http://vimeo.com/132677122
Sunday after The Powerlifting Experience was different for me.
1) I was exhausted after the drive, the all-day seminar, and the fact that we were at the gym at 9 in the morning.
2) It was just bench press. I suck at bench press.
I was wondering who I would get in line and bench with and the ladies looked like a good group (on the eyes and strength wise) to be with but Dave Tate walked over and told me that if I was going to bench press I needed to get with the big crew and bench with them. So I wandered over towards a side of The Compound where GIANTS were training.
Have you ever been training and "that guy" came over and wanted to work in with you? And "that guy" had an all time max of about 50% of yours? And "that guy" needed you to strip the bar down to empty so he could warm up? Well, "that guy" was me this time. Lucky for me, David Kirschen was also in the same situation...except he is much stronger than I am.
I jumped right in and lifter after lifter was benching weights that I've only seen on video before. How do guys "warm up" with 600-700 lbs on bench press "on their light day"? My wife began taking pictures of the other guys benching and then I'd tell her "No, he has 3 more sets left, this is still his warm up" followed by her mumbling "Mother Mary Help Me" in Greek.
Looking around the bench I saw David Kirschen (as wide as he is tall), Vincent Dizenzo (benched 800+ in 3 different weight classes), Joey Smith (good friend, giant, smooth talker, possible Presidential Candidate, and freak show strength athlete), Marshall Johnson (looks like a banker), Matt Smith (freak status strength), Matt Rhodes (probable fitness model), and Casey Williams (possibly the best looking man on The Planet). I'll also add that Joey Smith's superstar daughter was there holding board for a lot of the athletes and I'm pretty sure that you get at least 30 lbs out of her being your board holder. It is possible that she is made of magic as most of the guys trusted her and only her to hold the boards PERFECTLY.
I warmed up to 320 x 2 raw then got an ear full for doing a double with 320 by most everyone there.
David Allen was the first to help get me into my shirt and from there Matt Smith and seemingly everyone else there had one mission on their plate: Get ME a PR Bench Press!
People kept asking me what my PR was. Recently I've done a 441 bench press and my best ever was an ugly 462.5 YEARS ago.
370 x 1 to a 3 board
410 to a 3 board
425 to a 2 board
445 to a 1 board
465 wouldn't touch but it hovered and then flew up
475, same thing, didn't touch but flew up
500 x 1...PR
The 500 could have been timed with a sun dial on the way down, but it touched and went up! I remember bits and pieces after the lift. My bicep was previously torn and so was my lat and when you match that with the pains I constantly have in my arms and legs from marrow loss, every rep HURT! The 500 was the icing on the pain cake. Once Dave Tate got me up off of the bench I was in so much pain that I could not talk and everything was a blur. In the end, I believe it was Dave Tate and Dave Kirschen that took me over into a corner and got my shirt off of my right arm. I can remember Dave telling me not to pass out and break any of his equipment and while I remember a little bit of laughter I'm sure he was being a little serious as well.
All in all, I got to be coached by some amazing lifters and set a Lifetime Bench Press PR with Matt Ladewski RIGHT THERE! Matt has been telling me for 3 years that I have a 500 lb bench in me but (insert the honest truth he likes to throw out at me)... Having HIM right there seeing it was worth A LOT to me!
Can't wait to get back under the bar...
