Sam's First Powerlifting Competition

Click here to read of Sam's second contest

Since most people have never experienced the camaraderie of a powerlifting competition, several of the IronOnline group contributed to this report of Sam Tsang's first powerlifting competition. Here's their journal and photo report, beginning with the official report from the APA President, Scott Taylor.

APA Meet Report
Sacramento, CA, January 11, 2003

Dan Briner (age 55) squatted 440 and just missed attempts with 470 & 475 due to depth. He ended up with a 340 bench press and 525 deadlift for a 1305 total. His bodyweight was 220.25

Chip Conrad squatted 350, benched 255, and deadlifted 410 for a 1015 total at 177 bodyweight.

Dave Amdur of Illinois weighed in at 143 and squatted 305, benched 205 and deadlifted 325. He went for a 360 deadlift attempt but did not make it. His total was 835.

Sam Tsang (age 39), bodyweight 157 competed as a submaster in the bench meet ending the day with 245 and a miss with 265 (which I know he had in him).

Sam Tsang also competed in the deadlift and he pulled 450. I must say that this was an awesome deadlift. His control was awesome and the way he slowly and quietly returned the bar to the platform was incredible. From start to finish he demonstrated total control of the bar.

Carin Fujisaki competed in the Women's 40-49 class and the Women's Open 105 lb. class. She weighed in at 100 pounds and benched 145 and attempted 150. She had plenty of power to do the 150 attempt but got out of the grove. Personally, I felt that she could have benched 155-160 if her descent was lined up ok and she reached her mark.

Scott Taylor
APA President

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Sam writes:

The PL meet was a wonderful experience -- I did not do the full meet due to a paranoia of bombing my squats.

I took Bill's advice and stayed with a friend the night before so that I could go to the site at my own leisurely pace. I weighed in at 157 and stuffed myself full of pasta afterwards on Friday night. I ate so much I could hardly move. My young training partner was with me. I talked with his parents and they were very trusting to let me take their kid to this meet. This kid was extremely helpful and is already a seasoned competitor at 16. He has all kinds of APA records. I hope to see him on the gridiron at least at the NCAA level. Our training goal, strength and style are all very similar.

After a night of not-so-restful sleep, I got up to eat yet another gigantic breakfast. Sleeping on my friend's floor did not help get the kinks out of my back. We got to the gym quite early so that I had plenty of time to warm up. That was a good thing.

This was a small meet but not without its big lifters. I was pleasantly surprised at how some of the smaller (even smaller than I) people are actually really strong. One competitor was a complete runner type. He did not have any muscle and was not cut either. At first I thought that he was a spectator. Good thing I did not assume that. His bodyweight was 130 and squatted really well. He was by far the best squatter in terms of depth and technique. He hit all his numbers except for his third DL attempt. For a guy at his first meet, he was exceptionally good.

Another surprise was this woman lifter. She weighed all of 100 lbs. She has been sitting in a corner during most of the warm-up. Once again, I assumed that she was a spectator. Perhaps she was the girlfriend of the skinny guy. Wrong. She had that stereotypical (though untrue in many cases) Asian-American female look. Well, she was anything but a little thing. This was her second meet. She started training in Aug after a 20 year layoff.

Guess what? She broke the APA California record. In fact, she stated that she did even much more in the gym. Whew!! All this was done raw. It's too bad her husband did not take her seriously enough to come and cheer her on. We all thought she was marvelous.

I also met Chip Conrad who regularly contributes to Dolfzine. He and I were chasing each other's numbers throughout. Chip is a really nice guy and a wonderful writer. I also picked up a few tips from him.

Overall, I have to say that I was not completely satisfied with my bench. I got up to 265, got it off the chest 3-4 in. and then just stalled. I went back to my journal earlier in the year, I actually did 275 with 2x2. Anyway, one of the judges gave me some good tips and assured me that I should be able to hit 300 with a shirt no problem. How he can be so sure? I am not sure myself. Both judges are elite lifters and are extremely fair but strict. One guy almost bombed his squats and he looked pretty low to me. My DL went off without a hitch (no pun, Jim H., Bill K. and Gary, go ahead and boo/groan). My only regret is that I did not lift aggressive enough to go directly for a 460 attempt on my third try. I settled with 450 which is 5 lbs below my gym PR. Overall, I felt a lot better about the DL. The 450 went up a little slow but the lock out from just below the knees was cake walk. I tried for a PR on a optional fourth attempt and failed at 460. By then, my back was shot.

