (I prefer running, but I've had knee pain lately that I don't want to worsen). 600 calories later, I headed to the pool and swam 500 meters (intervals). Forgot my goggles; now my eyes hurt.

Come On In, The Water's Fine

I used to underestimate the value of swimming, in terms of exercise. A year or so I decided to give it a try. That's not to say I didn't know how to swim, I just never had done it as exercise. I quickly grew to love it. I'm no Michael Phelps, don't get me wrong. However, it's fun, good exercise, and I recently heard it's a good between-lifting workout as it provides light resistance to recovering muscles. Anybody know if that's true?

Today I spent a half hour in the pool doing intervals. I have not yet learned how to pace myself sufficiently to swim constantly. So, I swim at a moderate intensity, a length and back, which takes me about a minute, and then rest for a minute or so. Rinse, repeat. I feel good--but boy I smell like chlorine...

Upcoming Interview at Disciple Training Gear... And a Free T-Shirt to Boot!

I contacted Disciple Training Gear thanking them for their products and services, and struck up a great email conversation with its owner. We have several interests in common, and share a passion for theology and apologetics. So cool! Although, he must be a bit off, because for some strange reason he asked me to do an interview, to be posted alongside other interviews with Christian powerlifters. As if anybody cares what I have to say!

Well, delusional as the guy must be, I agreed. Primarily because he offered me a free T-Shirt. So stay tuned for the posting of my interview if you're one of those strange few who are interested in anything I have to say :) I can't wait to get my "Jesus is a Bodybuilder" T-Shirt in the mail!!!

Day Four: Deadlift Day--Plus New Personal Best!

Day four today, which focuses on the deadlift. The past four weeks I've been doing rack pulls, and had to take it a bit easy as I had opened up some nasty blisters on my palms. I'm going back to full, heavy deadlifts.

Also, I exceeded my previous best deadlift today, lifting 470 pounds! The bars at the PRO Club are awesome, and do not seem to slip from my grip the way some other bars do. I hope I get to compete using a similar one.

Anyway, here are my numbers for today:

Deadlift Day
Exercise	4/13 2010	Week Two	Week Three	Week Four
Deadlift	135x5
	225x5
	315x1
	365x1
	405x1
	425x1
	445x1
	470x1
Bent Over Row	160x12
	170x12
	180x9
V-Bar Pulldown	145x12 (P)
	155x10 (P)
	160x10 (P)
Barbell Curl	75x10
	75x7
	75x6

(P) Machines at the PRO Club

Day Three: Light Bench Press Day--Plus New Personal Best!

Day three takes me back to the bench press, but light, focusing on explosivity. In addition, I was curious and decided to attempt a new personal best, and managed to bench 355! It was pretty tough, but I was still sore from Friday's heavy bench press workout; had I not been, I might've been able to do 365.

Anyway, here are the numbers:

Light Bench Day
Exercise	4/12 2010	Week Two	Week Three	Week Four
Bench	135x15
	225x3
	230x3
	235x3
	240x3
	245x3
	250x3
	255x3
	260x3
	355x1
Smith Machine Military Press	90x12
	110x10
	110x9
Pushups	15
	15
	15
Reverse Grip Bench Press	145x12
	165x10
	175x9

 

Two Steps Forward, One Step Back... But in a Good Way!

Normally, when people speak of taking two steps forward and one step back, it's a bad thing. Usually it's in the context of frustration, the struggle we often face when our forward progress is hindered by periodic backsliding. I'm very familiar with this use of the phrase both as a Christian--whose process of sanctification doesn't always trend upward--and as one who struggles with his weight--whose bad habits often undo hard work at the gym or diligence at healthful eating. Today, however, I turned the phrase into something good!

My friend and previous boss recently came down the hallway breathing heavily, and he explained that he decided to start taking the stairs instead of the elevator. We work on the 8th floor, so it's a bit of a climb. Well, this morning I was pondering ways in which I could add some extra activity to my day here and there, and I decided I would start taking the stairs, too. However, I threw in a twist: For each two flights of stairs I climbed, I went back down one. This meant that I really climbed 10.5 floors instead of just 7.

Small ideas like these can make an enormous difference. I sometimes marvel at how easy it is to consume way more calories than one burns. A seemingly small snack can easily undo a half hour of exercise. Well, if those of us who are trying to maintain a modest calorie defecit incorporate little tricks into our daily living like this, our chances of success are sure to skyrocket.

Disciple Training Gear: Jesus is a Bodybuilder

I love it! I was looking around online for other Christian powerlifters and happened upon this site: Disciple Training Gear. Their apparel display several mottos, including "God is a Weight Lifter" and "God is a Powerlifter," as well as "Jesus is a Bodybuilder" which comes from Ephesians 4:11-16:

11 And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. 14 As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; 15 but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.

Amen! I should keep this passage in mind. While powerlifting is an honorable pursuit, and it is good to seek to be healthy, fit and strong, nevertheless the bodybuilding which is of greater importance is the building up of the Body of Christ. I pray that God will use me for the equipping of the saints, that He will use me for the building up of His body. If powerlifting is one vehicle for doing that, awesome. But either way, I need to keep my eyes on what's of greater importance.

Powerlifters typically are required to wear a wrestling-style singlet in competition; I may just buy mine from here.