Team EliteFTS Meet Report: Al Caslow
2009 IPA North Carolina Power Challenge
By
Al Caslow
I had a lot of fun this weekend - some down home good old southern
hospitality. We were welcomed with open arms, my wife had fun and was helped
with the baby to make the trip easy on her, so anything more than that we could
not have asked for. But there was more...
There was a competition, and my numbers were absolutely NOT what I wanted,
but I did leave knowing that there is more to come, and that a good day can
return some good things.
I felt great during warm-ups for all my lifts. I'll give a quick rundown on
each attempt:
Squats:
Opener - felt good on my back, came up good. 835.
2nd attempt - the bar just kept rolling down my back - so much so that
after the first unrack I called for a rerack. The second unrack was no better,
but as I stood there I just thought, "I'm not calling for another rerack, LET'S
GO," and I missed it, haha. 875.
3rd attempt - no problem with this one, came up good and
strong. 875. 900 will fall soon.
Bench:
Opener - same attempt for the past year on opener. This one was the
easiest. 525.
2nd attempt - some grinding, then hit the uprights at the end of the
attempt - just threw it too far forward. 550.
3rd attempt - some grinding, but with a bit more and a little slower.
Good bench. 550.
Deadlift:
Opener - not hard at all, felt very good about things. 655.
2nd attempt - Came up good, but right after I got it over my knees,
LOCKOUT WAS NOT THERE. 680 no good.
3rd attempt - SAME as second attempt. 680 NO GOOD.
* I have reasons for this crap, so I'll have to think about it and figure out
what can be done for it.
2080 total...
I want to thank, and strongly thank, Steve Maxson for all his help this
weekend. He was great to Shawn and me and made the trip incredibly easy for us -
including my wife and baby. He was amazing to say the least and will always have
an open invitation to join us anywhere, anytime. Steve, you were awesome, and I
thank you for that.
Thank you to Cheryl Clodfelter and Gene Rychlak for having us, forwarding the
invitation and giving us a platform to compete and have fun. The meet was well
run, and the YMCA staff and facility were great. We had no complaints, and best
of all met some great people along the way.
So thank you Cheryl and Gene for the chance to participate.
Thank you to team SOS, BIG for their attention and help throughout this
quick, weird and tiring cycle. They were all great, and I appreciate their
patience, efforts and friendship.
Thank you to Dave and Tracy Tate, Jim Wendler, Lori and Rhonda for the
support, help, patience and willingness to get me what I needed as soon as they
could possibly get it to me. I could not come up with a complaint for them. I am
grateful for the chance to represent and be a part of Team EliteFTS.
MY man, the FREAKSHOW, what can I say? At the last minute and at the last
chance, you come through. Like always. I’m in debt to you, bud, and we
appreciate your amazing way of being so considerate. You took time away from
your family to help, and I cannot thank you enough for understanding - and of
course I can’t thank Missy and Hailey enough either. We love the Frankl's at the
Caslow's.
Last but not least, my wife and daughter. I love you both and I love that you
understand how much this means to me and your willingness to sacrifice for me.
My lord almighty, I am blessed to be to your child.
Summary
I made some training changes this go around with the help of Landon Evans. We
tweaked my bench routine from the standard BIG IRON template I use to more of a
block periodization style. I needed to change things around to better and more
quickly learn the new Ace Bencher shirt. My problem has always been using tough
shirts and touching comfortably. It worked at the meet, as my comfort with
touching was great and my strength was constant. Other than that, for the most
part we kept my squat and deadlift as normal, with a slight tweak in the squat.
The gear change was something I was worried about, not because I thought it
would be hard to learn, but because I was not sure if my numbers would drop - or
increase for that matter. The first thing I noticed was that the Ace suit was a
TOUGH SOB. About the only problem I ran into was that the suit size was perfect,
but that I could not use the ACE briefs under it. I have a woman's waist but
tree trunks for legs, and that created a problem with fitting both the Ace suit
and briefs comfortably.
The good thing was that the switch was smooth. Numbers did not have to be
adjusted and the suit worked awesome regardless of what briefs I wore. I have
used the deadlift gear before, so that was a smooth and welcoming transition.
The bench shirt was splinter. I have long arms, so a tough and groove-specific
shirt gave me some fits at first. I was actually a little worried at the meet,
but once it started, all the training came together and I actually felt great
about the shirt.
I learned a few things at this meet, but one of the most valuable things I
learned is the timing of my warm-ups, nutrition and how to take care of myself
between lifts. The bench gave me a stiff back from arching, so much so that I
had to have someone rub it out. I ignored it, though, and just went on. This
turned out to cost me some pounds on the deadlift. It's a valuable lesson
because things like this can happen any time, and when they do, I have to
remember the consequences.
