You can read the piss-poor results on the Meet Performance page.  A sub par performance and a close call. Doctor says I'm suffering from exhaustion. I'm taking two weeks off from any physical activity besides walking, and a month off from lifting.

Hope to be ready for something by April.

Gangsta Daddy,

Mike Sweeney was holding the mic in Helsinki. I went to talk to him about my lifts and about my flight. He didn't reply to my questions at first. Instead, he asked me who I am and where I'm from. I told him my name and that I was from Finland. He said something like "No kidding. Your accent sounds like you are from Texas." Texas, dude! I told him I am truely from Finland but I have lived in Illinois for 3 years. Then he asked me if I know John
Hudson! I told him I know this person quite well and pointed the Illini PL logo on my T-shirt. That was awesome.

Called Ken and ordered a 54. This should allow me to touch with 545/550 or so, with a little better carrythrough to lockout (since my 52 is so stretched out). I can give it a try the middle of next week after using my 50 for a target set.

nice work today John

That's right. I think you can be confident of an opener in that shirt on a good bench with a recovered body. Hopefully you can get something really big going in your tight shirt next workout. I suppose you could wait 9 or 10 days for that workout.

. . . and as you pointed out, it's a 25 pound PR in that shirt.

The 570 was good in a loose shirt. It was a very steady lift. With healthy elbows 573 should be no problem.

You'll be fine John. Just take a rest and you'll come back in two weeks stronger than ever.

I think that is very sound. At this point you just need to tweak your bench a little to peak at worlds. The work is done. Get there healthy and you'll be set-up for a big PR.

Thanks for the advice, Ryan. That's a doable plan. As I recall, my heaviest pull before Summer Bash was 675, and my heaviest before Nationals was 685. Based on how I feel today . . . semi-mobile, stiff, unable to stand erect, walking with difficulty using a shuffling, neaderthal, somewhat ape-like gait . . . the rack squats and rack pulls were just what I needed. My rack squat is 40 pounds off my best, so I have time to push that into PR territory. I'm already at a PR in rack pulls with time to get up to and over 800.

Inzer was open this morning so I have a 42 on its way Monday. I asked for chartreuse or salmon, but they only had black. That's okay. Even though it's black, I'm sure I can put together a darling ensemble for Reno. Maybe Alex can give me some tips.

You have four more workouts until worlds. Here is what I would o if I were you. This is taking into consideration your type of training:

1-635x2 in new suit. Resets. Rack pulls heavy then rack squats heavy.
2-655x1 in new suit. Rack pulls, and stiff legs.
3-675x1 then 705x1 rackpulls, rack squats
4-openerx2 (600??) light stiff legs and maybe some light aux stuff This would be 10 days out from the day you pull.
5-Meet day

I think with your body and style of training this would be a good plan leading into Worlds. I would not do any other workouts except your heavy bench. You have plenty of base just need to peak it out for the contest.

I put on my HC (size 36, which is probably stretched out to a 38 ) the other day. Of course, I needed a lot of help for that. I was not able to breath anymore in that suit. I think a brand new 40 would still be quite tight for me. Taking into account that you are 10-15 lbs bigger than me and that you need
the suit for deadlifts, 42 might be a good call.

Jeff, it's frustrating, but it's kind of a fun mental/physical challenge to peak under adverse circumstances, and certainly satisfying when you can succeed in doing so.

At least you got in some good rack lockouts. You're experienced enough to deal with such unplanned complications and still peak in time.

John with a good set-up I think 730-740 should be an easy second for you.

I posted in Andrew's log allready, but I agree the larger suit is the best choice, Inzer MDL.

Thanks Ryan.

And thanks Janne. I miss you very much.


Maybe I should teach English at your university so we could train together.

Congrats on having put forth a valiant effort in such a prestigious event. Any disappointment you might have should be even more motivation for you to succeed at World's. 650, hell, 700 is YOURS.

When powerlifting I feel I'm alive. Thanks John for brining me back to this sport. I've also learned tons of things of life itself when having you as my friend. John, you are one of a kind. It is an honor to have you as my friend.

