2013 USAPL Central Florida Powerlifting Championships: Team PSI: Meet Write-up

Not a long haul down to Orlando, but a guaranteed quick turnaround. Got to the hotel (which looked nothing  like the website pictures: WHERE"S MY SWAN!) about 2:30 Saturday, rested up and went to dinner: all except Gage and Charles, who were deep into their weight cuts. After dinner we hied it (Henderson, 2011) to the Anytime Fitness Kissimee, so the boys could run.

Did not fall asleep until; after one and was awakened by Gage hitting the hot shower at 4:30. When we left at 6:30, his bw was 182.6. Start spitting, kid. Got up, showered and went for money and donuts, and we headed to the meet site.

The Hyatt Regency at the Orlando International airport is literally IN THE CENTER OF THE AIRPORT. After a lil' rigmarole we finally got to weight ins.

Gage: 181.25... .25 under the limit.
Holloway: 179
Charles: 197.5... .5 under.
Andrew: 297... room to spare.

Wound up doing about a third of the rules briefing. Then the meet started about an hour late, which was fine except that they did not give us flight info until we had already started warming up. My guys were in flight B and C. As a result of my rules briefing addenda, I wound up coaching for three other lifters, plus lots of question answering.

Note of Genius: I brought my own kilo Ivanko kilo loading chart.

A big shout out to T.W.Sauls and Jacob Bush for using said chart and taking my instructions and spotting and loading for all the regular team lifters and our char-gees. They worked all day to keep everyone warmed up. I don't let my lifters touch a weight in the warm-up area.

Jason Holloway: First meet: Masters 181: Push Pull
Had to sit through all the squats, but helped me coordinate warmups.
Bench
248: Good:Smoke show.
264: Good: Looked easy in real time, but on video it looks more of a grind.
270: miss: took the weight down a bit too slowly.

Deadlift
380: miss. Easy pull, but lost his balance at the top. At this point, no way we were going safe.
407: Good! Ripped it up.
429: miss: started shaking and got reds. Gotta go with what the judges say, but it looked good in real time and on the video.

Still, first meet, long day. Just a little off his goals, but very proud of him for putting all the work in.

Charles: first Meet: T2 198: opened with all new state records.
Squat
380: Good: solid, but not like I wanted it to look.
396: Good: conservative jump. Form was spot on and he killed it.
413: Good: Form was perfect. A grind, but all 3 whites.

Bench
253: Good: easy
270 Good: slow off the chest, fast to lockout.
275: miss: just not in the cards.

Deadlift
451: Good. Lokked alright.
479: miss. Could have gone either way. I thought it was good, but...
479: miss. Long day got to him.

6/9 with 4 state records. We'll take it.

Andrew: first Meet: T2 and Open SHW
Squat
435: Good: destroyed it.
473: Good: No question.
490: Good: PR and State Record. Prolly could have gotten 496.

Bench
341: Good: solid.
363: Good: smoked it. Was very grumpy afterward. Said it did not feel good.
374: Good: SOLID. Might have had 380. Still, a PR!

Deadlift
545: Good: Utter Destruction. Went for a huge jump.
589: Good: Stiff legged it. I thought he was done. Conservative jump to:
600.7: Good: 2 to 1! PR!!! Went to Stiff leg IMMEDIATELY at beginning of pull and I wrote him off, but he pulled it to lock out. I think he could have gotten 600.7.

9 for 9, baby! Only 13 lbs off the state total record.

Gage: Went from T2 220 two weeks ago to T2 181!!!
Squat: enter the 12 Gage!!!
355: Good. Depth was there, but he looked loose.
380: Good: Meet PR! Ditto. Asked him what he wanted next: "the least I can get away with."
385: miss: His depth was a shade too low today.

Bench: been chasing the AR for a year. Found out last week that the Ar went up from 290 to 303, so
292: good: State record
308.5 AR Record Attempt: GOOD!!! Destroyed it! Still, i thought he had shot the moon on that one.
314: AR Attempt: GOOD!!! A grind. The right call. 319 would not have gone.

Deadlift
451: Good: solid
479: Good. State Record: solid
501: No go. The other option was 496 for the SR total, but I think he was done.

7 for 9, two state and the American Record in the bench for the T2 181 class.

Man, what an exhausting day. Seven Sate Records and an American Record. Not a bad haul.

Congrats to Marvin Wheeler with PR's on all 3 lifts and a pretty deadlift to end the day. Congrats to Melissa D'Errico (sp) for a solid 215 bench and a big PR 275 deadlift. Congrats to Big Jim Emmett Fenimore Cooper for pulling over 500 and benching 391. Squats looked good too, because a eagle eyed coach was calling his depth. :)

Thanks to Missy and Christan for cheering the Team on all day.

Thanks to Dr. Scarborough for showing up to give Chuck some support.

Thanks to Anytime Fitness Blackshear and Jenny and Jeffry Parr for all their support.

Thanks to the rest of the Team: Nate, Berry and Mike for always pushing us when we are in the gym.

