M45 / 110kg. I did my first powerlifting meet after 3 years of training. Went 8/9, hit 2 All-Time PRs, and took home (Masters) Gold. Here are all 9 attempts.
I’ve been training for the past three years and yesterday I stepped onto the platform for my first powerlifting meet at the USAPL “City of Angels” Open at Barbell Brigade in Los Angeles. I competed as a 110kg Masters 1B (45M).
My ultimate goal was to hit a 1200 lb total. I ended up totaling 542.7 kg (1196.4 lbs), falling just short of the milestone, but I went 8/9 and hit two all-time PRs on the platform.
Lifts
Squat:
Attempt 1: 170kg / 374.8 lbs ⚪⚪⚪
Attempt 2: 180kg / 396.0 lbs ⚪⚪⚪
Attempt 3: 187.7kg / 413.4 lbs ⚪⚪⚪ (All-Time PR)
Bench:
Attempt 1: 114kg / 253.5 lbs ⚪⚪⚪
Attempt 2: 122.5kg / 270.1 lbs ⚪⚪⚪
Attempt 3: 127.5kg / 281.1 lbs 🔴🔴🔴 (Missed the lift)
Deadlift:
Attempt 1: 210kg / 463.0 lbs ⚪⚪⚪
Attempt 2: 222.5kg / 490.5 lbs ⚪⚪⚪
Attempt 3: 232.5kg / 512.6 lbs ⚪⚪⚪ (All-Time PR)
Competing was a fun, yet highly overstimulating experience. It was hot (no AC but big open doors) the noise levels were intense (announcers, overlapping speakers, huge crowd), and I was lifting in the afternoon/evening which is outside my normal training window. Because of the timing, I had to lean on more caffeine than usual, leaving me wired and jittery.
The warm-up room was the biggest learning curve. It was harder to time my warmups than I anticipated. I felt rushed getting ready for squats and bench, but I learned my lesson and adjusted to start earlier for deadlifts.
I was the only male Masters lifter, so I automatically took Gold in my division (hey, I'll take it!), and my total would have been good enough to earn Bronze in the 110kg Open division. All in all, it was amazing to realize the results of three years of effort in front of an audience. I feel accomplished and definitely caught the competing bug.