John you know how I feel and I don't have to say anything.

I just want you to remember that you're the reason I am who I am today.

I'll be back up to C-U sometime soon. Probably the 22nd of October. Perhaps you'd like to join me and the other SIUE folks at Taylorville for some benching that Sat. at 4pm?

I'm glad you were able to lift where you belong, with the best.

I'll be joining you at BA4 next year.

Thanks very much, Josh. That means alot.

John,
I met you guys (ILPL) at the first Collinsville meet and told you how well behaved your lifters were. You said, "Thanks, we don't always get that." I was really taken back at how close you guys were to each other...everybody wanting their fellow to make their lifts just as much as their own. Through your logs and meetings at competitions, I see that you are the example for the team to follow. Basically, I'm saying that you have always showed me what a first class lifter is and you are a HUGE ambassador of the sport. Your contributions to powerlifting extend well beyond making lifts. Thanks for reminding me that powerlifting is so much more than lifting weights.

I appreciate that, Adam. Taking responsibility for our lifts is what we need to be known for. It's easy to blame someone else, and we see alot of that at other meets.

A highlight of BA3 for me was getting to talk to so many top lifters. I got Ed Coan, Wade Hooper, and Mike Miller to autograph my belt. Brian Siders is one of the nicest people I've met in the sport. Matt, Steve and the others from Bovine are great people (and what a logo!). The judges were excellent, in my opinion. It was an honor to get lights from Dr. Billy Jack Talton, even if they were red.

How about Illini Powerlifting entering as a team next year?

It's incredible to think about: I was literally an inch away from a silver medal at BA3.

This is where John stands out as a great lifter with a mature attitude. Even when he could blame other conditions or make excuses, (perhaps even validly), he takes responsibility for his performance. In just the three meets I have been to, I have seen a lot of people with a shitty attitude; blaming everyone but themselves (judges, hand-offs, equipment, etc). I was appalled by one such example I saw at Nationals. John just gives it his best, learns from any mistakes and remembers there is always another meet. It's a lot more productive than making excuses or even beating yourself up over your mistakes (something I do a lot even if not vocally). Way to go! You should be proud John and look forward to the competition at Reno coming up.

John,

I'm sure this experience will help you at Reno, and you'll be even more prepared to qualify for BA4. Get back in the gym and keep building that bench. Nice work.

Jeff

John, you did great!!!
The lack of team support is frustrating. For those of you, who didn't come, you lost so much (respect mostly). That was really an AWESOME meet. John, i will post pictures and some movies later this week with the link.

Congrats to you John. Just getting the invite to BA makes you a winner, regardless of the final numbers. Sorry about the first attempt, but I didn't do anything different on that lift as any other. I think maybe you were set up a little farther out than usual and I should have noticed it. Anyway you gave the second one hell of a ride! Like Lee said, "learn as much as you can and have fun". I think we all learned some and I know I had a great time. AND NO MORE, "I'm just a DEADLIFTER" crap! You compete at the Super Bowl of Bench comps....That make you a BENCHER/deadlifter. Hopefully, I'll be there competing next year. Like Bon Jovi says, "It's my life, now or never, I'm not going to live forever..."

Thanks very much to Roger Ryan for smooth, steady handoffs. I want to be clear on this: the 1st attempt handoff wasn't "bad." Setting up on a standard pad and then the Lamarque pad is very different and I didn't take this into account. I believe the 1st attempt train wreck had more to do with me being overly excited and not approaching it like any other big attempt that I might do at IMPE. You'd think that after 20 years I'd know something so simple as this, but the heat of the moment takes over and . . . shit happens. As Ryan pointed out, 2nd attempt was much better as I approached it just like in training. For some reason, I don't make this mistake in deadlift; only in bench.

As for my hand, nothing was broken . . . just a couple of nice gouges in the skin. It actually look kind of cool when I tightened the wrist wraps and the blood started to flow again. I know that in any other meet I might have lost a finger; the spotters were incredible.