Those plaques I got were for being the best lifter in BP and DL (calculated by some formula based on weight etc). This was a small meet. I plan to get more aggressive and progressive.

Here are a few things I learn. First, I appreciate the judging. The judges were seasoned pros but were very encouraging. I learned loads off them. As Gary said, those gym PR's don't mean a thing when you have to pause as long as the judge wants you to pause on the chest. The command of "press" after the pause and "rack" upon lockouts would throw most gym rats for a loop. The pause was definitely more than 1 second. Ask the IOL spectators. This should probably force many people to rethink their PR's.

Second, I appreciate the serving attitude of all involved. These judges and spotters take out their valuable time from their Saturdays to ensure minnows like us would get a fair shot at starting in the wonderful sport of PL. I thank them many times over. You can learn more from meets than most PT at your gym. The "big guys" being there just to be part of this fellowship of heavy lifters is extremely flattering for us beginners. They are there for the LOVE of the sport.

Third, PL is purely about bettering ourselves. Everyone was cheering on everyone else. After all, why psych out another lifter if you cannot hit your own PR? Even if your PR is not good enough, why wish for another to fail? There is not one ounce of negative energy out of the whole group. I really love being part of this. Fourth, having a good spotter and hand-off man is so important in keeping your confidence level high. For Walt, he gained some good experience spotting for us. Somehow, he was recruited to spot the bench contest. He did a really great job. My partner and hand-off man was really great.

Fifth, it's important to have a good handler. This kid really knew how to handle a lifter. He did not bombard me with information nor any criticism. All he reminded me to do was the one thing he knew I needed to work on. That helped my mind get focused.

His spotting was absolutely superb. I couldn't have asked for a better man. I felt safe to bench with him handing off. As a big DL person himself, he reminded me of a minor detail even in the way I chalked my hands. That was really helpful in me maintaining a great grip on the weight.

I want to express my sincerest thanks for Walt, Vicki, Tony and his lovely wife Elaine, who came out to cheer me on. I hope to do better next time. I was talking with the APA president Scott Taylor and he is seriously considering asking Dave's permission to use the World Gym for one of his meets. He also wanted to meet Dave very badly. My free t-shirt (thanks DD and Laree) helped spread this good news. For my own selfish reason, I would love to have a meet down here where it's closer to home for my wife and kids to attend.

Now allow me to go off to dreamland to prepare for a huge soccer match against our arch-rival team tomorrow. Awwww, I am getting too old for this.

Sam

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When pressed about his attempts, Sam writes:

On the bench, I honestly did not feel 100%. So I went conservative with 225, 245 and then 265.

Honestly, I would have loved to get 265. After some good advice from an advanced lifter/judge, I think i can fix some of my problems. This was all raw. With the DL, I was happy with the result since my groove was a bit off the last two weeks. The numbers were 405, 425, 450. I went for an extra (allowed) PR attempt at 460 since 450 did not feel that heavy. I failed. I think I needed that do-or-die third attempt adrenaline rush. However, this was an extra attempt that did not mean much. So, I really did not get it. I was mentally not there. Maybe it was worth a risk going for 460 instead of 450. Anyway, the next guy up from me was a heavy weight with a DL around 550, I think. So my deads are OK. I had the second highest DL of the day anyway. My initial goal might have been a bit high. I wanted to get 475 at least by this meet. Missed it by a mile. The 3X BW goal keeps eluding me.

Thanks everyone for the advice and good words. Thanks especially to Tony and Elaine for driving so far in a tired state to see me. BTW, Tony has bulked up from the Bash. I thought he was one of the lifter from far (did not have my glasses on). Then he came over and I recognized him. He looked solid too.

A few more tidbits regarding the attending members: Walt has a good grip. He works on it all the time -- He had two grippers with him even at the meet. You are a nut, bro. Vicki changed her hair. She was so youthful looking (even more so) than at the Bash that I did not recognize her. She is really fit. She even got to do demonstrate her pullup for me. I really love this group. They were all the support I needed and more. You are awesome pals.

