5/3/1 Strength Challenge/First Powerlifting Meet Recap - THANK YOU!!!

As I mentioned on this forum, I did the 5/3/1 Strength Challenge from the Beyond 5/3/1 book in preparation for my first powerlifting meet which took place last weekend.

I would’ve loved to say that I went 9-for-9 and set PRs on every single lift . . . but that didn’t happen. My lifts were, however, good enough for New York State records in the 132 lb Raw Classic (no wraps) class, and they were all heavier than my openers AND heavier than any Training Max I used throughout the 12-week training cycle (proving you can train for a meet without maxing out). Heck, not only did my openers feel easy, but my 2nd ones did, too!

Squat: 300 - I got up with 325 but got two reds on that one - one of the judges said I was just at parallel and needed just a little bit more.

Bench: 200 - Tried for 225, couldn’t quite get it. In training this was the toughest lift, although I based my weights on touch-and-go and this meet used a pause. I was still able to lift my Training Max for at least a rep with the pause, so I can’t blame it on that, but I’ll reset my Training Max here and work my way back up.

Deadlift: 355 on my last attempt - a PR for me! Getting a PR on your last Deadlift of the day really does feel awesome. :slight_smile:

Unfortunately I couldn’t get video of my attempts, but here’s a link to the official results so people know this is legit (I’m Manuel Prieto): 2013 RPS Insurrextion

It was pretty cool to see a couple of other big names there, too - EliteFTS contributor Shane Church competed on Saturday, and T-Nation writer John Gaglione not only competed but brought a huge crew of lifters from his gym to take first place in a VERY tough team competition!

Thanks again to Jim for creating an AWESOME program! My first meet was a lot of fun, and this program prepared me well!