Thanks very much to Ryan, Sharon, Yuri, and Blake for help with my gear and for keeping my head on straight (so to speak) after 1st attempt. Thanks to David Bergman for coming, and Matt, and also to Wayne and the Lockup boys for being there. Thanks especially to Ron for coming all the way down from Grand Rapids to see me lift.

The support of all of you was very important at such a big meet as this. When you look around and see all these superstar lifters, you begin to wonder what the hell you're doing there. But having you guys there kept me in the right frame of mind and reminded me of all that I've been through over the last couple of years to get to this point.

I was disappointed that the 2nd attempt with 639 was so very close to lockout and I missed it. However, I was totally satisfied with my performance. There were alot of little things that we could have done differently to perhaps get a better performance, but the important thing is that I got up off the bench after the 2nd knowing that I left everything there, including some blood and flesh. This is what counts in lifting. It was a hard fight, and I could feel and hear everyone there screaming for me to finish that press . . . that's something that every lifter appreciates on an attempt like that. Everyone wants to see you succeed. But it didn't go and there was nothing left to do by shake the judges' hands and thank the spotters.

My one real disappointment . . . and embarrassment, in fact . . . was that David and Blake were the only on-campus members who showed up. Here I was telling people that we'd have a good crowd of screaming Illini Powerlifting members, and telling people what a great, supportive team we've got. Was I naive . . . even stupid . . . to expect more members to make that long and difficult drive up to Elgin from Champaign, or that arduous journey from whatever part of Chicagoland some of you were spending your weekend?? This is BULLSHIT, people!

I know there were some of you who couldn't make it, and I sincerely thank those of you who took the time to let me know that you couldn't be there. You guys were with me in spirit. Others didn't get a chance to talk to me, but maybe you had work, tests to study for, papers to write, or other very legitimate reasons not to go. I understand and you guys are cool.

For the rest of you, those who had no legitimate reason, who partied this weekend or otherwise had nothing useful to do: you've pissed me off big time. Do you have any idea what a big deal Bench America is?

Look, I'm a big boy and I've lifted at big meets all by myself with no supporters whatsoever. I didn't expect to have so few at this meet, however. But I can handle that. What makes me mad is that this is a sign of (lack of) commitment to the team and your teammates. I certainly don't want to see any member of Illini Powerlifting get invited to such a high profile meet . . . here in Illinois! . . . and have so little support. That's not what team lifting is all about.

You should be ashamed of yourselves.

My one request: don't apologize/make excuses/make justifications.

Instead, show me your commitment and love of the team through your actions. Train hard, help your teammates, recruit new members, lift as a team, and support your teammates even if only one of them is entered in a meet . . . especially if it's a LOCAL meet.

I'll be watching.

John,
It was great to be there to support you this weekend. I am amazed by how far you have come in the sport. You showed great courage coming back to within an eyelash of getting your second attempt after the issue with your first attempt. I think if you'd have had a third attempt you would have gotten it! Best of luck inn Reno. Also... thank you for the shirt!!!!!! Ron

All right what is done is done. John said he had no regrets, but I will analyze:

1.) Warm-ups were very difficult to gauge. They gave a 10 minute warning so we were ready to go. Then they came in a gave another 10 minute warning. So that meant 20 minutes of sitting around. John elected to take another 585x1 off a three board. This likely took some energy.

2.) His opener smashing his hand into the upright. John's hand wasn't bashed too bad, but it was bleeding. I am certain it hurt even with the adrenaline. What to do other than try again. So there is allot more energy.

3.) By the time his second attempt had come around John told me he sat on the bench like it was IMPE. He said he took his time and executed. The lift was very clean. He simply did not have enough left in the tank at this point to make it. His right arm did in fact lock out. His left was truly an inch away from lockout.

Nothing wrong technically with the second lift.

What a pity that an accident spoiled John's attempts. I hope his hands recover soon enough so that he can write more details on what went wrong.

John looked very strong on his second attempt. We all thought he had it but it stalled at the top. He left it all on the platform and you cant ask for any more than that. You represented your team well. good job.

