Set a new powerlifting state record!

Saturday was the USPA Central Strength Classic, my second powerlifting meet ever. And it went well!

I was nervous enough beforehand to make a list of 34 items to bring or do the morning of the meet. I figured the less I had to think, the better. And that turned out to be true…

I arrived early, geared up in my (ahem) very subtle colors:

Turned out everyone else was wearing black, though some got “racy” and added a little colored trim. (Why are people so darn afraid of a little color??) It was fine, though – I loved my outfit and didn’t feel particularly self-conscious about it. (I was too busy being nervous about everything else!)

The first half of the meet was terrifying. I was so nervous during the first lift (squat) that I was almost shaking. Unfortunately, it showed – I missed my first two lifts, the first because I didn’t squat low enough, and the second because I got slightly off-balance and “bounced” on the way back up (dipped down and then up, which is not allowed).

That was when it became “do or die”.

In powerlifting, you’re allowed three attempts at each lift. If you don’t succeed in at least one of those three attempts, you’re disqualified from the event entirely.

I had missed my first two attempts, so if I didn’t get the third one, I’d be out. Which also meant I wouldn’t be able to qualify for Nationals (my main goal) with this meet. Which also meant that I might miss Nationals entirely, if registration filled up before I could do another one.

So the only thought going through my head as I went up for the third lift was, “OMG, I HAVE to nail this, or I’m going to bomb out. Please, please don’t let me bomb out!!”

And I didn’t.

In fact, I set the state record for my age/weight class! 133 kg, or 292.6 pounds. Here’s a video of the lift:

That is significantly below my all-time max of 310, but after the first two disastrous lifts, I played it safe for the last one. Thank goodness!

After that disastrous-then-triumphant start, my nerves settled down (thank goodness). I missed my first bench attempt for technical reasons (I forgot to wait for the commands), but got the next two. I finished solid at 143 pounds (65 kg).

And deadlift went smoothly. Here I am, deadlifting 313.5 pounds, just shy of my max. I think I might even have been able to do a little more! Next time.

Adding up the three lifts, I totaled 749.1 pounds (340.5 kg), which is pretty darn good for a 53-year-old!

Special thanks to my friend Emily, who volunteered to be my handler for the event. The handler keeps track of stray objects (“Emily, where did I leave my phone???”), helps with warmups, tells the organizers what weights the lifter will attempt, and generally makes sure the lifter doesn’t have to think about anything but lifting. Not everyone has a handler, but I was SO glad that Emily did it for me! Because I was in absolutely NO shape to think about anything other than lifting.

My total is enough to qualify me for the 2024 USPA Nationals as a Class 1 lifter (they get to register a bit earlier than Class 2 lifters). So guess where I’m headed this June?

I’ll do one or two practice meets between now and then, though, just so I’m less damn nervous when I actually get there. I think it’ll be fun (and hopefully less terrifying!).

Off to register for Nationals!