On September 5th of this year I competed in the USAPL Deadlift National Championships in Killeen, TX. This was my first competition since incurring some pretty severe injuries that I detailed in my last blog. I tried to keep my goals very realistic going into this meet, especially considering that I could not walk without pain just five months earlier. My goals were to remain healthy and pull a 200 Wilkes score deadlift. The minimum requirements to be invited to the Pro Deadlift at the Arnold Classic are to pull at least a 320kg (705 lb.) deadlift with a minimum 200 Wilkes score at a USAPL National Championship meet. This meant that I had to pull at least 760 pounds at Deadlift Nationals.
After recovering from injuries I think you are always a little nervous going into your first meet, at least this was the case for me. Fortunately my nerves quickly calmed down when I started my warm-ups. I felt pretty strong and on track to pull a 200 Wilkes Score. I opened up lighter than I ever have at a deadlift-only meet at 683 pounds. It felt good, but not great. Review of the film showed pretty good speed, so I upped my second attempt to 733 pounds. This attempt slowed down quite a bit, so I knew I had to dig deep for my last attempt of 766 pounds. In spite of a loose suit and leaving my hips high at the start of the deadlift, I was able to complete a good lift. What made the accomplishment even better was that I received an official invite to the Pro Deadlift at the Arnold Classic! This is the only motivation I need for my training.