Bench Wednesdays

Charles
Deload
175 x 5
185 x 5
195 x 5

2 Board
225 x 2p
245 x 2p
260 x 2 p
265 x 2p... PR
275 x 1p... PR

Close
185 x 6p
200 x 6p
210 x 6p

Jacob
175 x 10fp
185 x 10fp
195 x 10fp
195 x 5p x 3 sets

1 board pauses
195 x 5p
215 x 3p
225 x 5p

Close
195 x 8
205 x 5p
215 x 5p

James
215 x 6...1,3,6p
225 x 6...1,3,6p
245 x 5
245 x 5flp
245 x 4p
280 x 1
280 x 1p

2 Board
275 x 2p x 2

Close
195 x 5
215 x 5
230 x 5

Gage
260 x 5flp
275 x 5flp
290 x 5
290 x 3p

3 board
315 x 3p
335 x 3p

Close
185 x 8
205 x 8
215 x 8

Mikey Silverback
175 x 6flp
185 x 6flp
215 x 5
215 x 5fp
215 x 4fp

3 board
255 x 1p
275 x 1p... PR

1 Board Pauses
175 x 5p
195 x 3p
205 x 5p

Holloway
165 x 10
175 x 10
185 x 10... PR
185 x 10... again
205 x 1p
205 x 1p
205 x 5p

3 board
215 x 3p
235 x 2p x 2

Close
155 x 6
175 x 6
185 x 6

Christan
First Week of Arch Work
45 x 10
65 x 5
90 x 5p
95 x 5flp
100 x 5flp
105 x 5flp
115 x 5flp

1 Board
105 x 5p
115 x 3p
125 x 3p

Incline close Grip: I forget

Pete
First Week Arch Work on Light Day: I got about two inches... which is what she said.
45 x 15
95 x 10
135 x 8
165 x 5p
180 x 5p
190 x 5p
205 x 5p
225 x 5p

JM Press
185 x 12
205 x 12
225 x 10

Overhead Press
45 x 10
95 x 10
135 x 8
155 x 8
165 x 6... guh.

Another busy PSI night. Would rather not do OHP on same night as bench, but we have to go to Cuthbert tonight. I will say this, working the arch wears my ass out. So much more leg drive and ALL the breathing.

Wednesday: Bench

Christan

Bench

45 x 10

75 x 5

95 x 3

110 x 8lp

120 x 8lp

130 x 5.... hurm.

115 x 5fp

120 x 5flp

135 x 1p x 2

Close Grip

110 x 5

115 x 5

120 x 2

Pete

Bench: with new and improved wide-grip

45 x 15

95 x 10

135 x 8

185 x 5

225 x 5p

245 x 6p

265 x 5p

Jake

Bench: wide Grip

135 x 10

155 x 10

165 x 10

175 x 10

175 x 5p x 3 sets

1 Board pauses

155 x 5p

175 x 3p

195 x 8p

Close Grip

165 x 8

185 x 8

195 x 8

James

benched at school earlier, so his bench was off.

205 x 6...1,3,6

215 x 6...1,3,6

240 x 5... guh

235 x 4fp

230 x 3p

275 x 0

Called it. 

Charles

bench

215 x 3p

230 x 3p

245 x 3p... PR!!!

3 board

260 x 1p

280 x 1p... PR!!!

290 x 0 x 2

Close Grip

165 x 8p

185 x 8p

195 x 8p

Thursday: DL

Christan

Deadlift

135 x 10

185 x 5

225 x 3

275 x 2

295 x 1 x 3 sets

295 x 3

Holloway

2" Deficit

275 x 5

295 x 5

335 x 5

355 x 5

385 x 3... damn

Berry

2 " defcit

255 x 5

275 x 5

295 x 5

315 x 5

335 x 5

Floor

405 x 1... very fast

Andrew

365 x 8

385 x 8

405 x 8

Jake

pause deadlifts

255 x 5flp

275 x 5p

295 x 5p

315 x 5p

James

355 x 5

385 x 5

405 x 5... PR

Charles

385 x 5... fugly

415 x 5... better

445 x 6... PR. Much better

Gage

425 x 5

455 x 5

475 x 4... PR. Lost his balance on the fifth, but WOW. Looking forward to April 25th for the Deadlift Max extravaganza between Gage and Chuck. 

Coaching

Caleb
squat
135 x 10 x 3

Dalton
Squat
275 x 3 x 3

James
Bench
230 x 5p
250 x 5flp
265 x 3fp
250 x 3
250 x 2p
235 x 3
235 x 2p

3 board
265 x 2p

Close
205 x 4
205 x 5 x 2

Speed
165 x 3 x 8 VG

Jake
Max Bench
275 PR!!!
285 x 0
280 PR!!!

Charles
250 PR!!!
265 x 0
260 PR!!!

No quit in this crew, even on an off night.

So, Swagger comes in a bit low and i tell him that he looks a lot like me. Berry comments that I tend to be "All Solemn and  put out."

I respond that Solomon was known to put out.

Hi-oh!

Chris
Deadlift
135 x 10
145 x 10 x 4
145 x 5 reset x 2

Conventional
145 x 5 x 3

Bench
45 x 10
75 x 5
95 x 3
115 x 1
125 x 3
125 x 3
135 x 1
135 x 0... hmmm?
145 x Negative

Jacob: Late
Deadlift
135 x 10
225 x 5
275 x 3
325 x 5
350 x 5
370 x 5... PR!!!

Bench
45 x 10
95 x 5
135 x 3
185 x 1
205 x 6lp
220 x 5flp
220 x 5flp
235 x 4p
235 x 4fp

Swagger
135 x 10
185 x 6
225 x 5
275 x 3
315 x 1
365 x 1
405 x 1
430 x 1
455 x 1... PR
470 x 1... PR
480 x 1... PR!!!

Lil'Man Heath
Deadlift
20 x 10
30 x 6
40 x 5
50 x 5... PR!

Berry
135 x 10
185 x 6
225 x 5
275 x 4
315 x 3
335 x 2
365 x 1
385 x 3
405 x a hard fought 2. He was disappointed, but he kept on.
405 x 1
405 x 1... good hard work.

