Saturday, June 30, 2012

Another trip to the Strength Guild and backyard meet write up

So I made another trip out to the beautiful land of Topeka.  Land of milk and honey and big succulent tittays.

Ok so I am exaggerating, Topeka kind of sucks.    

Except for The Strength Guild and my buddy Phil Stevens, and those things are awesome.  

Let's just say this about the weather.  It was mother fucking HOT.  102-104,000 most of the day, and Phil did his little back yard meet in The Strength Guild, which if you did not know, is his two car garage turned gym.  Phil also likes to keep the doors open you know, so the eleventy billion degree air can flow freely through the place.  



I drank more than 20 bottled waters, and might have pissed twice from 2 P.M. to 9:30 P.M.  It was that fucking hot.  

Anyway, all complaints aside, I had an awesome time and really loved watching his group get after it.  There were no world records at threat in this meet, however you wouldn't have known that if you were just judging by the enthusiasm.  

I also want to take a minute to prop up my oldest.  She went 9 for 9, hitting PR's in the squat and deadlift.  Weighing in at 115, she went 85, 105, 115 in the squat.  In the bench she went 65, 75, 85 and then went 135, 155, 185 in the deadlift.  She probably had a shot at 205 in the deadlift.  


Even more spectacular was Phil's little girl who dunked a 45 pounds squat........at 5 years old.  And it was textbook.  She also hit a couple of nice benches, but I don't recall the weight.  She also can do chin ups.  Talk about a little powerhouse!

The meet was long, and exhausting and my hat is off to all of the men and women who showed up and competed hard in a very tough environment.  It was my honor and privilege to be a part of it, and I plan on spending part of my meet prep there with Phil, later on in the year.  

After the meet was done, Phil broke out the burgers and hot dogs (2.5 of which he let fall on the ground) and taunted me with bacon bread and funeral potatoes (you read that right).  However, I stayed true to my diet and choked down a couple of chicken breasts, a jar of baby food sweet 'taters, and some home grown zucchini.    

The trip home was incredibly quiet, and I think by the time I arrived back at head quarters I was the only one awake.

Many many thanks to Phil and his wife for having us out, and we look forward to many more.



25 comments:

  1. You turned down bacon bread?!? Truly, you have willpower of the gods.........

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    1. Yes, and it fucking smelled retarded good. I was as hungry as I've been in weeks too. But I've kind of got this personal challenge going on with myself, to not cheat the entire summer. So far I'm holding out.

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  2. Your daughter's facial expression is chocked full of awesome intensity. If only grown women would get to that level, we'd have a ton of awesome ladies on this planet. So, extra props to your little gal!

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    1. She's good at that. She has a natural ability to know when to turn it "on". She did fucking awesome. Stupid proud of her, and I'm not a big boaster about my kids. but she kicked ass.

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  3. Cough... "a jar of baby food sweet 'taters"??? wtf... I remember those vividly and there was never any "1 for baby, 1 for Daddy". Now the peaches on the other hand...

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    1. The Hawaiian delight is actually the best.

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    2. Awwwwwwwwwww damn. I totally forgot about that. I've been off the diet for a while (oldest is 17, youngest is 10).

      Quick question though... I read "somewhere" that when you're pulling, 600 pounds in the basement feels heavier than 600 pounds at the gym. Have you weighed your plates? There's a good possibility that your plates aren't accurate. Just a thought

      I'm getting ready to build a power rack and I'm on the market for used 2" plates. Inaccurate plates are one of the things that really concern me.

      I looked at several new sets (in my meager price range) and inaccuracy seems to be a leading complaint.

      I'm actually considering welding/ gluing washers or boring holes to bring them up to snuff if I get them.

      Pretty anal, I know. But how else do you know? We all know what happens when one assumes...

      Later.

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    3. Yeah I weighed em because I was positive they were much heavier but they all fall within the 45-47 pound range.

      Weight is weight though. One of the best things about it feeling heavier is that when you train someplace else you tend to hit a PR.