John gave a great effort today. I really thought he was going to get the 2nd attempt it was damn close. Congrats John for making it to BA3 and putting up a great showing

Front lines report:

John opened with 639 in the 308 class. His opponents included Tiny Meeker and Ryan Kennelly. John was unused to the thick foam pad on the bench and had a rough handoff. The weight was dumped into the upright smashing up Johns hand. At this point John had left blood and skin on the platform.

John recovered well and called for the same weight again on his second. The handoff this time was good and John brought the weight down clean. He received the press command and the weight moved steadily up. Unfortunately John came just short of locking his left elbow and was unable to complete the lift. This left him without any further attempts.

Allot of great benching, and a ton of missed attempts. Everyone there was really going for it. Why not, it's Bench America.

Unfortunately Illini Powerlifting had a very poor showing in terms of support for John. Being that this was an invite only meet, and arguably the biggest meet any IP member has ever been to it is very sad so few of the team members made it out. To those who were there thank you. It is so important to have your teammates there to support you, especially in such a big meet. Considering all that John has done for virtually every member of IP it is a disgrace that so few were there to cheer him on, and help with his shirt and equipment.

Friday, September 30 - Supplemental from Josh Reyes

Good luck this weekend. Take it all in...then dominate.

A PR, I guess, but of a different kind.

When I step on my digital scale at home, it says "EE."

Good luck John, Hope you do well.

Sounds like you've given it a lot of thought. This is going to be fun to watch. Good luck John.

BA3...Fun it will be! I'll liftoff whatever you need. I hope Titan gets you a new "X" shirt in time for the third 700+ ILPL record lift. See you Saturday afternoon.

John, in times like these you must always remember:

"I lift for me"

As you know what this saying means to me now, I hope it carries the same meaning for you.

Like you said to me at the summer bash II:

"As long as you lift with the same enthusiasm that you showed today, I won't care what you decide to do in the choices you make for lifting."

This is a quote I will forever remember throughout the entirety of my lifting career and my life.

Good luck at BA3.

Miss you much.

~Andrew

Good choice John. I'm with you on this one. I hope it goes well. At least you have given it a lot of thought, and all of your reasons make sense.

Beautiful. May the lastworkoutiscrappygetahugePR god look fondly upon you and rant you many PR's.

John in my heart I believe this is the right choice. I have said it before, but not enough...This isnt a job, or life and death. It is a hobby which should be enjoyable.

You will blow whatever you open with out of the water. Believe it an it will happen.

I am great proof what your mind can do. I would bet I am the biggest head case you all know, I just try to hide it. I have shown the negative side (629 in Portland) and the positive (700 at the SLP meet for an all time 30 pound PR).

See you in a week.

Team Titan. Not fair!

Tried the new shirt on. I thought it would be too big, and maybe it actually could be tightened up. But the arms are VERY different from a standard F6. Even though the fit is somewhat loose, the tightness around the triceps and across the chest is very similar to the new 50. I'm looking forward to giving this a try.

. . . until Pete from Titan sends me the new version of their suit.

John you wear an Inzer suit to deadlift in.

I don't think they're available yet. These are being custom made for all the lifters on Team Titan. It is our job to crush the Minions of Inzer.

I want one! Does it come as 2-ply as well? Should I call Ken right away?

Basically an "X" version of the F6 . . . some improvements and tweaks that aren't available on the standard F6 yet.

It's pretty.

What's a super plus?

Titan F6 NXG Super Plus has arrived. It's bigger than the new 50. We'll see how it works this weekend.

I agree with Roger on this one. I don't know how many of you have ever bombed at a meet. I have and it sucks. Get a good lift in then go wild. This is not a local or state meet you want to make a good showing. This will also be televised another reason not to bomb. Like Ryan said RK will try 800+ Wong 800+ If you can beat that go for it otherwise get an opener then a couple of huge PR's.

I change shirts at least once every meet as do most of the lock up guys and it is never a problem if you have people who know how to put them on (you will). Even if you adjust a tight shirt most of the time it has to come off. There is no way I could tork the sleeves of my 44 with it on. Just my thoughts you are all stronger than me so take it for what its worth.


Wayne


Its the full lifts that count not the attempts.