Pete
2 " Deficit
135 x 8
225 x 5
315 x 3
365 x 2
425 x 1
475 x 5
535 x 3
595 x 2... PR!

Block Pull
635 x 1
635 x 0... I was worn out from the day, the deficits and the speed of the training. Jacob being late messed up the timing.

Sumos
565 x 1... Guh-hu-uh
535 x 2
495 x 2
465 x 2
425 x 2

My hands, they be hamburg right now.

Training Log: Christmas Eve Squat Party

The third annual CSP was a little subdued because not everyone squatted, but the Jays did show up and work legs and were there for moral support. A big thanks to all who were able to come.

Berry
45 x 10
95 x 8
115 x 5
135 x 3
155 x 5 x 2
185 x 3 x 2

Jake and Gage
45 x 10
135 x 8
205 x 5
245 x 3
285 x 2
305 x 1
325 x 1
345 x 1

Jake: 365 x 1... Pr
Gage: 365 x 0... I am at a loss. He has been stuck at 365 for over a year. I cannot figure it out.

Pete
Squat: thanks to Berry for his depth calls.
stick x 10 x 3
45 x 10 x 2
135 x 8
225 x 5
315 x 3
385 x 5
415 x 5
415 x 5... had to tighten my belt one notch: this could be an issue for Berry on Friday.
435 x 5
475 x 1... planned single
565 x Walkout and a single off the high pin
385 x 5

Sumo Deficits: 2"
135 x 5
225 x 3
315 x 2
405 x 5 x 3

Speed Pulls
365 x 3 x 8

Well, it's finally here:

We head off for the meet tonight.

Plans
Christan:
Squat: 203/231/242
Bench: 126/137/148
Dead: 303/325/341

Pete
Squat: 545/584/606
Bench: 336/363/374
Dead: 578/622/644

And that's her.

Toodles.

Monday Night and All the World's a-Squattin'

Man we had a huge night of lifters. It is tough for me to get it all logistically figured out what with a wide disparity of strength levels and rack heights.

Berry
45 x 10
95 x 8
135 x 6
185 x 3
215 x 1
230 x 1

Dalton
225 x 5
245 x 5
265 x 5... PR

Gage: Deload
165 x 5
185 x 5
205 x 5

Jacob: late: Deload
165 x 5
185 x 5
205 x 5

(Gage and Jacob: sldl 225 x 8-10 x 3)

Charles
315 x 3
330 x 3
345 x 3... good speed.

Mike
225 x 8
315 x 5
405 x 3
455 x 1
405 x 2

Jordan
405 x 3 x 3... was getting all to depth at the end.
425 x 3

Christan
45 x 10
95 x 5
135 x 3
165 x 1
185 x 3
215 x 3... PR
230 x 1... just missed a second... PR
235 x 0... my bad

SLDL: sumo
175 x 8
195 x 8
215 x 8

Dalton did the same plus 225 x 8

Rack Pull
225 x 3
295 x 3
315 x 3 335 x 3... PR

Pete
45 x 10 x 4
135 x 8
225 x 5
315 x 3
405 x 2
455 x 1
505 x 5... easy
505 x 6... easy

EWS
135 x 5
225 x 3... mike did for 5
315 x 3... mike did for 3
405 x 2... mike did for 2
455 x 1
505 x 3 x 3... a bit slow.

Speed Pulls
Dalton 225 x 3 x 6

Pete and Mike
335 x 3 x 8

Logistical issues with 8-9 man squat night:
We have my rack set to my height. Gage, Jake and Charles all use my rack height.

Jordan has to have a higher setting, so he had to be on the gun rack.

I had the biggest squat, so the bigger squatters needed to be on my rack, all save Jordan because of the rack height.

Gage and Jake were deloading so they needed to be on the gun rack.

Christan, Berry and Dalton are the lightest squatters so they needed to be on the gun rack.

Berry gripes and complains every time he has to lift with Christan, then he gives the business about reps, then gives me shit when I walk in his direct line of sight while he is loading a bar, then he threatens me with a mule jaw.

Mike graciously squats with me even though the rack is too low for him.

Training Log: Bench assistance

Christan
Speed Bench
45 x 10
65 x 5
85 x 3 x 9 vp

Wides
75 x 10
95 x 10

Close Grip Incline
70 x 5
85 x 5
95 x 5

OHP
55 x 8
65 x 8
70 x 8

Pete
Speed Bench
45 x 15
95 x 10
135 x 8
205 x 3p x 9 vp

Wides
215 x 10 x 2 sets (paused 1, 5, 10)

JM Presses
205 x 8
215 x 8
225 x 8

Standing OHP
65 x 10
115 x 8
135 x 8
155 x 8

Close Grip Pulldown
120 x 12
140 x 12
160 x 12

Meet Write-Up: 2012 Georgia Games

My weight cut was spot on and I woke up Saturday morning at 242. I had five hours before weigh-in so I knew I was good to go. Gage had weighed in on our scale at five the night before at 188. He ran and fasted. By my scale he was 180.4 in the morning.

The meet sight was a nice facility with everything a lifter might need. It was big, but because they stayed open for business it was crowded, especially with 56 total lifters. A whole lot of them were there for equipment check, too. I went ahead and got all of equipment checked. Gage did not weigh in until eight: 179.75. Sweet. Off to get donuts.

Started warming up and Gage looked great. Only then did I find out that they had split the first meet into two flights... and Gage was in the second flight. No mention was made and no flight info was posted. they had a video screen set up in the back, but unless you knew what was going on you had no idea what was going on. So, I am beside myself and worried about Gage, but we kept him warm throughout the first flight.  this was tough because the first flight was taking FOREVER.