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  4. Hannah kicked ass brother. She has that fire that cant be trained. When its go time she truely gets in the zone and you can tell nothing in the world.exists exceot the task as hand. Great job Hannah. As for you skinny...great having you and the whole family out again joining us. Seeing a new class of people pop their cherries in the sport.

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    1. You had a huge turn out. Long day, and I was happy I could there to share it with you guys. We really had a great time, and I am proud of myself for resisting doughnuts, cinnamon rolls, banana bread, lemon cake, bacon bread, potatoes, and all sorts of other shit you bastards taunted me with.

      Great enthusiasm all the way around. Can't wait to start training together in a couple of months.

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  5. cool - props to your kid lol i was looking for a deadlift you tube you put out and noticed she has more views for her 10 rep pull than all of your vids

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    1. Yup. Complete with pussy ass form nazi's.

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    2. Awesome write-up. Congrats to Hannah on her PRs(she's outlifting/more intense than half the guys in my gym), and Phil's daughter(45 lb. squat at 5???). Even more important are the lifelong memories you are making with your children. As the father of an 8-year old girl who ``can't wait to train in the gym with dad'', these posts bring a huge smile to my face.

      Thanks again, Paul. Best blog on the net.
      Sean

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    3. Thanks Sean. Very kind words.

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    4. Seriously, a bunch of people are that sad to spend time critiquing the form of a kid doing deadlifts? The more people that eschew the chest and bis only training nonsense the better.
      You're damn right to be proud. She is lucky to have such a good teacher but she still needs the desire which not everyone has.

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  6. Sounds like an awesome weekend man. The girls kicked ass! You should be proud of them.

    A little off topic, but since you live around Overland Park, do you know or have you ran into either of the Gulledge brothers? They run Gulledge Chiropractic and Acupuncture http://www.facebook.com/pages/Gulledge-Chiropractic-and-Acupuncture/202740901246 I don't know if they compete much anymore, but they were beasts back in the day. Here's Kyle's pull of 830 lbs at 19 years-old (at 3:34): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQA0WY1ZLZU. Dave Gulledge had a 700 bench at 22 yo, and had an insane physique a few years back: http://tnation.t-nation.com/free_online_forum/pictures_pics_photo_body_image_performance/all_powerlifters_are_fatties.

    They used to train at my old gym in Springfield, MO for awhile. Maybe an interview is in order with one/both of them?

    Btw, I'm reading the shit of of S-L-L. Probably the most comprehensive training/life manual I've ever had the pleasure of reading.

    Incredible job man.

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    1. Yeah I know of them. Don't know them. They look like they quit lifting now. I actually read into this chic who is also a chiro when I was getting the oil changed in my car who went to school with them and knows them.

      And thanks for the props. Appreciate it. :)

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  7. hey Paul check out this log if you get a chance, the guy is a beast http://tnation.t-nation.com/free_online_forum/blog_sports_body_training_performance_bodybuilding_log/who_says_powerlifters_have_to_be_fat?id=4637508&pageNo=24#bottom

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  8. Hey Paul, when you have the time can you do a video on how you personally do barbell rows? I've seen many different variations and one of my favourites is the way jamie does them with the bar stopping at the floor each rep.

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    1. Those are pendlays. I like those IF I am going to do barbell rows.

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  9. I just saw on Jim Wendler's website that he's writing a 5/3/1 book that covers (in part) how to train kids, and he says he's running a similar template for his 8-year old.

    When the world is overrun in 5 years time by a bunch of super jacked high school kids, it'll be you guys' fault!

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  10. I though SLL had a great "training beginners" section. Succinct, good explanation but not too much. Hell it even looks like a fun way I train if you're coming back from a layoff.

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  11. I see questions a lot of forums in regards to how/when to get your children into lifting, could be a good article for you to write maybe if you didn't already? Anyways quick answer here is fine, how did your daughter start lifting? Did she show interest and ask you first or did you show her a few lifts and she didn't dislike it so you kept with it.

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  12. God, I love that group photo. I don't know why, but it says so much.

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    1. Let me tell you, it was a brutal fucking day in the heat. It's amazing no one passed out.

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