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Bill asks: So what do you think you actually weighed the morning of the meet, Sam? Though you obviously did well here, you may want to consider lifting in the 181# class on a regular basis. The 165's are usually the most competitive class at all meet levels -- local thru world's.

Bill, I guess that my weight was the same. I can eat a whole restaurant and still not gain weight. I had pasta, calamari, chicken breast marsala and a protein bar for dinner in Buca di Bepe (sp?) and you know their portions are inhuman. I ate till both my friends finished and I was still chowing down. They were appalled. For breakfast, I had omelet, bread, hash brown, milk. You name it, I ate it. For the meet, I had a BB with carb solution in it. After, I ate a turkey sandwich with salad. Then, I ate more protein bars, etc., etc. If I were to get my weight up near 180's, I would have to abandon my soccer hobby and sleep 12 hours a night. Still cannot see enough reason to do that yet. Thanks all the same.

Sam

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Walt Rhodes gives commentary:

The location, Pipeworks Climbing and Fitness, is an unusual facility--it's an old warehouse in an industrial neighborhood just north of downtown Sacramento. The neighborhood is rather ugly, as such neighborhoods usually are, but the rough, industrial quality sort of adds color to your experience as you approach the place.

Fortunately, there's secure parking behind barbed wire, in case you were worried that some homeless person might take up residence in your car while you work out. The name obviously comes from the big steel pipes stacked in the yard adjoining Pipeworks. That yard might still be a going business, although I didn't see anybody there (but it was a Saturday, after all).

The business at Pipeworks is primarily rock climbing. The gym is principally one enormous room with about thirty-foot ceilings. There are huge windows with arched tops that dominate the wall facing the street. It might sound strange in this industrial setting, but the windows suggest a library or church and are actually quite beautiful. Filling half of the main room is a complex of indoor climbing walls that reach to that high ceiling. These walls were in use, and we admired the climbers as they demonstrated the strength, flexibility and agility that are inherent in the practice of this sport.

The other half of the space was a fully-equipped free weight area, along with a large expanse of open floor, most of which was covered with clean rubber-type mats. It was on this floor where the powerlifting competition was held. It appeared to me that, while the bench they used might have come from Pipeworks, that the squat stands were probably brought in by Scott Taylor, the referee, and his associates. Anyway, what was interesting about these squat stands was that they were adjustable in fine increments, because you could jack the standards up or down just like you'd jack up your car to change a tire. This meant each lifter got a comfortable starting point from which to unrack the weight, no matter what his height.

While the lifters warmed up, there was some time to kill and besides chatting, we tried a few things. We'd signed disclaimers at the front desk and, refreshingly, the management was easygoing about us using equipment, having street clothes on, etc. So when Vicki, all enthused as only she can be, asked me about the clean and press, I demonstrated it for her, having her try it with just an exercise bar. We agreed it would be good for her to get in a lot of practice with the movement and then move up in weight after the whole thing became second nature. But to show her a real clean, I had to use a weight heavy enough that I'd need acceleration to get it to a rack position, so later (after the main lifting, I think) I did a clean and push-press for her with 135. Vicki is a wonderful audience; it takes so little to impress her!

As Sam pointed out, there was one lifter who impressed us all with the form and depth of his squats. His name is Dave Amdur, and he is, at age 30, indeed a lightly-built fellow, but he weighs 143, not 130. Nevertheless, he did a very respectable squat, and he did it well below parallel, so it was what I would call a very "honest" squat and its legality in competition was without doubt.

This shy and humble guy, who is new to California (just moved from Illinois), has some potential in this sport, as his strength is disproportionate not only to his bodyweight but also to the degree of development he displays. As Sam said, he really doesn't look that strong, but he's the kind who will surprise you. I predict that when you can see visible muscle development on Dave Amdur he should be highly competitive in his weight and age class.

Another competitor who impressive us was Carin Fujisaki, the petite Asian woman Sam mentioned. Anyway, at maybe 5-1 and 101 lbs., Karen was a very athletic (and attractive!) little powerhouse, benching in the 140's before she failed at a higher weight. She said she'd benched 160 in practice, which Vicki found pretty darn impressive. And so do I--benching 160% of your bodyweight when you have such a small (albeit solid) upper body is quite a feat.