Squats
Opener: 314.5... three whites. looked easy. That was why I had no qualms about going...
Second: 352.5... missed. He lost his tightness right before he dropped and he could not recover.
Third: 352.5... three reds. Called him on depth. Looked good to me and the video makes it look good too. I really feel he was robbed.

                                                                            314 opener

                                                                      352 Robbery

Bench warm-ups went pretty well, just had to take into account the slow moving flights.

Bench
Opener: 264.5... three whites. State Record. Looked solid. I was shocked at how long the "press" calls were. Almost two full seconds.
Second; 292... missed. He gets on the bench and THEN the say American record so they have to scramble to get the right judges. took almost three minutes. Then the head judge gives the down signal but waits another measure before saying, "Start."
Third: 292... missed. Another damn snafu with the judges. A bit annoying.



At this point Gage has given up and his deadlift warm-ups were lethargic and it was taking forever because of the slowness of the first flight.

Deadlift
Opener: 402.5... three whites. Destroyed it. Had a little pep in his step after that.
Second: 434.7... three whites, but it did not look great. State Record Deadlift and Total.!!!
Third: 451.7... three whites. Looked better than the third. Meet PR!!!

                                                                        402 Opener

                                         434 Second Attempt: State Record Deadlift and Total

Gage ended with the state records in the Bench, Deadlift and Total. He really looked good on his pulls, too.

Then Gage got popped to be drug tested. He had just peed before his deadlifts, so he had to drink a gallon and half of fluids and it took him and hour and a half to pee. Not surprising he was dehydrated from the weight cut.

We did not find out until a half hour before our meet that Logan and I would be in separate flights. I was already tired.

Logan weighed in at 194. I weighed in at 239.5 and I felt good. that soon ended.

Logan was only able to get his opener squat of 396, two benches ending with 264 and got his opener deadlift of 520. The deadlift was a state record. Whatever happened to him was inexplicable, but part of it had to do with the guy that he is. He went running with Gage on Thursday and Friday, then he helped load and get Gage ready on the other lifts, then had to run back and forth with me in a separate flight. It was a bad meet, but I was proud of him, proud of his selflessness and willingness to help.

                                                                           396 opener

                                                                     Second Attempt: 264

                                                            Opener and State Record 523

I started warming up right before the first flight started. By the time they were through with second attempts, I had not even done 315. I had to rush to get warmed up. I did my last warm-up with 495 as the first attempts got under way. I was sweating and sucking wind because the first flight had FLOWN by. Luckily my opener was 110 pound higher than everybody else's.

Squat
Opener: 545.5... three reds. My problems with depth had begun. It felt low enough, it looked low enough on video, but apparently it was not low enough. they also called me for not "locking out" my left leg. I cannot hyperextend that leg because of the ACL surgery. I never claimed it because I never though it would be an issue.
Second: 545.5... three reds. Depth again. I was at a loss. this was a low as I could get.  I was pissed but not despondent. If I bombed than I would be out of nationals. Christan told me that it was absolute bullshit, but you have to go with the judges. As a matter of fact, about 95% of the people who saw it though it was low enough.
third: 545.5... three whites. Holy shit. I was happy to get the lift in, but upset that i ended with such a low squat. that being said, it was the highest in the meet.

                                                            Opener 545: 3 reds for depth

                                                            Second 545: 3 red for depth

Bench
Warmups were tough because first flight flew by again.

Opener: 325... three whites. Easy.
Second: 352.5... three whites, flet a little heavy, but nothing to worry about.
Third: 369.5... missed. Just got out of the groove. Not a strength issue.

                                                                     Second Attempt 352

Deadlifts
As usual the first flight was just rolling. I got my last warmup about three lifters into the first attempts. Again, I was the last lifter.

Opener: 556... Killed it. Three whites.
Second: 606...  A little heavy off the floor, but it went really well. I was still upset about the rest of the meet so I opted to go for a PR.
Third: 628... three whites. This was the toughest pull I have ever done and it seemed to take forever. I was worried at lockout because I had to really throw my shoulders back. i looked at the head judge and she is just looking at me. I pull back a fraction more and she finally gives me the down signal. I was sure she was gonna red light me. This was a great lift because the WHOLE crowd was in on it and all the lifters were yelling for me.

                                                                           Opener 556

                                                                         Second 606

                                                          All-time Personal Record 628

This was my highest ever pull, the first time I legitimately had the heaviest pull in a meet and the first time I have ever pulled over 600 twice in a meet. This is the fourtth of five meets where I have both pulled over 600 and had a deadlift heavier than my squat. It was also pulled on a stiff bar, the first 600+ pull that I have pulled that was not on a deadlift bar.

Then I got popped for a drug test. I of course had just peed before my second deadlift. Took me a gallon of water and an hour to pee. But, I did get to spend that time talking with David Ricks, one of the greatest powerlifters of all time. He was a judge at this meet. Just a real great guy. Also got to meet Steve Goggins who is 1) one of the greatest lifters of all time 2) shorter than I thought and 3) a real great guy.

For those not in the know, Goggins was the first man to squat 1100 lbs and has a 881 deadlift to his credit.

Anyway, it was a tiring meet but I got to meet some real nice people and pal around with a few lifters during the meet. I was not happy about the squat depth issue, but it was better to happen here then at nationals. Gonna have to learn from this and fix it.

Thanks to Christan, my dad, my brother, Ceci, Charles and Jacob for coming and rooting me on. Gotta get back in the gym and fix a few things, but I really have to re-evaluate my position as a soon-to-be-master lifter.

This was the most tiring day of lifting I have ever had I will not do another meet with two other people unless I am NOT lifting.