Blake, we should have taken a video of the 640 so I could see the touch. All I remember is C-R-U-S-H-I-N-G pressure.

John you're touch with 640 on a 1 board was quick and clean. You probably could have touched it for full range. Just make sure you get a good pop off the chest and 650 is yours. From there you should crank the shirt and shoot for the stars.

The new 50 wasn't cranked at all. In fact, the collar was very high when I got on the bench. I can't imagine how much I'd need to touch if it's cranked.

I'm on Ryan's side on this one. But first John, plan carefully what you are going to do in your last workout because that pretty much determines how you are going to do in the meet. In particular, make note where the collar of the shirt is at in your last workout. How many inches from the collar bone etc. It would be best if the guy who cranks your shirt in the last workout would be the same guy who cranks your shirt in the meet. Use exactly the same set-up. Remember, the lower you pull the front of the shirt the harder it is to touch your chest with the bar.

Who benches the most gives the best advice, is that so? NOT. I believe S. Burns is one of the wisest men on Earth when it comes to bench pressing. However, his best bench is I think "only" 725.

I appreciate this discussion and the different points of view. I think this is all good for others to read who may soon find themselves in similar situations. So no one should feel like they are trashing my log by posting on this topic. It needs to be discussed, and you are all helping me make up my mind.

Ok Roger you da man on the bench I am just giving my .02.

1.) John will qualify with ease next year when he is benching near or over 700.

2.) John is not exactly a cardio god. So switching mid attempts will take its toll. It always seems to never get on quite right either when you are all sweaty and swole from your opener.

3.) Why bench 600? So he can get another attempt right. 600 isn't gonna win the meet. So why waist the energy or in my opinion the attempt. I think he will get 650+. Opening in another shirt is acting like it may not happen.

4.) If he doesn't get it so what. So he would have a 600 pound bench then.

Just FYI John's competitors at 308:

Tiny Meeker
Ryan Kennelly
Vincent Dizenzo
Steve Wong

I love John and think he is a really strong guy. However The chances of these guys all bombing isn't really great. I know for fact Ryan plans on going over 800 as well as Tiny and Steve. Vincent is on the bubble. They will all likely be opening with 700+.

So why not go for it. I say look at what you want to accomplish. If it is to make a huge PR go for it.

I do understand where Roger and Randy are coming from. They both could outbench me on my best day, and their worst. However this isnt a regular meet. Lay it all on the table.

Anyhow you shouldn't decide until you make a full press in the 50. put 655 on the bar and crank it out. Then you know you can do it and have a great opener.

All with much love and respect. i know we all are cheering for John so much and feel very passionate about this which is why the strong opinions.

I will be there to cheer you on even if you lift raw.

Thanks for all the advice. Much to think about.

Roger, I may take up your Lockup suggestion so as to get on a good bench for the last workout.

Ken is overnighting the custom shirt. He thinks it might be good for upper 600s based on my 640 in the 50.

John, sorry for trashing your log....BUT...I have changed shirts for every lift in several meets. It is tiring,a but we're only talking one change here. One change will assure 3 lifts, and a good shot at BA4, just with the opener. We'll have plenty of people there for pullin', pushin', squeezin', you in that itty bitty shirt. Just my 2 cents........ 

P.S. We're having an ME Bench day at the Lockup Saturday at 5:30. If you want to drive to Decatur, you can park at my house, ride down with JohnB & I. That will give you a week rest for the BIG ONE.

Switching shirts mid flight is very taxing on the lifter. With the shirts as tight as John wears them it isnt exactly easy to get into it.

EXACTLY......don't go home with just two heavy attempts. You're "looser" 50 F6 will be stretched enough you could open in the 590's. That will give you two more attempts. That will also be a zero deduction lift for BA4, which will put you back on the list for next year.

John,
Put yourself in a position to get three attempts. Open with a proven weight (600) then put the new shirt on and go for broke(650 and beyond). Just my 2cents.

Randy

Yes, a big meet like this calls for some big attempts. And I'm in a position with my shirts where light openers are probably more difficult than heavy openers, since I'm needing alot ot touch.

