Right before the end of 2017, KC Strongman Club and I took part in the USAWA Postal Championships. This past year, I have done rather well in the USAWA Postal Series events, but unfortunately the events in the championship were not well suited for me. While this was all round, and I should strive to be a well-rounded lifter, for this meet I had to do the best I could with what I had.
The first lift was the 2” vertical bar. Here is demo video of the lift. The vertical bar is quickly becoming my nemesis. I have trained for it hard and made moderate improvements. However, on the day we contested it, I was off the mark. It was quite disheartening, but there were 2 more lifts, so I soldiered on.
The next lift was the one arm dumbbell swing. For this lift the implement must be moved from the ground in one continual motion until locked out at a 90-degree angle above the body. Watch the demo here. The most I had ever done in competition was 120 lbs. I trained this movement hard and tweaked my technique a little. It paid off with a meet lift of 135 lbs. This was not a record, but it was a big PR for me. Only 4 lifters have ever done more weight in the history of the organization.
Last was the trap bar deadlift. Watch the demo here. As with any deadlift since reinjuring my back, I have to be careful.My numbers had been creeping up, and when it was said and done, I hit five more pounds in the meet than I had in training. When it was all tallied, I ended in 7th place by formula in the Postal Championship, and 5th by total weight lifted. They also determined an overall placing for the entire USAWA Postal Series for the 2017 year. I was pleased to find out that due to my wins in the second and third quarter Postals, along with runner-up at the first quarter, I earned enough points to place as overall champion of the 2017 USAWA Postal Series.
I have begun preparation for the Heavy Lift Championships in May, and the USAWA National Championships in June. It will be a challenge to balance these 2 very different meets, but with the help of HMB and PEAK ATP, I feel like I already have a leg up.
Eric Todd, Strength Athlete
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