Next up, Killeen.

Training Log: Bench Press Excitement!

Nate
45 x 15
95 x 10
135 x 5
165 x 3
185 x 5
205 x 5
215 x 5... He said, "That's more than I weigh." "What?" I said. Turns out Nate has trimmed down from 240+ to 211. Amazing.

Logan
45 x 15
95 x 10
135 x 8
185 x 5
205 x 3
225 x 2p... I knew it was going to be a good night.
245 x 2p
260 x 2p
275 x 2p... solid first, grinding second. Helluva push.

2 board
285 x 1p
295 x 1p

Floor Press
155 x 10
175 x 10
195 x 10

Pete
45 x 15
95 x 10
135 x 8
185 x 5
225 x 3
275 x 2p... took the time to make sure I was balanced on the bench.
315 x 2p
335 x 1p
355 x 2p... SWEET! missed it for a double last week and could only hit 345 for 5 singles last multiple set week.
355 x 2p... even better.
355 x 2p... Yeah, buddy! And no shoulder pain.

Close Grip
275 x 3p
295 x 3p
315 x 3p...  these are a little more rougher on the shoulder, kids.

Floor Press
215 x 8p
235 x 8p... I was done.

I cannot believe that Nate has Lost 30 lbs. He looks good, but damn!

Logan has really come on with his benching in the last few weeks. When we started, he could not get over 255. Has a real shot at 285/290.

I think I have finally found my bench setup form. No real arch, just a pinch of tightness in that direction and light pressure between the shoulder blades. If I keep my concentration and form, I have a good feeling about 400 in August.

Training Log: Triumphal Return Friday

I was giving my back a rest so I originally planned on doing nothing, but I figured my hammies could use some work, so...

Pete
Romanian Split Squats
Bw x 12 x ea
30 x 10 x ea
50 x 10 x ea
60 x 10 x ea
75 x 10 x ea

Kneeling Pulley Crunch
210 x 15
220 x 15
230 x 15
240 x 15
250 x 15

Conventional Partial Deads
225 x 12
275 x 12
295 x 12
315 x 12

Shrugs
225 x 10
275 x 10
315 x 10
365 x 10

Seizure Kicks
2 sets of 12 x ea

I feel like a simulated a dead lift workout well. Quads, hamstrings, upper back and core all got hit.

Jacob
135 x 10
185 x 5
225 x 3
265 x 3
295 x 3
305 x 3 x 2 PR

Chris
135 x 10
185 x 5
225 x 5 x 4 sets

Leg Press
225 x 10
315 x 10
405 x 10
495 x 10... PR! Full ROM and no knee wraps

                                                 415 x 3... this video should have been lower




Gage
135 x 10
225 x 5
275 x 3
315 x 1
365 x 5
390 x 5

He was bitchy that the weight felt heavy, but it looked good to me.

415 x 3... He killed the first three and then lost his grip. See above.


415 x 4... hands were the issue. Fourth one is terrible, but his hands were really messed up.

                                                                           415 x 4

Logan
135 x 10
225 x 8
315 x 5
365 x 3
405 x 1
440 x 5
500 x 3

                                                                          500 x 3

Then he had to go for his heavy single, 95% of the projected max we had been working on.

560 x 1...PR!!! The most he has ever pulled in training, in a meet or anywhere.

                                                                       560 x 1... PR!!!

I am really proud of him. He has only been training a little over three months and he has come a long way.

The further Adventures of Proto-Mechanic: Home Edition or The Return of Dr. Frankenstein

The Place: Case de Proto, Gage's Room
The Job: Another Ceiling Fan
Estimated Time of Completion: 1 hour... I almost can't write that with a straight face. 


Thanks to the piss-poor duct work of the good Doctor, the back two rooms of the house are warmer than the rest of the house. Gage's room is sweltering. I promised him I would install his ceiling fan by Sunday. So, Sunday, I mopped the kitchen floor(one of my alarmingly small TWO goals of the day), and got to the project.

The first thing I noticed when I opened the box was that this was a small ceiling fan. And then it happened. I actually thought to myself: "this is gonna be a cinch." For those of you who follow Proto, you know this doomed the entire job.

The fan itself was already wired for the light, so all I had to do was mount and wire it to the house. That's all I had to do. Firstly, and without hesitation, I went to the breaker box from hell to attempt to cut the power. The switch marked "Back Bedroom" turned off the power to the living room, so I just started making my way along the switches until the light in his room went off. Finally, the breaker switch labeled "Utility Closet" did the trick. I really need to re-label those things. So, I unhooked the light in Gage's room and quickly noticed a few things.

1) There were a hell of a lot of wires up in there, up in there. Two heavy blacks leading to the hot wire, a black and a white leading to the neutral and then two more heavy blacks linked together leading to the Dead Zone for all I knew. Oh, yeah, and a ground wire attached to the bracket. We will go back to that shortly.

2) Thanks to my handy-dandy voltmeter I was assured that there was no power flowing through those wires. I even did the use-a-wooden-sword-to-touch-the-hot-and-neutral-wires-as-I-cringe method of testing... just to be sure.

3) The wiring box is loose as a bum knee.

4) The screws on the mounting bracket look suspiciously stripped and of some alien head type I was not familiar with.

I tried to mount the fan mounting bracket to the wiring box mounting bracket, but nothing was working. I had to find a way to get the WBMB off with the stripped, alien screws. I was able to wedge a flat head into one of the screws and get it out. the other was not budging. I went and sat in the living room for a few minutes and thought about it. After those few minutes I simply ganked the hell out of the WBMB and it popped out. I figured in the back of my mind that I had done some sort of damage to the screw hole, but that was alright, I had a plan.