As Sam said, I got recruited to be a spotter. In a lull before the benching started, the referee noticed me standing off by the climbing wall looking up and must have decided, "Hmm, I'm a little short-handed...that guy looks rugged enough to lift a sack of groceries..." because he walked over and asked me to be one of the spotters (not knowing I had a problem back and knee and that the only way I could personally get some of these weights up would be with a forklift). I said I'd never done it before, but he assured me I'd do fine. So I stepped in as one of the spotters, with a younger guy named Ben as the other. Our main function, besides providing safety, was loading the bar; Scott would call out the weight and, quite helpfully, the precise combination of plates (plus the big 5-lb. collars) that it would take to add up to it. We weren't perfect but we got it done.

Like everybody else, I wanted everybody to do really well, and added a few gruff barks of encouragement--"You can do it!"--when the situation seemed to demand it. But it wasn't enough--a few managed to complete their lifts when it was marginal for them, but others sort of went to the cupboard and the cupboard was bare. You know, like when Captain Kirk used to call Scotty in the engine room on the original "Star Trek." "Scotty, I need more power!" Sometimes you're just out of dilithium crystals.

On Sam's attempt at a 265 bench, we were sure he would get it, but it was not to be. He was struggling with everything he had at that moment, but the bar started its downward course (slowly, as he controlled it) and it had actually touched his chest and exerted a little pressure before we got it off him. Since as soon as the bar starts moving back down it's a disqualification, we should have just taken it immediately at that point, but I guess we were still hoping he'd get it up and finish the lift on his own for a moral victory. Actually, it was a moral victory because he fought it so hard. But this particular day he didn't have a big bench in him. (Since he's done a 275 double in training, it's only a matter of time before he does a big one in competition--maybe at the next meet.)

The deadlift was another story. Sam has a wonderfully strong back. I said I'd like to buy his back, since mine is no longer 100%, but he said no deal, and I don't blame him. At a bodyweight of only 157, he gets some big weights off the floor, and despite his small wrists, has a secure grip on that bar. I think it's safe to say that there are many men of obvious strength and who weigh 200+ who CAN'T get 450 lbs. off the floor, so this is no small feat.

And speaking of bigger men, there was a guy there named Dan (the red-haired guy with glasses) who, while not what you'd call huge, was big and solid, large-boned, and looked just plain powerful. And he was, deadlifting 500 lbs. for his best attempt. Now, I don't know what that is to you, readers, but to me, that's serious weight. I had never seen a deadlift that heavy before. Nobody deadlifts at my gym, and since I hurt my back in 1999 and again in 2002, mainly I don't either. (Yes, I've been in that cliche situation, doing a deadlift and being asked, "What does that do?)

I had some excess energy after the competition was over, and, knowing I was in over my head regarding the powerlifts and not having the time or money to try the climbing walls, I picked Tony the Tuna as someone who seemed a reasonable match for me and challenged him to a friendly armwrestle on the sturdy folding table the referee had used for his stuff. I think he thought it was a little goofy but he went along with it, and it was another photo opportunity--his wife Elaine snapped a picture of us locked in combat. I won, but to be quite honest, I had a weight advantage, 208 to 186. Maybe by the next time we meet I'll have slimmed down some more and then we'll be closer to even.

I figured the group would be interested in strength toys in general so I brought my two Ironmind grippers, the # 1 and 2. The referee, Scott, could close the #1 but not the 2, although he came close. I haven't been able to close the #2 yet either. (I could have challenged Scott or Dan to an armwrestle, but I'm not crazy. Those guys looked strong!) Vicki claimed I did get the #2 closed on one attempt, but I couldn't feel it. I was hoping the extra charge you get from being around positive-minded people would allow me to definitely close it this time. Well, it was very close at least.

All in all it was a rewarding day for everyone, and the friendly atmosphere was just wonderful. I look forward to Tony beating me, after he trains some more and eats some more tuna. But he'll have to be at his best--I don't go down easy!

Your Faithful Correspondent,

Walt

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