By the way, the only thing I EVER do in Tuscola is buy cheap clothes.

Again I agree with Janne. 600 isnt gonna get you naything but a second attempt.

crush 655 then go up near 700. Why not? If you get it in the gym you will easily get it at the show.

Well, John did 606 in the old shirt. Maybe he can hit even more in the old shirt, but it is always a bit uncertain to really get an opener accepted, even with a weight that is supposed to be "light". I mean, John could call 594 on the bar for an opener and miss the lift due to uneven lockout or some other bullshit reason. This has happened to me, and everybody else as well I suppose.

John, if you can wait until the weigh-in, that's good. You may have time to do one more bench workout. See how it goes. See if you can touch with anything. Then make your decision.

This is Bench America we are talking about. This is not just another meet in Tuscola. If your last workout goes well, I'd say: "Go for the marbles".

If things continue to go well, I could be looking at a 1400 "total" at Worlds.


Dang!

John,

You really impressed me with your awesome strength today. That 640 got out of the groove but you out-muscled it to complete a clean 1-board lift. I think you can do a 655 to the chest this weekend. Then you can open with your 52, get 655 with your second, and possibly 672 with your third.

Jeff

I think you should hit an opener, around 600, with your 'proven' shirt. Then put on the new shirt and MEET BALLS and go for it. When do you have to give them your opener? At weigh in? Have they given you an itinerary of the event day? If you are going to have another ME Bench day, you should come to Lockup at T-ville this Saturday. Their bench is probably better than the one at BA3, but it would give you a chance to lift on a quality bench and we could work the liftoffs again. Just a thought.

Do as if meet were this weekend. Warm-ups like you would at the meet. Set up like a meet. Play your song in the gym. Then put 655 on the bar touch it your chest and press it to lockout. Why not it is Bench America.

A brand new F6 size 50 arrived today in luscious black. The chest piece is 2 inches smaller than my old 50. I see a PR workout coming on Monday.

Did I do 10 reps? Crap. I'm getting to be like a bodybuilder.

Another 10 rep workout.

I measured the chest piece of my 50: 8.5 inches. I measured the chest piece of my 52: just under 8 inches. This explains why I'm not getting a good pop off the chest . . . the 50 is all stretched out. But the arms are still tight, which helps the drive up to the top.

I called Ken Anderson and he's sending a new 50, but it might not be here by Monday, in which case I may put off my workout for a day or so. I could also try the 52 without pulling the shoulders back. This might give me a little more out of it.

So this will be interesting. I can guarantee I'll be ranging far into PR territory, since it's going to take PR weight to touch.

Disinterested kids? What on earth do you mean? Why, don't you know that those are the best spotters and loaders in the world?

I don't see how your wrists can take that. I'd think mine would just crack and crumble if I tried to support that much weight. There aren't many lifts that scare me in the gym, but I've always been nervous when you big guys load up 600+ on the bench. At least we have plenty of people trained to spot. I remember an SLP meet in which Andrew first got 500. I wasn't about to trust his life to the disinterested kids who were spotting.

Thanks Randy and Brett. I'm VERY sore today, but it's only muscle soreness. Elbows and wrists are fine.

Kick ass job on the prs John!

John,
Congrat's on the 615 1 board and the 650 3 board! Sorry I couldn't be there. I will be there next Monday. Hope your elbows and wrists are recovering.

Randy

Ryan,

Thanks for the offer. Roger Ryan will be giving me my handoffs. Randy Biggiam will be there since he trains with me and has a good eye for what I'm doing in the shirt. I'd love to have you helping, too, because you're Ryan; you add intensity and you'll keep my head on straight (so to speak).

Found out why my left hand has been bothering me since my 2nd attempt at Portland: I dislocated a bone near the wrist. It was probably first dislocated at the state meet, then popped out again at Portland. Not a huge deal, but it may slow down my bench training from time to time. It also may affect my deadlift grip, as I'm sure it did on the 700.8, which was slipping alot on the left.

Oh, I'm not supposed to bench for awhile. Yeah, right. The doctors have their schedule, and I have mine.