The FMB came with two types of mounting screws, longs and shorts. For the first hole, the short screw worked well. In the ganked hole, the short screw was, understandably, too small. but, here was my plan: I would use the bigger screw, see, and just overwhelm the ganked screw hole.

The ganked screw hole wanted no part of this. I went back into the living room to think and look at the old bracket with the ground wire attached to it. The wiring box had no ground wire coming off'n it. The ground was just accomplished by attaching the ground wire to the fixture and the bracket which was attached to the wiring box. Now, the FMB came with a ground wire, so I came up with a plan. I would use the ground wire from the old bracket to connect the FMB to the ganked hole. It was pretty heavy duty wire, so why not?

I attached the ground wire from the FMB to the pleasant screw, then jimmy rigged the FMB to the ganked screw hole with the old grounding wire. PERFECT! Except for the fact that, because the wiring box was so loose, the bracket wobbled back and forth. Bracket wobbles, ceiling fan wobbles. Balls.

Went out to the Proto garage and got a drill bit and two long screws. Long story short, I anchored the mounting bracket into the ceiling itself. Then I attached the fan and turned the power back on and flipped the switch... nothing.

I pawed like a cat at the ceiling fan, just in case my grounding was off. No thrumming, no shock. I pulled the chain on the fan... voila!

Then aside from cross threading one of the nuts that attached the fan to the FMB and then getting it all put back together and finding washers for those uncross-threaded mounting nuts, it was a cinch.

I swear it is an adventure anytime you have to do anything plumbing or electrical in this house.The original owner, Victor, was really good at using whatever he had lying around to make things seem like they work fine. Twenty years later, I get a nice surprise each and every time I try a DIY project at the Casa de Proto.

Only one, possibly two ceiling fans to go!

Time to completion: Three hours.

Special Post: Because LiveJournal were not working: Sacrifice

I realized something the other day. Seems I have been making a mistake about the concept of priorities. I have always thought of them as the things I do outside of eating, sleeping and such. I have made lifting a priority over the last three years and writing has gone by the wayside. I saw a video the other day about training. In the video the narrator (who is apparently talking to inner city athletes) says that in order to be successful you have to want whatever it is as much as you want to breathe. I am not geared that way, but he went on to say that "a lot of you want success but would rather spend time with your friends. You want success but you want to sleep more." He then goes on to tell them about the rapper Fifty Cent who was working on a movie and when he as not on set he was in the studio working on the soundtrack. Someone asked him when he slept. Fifty said, "Sleeping is for poor people."

And while a little hyperbolic, I immediately understood what I needed to do.

So, starting last Saturday I started to get up two hours earlier than I would normally would. The result:

Saturday: 1200 words
Sunday: I took off and will from here on out.
Monday: 1800 words
Tuesday: 2200 words
Wednesday: 1600 words

All on a brand new idea (that has been cooking for 17 years) and all as clean as I have ever written a rough first draft. All while the family slept so I was not taking any time away from anyone. All without hitting the snooze button once. My goal is 1500 words a morning. Initially it was a 1000, but that is a bit low. I'll stick with 1500.

Lost in a miasma of dissatisfaction with my life, I figured that I needed to something to change that life. It is not possible for me to go back to school right now. It would be too much to leave a job where I do a good work and am needed. I am not giving up lifting because it is too ingrained. Maybe I will never make it as a writer (and by "make it" I mean just scrape by a living doin' it), but I will never be able to do anything if I never do it and this is my response.

Of course, I have made such plans before and they have failed, but they have failed because of the priority factor. I was gonna write on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. Other things like the gym, training, yard work, time with family, kept getting in the way. If nothing else, 5:15 to 6:45 am does not take away from anyone but me, and that is huge because I have always felt like writing when you have kids and a wife is an inherently selfish endeavor. All that happens is that my normal eight to nine hours of sleep gets cut to six or seven.

As of right now it is a price I am willing to pay. We will see if it pans out or not.

Then, as a side note, I had to skip the gym. Christan was chosen by one of the top ten students as one of their most influential teachers and was recognized at Honor's Night. I hate Honor's Night, but I was not going to miss it. Ten years ago, Christan received an award at Waycross College. I put up a stink and we did not go and I have never forgiven myself for it. I'll never miss another event.

Training Log: Two Bits of Good News and Bench Training for the Kiddies

1) My hamstrings hurt. This is a good thing.

2) Looks as if I might be making it to Men's Raw Nationals after all.

To the training footage... minus the footage.

Jacob: startin' from scratch!
Bench
45 x 10
95 x 5
135 x 3
155 x 10lp
155 x 10p
155 x 10... first 5 paused, second five tng.
155 x 6... first five tng, sixth paused
155 x 7fp

Close Grip
135 x 5p
140 x 5p
145 x 3p

Charles
45 x 10
95 x 5
135 x 3
175 x 5p
190 x 5p
200 x 4p... got out of the groove on the third rep and fought three and four all the way. Missed five.
200 x 4p... but the form was good.

3 board
215 x 3p... ugly
225 x 1p... no tightness at all.
225 x 3p... good boy.

Gage
45 x 10
95 x 5
135 x 3
185 x 2p
225 x 5p
240 x 5p
250 x 5p.. PR!!!

3 board
265 x 3p
275 x 3p... looked better than first set.
290 x 2p... close on a third.

Jacob was hurting, but we have to start him light and with lots of volume. Charles suffered from lack of tightness and focus. Gage is a benching machine.

Training Log: The Night of a 1000 PR's and Finally, A Good Workout

Charles
Squat
45 x 10
135 x 5
185 x 3
225 x 2
275 x 1
315 x 1
340 x 1... PR!!
365 x 1... PR!!!
380 x 0... misload
380 x 0... Gave it a good ride, but it was a little too much. I wanted him to go 375, but he thought he could get the 380.

Charles 365 x 1... PR!!!

(Video quality sucks. Took it off a smartish phone, but at least they go right to youtube.)

Deadlift

Jacob
135 x 10
185 x 5
225 x 3
275 x 1
315 x 1
335 x 1... PR... He hitched it, but I will take it. He has had a rough cycle.

Gage
135 x 10
185 x 8
225 x 5
275 x 2
315 x 1
365 x 1
410 x 1
445 x 1... PR!!
455 x 1... PR!!!

Gage 445 PR Deadlift

Gage 455 PR Deadlift

Logan
135 x 10
225 x 8
315 x 5
365 x 2
405 x 1
435 x 3... Easy
465 x 3... looked a little harder.
490 x 4... Just like old times. I was talking horrible shit too him and he was getting MAD at the weight!

Logan 490 x 4

Pete

I was so sore from Tuesday that I could not do body weight squats. I felt this was a bad thing.

45 x 10

135 x 8

225 x 5

315 x 3... started to feel right. 

405 x 2

475 x 2

525 x 5... Did not feel great. I had trouble setting the weight right on my back. 

525 x 5... This felt Good, but not as good as the video makes it look. 

  

                            Pete 525 x 5... first set

                           Pete 525 x 5... second set

On the second squat set, my hip was killing me. Just horrible every time I got under the bar, but I pushed through. Of course, after the set, my hip was a nightmare, but I tried to pull.

Deadlift: conventional
135 x 1... hip
135 x 5
225 x 4
315 x 3... finally loosening.
405 x 2
485 x 2... a bit slow on the first rep. Reset for second
485 x 2... better. Resets.

Deadlift: sumo: 90 seconds rest between sets
385 x 3... No Alibi, especially for the first one.
385 x 3... not much better
385 x 3... started to feel it
385 x 3 x 4... solid
385 x 3... FAST!

All in all a good night. Might have to give the hip a rest, but we shall see. I do not know why I squat better on Fridays in Blackshear than I do in Waycross on Tuesdays. Gonna bring the rack height up by one peg next week to see if that makes a difference. There was good energy tonight. It was fun.

The Further Adventures of Proto-Mechanic: Home Edition or The Two Ceiling Fans

The Job: unhooking two old and installing two new ceiling fans.
The Place: Casa de Proto, "Den" and Living Room
Estimated Time to Completion: 2 hours total


A few shout outs:
1) to Big Dave who "always changes his ceiling fans after just switching off the light switch." You obviously have never dealt with my friend...
2) Dr. Frankenstein, who not only plumbed my house but apparently wired it as well. Rot in hell, you sonofabitch.

My first mistake was assuming that, after the difficulties of the Water Heater, this would be... sigh... a cinch.

I give you the Tale of the Two Ceiling Fans or Dr. Proto and Mr. Out-of-His-Damn-Mind Crazy Person.


So, after looking at the ceiling fans we bought a month ago gather dust under the window, I figured it was time to give it a whirl (hee-hee. Se what I did there?). First order of business was to take the old ceiling fan down in the living room. Switched the switch to "off." Ready to go. I mean really easy to take down. Only issue was that I lowered the motor shroud before undoing the blades and the shroud kept getting in the way as I removed the blades. If that were the worst of my problems, I... see, that was where I thought to myself, this is gonna be a cinch!

Unpack the ceiling fan and light fixture. Figure I would limit my above head work and attach the light fixture first. Mistake number one of eighty seven I would commit over the afternoon.

On a side note, a ceiling fan has roughly five hundred feet of wire in it. Proto will learn shortly that you have to trim these wires WAY back. Way. Back. That's called foreshadowing, folks.

So, with the fixture on you cannot put the fan blades on. Balls. I loosen the fixture to put the blades on.

Side note: Christan put together the fan blades. Did a real fine job of it, too. Only thing that went right from here on out.

Get the fan blades on and the fixture tightened up... and there is a bracket cover that needs to go over the motor and it probably needs to go on first, but Proto did not read the directions 'cause Proto knows all 'bout this shit and so Proto has to put the bracket cover on which says it only takes three screws with three lock washers but actually takes six and there are only three lock washers but HEY! Proto gets it on, so that part is done and the whole ceiling fan is together  and that is yet another mistake.*

Go to put the support bracket up. No problem until... BLAM!

I see: A flash.
I feel: a jolt.
I hear:

Hot wires hitting metal: Blam!

Proto-Mechanic: "Son of Bitchin' Bulls%$T bastard! BLEEEEEEEEEEEEEP"

And like that the facade of control that has been Proto's life began its downward spiral.

Apparently there is still juice flowing. Thanks, Big Dave! I break out the voltmeter and, yes, a little bit of juice is flowing. Not much, but just enough to piss me off. So begins the search for the proper breaker. Oh, hey, thanks to Victor, there is not one. I turn all the power off to the house. (Ref: The Dishwasher Incident).

I cut the wires to shorten them, but not enough. How do I know that it is not enough? Lemme 'splain. We (Chris and Me) lift the WHOLE DAMN CEILING FAN up to the wires in order to splice them. This is the * from above. The thing is pretty heavy, but the wires are so long it is not a big issue. With a few delt resting pauses, I splice the wires and try to hook the fan's bracket cover over the bracket.

"It, will start, but it, it, it just won't go." (re: The Dishwasher Incident)

Finally get it locked into place, but it is a little catty whompus. I growl for Christan to turn the breaker and the thing is working. Light and all! Yay! But it is still crooked. I go to maneuver it and... Blam!

I see: 1) a flash and 2) smoke. Never a good sign.
I feel: an anger like I ain't felt in a looong time... and a jolt.
I hear: Lots of swearing.
I start: to weep. Not even kidding.

"Oh, yeah! Dave just does it by turning off the (bleeping) switch! Terry (proper name left out in my anger) does it with Jedi Mind tricks. (SWEAR!!!) Oh, and your brother (to Christan), your..." I begin to weep again.

Throw the breakers to the house, and pull the ceiling fan down. The wires were still too long (see, I told ya!) and got pressed against the bracket, cutting the insulation and completing the circuit of horror. The result: burned through wires.

The result: I lost my ever loving mind.

Five minutes later, I begin weeping again.

Christan: "Maybe you should step away from it for a while."

Proto with Madness in his Eyes: "No! I have to to finish it!" More weeping.

So, cut the wires down and then we wrestle with the fully assembled ceiling fan for twenty minutes before we have to stop. Christan just can't hold it up for long. Damn her and her weak delts. Lord, I wanted to kill her, though I recognize it was not her or her delts's fault. Now anyway. At the time it very well could have been.

I storm out of the house to get the ladder, but the power to the garage is off.

I lose my ever-loving mind.

Ten minutes later, I begin to cry.

Power on. Get the ladder. Power off. Set the fan on the ladder and in another fifteen minutes, we (yup, she hung around) we have a ceiling fan that works. The only down side is that the ceiling around the fan is 1) scorched and 2) ratty looking cause the old fan housing was way bigger.

Christan: "We may have to patch that."

Proto: "What?!"

Christan: "Never mind."

Proto: "I hope you die!"

Good news, the pull fobs for the fixtures are nice.


Fan one and Mr. Insane-O: 3.5 hours


Roughly twenty four hours later, I start to open the other fan box.

Christan: "Ah, feeling froggy, huh."

Proto: "Me-me-meh-meh." As any adult would. "Just put the fan blades together and hush."

Christan: Laughs with mocking eyes. I say nothing. I owe her one for releasing the madness twenty-four hours previous. Roughly.

I DO NOT attach the light fixture. I DO NOT attach the blades.

I DO use my voltmeter. I DO find a breaker that turns off the 115 volts flowing through those wires. I DO use a metal plate on the end of a broom to test whether the power is REALLY off.

We DO strain for a few minutes of rubbery delts to hook up the motor. Thirty minutes later, we DO have a fan and ten minutes later than that we DO have a light fixture and there is no sign of the crazy man from before though he was a shadow in Proto's eye when Proto cracked one of the new fixture glass bulbs.

Fan two and Dr. Proto: one hour. 


Fan three: Screw that shit. 

Twenty years/Twenty songs: The Playlist

Well, I cheated. I came up with two playlists. The first is less meaningful. It has songs that remind me of certain things or filled with songs that have resonated with the two of us over the years. The second is the one that tells the story of us... in song.

Playlist One
1. Bootyliscious: Destiny's Child- My theme song
2. Wonderful Tonight: Eric Clapton- My sad 17 year old ass sand this to her when we were crazy kids.
3. The Mighty Quinn: Mannfred Mann- Was always on the radio when we got in the car back in the day.
4. Oh, What a Thrill: The Mavericks- snicker.
5. Do You Remember?: Phil Collins- Reminiscent of a tough time.
6. Runaway Train: Vigilantes of Love- I always think of Logan when I hear this song.
7. The Middle: Jimmy Eat World- Nathan.
8. April Showers: Caedmon's Call- Gage loved this song as a Toddler and it is the one I associate with him.
9. In The End: Linkin Park- The one hard band we can agree on.
10. Cumbersome: Seven Mary Three- snicker.
11. Gone Away: Lucy Schwartz- A song I got from Christan that reminds me of the difficulty of the mid-way point.
12. Pushit: Tool- Very much us at that time.
13. Roads: Portishead- Ditto
14. I'm Already There: Lonestar- Me on the road was yet another tough time.
15. Take Me as I Am: Tonic- You get to a point where you want to accept and be accepted as such.
16: Just Another Day: Jon Secada- This one has spanned the entirety.
17. The Dance: Garth Brooks- The only reason this one is not on the primary list is that the characters are no longer together. The sentiment rings true.
18. Seven turns: The Allman Brothers Band- Reminds me of Nathan and the passage of time.
19. Higher: Creed
20: The Club Can't Even Handle Me Right Now: Flo Rida- Chris's theme song.

The List is the Story
1. Unchained Melody: The Righteous Brothers
2. What a Good Boy: Bare-naked Ladies
3. Dulcinea: Toad the Wet Sprocket
4: U2: One
5. Stone: Adam Again
6. Somewhere North: Caedmon's Call
7. Somewhere out There: Our Lady Peace
8. Nothing Like a Train: Vigilantes of Love
9. Schism: Tool
10. Lie to Me: 12 Stones
11. Suspicious Minds: Elvis
12. What a Crying Shame: The Mavericks
13. Let it Fade: Jeremy Camp
14. Rise Above This: Seether
15. The Long and Winding Road: The Beatles
16. Beautiful: Plankeye
17. Collide: Howie Day
18. Colorful: The Verve Pipe
19. In My Life: The Beatles
20. Crazy Life: Toad the Wet Sprocket: The meaning of the song deals with the tragedy at Wounded Knee,. but I have always applied it to the continuance of the intent when all goes to shit. We are a good example of that and it's not over, it's not over, it's not over...